Obstacle Course and other questions

[MajorClementine]

After doing our first parade last fall I got a good feel of what Clementine and I need to work on. She did really well but a few things surprised her. It gave me the idea to build and obstacle course to drive her through (ground drive first). I got on Pinterest for some ideas and found lots of obstacles using pool noodles, streamers, and tarps. What are some things you guys have done to train a steady driving horse?

I would also like to get a HyberBike in the next year or so but want to have a good solid horse before I do that. I really want to work on getting her to stand still and quiet after she is hitched. She doesn't try to run off or anything but if we stand for very long she jigs a little and tosses her head. Might paw some if she's really frustrated with me. Any tips there?

Last question. The shafts on my EE stick out a little too far when she is hitched. I've tried hitching her up further forward but she is out too far and you can tell it isn't comfortable for her. My shafts are the "Bolt on" type on a cheaper EE cart. Any reason I can't have hubby grind/cut a few inches off them and drill a new hole for the bolt? As they are right now she has gotten the lines caught under the end of the shaft. Nothing like driving a horse with her face stuck to the shaft...

 

[BSharpRanch]

Here's a short video of just some of what I put my horses through, especially those that will be or are on the team. You can catch a glimpse of the flags I hang across the corner also. I also have at my disposal when needed, a kids drum, a tambourine, an oversized rattle, several bell strings and two different sizes of balls.

 

[MajorClementine]

Love the frog tent! So do you ground drive them first or do you just go straight to driving them over/around/through the obstacles? Clementine does shy away from things that scare her but she has never been a runaway. Even when a drone zoomed right over us she dropped and shied and was pretty upset but she didn't try to run off. We later got my brothers drone out and brought her out on a lead and flew it all around her. After a couple of passes she couldn't be bothered with it anymore. I took that as a good sign that she will accept scary new things pretty easily and (hopefully) without the explosion we've all seen at some point.

 

[BSharpRanch]

I do some leading and some groundwork. It all depends on the individual horse. I like doing some as pairs as I can hook a not so brave horse with a brave horse and they learn to be steady. Like in the video I shared, the horse on the right is pretty much ho-hum, while the left horse is WAHOO!!!!! I usually keep an eye out at Goodwill for things I can use that is also cheap. The frog tent was like 5 bucks. I also get things from the dollar store. I sometimes put a lot out and sometimes just one thing. It's funny how sometimes the ne thing is more scarey then a bunch of things.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Try going on Youtube and finding some of the Barry Hook videos. They are masters of desensitizing driving horses, and some of their videos also show their own 'obstacle course',with numerous ideas. Just yesterday I watched a new one showing some things they do to desensitize, including dragging a heavy piece of metal both behind the horse and alongside(from a helper in a car.)Of course, these are things you 'work up to'.....

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Here is a portion of our course. We set one up a few times a year, and invite all the neighbors etc.

This was a 3 yr old. His first time off farm, 10 lessons in harness. He was the best green baby ever