post natal driving

[crisco41]

how soon is it safe to start driving a mare after birth?it would be ez driving..and a slow build up. Thinking i would lead baby along

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have seen quite a few photos here over the years that show the mare driving and a young foal beside her. I would not lead baby, but rather let him go freely beside his dam. For one thing, foals don't lead very well yet and also he is more liable to be injured by getting in the way. Let him go along beside her on your first short jaunts and see how they do.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Should be fine to allow baby to follow freely; however, I'd sure do my driving in a safely enclosed area, not 'out in the open'. Foals are given to dashing madly about w/o advance warning, don't want baby rushing into the path of traffic, etc.!

 

[paintponylvr]

I've driven with the foals loose, with the foals tied where they can see 'mum' while driving, and with the foals tied in different configurations next to his/her dam.

In 2010, with a loose foal and working the dam at a trot the older suckling cut across in front of us. We hit him HARD and he flipped head over teakettle for several flips. I felt terrible!!! He untangled himself and bounced up and wasn't any the worse for the wear - however his dam would shy every time he came close after that for several driving sessions. It was easier for all involved for him to be tied up and two years later, with a different mare and foal I learned the same thing (the mare got very upset every time her filly zoomed around us). The mare worked better if the filly either stayed tied up or was tied to her rather than running loose.

Above pic - he was born on 16 Feb (his name is Cupid) and this is 28 March. I think this was the 2nd time his dam had been driven since he'd been born. He's two months old in the bottom pic.

Also in 2010, with a different mare and foal, the mare started learning to drive both single and as a pair (while I was also learning pair driving). It worked great each way. "mum", right from the start, would lower her head and "scoop" her filly out of the way if the filly got out in front of us. She spoiled me badly! None of our other mares has ever done that. With another filly 2 years later - she again did the same things - even while working as a pair.

GG's dam was driven for 45 minutes to an EZ entry cart at a walk, trot and CANTER. Then the next morning at 0900, I found GG. She wasn't around at 0700 when I fed... I can't find my notes to tell you wether I drove Bell between birth and 10 days of age - but at 19 days of age, GG went with her dam and aunt to our driving lessons - 8 miles from our farm. Here is just one of the pics -

and a unicorn hitch in the making? (after GG was turned loose for a while)

and here are two different pairs.

 

[paintponylvr]

Here is a pic showing how I tied them at the trailer... The fillies can reach their dams for nursing while tied - both at the trailer and while driving.

Also note that I use the "cowboy trick" of a rope around the girth or around the rump. In 2012, I put big rings on the end of the rope where it went around the girth. It would pull tight if the foal pulled back, but would loosen right away. The one on GG at the beginning of the post was just a lead rope attached to itself. When it pulled tight, it had to be loosened by hand. The rope either runs thru the halter or thru a ring attached to the halter. I rarely tie my babies by their heads until they are much older.

I use mostly NH type techniques for my training now - but still LIKE the girth or rump rope and no attachment only to the head on a foal under 6 months of age.

And here is a pic of GG with Bell driving single - This was August 3rd (GG born 10 June - so not quite 2 months old). This time the lead is run thru her halter to a wider collar around her neck, not around her girth. It worked well and still didn't put pressure in exactly the same area as her narrower halter did right behind her ears.

Being held by the girls on the drag. GG was MAD that she wasn't up "working" with her dam!

and a pic of GG tied up at the trailer when she is older... Taken on 19 October 2010.

 

[paintponylvr]

You do have to use your head and watch the mares/foals. I've never really had them get tangled up, but they could. I HAVE had a loose foal rear up over a team (and not his dam which created a bit of a problem) and catch his legs in the harness! THAT was a mess that I sweated and shook over for some time, LOL. Funny now, but it sure wasn't when it happened. I wasn't alone, but my friend was too far away to help right then. I had him loose before she got to us. IF I was a smoker, I'd of needed a cigarette right away!!!

I really like taking the babies with me for driving. They "teach themselves" to lead w/o ME involved, LOL - just them, the rope and their dam (whom they want to follow usually). Also, I SEE A BIG DIFFERENCE when I now go on to teach those foals to drive. Just easier - they've already been around the wheeled vehicles, they hear the different sounds they make, also get used to straps over them and around them and the jingling the work harness makes.

With our riding ponies and horses, our mares were often ridden literally not long after they gave birth! Our mares have always been "working mares" and that means that they were lesson mounts, or riding mounts for our daughters or what ever... The mares were ridden regularly thruout the pregnancy and then as early as hours after giving birth. The riding/work was adjusted to what the mare and/or foal could handle. Here are some pics.

Just hours old. Cherokee is 1/2 Shetland.

1 week old. I led "Frosty" from the ground the 2 miles to the barn as his dam can't stand ropes around her body nor did this daughter of our EVER develop the ability to pony another horse from the one she was riding. Frosty is a purebred Shetland.

Blizzard was born the 25th of January. This is the 5th of Feb and I guess I lied - the lead is hooked directly to his halter here... Blizzard is 1/2 Shetland.

Vixen was born the 10th of May. And years later, our youngest daughter rode Vixen to pony Vixen's 1/2 sister, Star.

and then Star with her own daughter (didn't get pics when Flower was younger)

 

[paintponylvr]

hmm, my computer didn't like that last pic - can't get it to load right now...

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Paula, you can always be counted on for great photos! I wish I kept a picture record of all my horses the way you have. I often pick up ideas just for looking at your pics.

 

[paintponylvr]

AWWWW, thank you!!!!

It seems there are pics I remember that aren't scanned into the computer (maybe not nice enough??) or may have been scanned and stored but not posted online to public albums. I can't find a couple pics I KNOW i had. for both this post and for another i answered too.

And I wish I'd had more! These are scanned and stored in several different places. I have two accounts on line - one with photo bucket and one with google Picasa. When I had lots of pics on our computer in 2004 and it crashed, I lost lots of pictures including some I didn't have hard copies of nor saved in other places. I took the time to scan those from our photo albums and then fix them. Wish I'd known to make them all the "same size". Oh well. I hope I never have to scan 5 overfull photo albums again!! That was MANY hours of work after work as I got permission to do this after I clocked out on computers w/ programs I couldn't afford to purchase. I have a decent scanner now and have a lot of family photos that need to be scanned and saved, too...

Our pictures for the past several years are digital. Cheaper and the "uky" ones can be deleted rather than saved (or paid to have printed out!). BUT again, easy to lose...

 

[paintponylvr]

Crisco41 - have you driven your mare and foal yet? Do you have any pictures of them?

Wish to share your experience - good or bad?