Purchasing checklist

[blackandwhite]

I'm in the market for my first driving horse, a gelding. What are some things I should make sure to check when viewing a potential new horse? I know the drill with riding horses, but with driving horses I'm not as experienced. Is there anything in particular I should watch out for?

Also, what about when checking out a cart to buy? What should I be wary of?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

A horse with a low tail set/weak hindquarters is not good. I think it is good to have a horse with forward-looking eyes. Some have eyes too much on the sides of their head.

A cart with a lower center of gravity is safer. There are so many carts available now! You might search the driving forum, as there have been many discussions about carts in the past.

I have a Jerald Runabout, which I've used for 12 years. I feel very safe in it and it accommodates a passenger and my dog. But I know there are other carts that drivers like as well or better.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

Here is a great article from I Am Ranch--http://iamranch.com/minidrivingprospect.htm

It also depends on what you what type of driving you are interested in. I would make sure the horse has a good "whoa" and will stand still when I am getting in and out of the cart. See how spooky/bombproof the horse is. Ask to tack up the horse, be very suspicious if it is done before you get there.

Although you want a quiet horse they should not be lazy. It isn't any fun to be driving a horse you have to smack with a crop every few seconds to keep them moving.

 

[blackandwhite]

I'm not sure what type of driving, really. I don't know enough about the different types of classes and whatnot. I want to show locally, for enjoyment (but I want something that's got a lot of potential, if you know what I mean.) Pleasure driving, mainly. I'm looking for a best buddy who I can show. I just sold my Gypsy stallion (sob) and it's killing me not having a horse right now but I know I should take my time and find exactly what I want and need.

Would you mind showing me some examples of conformation shots of driving horses and telling me what is good about their conformation for driving and what to avoid?

 

[blackandwhite]

sorry, double post

 

[paintponylvr]

You really do need to figure out what you want in a driving horse. Even "pleasure driving" has different meanings and different equipment - depending on showing vs just "splunking about"...

You said show but then you said local. Are you doing the mini type, ring classes OR looking to do ADS driving? Very different carts, harness and driving styles. Are you truly wanting to start w/ a basic cart or did you want to spend once and get something a little better? Even if you do "better" quality - you need to think about which direction you are going as what's accepted in one discipline isn't in another.

Kinda like "hunter" vs "dressage". They are both english riding and use the same equipment (at least at the lower/beginning lessons) - but are very different in movement (and conformation requirements), training for the horse and how the horse and rider communicate.

I chose to go with mostly working farm style harness - I can do SO MANY things with it. Yet, even though it is supposed to be accepted at some of the driving events I have attended, I attend those in "high end" Southern Pines and even the basic events this is frowned on!

Because I couldn't afford that harness at first, I started with a "mish mash" of harness and have only regretted one purchase (a Tough 1 nylon pleasure harness that didn't fit well and the fittings rusted out in 90 days and in less than 6 months the whole thing went to the dump - my braided from recycled hay string harness is better quality!!). Even w/ going w/ farm harness, I made choices that don't really allow me to show at the upper levels of AMHR/ASPC BUT I can upgrade the harness as needed to get to that point IF/WHEN i'm ready. Neither the cart (S) nor the wagon (s) I currently own are the correct ones for the showring in AMHR/ASPC BUT they work for US in what we enjoy and want to do.

I also have basic pleasure harness. Unlike some that have ez entry carts they truly like, I have an OLD, OLD sulky cart of unknown manufacture that can carry my 250+ weight behind any of our ponies - with just changes to the wheel size(s) and trace extenders for the smaller horses and I find it to be very comfortable for trail driving. It works for schooling a horse/pony for the show ring as it's the same type of cart used for all of those classes (in AMHR/ASPC - not for ADS, traditional or farm/draft driving).

I purchased an EZ entry style cart in TX in 2007, think it might have been a "true" Fronteir, but they've gone out of business. I traded it to a friend who had a smaller, no-name brand cart that simply didn't work for her larger ponies while I had smaller ones. I've had to do a lot of customizing on that smaller cart to make it work for me - would have been much less expensive (for me) to just purchase a new cart. The one thing I forgot about when I had it "customized", was those "cheap", little springs. I could have had something much heavier duty and more shock absorbing, ah well...

I just looked at where you are! You have VERY different options in your country for harness and vehicles than we have here in the US of A. Don't even know that you can get the same equipment where you are (such as the basic EZ entry cart)... I'm not even sure that the first 3 paragraphs apply to you -

.

That your Gypsy boy in your avatar? He is a beauty and I'm sure you do miss him!

 

[MajorClementine]

From my very limited driving experience I can tell you what I would look for.

#1 would be a quiet horse when hitched. One that can stand quietly for a long time without trying to walk off. No pawing and tail twitching.

#2 would be a very good whoa

Other things would be a horse with a soft mouth and one who listens for verbal cues.

Of course this is just what has become most important to me in my first year of driving. #1 I am still working on with Clementine. It takes a ton of time and consistency so I figure a driving horse that has this down has probably had quite a bit of quality time spent on it's training.

As for a vehicle, I guess that depends on what you want to do. I have a very inexpensive EE cart. I picked it as a training cart. It has worked really well for me. My husband went over it with a fine tooth comb when we first got it and replaced a few bolts that didn't meet his satisfaction. I would like to eventually get a hyperbike but I think that is 2 or 3 years down the road for us. What I would love right now is a meadowbrook. So pretty and can be used for pleasure or show (as I understand it...).

 

[Minimor]

I want reasonably good conformation overall; good length of neck with a clean throatlatch so the horse can set himself up and collect without cutting off his air supply--and the usual conformation that I like for any horse, which means he will be good moving--for me, a must in a driving horse. I have to disagree with Marsha when it comes to eyes...I want a nice large, prominent eye, which means the horse will have a good range of vision. Horses with forward set eyes generally have smaller eyes, and they are more limited in their field of vision, often meaning they will be more spooky about anything and anyone coming up behind them.

If you are new to driving then very quiet and obedient in harness is a priority, and may be more important than conformation and movement--when learniing to drive you do want a very well trained, safe driving horse that will overlook any mistakes a new driver may make. Driving a horse is somewhat different from riding--with a cart you may encounter hazards you would never notice with a riding horse and if you miss those hazards before you are in the middle of one of them, it is good if the horse will be steady and not fall apart.