I respect the fact that there are different ways and different methods of handling your driving horse and what is good for one horse and driver isn't going to be good for another.
Here is the question or maybe just a rant from me...
When you are in a driving class and there is another horse and driver near you that is causing a distraction, what do you do to get away from it and how do you handle it. I know if several drivers get really tight it is ok to pass or cut away to create more space, but what if you are not that close but still want to get away from someone.
I was at a show and another driver in the class was very distracting. My driving horse gets very soft quiet cues. In addition to my hands and the reins --- a cluck to trot, the word easy to slow down/settle down, double cluck to pick up the pace again and a quick short kiss noise to move out and a longer double kiss to really motor - like for DRIVE ON in Roadster Class.
At the show this weekend, another driver that was in several of my classes made constant (CONSTANT) very loud, long kissing noises....I am not kidding.....pretty much every other breath and for every gait -- walk, pleasure trot, extended trot and even to backing up in the line up. My hands were numb from holding my horse back and he was gritting his teeth in frustration and and snorting and blowing and acting up because he was getting mad at ME. Under my breath I talked to my horse the entire class trying to get him to focus on my voice rather than the other driver and afterward I had someone tell me she could hear me (she was sitting in the stands) talking to him (I was saying things like, that's not me, try to focus, easy boy...etc. etc.) I really wanted to cross the arena or circle around to try and get away from him but I wasn't totally sure what was the right thing to do and because of the number of drivers in the class and the way the judges were spread out in the ring no matter where I did it I would have had to cut VERY close to a judge to accomplish it. I know we have a shortage of good judges already and I didn't want to be responsible for running one over.
In roadster class I saw the same horse/driver combo heading for the ring and I stayed as FAR AWAY as I possibly could from them and even across the ring I could hear it still happening.
This is NOT sour grapes because I won the pleasure driving and roadster classes I was in. I was focused on my own horse, and I didn't know this person or the horses name so I don't know where they placed in the classes but I am sure this must have affected others in the class and I would have been upset had they placed above me. I would have liked to have asked a couple of other drivers in the classes if they happened to be affected by it or not but I was busy getting my kids ready for the youth classes that were right after mine. If I had a young, inexperienced horse or a very hot one I probably couldn't have kept control of the horse and I couldn't possibly have been the only one that was affected in these classes. If a driver like this had been in one of the youth classes I would have requested to have my child removed from the class for safety reasons. (That would have gone over BIG on the long drive home) I left the ring wondering how someone could possibly think that is OK and the way to drive a horse and wondering if anyone would say something to the driver at some point and I didn't know how to go about it myself or if it was even my place to speak up and I kept thinking this is my first year driving and maybe that sort of stuff is common and just comes with the territory and you just need to learn to deal with it. My husband heard and saw what was going on from the rail and he came in as my header and in the line up I happened to be looking him in the eye when this horse was backed up -- via a cue of several loud long kissing noises and I almost lost it and did wind up making a weird snorting noise.
Does this happen a lot??
EDIT TO ADD.....At least I learned to be very aware of this possibility and will be more prepared for it to happen and for SURE at future shows I will have be on the look out for "THE KISSER" and will make sure they go in first and I stay as far away as possible.
Here is the question or maybe just a rant from me...
When you are in a driving class and there is another horse and driver near you that is causing a distraction, what do you do to get away from it and how do you handle it. I know if several drivers get really tight it is ok to pass or cut away to create more space, but what if you are not that close but still want to get away from someone.
I was at a show and another driver in the class was very distracting. My driving horse gets very soft quiet cues. In addition to my hands and the reins --- a cluck to trot, the word easy to slow down/settle down, double cluck to pick up the pace again and a quick short kiss noise to move out and a longer double kiss to really motor - like for DRIVE ON in Roadster Class.
At the show this weekend, another driver that was in several of my classes made constant (CONSTANT) very loud, long kissing noises....I am not kidding.....pretty much every other breath and for every gait -- walk, pleasure trot, extended trot and even to backing up in the line up. My hands were numb from holding my horse back and he was gritting his teeth in frustration and and snorting and blowing and acting up because he was getting mad at ME. Under my breath I talked to my horse the entire class trying to get him to focus on my voice rather than the other driver and afterward I had someone tell me she could hear me (she was sitting in the stands) talking to him (I was saying things like, that's not me, try to focus, easy boy...etc. etc.) I really wanted to cross the arena or circle around to try and get away from him but I wasn't totally sure what was the right thing to do and because of the number of drivers in the class and the way the judges were spread out in the ring no matter where I did it I would have had to cut VERY close to a judge to accomplish it. I know we have a shortage of good judges already and I didn't want to be responsible for running one over.
In roadster class I saw the same horse/driver combo heading for the ring and I stayed as FAR AWAY as I possibly could from them and even across the ring I could hear it still happening.
This is NOT sour grapes because I won the pleasure driving and roadster classes I was in. I was focused on my own horse, and I didn't know this person or the horses name so I don't know where they placed in the classes but I am sure this must have affected others in the class and I would have been upset had they placed above me. I would have liked to have asked a couple of other drivers in the classes if they happened to be affected by it or not but I was busy getting my kids ready for the youth classes that were right after mine. If I had a young, inexperienced horse or a very hot one I probably couldn't have kept control of the horse and I couldn't possibly have been the only one that was affected in these classes. If a driver like this had been in one of the youth classes I would have requested to have my child removed from the class for safety reasons. (That would have gone over BIG on the long drive home) I left the ring wondering how someone could possibly think that is OK and the way to drive a horse and wondering if anyone would say something to the driver at some point and I didn't know how to go about it myself or if it was even my place to speak up and I kept thinking this is my first year driving and maybe that sort of stuff is common and just comes with the territory and you just need to learn to deal with it. My husband heard and saw what was going on from the rail and he came in as my header and in the line up I happened to be looking him in the eye when this horse was backed up -- via a cue of several loud long kissing noises and I almost lost it and did wind up making a weird snorting noise.
Does this happen a lot??
EDIT TO ADD.....At least I learned to be very aware of this possibility and will be more prepared for it to happen and for SURE at future shows I will have be on the look out for "THE KISSER" and will make sure they go in first and I stay as far away as possible.
Last edited by a moderator: