What is the best way to start a young horse to drive?

[Kruse, Doris K {BIS}]

I’d like to get some input on what is the best way to start a young horse to drive? I’ve been driving horses for a number of years, and normally I only have a single buggy to choice from or the larger pairs buggy. Now thankfully I have two. One is for a single horse, the other is a pair. Would it be best to use the single or the pair. I have an older horse that has pulled as a team for several years. I’m doing the ground work now, so before I ever hock up we will have dragged a bunch, and done all the pre-steps. As I see it the advantage of the pair, is someone to be there to steady him. However my older horse is a gelding with somewhat of an attitude towards other horses, and the young horse is a stallion. I would have to ground drive to get past any initial concerns. Is it worth the effort to team them together? Or should I start with the single?  My long range plans is to have a team. I have two young stallions that have been together since birth and get along great.

 

Your thoughts…

 

Thank you,

Doris

[hz...@aol.com]

If you have pair driving knowledge and equipment and an old schoolmaster to do it with, then I certainly do believe that starting a youngster in the pair is the best and safest method. In your case, where you are not sure, if the two horses will work in harmony together, you try that out in ground driving them together as a pair with no carriage attached, and some helpers = one on each horse's head with a lead rope and halter, so not much can go wrong there as far as safety is concerned. Have a connection strap between the collars (or breast collars) just as leaders in CDE four-in-hands. And if you want to, you can also put a rope around their butts connecting them behind (or from the breechings, if you'd rive with breechings) so that they don't spread apart too much, which some prefer  - which, however is also not that much necessary, if you just remember, all problems (excerpt a runaway) are cured with driving FOREWARD !  So if they should spread apart, just drive forward and they should straighten out again. Read my article on the drivingpairs website too, and don't hold back, if they start out uneven, instead, also there, drive forward and t will straighten out. Good luck.

hardy

[Kruse, Doris K {BIS}]

Thank you for your insight. I love the driving forward comment. It is true.

 

Doris

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