Driving Horses, Part 1 of 3
Driving is for everyone, as long as safety comes first
by Kayo Fraser
“Over the river and through the woods” and “Dashing through the snow on a one horse open sleigh” evoke fond memories of a time gone by, leaving us with the desire to drive through the soft snow behind a fast-paced horse. “She’ll be driving six white horses when she comes” creates a thrilling image of elegant horses driven to a coach. Driving horses is part of our heritage, and this is what dreams are made of today.
Increasing interest in driving horses makes this the fastest growing equestrian sport in the country. The thrill of driving a well trained equine to a carriage is enhanced by sharing this experience with friends and family who can enjoy the ride without having to be in control of a horse themselves.
What is a Driving Horse?
One can get into a debate whether you are driving horses or driving the vehicle – but for simplicity's sake we will talk about driving horses to a cart, wagon, carriage, buggy, coach, sleigh, sled or any other implement. It doesn’t matter if we are using draft horses, warmbloods, light horses, ponies, mules, donkeys or the miniature breeds; driving is driving.
Most of our students come in from their lessons with smiles from ear to ear. “That was the most fun I have had with horses my whole life,” one student from Washington told us recently.
“My whole day is made when I know I get to drive horses,” another student said.
Whether you want to drive a team of horses for work or competition--or if you just want to drive a single horse for the pure pleasure of it--it will go much better if you take lessons from a professional instructor or coach. There can be a lot to learn about the art of driving horses.
Learn Before you Leap
Many people attempt this newer aspect of horsemanship knowing too little about what the horse needs and how to communicate with him. You no longer have leg aids or knee pressure, and neck reining does not work while you are sitting eight to ten feet behind your horse. It can be very dangerous to put a horse to a vehicle if neither he nor you know what you are doing.
People often call, wanting to buy a well-trained horse to “teach” them how to drive. Expecting a horse to teach anyone how to drive properly and to be safe is not very practical. Compare it to buying a used airplane so it can teach you how to fly.
A well trained horse is an excellent idea for someone just getting started with driving, but that horse needs to feel safe with a knowledgeable and confident driver – especially if things go wrong. A horse responds to fear by running away from the perceived danger. Running with a horse and carriage can be fun only if you are in control and asked for a fast gait. Running out of fear is not fun, and terrible things can and will happen when that horse finally stops, one way or the other. If you are riding in a saddle and get bucked off, that usually solves the problem for your horse. If the driver gets knocked off the vehicle, that “monster on wheels” is still behind the horse.
A well adjusted harness and the right driving bit will help your horse be more comfortable. Selecting the right vehicle for the horse and terrain can be learned in books, but the books and DVDs cannot tell the driver how to correct bad habits or how to get a better response from the horse. Knowing what the horse needs from the driver is something that can only be learned from a professional instructor and with a lot of practice.
What Is the Sport of Driving?
The sport of driving often refers to driving trials, pleasure shows and the combined driving events (CDEs), which are similar to three-day eventing for the saddle horse. One day is for driven dressage, one day is for the marathon or cross country, and the last event is the cones, which requires a combination of the speed of the marathon and the precision of dressage to get you through the course.
Many pleasure shows, arena shows, and play days design fun courses for driving horses, and the CDEs have several divisions, including Training for the beginners, Preliminary for more experienced drivers, Intermediate for more challenges and Advanced for the top drivers. Most draft horse shows offer classes for the entire family, from the junior drivers to the more seasoned teamsters. These events include a wide variety of classes from the single horse in cart to team, unicorn (three horses in formation with a single horse leading), tandem, six-horse and eight-horse hitches. The draft horse clubs also have fun days with farming and log skidding activities and competitions.
Most people who drive horses are friendly and welcome questions as long as they are not busy with their horses. Talk to them after the horses are put away for the day if you are interested in learning about this exciting sport.
Where Do I Find Events?
Several magazines are devoted to all aspects of driving; these advertise the events, clubs and associations. You can search for them online or go to www.wildhorsebooks.com and click on Magazines.
The American Driving Society (www.americandrivingsociety.org) is the main source of information regarding the CDEs. This is a membership supported organization devoted to making this sport as much fun and as safe as possible. It maintains the official rules, list of judges and sanctioned CDEs.
Local, national and world competitions continue to satiate the driving itch. The love of driving horses is experienced by people from every walk of life, every age and physical ability.
Next month we will explain why more people are getting into this exciting sport of driving horses.
About the Author
Kayo and Alex Fraser own and operate the Fraser School of Driving in Deer Lodge, Montana. Their websites are www.drivehorses.com and www.wildhorsebooks.com.
by Kayo Fraser
“Over the river and through the woods” and “Dashing through the snow on a one horse open sleigh” evoke fond memories of a time gone by, leaving us with the desire to drive through the soft snow behind a fast-paced horse. “She’ll be driving six white horses when she comes” creates a thrilling image of elegant horses driven to a coach. Driving horses is part of our heritage, and this is what dreams are made of today.
Increasing interest in driving horses makes this the fastest growing equestrian sport in the country. The thrill of driving a well trained equine to a carriage is enhanced by sharing this experience with friends and family who can enjoy the ride without having to be in control of a horse themselves.
What is a Driving Horse?
One can get into a debate whether you are driving horses or driving the vehicle – but for simplicity's sake we will talk about driving horses to a cart, wagon, carriage, buggy, coach, sleigh, sled or any other implement. It doesn’t matter if we are using draft horses, warmbloods, light horses, ponies, mules, donkeys or the miniature breeds; driving is driving.
Most of our students come in from their lessons with smiles from ear to ear. “That was the most fun I have had with horses my whole life,” one student from Washington told us recently.
“My whole day is made when I know I get to drive horses,” another student said.
Whether you want to drive a team of horses for work or competition--or if you just want to drive a single horse for the pure pleasure of it--it will go much better if you take lessons from a professional instructor or coach. There can be a lot to learn about the art of driving horses.
Learn Before you Leap
Many people attempt this newer aspect of horsemanship knowing too little about what the horse needs and how to communicate with him. You no longer have leg aids or knee pressure, and neck reining does not work while you are sitting eight to ten feet behind your horse. It can be very dangerous to put a horse to a vehicle if neither he nor you know what you are doing.
People often call, wanting to buy a well-trained horse to “teach” them how to drive. Expecting a horse to teach anyone how to drive properly and to be safe is not very practical. Compare it to buying a used airplane so it can teach you how to fly.
A well trained horse is an excellent idea for someone just getting started with driving, but that horse needs to feel safe with a knowledgeable and confident driver – especially if things go wrong. A horse responds to fear by running away from the perceived danger. Running with a horse and carriage can be fun only if you are in control and asked for a fast gait. Running out of fear is not fun, and terrible things can and will happen when that horse finally stops, one way or the other. If you are riding in a saddle and get bucked off, that usually solves the problem for your horse. If the driver gets knocked off the vehicle, that “monster on wheels” is still behind the horse.
A well adjusted harness and the right driving bit will help your horse be more comfortable. Selecting the right vehicle for the horse and terrain can be learned in books, but the books and DVDs cannot tell the driver how to correct bad habits or how to get a better response from the horse. Knowing what the horse needs from the driver is something that can only be learned from a professional instructor and with a lot of practice.
What Is the Sport of Driving?
The sport of driving often refers to driving trials, pleasure shows and the combined driving events (CDEs), which are similar to three-day eventing for the saddle horse. One day is for driven dressage, one day is for the marathon or cross country, and the last event is the cones, which requires a combination of the speed of the marathon and the precision of dressage to get you through the course.
Many pleasure shows, arena shows, and play days design fun courses for driving horses, and the CDEs have several divisions, including Training for the beginners, Preliminary for more experienced drivers, Intermediate for more challenges and Advanced for the top drivers. Most draft horse shows offer classes for the entire family, from the junior drivers to the more seasoned teamsters. These events include a wide variety of classes from the single horse in cart to team, unicorn (three horses in formation with a single horse leading), tandem, six-horse and eight-horse hitches. The draft horse clubs also have fun days with farming and log skidding activities and competitions.
Most people who drive horses are friendly and welcome questions as long as they are not busy with their horses. Talk to them after the horses are put away for the day if you are interested in learning about this exciting sport.
Where Do I Find Events?
Several magazines are devoted to all aspects of driving; these advertise the events, clubs and associations. You can search for them online or go to www.wildhorsebooks.com and click on Magazines.
The American Driving Society (www.americandrivingsociety.org) is the main source of information regarding the CDEs. This is a membership supported organization devoted to making this sport as much fun and as safe as possible. It maintains the official rules, list of judges and sanctioned CDEs.
Local, national and world competitions continue to satiate the driving itch. The love of driving horses is experienced by people from every walk of life, every age and physical ability.
Next month we will explain why more people are getting into this exciting sport of driving horses.
About the Author
Kayo and Alex Fraser own and operate the Fraser School of Driving in Deer Lodge, Montana. Their websites are www.drivehorses.com and www.wildhorsebooks.com.
Labels: driving, kayo fraser, September 2009, Trainers Corner
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