Driving for Fun

From the students' mouths – how driving can be a great addition to activities with your horse

Article and photo by Kayo Fraser

Racing through water hazards in a marathon vehicle and running tight twists and turns is only part of the attraction to driving horses. It is fun, it is challenging and it is easier on the bones. But rather than me telling you what fun it is, I asked several people why they enjoy driving.

“That's easy! I don't get bucked off, and I can share my horse with a lot more people; even those that don't know squat about horses. Even old Grandma Jones that can't ride a horse can get in the buggy with me and go for a pleasant ride.”

“I've done just about everything there is to do with horses: western, English, barrel racing, fox hunting, roping, dressage, polo, reining, but the folks I've encountered in the driving world are simply the best! That and the thrill/challenge of a CDE are why I drive.”

Horses like to play, too. When they can charge over hills, zip through trees and splash across water with a driver steering the best route, horses can have as much fun as people. Just remember, proper training is necessary for both drivers and horses to be safe.

For people who want to be involved with horses but don’t want to drive, being a groom or navigator on the back of the vehicle can be exciting. These assistants are fondly referred to as “gators,” and their job is to keep the rear wheels on the ground during sharp turns and assist in swaying the carriage around obstacles. One of our students actually prefers it to driving.

Physical Constraints
When it becomes physically difficult to ride, many equestrians don’t want to give up their horses; learning how to drive keeps them active with their equine companions.

“I have been around horses all my life, but it is getting difficult to get into the saddle anymore. I don’t want to give them up, so I’d like to learn how to drive so I can still play with them.”

“I'm an incredibly green driver but have realized, for all my years of riding horses and loving them, my bones are getting creaky, and gravity has made it really difficult to mount a horse. Driving will be a way to still spend all the time I can with my horses. My husband, who has given up riding, can go driving with me, and that’s a great thing!”

Marilyn, a 73-year-old student, says, “It’s a wonderful way for the more mature horse people to stay with horses because as the hips and knees get replaced and spines get fused, we can still drive horses.”

Our daughter married a wonderful man who used to drive the famous Clydesdales and is still driving professionally. She says: “The thing he likes best about driving is that you can get more beer in the cooler located on the seat beside you than in your saddle bags.”

We don’t encourage drinking and driving, and neither does he, but having space in the wagon for a picnic lunch is definitely a plus. Driving horses with a wagon can be useful for hauling firewood, hay, salt, provisions, camping gear, or game, and is welcome in limited access areas where motorized vehicles are not allowed.

Making Dreams Come True
“I have had a dream since I was a little girl of owning a small farm that I could work with a team of draft horses. Do you think I am crazy to start learning how to work horses at this stage in my life?”

The student who said that was in her fifties at the time. We told her she would be crazy if she didn’t. She learned how to mow and rake hay, spread manure and harrow the fields. She eventually bought a small farm and the equipment she needed to work it.

Life is too short not to follow one’s dream.

The Challenges of Learning
Experienced riders often find it a challenge to learn how to drive. Leg aids, neck reining and body postures don’t work when you are sitting in a wagon or carriage with a park bench size seat or wedge seat several feet behind your horse. New ways of communicating with your horse have to be learned and practiced.

If the Combined Driving Events (CDEs) lure you to compete, the next challenge is refining your movements with the driven dressage techniques. Each competition is an opportunity to improve your skills. Yes, there are ribbons to win, but the real challenge is fine tuning your horse to respond to your signals almost as quickly as you think them.

Not everyone wants to compete. Exhibiting is one more way to have fun with your horses. Show dates provide a goal and a reason to drive every day possible.

Again, it is important to learn how to drive horses from a professional instructor. It’s much easier to avoid creating bad habits in the beginning than it is to break them later. This leads us into next month's article on the common driving mistakes people make.

Kayo and Alex Fraser own and operate the Fraser School of Driving in Deer Lodge, Montana. Their web sites are www.drivehorses.com and www.wildhorsebooks.com