Driving Horses, Part 3 of 3

Common misconceptions about driving and the reality behind them
by Kayo Fraser

Driving horses can be fun and challenging. However, there are skills that must be learned and developed first to avoid injury to yourself and your horse.

Misconceptions About Learning to Drive
1. It is easy to learn
Driving is not a skill learned in a few hours. The amount of time it takes varies with each individual, but we recommend at least two weeks of professional lessons to absorb the basics and be able to drive a well trained horse or pair of horses. It takes practice to develop an instinctual response to surprising situations that could be potentially dangerous. The more you know, the better you can avoid mistakes.

2. Any horse can be driven
Some horses do not have the disposition required to be a safe driving horse. It is more challenging to teach older horses to drive, and often they do not appreciate doing something this different from their previous training. Compare it to teaching a teenager to clean his room if he has never had to do it before: rebellion sets in. A mature horse has figured out his lot in life and may not be willing to learn something as frightening as pulling a “monster on wheels” behind him. His rebellion may be devastating. Either start with a well trained horse or train your horse when he is young and receptive.

3. A bomb-proof horse can teach you to drive
There is no such thing as a bomb-proof horse except a dead one. Horses feel safer when their driver knows what he/she is doing. They need to trust the driver to not get them into a troubling situation or to be there for them if they get frightened. All horses have the potential to run.

4. You can learn to drive from books or videos
Wonderful books have been written by great trainers – but a book or video cannot correct bad habits or misuse of the reins, or tell you what to do if your horse refuses the lesson. Hands-on training with a professional instructor is the best way to learn these skills correctly.

5. Anyone can teach a horse to drive
Try teaching a college course in calculus with no background in math. If your horse loves and trusts you, he may be willing to try something new –but how can you teach proper driving techniques if you don’t know the basics yourself?

6. Buy before you try
A lot of money is wasted by people who buy horses, harnesses or vehicles without proper knowledge or advice. Even if you buy from a reputable manufacturer, you may spend money on something that is not suitable for your horse or application.

Common Mistakes Made While Learning
1. Driving with a loose rein/line.
A novice needs to understand the importance of contact with the horse’s mouth instead of driving with a loose line as you would in neck reining. It is the most difficult habit to change. The lines are like telegraph wires sending signals from you to your horse. If you drive with proper contact, you can feel your horse and your horse can feel you.

2. Hollywood-style driving
One of the first mistakes we correct is slapping the lines on the horse’s rump to make him go. It is a learned response from watching western movies and TV shows. Any time you slap the lines, you abuse the horse’s mouth. There are much better ways to ask a horse to move ahead.

3. Staring at the lines to be sure there is no slack
It is surprising how many people believe they need to look at the lines while they drive. When you learn to “feel” the reins, you know you have the right connection to your horse. If you stare at the reins or the horse’s head, you might miss that bear walking out on the trail up ahead or a dog waiting to bark as you pass by or a child running out from the bushes to greet you. You need to be aware of your surroundings, not only to be safe, but to relax and enjoy the experience.

4. Leaning forward in the carriage
Center of balance is as important on the carriage seat as in the saddle. Leaning too far ahead not only looks bad, but it will eventually hurt your back. If the horse lunges forward, you are at risk of being pulled out of the seat and under the carriage.

5. Letting the horse go where he wants
If it were up to most horses, they would go back to the barn for oats and a brush-down. A horse needs his driver to be confident and in control. He may not realize you need to stop at an intersection for his safety and your own. A horse is a creature of habit and may take the same route every day like milk delivery horses did in the past. Driving to new areas for a change of scenery will be fun for everyone.

After a few lessons, most students realize that driving is not as easy as they thought. It takes time and practice to learn and develop new skills. I call it cellular memory or muscle memory when the brain has learned how to make the muscles respond properly to driving a carriage horse in all situations.

The sport of driving is the fastest growing equine activity today. If you decide to give it a try, be sure to have someone who knows what they are doing help you get started. Before you take anyone for a ride on the carriage, please get professional training for yourself. Risking your own life is up to you, but before you risk the lives of other people, there are many techniques and safety issues you need to learn so everyone can have a great time – especially your horse.

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

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.