This message is from: "Cheryl Beillard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hello everyone .. after reading the posts about sleighing and the question about bucking straps, I thought I tell you about my first outing, this afternoon, in my new sleight. Short but educational is how I would describe it. No rally, to be sure, although I did (rally, that is), after almost losing it as we careened over a few boulders (at a brisk trot) under our less than 8" of fluffy new snow, and almost tipping over as we traversed a small hill (not my idea). Today was the first day we had enough snow, temperatures just around freezing (and not 30 below, with wind chill) and SUN to make conditions right, I thought, for trying out my new sleigh (an antique Vermont cutter, in original condition, but still pretty sturdy with reasonably wide runners). I also had a husband and a guest from Washington who were there to catch me (or the horse) if there was serious "fallout" from this, my first test drive. I put up a brave front but had serious inner doubts about my ability to handle this, knowing that backing up isn't an option and that turning too fast is a serious "no no". It took me about a half an hour to adjust the harness from my road cart to fit the sleigh, oil the few screws and things that seemed to need it and .. I'm still not sure if I got it right .. the tugs had a LOT of slack in them, going down hills, and I had to drop the loops for the shafts to their last hole to get them fairly level along Soleia's very rounded (read pregnant) sides .. Soleia hasn't been hitched since November, and some of you may recall, I was having the beginnings of a potentially serious problem with bucking .. the last being a good 300 ft of crowhopping, in which she persisted in a sort of half hearted way (ie. she never connected with the cart, or really got her heels up) .. HOWEVER, as a prudent reader of the list, I immediately sought advice and subsequently purchased a very supple and easy to attach strap designed by Dave McWethy (New Hampshire) .. Dave has used snaps instead of buckles to make it easy to attach or detach .. and it worked superbly. I know because, as anticipated, Soleia did, of course, give a few little bucks (no doubt remembering her modest success last time out!) but had to go sideways, rather than up, I think and she was easily brought under control (no, that's an exaggeration, I am not sure she was EVER completely uner control in this new contraption!). I exercised more caution than the horse and only drove her in the fields and through a bush road on our property for about 20 minutes .. Thought it best to end on a positive note for both of us. There were a few dicey moments, as at one point, she got sort of got me sandwiched between a tree, a culvert (looming very large in my view!) and a rock. Of course, as I quickly discovered, you can't back these things up .. so it was forward, over the culvert, through the tree or over the rock .. I chose the rock. And then some. Found it very difficult to know where they are, of course, and in Renfrew County, Ontario , we have a LOT of rock. I also noticed that turning on a hill is not advisable, and that maybe a trail blazed by snowmobiles with packed snow on a flat surface might be the ideal conditions. The other complication was my new filly, Tunica, who raced up and down the fence line, calling desperately for us to come back.. Didn't help my nerves or Soleia's state of mind .. There were definitely some tense moments, but I learned a few basics, including what to avoid, but I 'm sure there are many more lessons to be learned and I only hope I can get through them without serious misadventure. My visitor from Washington, got as far as his helmet, and then opted to watch with my husband, from a safe distance. I think the first heart-stopping lurch over a rock stopped him dead. Gorgeous day, great potential but confirmed that I really would have preferred to have an experienced sleigh driver with me to oversee the experiment. Boy, when these things hit a bump, you know it! And the noise, on gravel is deafening .. I first led Soleia up the lane, rather than driving , to see how she would react to the noise, but other than a little ear twitching, she was fine. Mostly, it was that she didn't really want to leave her new stablemate -- and it was her first time out in a long time .. it's really been too cold to do much and I've been giving her feet a rest from shoes, so no purchase on the ice which, until this week, was everywhere, making even walking dicey .. So, I survived. The bucking strap, thank you Dave, worked well, and I anticipate it being a big help in the cart, when the snow disappears. It does provide a little more assurance that she won't be able to really get going and it looks great. Actually, Dave, if you're reading this, perhaps you could amplify a bit on what you did to simplify it .. and I love the material it's made of .. also, where exactly on the harness is it supposed to go, where the crupper attaches, ie. sort of half an inch to the right or left of the existing strap going over her rump, or further ahead? does it matter, where you put it? For those of us who dream of sleighing, maybe some of you experienced drivers on the list, would offer some 'do's and don'ts -- clearly, sleighing requires a lot of skill .. and perhaps should only be attempted on the flat in a LARGE field, until you and the horse are very comfortable with the arrangement? This will be difficult for me, as I live in a mostly hilly area, and there are probably only 5-10 days a winter when I could venture out on the road, because it is otherwise sanded, and, unlike the summer in the cart, I would only try it after a heavy snow, when I'm sure the grader won't be coming for a while (being occupied with the more important main roads). We also have a main skidoo route about 2 km away and there is always the potential for running into 30 machines travelling at top speed .. to be avoided, in my view, at all costs! Before I tried it, I had already decided it had the potential to be quite challenging .. and now, after my little outing today, I have to say I'm in awe of what you guys are doing in your sleigh rallies .. this must be no mean feat! although I can see on a straight away, it wouldn't be too bad. Are there any books about driving sleighs, as opposed to just driving ?? Or does just about everything else apply (including wear your helmet!)? Finally .. while I got an explanation from John and Sue Greenall (Vermont) from whom I bought my sleigh regarding why the shafts on this one are offset (on the left) .. I still have to say I can't understand what the advantage was/is in driving with the horse offset, either to the left, like mine, or to the right. I've seen many that can be converted to drive either right or left, up here. Can anyone explain the logic for this .. and also, is the driver (me) supposed to continue to sit on the right hand side, in this type of sleigh? I would really appreciate knowing .. Sorry for the length of this .. I'll try sink back into the weeds, now and leave the field to others for a while.
