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----- Original Message ----- From: lhcarriage <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 1:10 pm Subject: Driving > This message is from: "lhcarriage" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > As many know I have been driving for a long time and I agree with > Lisa that > a horse ( pony ) needs to learn how to drive single first. I have > had a few > ditto I am taking team driving lessons from an old time driver who has horse farmed for years using his percheron and shire draft teams. This is in preparation to teaching two of my own to work as a team. Although he does advocate hitching a young horse to an older one, he will only do it if the youngster has first driven single. He always starts a daily workout for his young teams on a stoneboat so the edge is off and they learn to stand without fidgeting. His too are trained to stand for harnessing and he has his own "code" to start them since he now drives wagons with lots of kids, who invariably try to make the horses go on their own. He took me on as a "student" after we both drove for a reenactment of a stretch of the oregon trail ( about 62 miles over three days with 16 kids) I drove my Fjord mare single on a spring wagon with her foal behind over about a third of the trail ( too long for a youngster to go the whole way) behind the mounted riders and walkers. We picke d up the stragglers who were walking and needed a break . Thankfully, I completed the trail in my pickup with airconditioning as the safety pickup for kids who had too much sun. It was hot, dusty but a once in a lifetime opportunity for a group of kids . We camped out every night. To make a long story short, he was impressed with the Fjord and wants to add a Fjord team (mine) to next years trek. (probably the only reason he is teaching ME) and he wants to have someone to help drive when he needs more than one wagon. I was totally impressed with the manners of his team and how absolutely responsive they were to voice and lines. They would freeze in their tracks when you let up contact or he told them to whoa and stand. He really emphasizes this because his kid passengers are so unpredictable and at the most unexpected times will dart around the horses. He, in turn was impressed with the Fjord. He was surprised that she kept up with his team and her totally calm dem eanor around kids, horses and all the things on the trail, especially with a colt in tow. (The colt by the way was the hit of the drive - I let the kids name him). (I personally think that he is also impressed with the short distance from ground to back for harnessing. I can barely get the harnesses on the big guys, they are so heavy and thisguy is in his 70s with a bad leg and back.) Kathy -roasting in SE Idaho
