Re: driving flippers
This message is from: Mary Thurman [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- Jean Gayle [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This message is from: Jean Gayle [EMAIL PROTECTED] I was talking to a friend who drives miniature horses about getting Gunnar going at cart. She scared the beegeebies out of me talking about horses who like to flip over in the traces! Are there any flippers in our fjord friends? What causes it and why? Jean, Probably most flippers come from breeds of horses that were not primarily developed to be driving horses. The only ones I've ever seen that I thought might flip over in the traces were all primarily riding breeds - an Arabian, and a paint cross. I have seen Saddlebreds that required considerable skill on the part of the driver, as well as pacers. These were all VERY high strung individuals. Probably you would not have this type of behavior from a Fjord given their generally accepting nature - but I am seeing more hot Fjords lately, so it could be a possibility. If you are thinking of using Gunnar for cart, I think that would be a great idea. He seems a quiet fellow and he certainly is built for it. At his age (been there, done it all) he would probably be pretty easy to train. The Appaloosa pony I used to drive all over Central Park - used to pick the kids up after school with him - was around 12 years old when I started him in harness. At the time he took to it so readily I figured someone else had already used him in harness. Not so, I found out later. Guess he was just smart. Old Line was 16 or 17 when I put her to the Amish buggy. I think Orville had driven her a few times - seems I have a picture somewhere of a vey pregnant Line hitched to a cart or buggy he was driving. Don't know if anything was done with her in Norway. I assume so. Some horses have an easy ho-hum attitude and nothing ever bothers them, others are just plain silly headed. It can, and does, run in certain bloodlines and is more of a problem in certain breeds. My neice raises Minis back in Libby, as does a friend of hers. I've never heard them complain about the Minis being high strung. I assume it depends on the individual horse's personality. Mary === Mary Thurman Raintree Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
Re: driving flippers
This message is from: Jean Gayle [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you Marsha and what you say makes good sense. My friend has miniatures and she said her stallion caught a part of his harness on the shaft? She was not strong enough to slip the harness off but finally did after a struggle but she had been afraid he might flip backwards or whatever. He just got pretty up tight. then she spoke of the flippers and how she did not want such behavior. I can imagine besides being hard on the cart and harness it might crush a driver with a large horse? Jean Gayle Aberdeen, WA [Authoress of The Colonel's Daughter Occupied Germany 1946 TO 1949 ] http://www.techline.com/~jgayle
Re: driving flippers
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jean Gayle [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was talking to a friend who drives miniature horses about getting Gunnar going at cart. She scared the beegeebies out of me talking about horses who like to flip over in the traces! Are there any flippers in our fjord friends? What causes it and why? Horses flip in harness for the same reasons that they rear under saddle. The basic equation is that something is pushing the horse forward, and at the same time, something is preventing it from going forward; the horse attempts to resolve the conflict by going up. Examples include a horse that's spooking from the unfamiliar vehicle behind it, while the driver tries to haul him to a stop; or the horse that's afraid to step out onto a wooden bridge, while the driver motivates him with the whip on his rump. A horse that rears under saddle will often try to spin in the same movement. A driven horse is confined by shafts, so the rear/spin throws him off balance, and he flips, either backwards or sideways. None of this does the horse, harness, or vehicle any good. I would inquire of your friend if this behavior is one that she has merely heard about, or one that she has had happen to her. If her horses repeatedly flip with her, you might want to look elsewhere for a trainer. The only horses I've heard about doing it are ones that were either started poorly (rushed training) or subsequently mishandled Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
driving flippers
This message is from: Jean Gayle [EMAIL PROTECTED] I was talking to a friend who drives miniature horses about getting Gunnar going at cart. She scared the beegeebies out of me talking about horses who like to flip over in the traces! Are there any flippers in our fjord friends? What causes it and why? Jean Gayle Aberdeen, WA [Authoress of The Colonel's Daughter Occupied Germany 1946 TO 1949 ] http://www.techline.com/~jgayle
