iainm2
Novice Novice Pony
Posts: 6
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Post by iainm2 on May 28, 2010 14:43:00 GMT
I am quite new to driving so would like some advice please. I have spent the best part of a year getting my horse (sold as an American Trotter, although the vet thinks American Standard bred would describe her better) into harness. She has been really good and has accepted everything I have done without complaint. All of the training has been done without force. We have been driving at a steady walk for about four weeks now and she has been good as gold including being very good in traffic. She is 16 and quite placid. So - my question. I have asked for trot a couple of times and she responds well but goes very quickly. I would like to ask for a trot and have her go a little more slowly. She has a good mouth and turns or stops with the lightest of pressure on the reins. I don't want to hang on to the reins and pull on her mouth to hold her back all of the time. I have plenty of time and am not looking for an instant fix but a way of training her to realise that she does not have to rush at it. Thanks for reading.
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Post by rabatsa on May 28, 2010 19:08:18 GMT
Hello and welcome to the forum. Can you slow your mares trot when you are long reining (ground driving) her? Lots of gentle turns and circles, lots of changes and transitions so that she is always listening and waiting for what comes next. She will run on when doing straight lines if she is losing her balance. The circles and transitions will all help her balance and help make her more supple.
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Post by happyhorsedriver on May 30, 2010 21:18:17 GMT
Hi and well come to the forum ;D I have two standard bred crosses that I drive both of which were bred for road racing not what I do with them, one at present is just being brought back into work and the other (the coloured cob in my sig) competes in Private Driving he always went from a walk into a fast trot with no in between speed through a lot of work and voice commands we got him to steady and now he moves smoothly and calmly into a trot and back again as Rabatsa has said ground work is a great start then when driving good voice commands should see results and you shouldn't have to apply excessive force to the mouth. Good luck and keep us posted
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iainm2
Novice Novice Pony
Posts: 6
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Post by iainm2 on May 30, 2010 22:28:05 GMT
Thanks a lot for your responses. I will go back to basics and apply lots of turns and transitions as her balance could be improved (and mine too!). I will keep you posted on how I get on as we are having lots of fun. I talk to her all of the time as she seems to gain confidence from my voice and it keeps her concentrating, which goes for me as well. Roo clearly enjoys what we have done so far and I am sure I can make groundwork interesting for us both. Best regards Iain
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zoonie
Single Horse
Posts: 176
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Post by zoonie on Jun 2, 2010 12:07:49 GMT
You may well have to live with the fast trot for a while until she finds her balance - allow her to go forward then gradually steady her into a good rythm. As she becomes more confident and stronger she will be more able to oblige. I had this with my pony when I got him at first. They do love to hear your voice but try not to 'chatter' as they can tune out and miss a command.
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iainm2
Novice Novice Pony
Posts: 6
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Post by iainm2 on Jun 14, 2010 11:50:08 GMT
Thanks to all. I have been very busy with Roo over the last week or so and have done lots of groundwork and driving with her. What I have realised is (as usual) that the horse has much more sense than I gave her credit for. When driving I have been letting her dictate the pace to start with and then encouraging her to steady without pulling on the reins. She soon comes back to a more gentle pace. I am coming to realise that it is a confidence thing. I need to develop my confidence that nothing bad will happen and relax. We do lots of transitions from walk to trot with some stops and stands thrown in for good measure. I can see that she is listening as her responsiveness and willingness is improving. I am able to anticipate her moves better too. We have had a few spooks when she has moved unasked to trot (with or without a swerve) and I find that I can deal with them calmly and reassuringly which brings her back in line quickly again. Thanks you all for your words of advice and support. It really has helped.
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Post by happyhorsedriver on Jun 14, 2010 21:18:30 GMT
Glad to hear that you are doing well it just takes time and pretty soon you will have a very solid partnership, good luck and keep us posted
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iainm2
Novice Novice Pony
Posts: 6
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Post by iainm2 on Jul 28, 2010 9:24:25 GMT
A big thanks to all for your help. We have been doing lots of driving over the last few weeks. I started off by keeping the trot to perhaps 20 to 50 yards and bringing her back to walk. Repeating this often during an outing was great for my confidence as much as hers. We are now at the stage where she goes into trot very reliably and at a relaxed pace which she seems to be very comfortable with. I am extending the distance we can trot for and have gone for half a mile which she seems very happy with. If she does go too quickly she is very responsive to a "steady" and a gentle pul on the reins. I cannot thank you enough for your advice as we are having a terrific time (we being my Wife (groom) horse and me)
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zoonie
Single Horse
Posts: 176
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Post by zoonie on Jul 28, 2010 17:04:41 GMT
Well done - it's so nice to hear your progress and that you are all enjoying driving so much. I hope you continue to get the best out of your hobby - I think it's the best fun you can have with a horse .
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Post by rabatsa on Jul 28, 2010 20:23:25 GMT
Well done and I hope that you have many happy moments whilst driving her.
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Post by happyhorsedriver on Jul 28, 2010 21:29:27 GMT
Well done, fantastic progress hope everything continues to go well for you all ;D
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