06.12.07

Riding in Horse Cart Videos

Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 3:06 pm by petArtist Cmoses

Saturday June 2 we took 4 year old Gilford on an organized carriage drive in Bear Brook State Park. It was hosted by the Granite State Carriage Association which we are members of. This time I did not ride Willy as I have many times in the past, because Gilford goes better without her along. When she’s there he spends too much time worrying about where she is, especially when she’s behind the cart. He gets distracted and keeps trying to turn his head around to see her, thus he meanders and has trouble walking a straight line.

So it helps his training and builds his confidence to go out alone. He is a laid back guy even alone and does not get spooky or silly. These videos give a passenger’s view of being in a Meadowbrook horse cart on a training drive– the route was about 6 miles of walking and trotting. Gilford’s wearing a net face and ear mask to protect from bugs, especially deerflies which are the worst.

Setting up before the drive, Gilford and hubby at the horse trailer.

In training while on a drive like this, the whip (driver) will try to help the horse keep an even tempo or cadence in his steps. When trotting, you want the horse to keep the same rhythm going upslope or down as he has on level ground. This means he has to put more effort into going uphill, leaning into the harness and pushing off harder with his hind legs; then he must hold himself and the cart back going down hill, sitting back onto his haunches a little and slowing down his steps. This challenges young Gilford, who also has trouble balancing himself going downhill with a rider on his back. With lots of practice the horse eventually learns to do these things and develops the correct muscling to be able to. When it becomes ingrained enough, he will mostly do it on his own.

Stretching down with neck, relaxed frame (seen from cart)

If you can hear the hoofbeats in this video, you’ll notice a variation in Gilford’s cadence at the trot. Starting out he is carrying his head a bit high because he’s not totally relaxed and is looking around a bit, and he shies a little after the bridge at something off to the right. Note how his head goes up when he shies, showing some nervousness.

Here later in the drive he is more relaxed and steady in the walk, stretching his neck out and carrying his head lower, in a better driving frame. In this video you can see the light rope sliding side reins I have started using on him.

Sliding side reins made of light rope, a training aid…

The sliding reins are a gentle encouragement to him to balance himself by dropping his head and neck, which allows him to raise his back and be able to push a little harder with his hind feet more underneath himself. I found this tip in a book about training the driving horse. I have also used these sliding reins when he’s under saddle, and I feel they are effective there too. They are not tight enough to force his head down, and run through his bit rings and belly band but are not fastened to it. They are only fastened onto the girth at the sides.

In the walk, the horse should go forward in a steady rhythm as well. The driver encourages him to take long strides and maintain an even pace. With Gilford a strong walk is a challenge too, because he is not a very forward horse; thus he tends to be a bit pokey, drift a little at the walk and look from side to side. The correction for this is to urge the horse to walk a tad faster.

Whip’s (carriage driver’s) view

One technique to teach a stronger walk is to trot a few steps, walk, then trot again; these are called transitions between gaits, and serve to keep the horse more ready to go faster because he’s being asked to do it more frequently– he’s kept on his toes, so to speak.

This day however Gilford did really well; he was quite willing to trot and stayed energetic most of the drive. At the trot at least he stayed straight most of the time. Hubby and I took turns driving him and it was a lot of fun! It seems his weight loss over last winter has done him a world of good.

Demonstrated here is the young horse slightly dubious about the tents and strange sights in a campground. You can see his head goes up, he is hesitant, he veers away from the scary things trying to give them a wide berth. He has his ear turned back listening for instruction and reassurance from his driver.

He stops of his own accord, so hubby lets him check things out for a minute, then asks him to go forward. It is our belief that the horse gains confidence this way, as opposed to trying to force him to keep walking past something he is unsure of. Let him face his fears and learn that it’s OK– it is a great deal preferable to having him turn and try to run away, or getting angry with him for stopping.

Last year when we drove him through this campground it was full of people, packing their gear, playing, cooking out etc. I got out and walked beside his head to reassure him and as a safety precaution. That is the groom’s job in a carriage. He handled it quite well, especially for a 3 year old. He looked at things without freaking out. Gilford’s driving bit is a mullen-mouth, which is an unjointed smooth curved bar, considered a mild bit.

Here are some of the other folks on the carriage drive…

Two teams of haflinger draft ponies, one pair put to a 2-wheeled cart and the other team to a wagonette,