06.27.08
Training our horses to drive as a pair– BACKGROUND
Our two geldings are already individually driving: Gilford age 5 has been driving for 3 years, Glendale age 3 (almost) was first hitched last fall and started his first full season of driving beginning in May.
There are two schools of thought on training pairs. One opinion says both horses should be thoroughly trained and experienced with driving individually before hitching together. Another approach, which was taken more in times past, is to hitch a greenie (inexperienced horse) together with a more experienced horse and let him learn from the “master.” Often in the old days even foals were led or tied alongside their moms working in harness, to accustom them to the sights and sounds of the wagon.
You’d have to say that we are trying the old-fashioned approach. Understand that between myself and my Hubby, I am the more cautious and more safety-concerned. When he first proposed pairing Glen and Gil up so early in Glen’s driving career, I thought he must be joking, and I said as much.
However, I was willing to try things slowly and see how it goes. I am encouraged by how well Glendale has been driving so far by himself; he so far seems as sensible as his big brother, and almost as calm by nature but with a bit more energy. Bear in mind that we bred and raised both these horses, so we know their lifetime histories, plus we have had their mom for 16 years and thus know exactly what she is like. Foals get a whole lot of their dispositions from their momma mare– our boys are full brothers.
The post entry titled Driving horse pairs training, step-by-step, will follow how we go about our pairs training and how they progress.
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