Five years ago...

[heathera]

we went to see Bill Ireland and asked if he had a mare who could breed us a lovely foal and then be started to driving. He let us buy Rose and I'll always be eternally grateful to him for that, she is just PERFECT.

I owe lots of thanks to people on here and elsewhere and to LucyDales for reminding me to go and read her posts again and providing the link to the springs that will help with the farm work.

This weekend we had a driving instructor come to stay with us. Over the last week we've been long lining Rose in full harness and dragging a tyre most nights. On Thursday night we progressed to holding her with no harness on and SO pulling the carriage about with us following him, then walking alongside. We built up to her standing, wearing just her halter, between the shafts and me walking her and SO moving the cart. We gave her plenty of time to think, look behind her, sniff the carriage and be click - treated for it etc.

On Friday night, with instructor here, we harnessed Rose up and spent a lovely session doing proper coachman style, one hand driving/long lining and working on voice aids, whip use and balance etc. Rose was a superstar and H (instructor) said she was a super sensitive mare and very responsive

Yesterday morning Z (an experienced trials driving friend) arrived and we decided to take things as they came. Rose was brought in and we checked the harness, did some adjustments to the traces and then went into the arena to check where we were. I long lined her round, then I attached the tyre and showed H and Z how she was with that. We were deemed safe to continue.

Z went and fetched the carriage and very energetically dragged it round the arena with Rose following along behind. I then led her in front while Z pulled the carriage along behind us and H twanged and pinged it to make lots of noises behind us. Rose was attentive to it all but calm so we proceeded to me standing her straight while Z and H gently brought the carriage up to us and put the shafts loosely in the tugs. I then led Rose forward so she could hear the carriage and feel the shafts alongside while H and Z pulled the carriage.

That went well so we put the shafts properly through the tugs and repeated me leading forward and them helping control the carriage. At this point we had to shorten the traces so the carriage was the right distance behind her and the tugs stayed in line with the saddle. We rapidly progressed to having the shafts properly in, traces clipped on and breeching attached - all in individual steps but Rose took it all in her stride.

Next I long lined her off the driving reins with Z on a lead line walking at the saddle pad area and H walking nearby to jump in as required. She did great and it gave me the chance to work on how and when to corner Rose with the carriage attached.

As it had all gone so well I hopped up into the carriage and we were off. Rose took a few strides to work out how to pull the weight with a person on board but it was great, she really played with her body and head position and was into her breast collar pretty much the whole time. She didn't bother at all when the breeching came into play and was happy, if a little tense, to go round the arena.

So we went down the track a little way and back. At this point we had trouble balancing the shafts as they were going too light with someone on the back step so H stepped down and walked alongside but Rose coped brilliantly with the potholes and the resulting carriage movement and noise that produced.

Z was fabulous and stayed on the lunge line and walked alongside to give Rose confidence and security if she became nervous. As the track slope steepened and we had a tight turn at the bottom both H and Z reassured her as we turned at the end but she coped brilliantly. As we came back up the track the youngsters took off alongside bucking and leaping about, she did a few nervous trot strides but Z helped bring her back to walk and we then proceeded back up calmly.

Photoshoot in the arena followed and I drove her completely solo for one 20m circle in the arena before we called it a day and I gave her lots of yummy treats and a little go over with the zoomy groomy massager.

I can't believe we did so much. I guess we've done all the constituent parts over and over again until they're really solid and there's no bother associated with them.

Here's yesterday's pictures. I will apologise now, as we got half way back up the track I gave a squeak and said, "I haven't got my HAT ON!" I honestly hadn't expected to get this far so just stuck a woolly hat on.


First time in carriage by BeechTree, on Flickr


Driving knitting by BeechTree, on Flickr


Shocked Tola, calm Rose by BeechTree, on Flickr

[heathera]

Day Two - Sunday

Today we went for a Sunday drive I am unbelievably pleased with Rose and proud of both her and SO.

H let us do everything ourselves today,just stepping in when she felt we needed a bit of a hint. We've been declared safe for the arena and pottering up and down the private track with SO on a safety lunge line but she's concerned we aren't safe to venture onto the roads until I can confidently drive coachman style without SO on a lunge line. I can understand completely why she says this and will practise my coachman, one handed rein skills over the coming weeks but I also know lots of people who drive two handed and are perfectly safe so I'm not going to panic if we just happen to feel ready for a wee potter down the lane to the neighbours and back.

It just felt brilliant, the sun was out, lots of lovely Spring flowers and trees bursting forth and Rose, SO and I out together with the carriage. We just went a half kilometre out, turned in the lorry passing space and then back home again as Rose still isn't that fit. She wore her hoof boots today and was much happier on the stony track. We did do a few trot sessions too, just from lampost to lampost, and she's as good to trot as she is to walk. We've also done a couple of back ups to make sure we're safe there too, basically we tried all the things we could think of that might be flash points for trouble with a new to driving horse while we had our driving expert to hand.

Where we live poor Rose is always either pulling or braking once we're out the front gate as we have no level surfaces bar the arena so we'll do some more work in there so she's not always working hard and learns the carriage isn't always a heavy weight on her. In the arena we're happy to go without a lunge line but on the track SO is currently on foot until Rose and I are more confident.

We played a lot with the carriages balance and moved both the seat on the frame and the frame itself forward. This gives SO a much bigger back step so he can help with balance a lot more on the slopes and rough track and brings me into a proper position with feet on floor and back on back rest (when I remember to relax a bit ) It's also now well balanced for having a back stepper on and not 'floating' in the tugs like yesterday.

At one point we got to practise our emergency stop drill as one of the split rings on the clips attaching the traces to the carriage sheared (apparently an unheard of thing) and the trace came loose We spotted it within two strides, Rose came calmly to a halt (she has amazingly good emergency brakes and didn't seem to mind when the breeching 'bumped' her when we did one). We then had a person at her head while SO sorted out the clips and moved some carabiners so we still had a quick release system but traces were firmly attached again.

Without more ado, here we are, in full gear and ready to start venturing out on our own next week.


DSCF9509 by BeechTree, on Flickr


Relaxed back stepper and pony.... by BeechTree, on Flickr


Practising steering near the cones by BeechTree, on Flickr


Rose telling M to hurry up with the sweeties by BeechTree, on Flickr

[sck1]

You all look great as a team, and I am so amazed at how fast you seem to have progressed. I know that you have done lots of small steps and loads of practise but to see you come this far is really inspirational. Congratulations!