South Eastern Livestock

How do I start my horse in harness without any driving resources locally?

I’m starting my horse under saddle right now, and we occasionally ground drive up and down the road as a change of pace. I’ve always wanted to get into driving (just casual pleasure driving, not showing or as a business) and this seems like a great opportunity to give my horse more experience while also broadening my horizons.

A good place to pick up a harness and a cheap used cart is a Harness racetrack. Usually there will be boards up with sale information or track stores that sell used carts. There are a few in your area, I think Buffalo Raceway would be closest.

A cheap jog cart is a great way to start because if you sweet boy kicks the hell out of it you won’t be out too much money. Also I only start horses in seats that do not have backs on them because they are much easier to get out of in an emergency. Also the first few times I move out I’ll sit backwards on the seat and turn towards the horse so if I need to I can stand up in a hurry and not be caught between cart and horse.

For safety reasons stick with quick hitches so you can get the horse out of the cart quick and only use a cart with wood shafts. It is much safer to have a shaft break and free the horse then for him to get wrapped up in steel shafts.

Your best bet to find a trainer/driving barn is to look at harness farms. Some trainers are willing to pick up non racers to start to give them a little extra income. Some of the trainers are amazingly good, and will give your horse a good start getting comfortable with the cart, cars (if you ask them to starting gate train), and other horses. Your horse will get very limited work with turning, but that is something you can work on yourself. Plus you’ll have a nice big safe track to work on, and they’ll probably have gear you can use.

I’ll check and see if I know anyone in the area who is good that you could contact. We’ve been very lucky and the trainers we have used have turned out very sane, quiet, well mannered (even the studs), horses that could be driven by anyone.

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Doris Ganton: Breaking and Training the Driving Horse …

Breaking & Training the Driving Horse $40.00 Doris Ganton has been driving horses for both show and pleasure since she was a teenager. For 40 years she has been a competitor, a teacher, a senior judge with the American Driving Society of the American Horse Shows Association. She holds the Silver Medal in four-in-hand driving from the German national Equestrian federation. In this unique video she shares the secrets of her success, a syste…

Training Miniature Horses to Drive: Disk 3-Obstacle Driving $39.95 This workshop teaches how to perform many obstacles commonly found in obstacle driving classes. Well-known breeder and amateur exhibitor Joanne Ross shows how to set up your own obstacle course at home using items you already have or can easily obtain. Obstacles included in this session are gates, cones, poles, bridges, water, and streamers. Ross conducts a problem solving session with amateur you…

Drive 101: Introducing Your Horse to Ground Driving for Control & Communication (Marv Walker) CLASSIC Horsemanship Video featuring Marvin Walker….

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Breaking and Training the Driving Horse: A Detailed and Comprehensive Study $9.20 Doris Ganton shows the reader how to train a green horse to drive. It begins with describing the harness and how to adjust it. From there, you are shown how to introduce a horse to the harness, ground driving, introducing the horse to shafts, a two wheel cart, then a 4 wheel buggy….

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Kensington KPP Rope Halter Set $49.99 Made of heavy double filled 3/8 nylon cord, the Kensington Rope Halter offers a great combination of strength and control. The 13 bosal has a braided nose band and a snug fit for added control compared to traditional soft nosebands. A matching Cowboy Lead Rope with a 12 ft. adjustable with leather popper is included….