[drivingpairs] Cavalcade of Horses (long)

This is the first chance I have had to sit down and write about my experiences
over the past Labor Day weekend.  Our California State Fair includes a Cavalcade
of Horses for "the education and entertainment of fair goers" every year.  I 
have
participated in this event of and on for 20+ years, both with my Welsh Ponies 
and
as part of a carriage driving demonstration.  This year I had my tandem of Welsh
out there for the final weekend of the fair as part of a carriage driving demo.
All kinds of horses are involved in the Cavalcade, from Mini's to drafters.  
This
year I had a special treat.  I was standing watching an acquaintance, Nolan
Darnell, hitching his grey Shires in a 6-up.  Nolan was a bit short handed, so 
he
asked me to sit on the box and handle the lines (reins to us light horse folk)
while they finished hitching.  Since I was already on the box when they were 
ready
to go, I got to ride along as Nolan stretched them out, and then went off on a
tour around the working end of the Fairgrounds.  We had a great ride, and I
watched with great interest how Nolan handled the lines, as the heavy horse
traditions and usages are a bit different than what I see normally.

FWIW, Nolan holds the lines, from top to bottom, Leader, Swing, Wheeler, three
lines in each hand.  And yes, Hardy, he takes BIG loops on the leaders when 
making
tight turns.  The docking and swing maneuvers were interesting to watch.  He
basically took BIG half halts and asked "Step Gee", naming the leaders, as he
asked them to come right.

After we returned, the lead and swing teams were unhitched, and Nolan handed me
the lines from the wheelers, and asked if I would like to take a turn around 
with
them.  Of course I refused..... NOT!   What a kick!  This was the second time I
have driven a team (pair) of drafters, and I had quite forgotten how much POWER
radiates back down the lines from those two big Shires.

Our own demonstrations went well, with shows on Friday, Sat., Sun, and Monday.
Monday we had a full one hour segment, so we added in an ADT style hazard to
drive.  Got the crowd really into it, when they figured out we were going FAST.
All in all, a great weekend, even with temps in the high 90's by 5 PM when our
segments started.

Off to Portland tomorrow AM, on family business,  Y'all have a nice weekend!

Jay E. Hubert
Coffing Oaks Welsh Ponies
Galt, CA

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
And I STILL drive too fast to worry about cholesterol!

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