[drivingpairs] Pairs Starting Off

> << Next question for pair, "Is the evener tied
> down?" 
>  Until horses/ponies can walk off smoothly TOGETHER,
>  you don't want the evener working.  One animal a
> step
>  or two behind is NOT together.   Working evener
> makes
>  the animals work against each other, jerking at
>  starts.  More work as a single, is never time
> wasted.  >>
> 
> OK - I have a question.  The evener straps prevent
> the evener from moving too 
> much, but allow some movement, so are you saying fix
> them tight so there is 
> little or no motion when starting the new pair?  I'm
> asking b/c I had this 
> problem with my sleigh, but I didn't even have
> straps, so they pretty much could 
> get slapped in the hocks. 

I don't know what kind of straps would be on an
evener, that would allow it to be tightened down. 
Perhaps you mean straps on a singletree, like a cart?
If we have the evener tied down well, it doesn't move
at all.  We use straps or pieces of rope, tieing both
sides of the evener to allow no movement. The
singletrees one each end, work, move freely from their
center anchor point.  However there is no sharing of
the load, between horses pulling.  Horses MUST learn
to start together thru practice.
The horses going  forward in work, are either pulling,
or not pulling.  Driver should correct horse not
pulling. 
 
Tied down evener is like pulling from a splinter bar
with roller bolts, but singletree movement, is easier
on horse shoulders and allows use of breastcollar
harness.  Fixed splinter bar and roller bolts call for
a full collar harness.

Kathy Robertson


        
                
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