[drivingpairs] Ramtap CDE - finally got pair carriage

Well,  I finally got to compete my pair again:-)  I got the trailer packed on 
Wed with my single carriage and my truck with the Gator.  And my Dad then 
headed South 200 miles in his small truck to go get my pair carriage.  Thursday 
morning my Mom and I headed East to Fresno for Ramtap.  We talked to my Dad in 
the morning and the pair carriage would be done by Noon.  At 1:00 pm it would 
be done within the hour.  Well since my Dad had a 5 hour drive to Fresno.  I 
hooked the boys up as a pair to my single carriage (That I had brought just in 
case)  just to get them out. Along with all my harness (single, pair, tandem) I 
might have to change the entry.   I hadn't driven my boys as a pair since last 
November.  At 5:30pm on Thursday we heard from my Dad he was on Highway 5 in LA 
in rush hour traffic.  He had the Carriage!!!  So we gave him directions to the 
hotel and we left a room key in my truck in the parking lot so he wouldn't have 
to wake us up.  My new carriage arrived at 11 pm.  My dressage test wasn't 
until 3 pm on Friday.  So Friday morning we recruit some people to unload the 
carriage from my Dad's truck.  I borrow a cordless drill from a friend,  send 
another friend to Home Depot to get more screws and I finish installing the 
cushions on the seat:-)  I install the seat belt, and I practice getting in and 
out of the carriage.  I ignore the gray duct tape holding the battery cover 
on:-)   We get the horses out put marathon harness on and then put the horses 
in front of the carriage and start adjusting traces, etc.  I figure I will 
drive the carriage for about 20 minutes to make sure everything works.  I have 
a couple of people look at the traces and we shorten them up a bit.  I get back 
and we now play with putting the Dickie seat on and off.  All of a sudden it is 
time to hook for dressage, so I put presentation harness on and we hook up.  I 
adjusted traces based on marathon harness but they ended up being to long.  But 
oh well,  I get to safety 15 minutes before I am do for the test.  I do a 
couple of circles and in I go.  I missed most of my marks, but haveing never 
driven the carriage before I didn't worry about it.  My horses we trying to 
figure out what this whole pair thing was again,  I had tightened the curb 
chain on one horse and put the horse I normally drive on rough cheek down to 
top slot,  Because I wanted to make sure that I could hold them if something 
went wrong (i.e. carriage hits them or....)  Brake parts were in a box labeled 
brake parts:-)  And I was hoping the breeching was tight enough.  So I had one 
horse over bridled and the other horse offended so he kept throwing his head 
up.  But I got through the test, and figured out some adjustments to harness 
and carriage.  Marathon day.  My walk was horrible so I just schooled it.  One 
horse was jigging.  THe hazards were all wide open I didn't have to take any 
tight turns so I figured we would put the carriage through its paces.  It went 
great.  We had 7 hazards and by hazard 6 the horses figured out they were a 
pair again.  The other Intermediates beat us in most hazards but hazard 6.  But 
they all took shorter and tighter routes.  Cones.  tight and nowhere to make up 
time.  I was pleased with how the carriage did on marathon but had no clue how 
it would handle fast with groom on dickie seat.  I had to make alot tighter 
turns then I had done in marathon.  But the boys were happier (I had loosened 
the curb chain and put the reins back on rough cheek on the other horse) and 
they drove where I put them.  2 balls down and time faults but for a new 
carriage and back as a pair again.  I was really pleased with the whole 
weekend.  Now I just have to get a few things finished on the carriage.

Merrie had a great run in cones with her ponies.  I might have to start calling 
her Diane with the way she galloped cones:-)  Very happy that this weekend they 
seperated pair horses and pair ponies:-)

Diane Kastama

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