[drivingpairs] Re: pulling away from the pole

It has been my experience that an evener is a disaster when starting to 
drive pairs as you and the horses have enough to deal with just 
traveling  straight and encouraging the "lazy" horse to pull equally. 
The evener allows way too much play in the configuration causing abrupt 
starts and stops and one horse getting way ahead of the other in the 
turns. At the very least the evener and single trees should be strapped 
to prohibit huge movement.

I have spent the last 10 years in the south training during the winter 
where heavy, sandy going rules the day. Usually by the second week my 
ponies have learned to recognize the sandy parts and hunker down for 
the pull  at the canter not until week four do I let them gallop the 
deep footing which makes it easier on them but also develops another 
level of fitness. Then I come home to VT and the hills. Ponies that are 
very fit and have already competed at Live Oak and  Southern Pine, not 
to mention they live in the hills for the majority of the year, get to 
the first big hill and we are talking BIG and long and one or both will 
drape themselves over the pole hoping beyond hope that their partner 
will carry them up the hill. This just happened to me with a pair that 
won prelim pony pairs handily at Southern Pines and are plenty fit and 
won dressage so I know they can travel straight,  but that first big 
hill sure had them worried.

Also some mares when in heat will "romance the pole". When they are 
asked to  move over on the inside of a turn and they feel the pole 
against their leg they will literally throw themselves onto the pole. 
I'm not a horse so please don't ask me to explain it but  I have had 
mares do this.

Vivian Creigh in wet but glad to be home Vermont

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