[drivingpairs] Re: ATC
- From: FriesianPrDriver@xxxxxxx
- To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 21:11:07 EST
Well, all this talk about tandem driving, and I decided to give it a swing
today! So, with good company, pulled the sort of hairy beasts (clipped,
blanketed, but with lots of leg hair) 12.2 h ponies out of the paddock. Got
together
all of the required accoutrements. Mind you, horse sized tandem reins, horse
tandem terrets and makeshift horse sized trace extenders with keys.
Dutifully made a beautiful cylindrical wrap of the excess tandem reins - so as
not to
get tangled up myself. After an hour of gathering up the appropriate
equipment - we were ready to roll. The company - being a riding person, and
naturally
apprehensive about getting in the carriage (doesn't like the fact that you
can't easily bail out when things go haywire), willingly and gratefully agreed
to be the ground person.
Things were going along just ducky! We were in the ring (but the gate was
open), and the ponies did pretty well going to the left. We changed directions
- considering that I like a challenge - and am easily bored! Well - it seems
that going to the left is just plain more difficult! Everyone had issues!
The ponies, the reins, me, and the grounds person. After the leader wound up
spinning around for the third or fourth time - the little Welsh (small ears)
wheeler decide that he wasn't going to try to keep his bridle on any longer
when
he felt some pressure on it - and dropped his head and let the reins of the
leader pull his bridle off - of course with the open gate in front of him :-0.
Then - he decide to try and leave. My ground person had the leader well in
hand, and I had the useless bridle and reins of the wheeler. The instantaneous
moment of shock when the bridle comes off can be rather comical in hindsight.
I have read many warnings over the years about small Welsh ears - but you
are never quite prepared for it when it happens.
They basically did one quick circle in the soft ground, and came to a halt as
I got tossed from the cart and cracked the tree with my head at the same time
that the cart went on it's side. By then, my ground person grabbed the
"loose" wheeler's nose, and all motion ceased - mine included :-). I explained
to
her that I cracked my Kopf, and if she had the ponies - could she give me a
second to gather my wits and get up - reins still in hand of course - whatever
use they were at this point!) (Mind you - all of her worst fears of driving had
come true - except that we were VERY grateful it had been the ponies and not
the horses that the bridle incident had occured with).
The ponies were great troopers - stood quietly and all while we extricated
them from the mess - I bet they were still trying to figure out why they
weren't
side by side - never made sense to them anyway - this one in front of the
other thing anyway! Made more sense to them - they way they ended up!
So - having since had a few White Russians to nip the aches in the bud -
can't wait until we try it again!! Next time we will definitely braid the
wheeler's mane to his crownpiece or something :-P.
And they wonder why there are so few Tandem drivers out there.......
Karen Wilkin
Star Cross Stable Friesian Horses & Sport Ponies
http://www.starcrossstable.com/
47 Yellowbrook Rd.
Freehold, NJ 07728
732-919-3827
f: 732-919-3800
e-mail: FriesianPrDriver@xxxxxxx
Other related posts:
