[drivingpairs] Driving Ditch Jumpers

From: kathy robertson <goodhors@xxxxxxxxx>
To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 09:37:55 -0800 (PST)
  I would like to side with the folks who have said 
NOT to jump carriage animals, or if possible, do not
let your driving horses jump the little ditches.
  It can be hard on the animals when the weight hits
the harness.  Can be hard on the vehicle as it is
jerked and slams into ditch side or bottom,
momentarily stopping the whole show, then jerking
forward.  This is how accidents happen.
  The ponies look like they just don't wish to get
their feet damp.  Ditch is pretty open.  Not likely to
be jerked to a halt by angles of dirt banks.
  Other scenarios are not as forgiving.  We drove a
pair thru a shallow, but sharp sided ditch.  We knew
from marathon walk ahead of time, ditch was there,
shallow, dry.  Big horses decided together, do short
hop/jump over.  Unplanned!!  The front wheels did not
roll thru ditch smoothly as planned.  They slammed
into ditch side and halted.  Threw me, standing behind
driver, onto passenger seatback.  Threw driver 
forward, as I let go of safety strap.  Just like
hitting a wall in the car!  Horses took out the slack
in traces, and shot forward, throwing driver back into
seat.  I had to stand up by myself.  Nylon harness
took the strain, but broke the spring in the marathon
pole.
Horses carried pole's weight the rest of the Marathon.

  I am sure if we had a wooden vehicle, it would have
broken the front wheels and maybe the front of vehicle
or kingpin.  Vehicles are meant to roll thru things,
not bang into them, THEN go forward.  If horses had
just kept trotting, there would have been no problem,
wheels would have just climbed the bank, not stopped. 
All steady forward motion.  Horses sure didn't plan on
stopping and didn't.
  We now look at our driving jumps as "driver error". 
We always slow now for those kind of ditches, to
maintain control of horses. Allows driver to keep
vehicle even, catching both parts of ditch/stream
edges with both front wheels at the same time. Not
tippy.  Slower approach usually doesn't allow them to
extend for big stride, or jump unexpectedly.  Thus, we
do steady forward, with horses and vehicle.  No
surprises.  Our big horses have a lot of power.  The
stopping and starting of a ditch jump is very
dangerous because you have lost control, and often
body (horses and people) position.  Can't hold on,
stay in seat and drive.  Horses get confused without a
driver and bad things can happen fast.  What if only
one wheel stops?  Pair gets turned?  Vehicles usually
flip when turning, going over bumps or uphill, at any
speed.  If wheel catches, horses don't stop.  Bad
scene.

It is a unique picture, because drivers don't want
jumping carriage horses.  

I feel like Cassandra, the voice of doom and gloom
here!  Sorry to be such a downer.  I REALLY don't want
to hear about any accidents!

Keith and Linda, ponies look very together in
pictures.
Nice work.

Kathy Robertson


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[drivingpairs] Driving Ditch Jumpers

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