[drivingpairs] Re: Matching Horses In Pairs
- From: Linda <equyne2@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 04:18:53 -0800 (PST)
Hi,
I thought I would add my 2 cents for what it is worth. I have raised
warmbloods and dealt with inspections as well as 100 day tests so I can feel
your pain. I currently have a 2 yr old gelding that is similar to a human boy
13 yrs old and over 6 ft tall. He is uncoordinated and doesn't know what to do
with his height. He also is mentally immature when compared to my weanling
Friesian X colts that are already pretty solid and dragging tires, bags of
cans, and having me pull a small easy entry type cart with them between the
shafts. I have found that ponying this 2 yr old really helps him. It doesn't
demand the match of stride as he is more flexible to do what he needs to do
just to keep up. I ride a 15 hd paint mare with him. I just got a big
Percheron X Standardbred who also rides as well as will do CDE and I plan to
pony the 2 yr old on him initially. Once everyone knows one another and the 2
yr old is a bit more fit, I plan to use them as pair just to acquaint him to
the world of driving. I am also starting to sit on him in the round pen and he
is fine with it but too immature to really ride consistently. I believe
getting him out and doing things with others whether it be ponying, tied to a
driving horse, or actually paired, he will be better for all of the experience.
Also, for what it is worth, my friend bred and owned the QH stallion, Two Eyed
Jack, and he was a rat as a weanling. She decided he needed something to do
and broke him to drive at 6 months. She didn't make him pull much weight but
he was in charge of pulling the arena drag each day. She raves about how much
improved he was once he had a job to channel all of those colty energies. He
went on to be one of the great AQHA sires. The key is balance what you ask of
them so that they have the mental and physical exercise without harming them
physically.
It sounds like you have lots of interesting horses to work with. Have fun.
Linda Cochran
Ocala, FL where it is 29 this morning!
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