[drivingpairs] Re: Pushing pairs
- From: "Willcoxson" <witwood.oz@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:57:23 +1000
Luke, the right hand pony of my pair of Welshies started pushing against the
pole quite badly some weeks ago. These ponies have been together since birth
and are now 13 years old - always driven as a pair or in a four-in-hand - so
they are used to each other and are not 'fraidy cats!
My solution was to swap them over and of course the pushing stopped. After two
major competitions and a couple of weeks of ordinary dressage/driving, I
thought I would swap them back again. Big mistake. After enjoying a lovely
drive in the autumn sunshine for about an hour the other day, low and behold
Luke started pushing again. So back to the left hand side for him.
However in the meantime my "bibles" are the German Principles of Driving and
Pape's The Art of Driving. They explain the coupling rein set-up really well.
Dot
Braidwood, NSW
----- Original Message -----
From: Hzlax@xxxxxxx
To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:44 AM
Subject: [drivingpairs] Pushing pairs
In a message dated 4/6/2006 12:04:25 AM Pacific Standard Time,
ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
I've been reading these posts about leaning with great interest. It seems
the common theme in the episodes is equine "uncertainty". Ever notice that,
when
a horse is scared in a tight spot where he can't get away, like a stall or
trailer, he will lean into you? (I've always heard this is the "crushing
the
predator" behavior--like a horse might try to crush something that is
trying
to get him). Maybe this leaning behavior is somehow linked to that
response.
Something scares one or both of the pair (running child predator!) ---and
since the horses are in the harness and can't "get away" they have this
"crush
the predator" response.
What do ya'll think?
I agree, that can be one of the reasons. But there must be more to it. I
have the leaning happening with my pair only on occasion, and then only when I
drive the pair with horse A on the left and B on the right. When I switch them,
it doesn't happen. So it probably can't be just the security thing, as they
probably are not braver going on one side then the other? I switch them all the
time and they have worked together almost daily for the last 8 years and there
is almost nothing anymore that they are afraid of. So I think it's more a
straightness issue (and it's not the coupling rein issue either, provided they
are adjusted properly, which mine are). I think that when one of the two is not
straight and is just starting to touch the other a little too much, then the
other might start to lean against him, and then the first leans as well, and
then it feeds on each other. And it's always the same that starts the leaning,
and yes, he is not entirely straight, often a little bent to the right. And
that's ok, when he is on the left as I can use the whip on the outside to get
him straight, but when I have him on the right, then I can't use the whip on
the inside between them to get him straight, and then he starts touching the
other one, and then we start the leaning. The more one leans the more the other
does too, as pressure creates counter pressure (both in leaning on each other,
as well as in pulling away from each other). Hey, you want to push me? I'll
push you! And of course when one does, then the other must too, as otherwise
they'll both lose their balance, once they start leaning on each other (or
pulling away from each other). So it really does feed on itself. That's why I
think it is so important to stop it right away. Diane had good suggestions with
lots of transitions and turns and bending, etc to get them busy, plus driving
FORWARD. And the pulling away from the pole is easier to stop, by just driving
the figure eights and using the whip on the inside horse to get him to bend and
to the pole. But that doesn't work when the lean into each other, as you can't
reach with the whip in between of them so well.
Hardy (I was away a few days, judging the Georgia CDE, where we had one pair
of Haflingers who leaned very much into each other on dressage day, but where
fine on marathon and cones days )
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