[drivingpairs] Tandems--Starting Out
- From: kathy robertson <goodhors@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:56:37 -0800 (PST)
<Personally, I would hesitate to leave leaders reins
unbuckled - The leader's trace connection to the
wheeler would have to break the reins being unbuckled
would be of any benefit - and they just don't break
that easily. I would be more concerned that in an
incident, the unbuckled reins
might slip out of the drivers' hands, and therefore
one might lose control of the leaders b4 they ever
broke free of the traces. Hmmm - scary any way you
look at it!>
I am not sure how many beginning Tandems you have
done, but when we start them, we do NOT fasten Leader
in tight. We plan on them needing a few training
sessions before horses understand what we want. This
will include the helpful horse trying to return to
Pair configuration! Dropping back to move beside
Wheeler, turning around to check out the driver in
vehicle, wandering sideways in front of Wheeler
instead of forward movement.
Our horses do 'get it', learn position fairly
quickly, but a good ground person is required
equipment for training!
Our first Tandem lessons were with an excperienced
Trainer, Tandem driver. She showed us how to use
light weight string from Leader trace ends to Wheeler
saddle as the attachments. String breaks easily and
you toss the Leader free in bad situations. You are
in an enclosed area, paddock, indoor, for starting.
This is where your unfastenend Leader reins are
essential. Leader, free, for us has just moved ahead,
jogged a little. Flapping lines, traces around feet
are no big deal after long lining in so many earlier
training sessions. Usually ground person is right
there to reach a hand out and grab a rein first.
We tried the idea of driving Leader ahead with no
trace attachments to Wheeler, didn't work well at
all. Trainer said sure, willing to try it, but also
had not had best success with loose Leader learning
anything. Trainer had done it both ridden and driven,
didn't care for unhooked Leaders method.
She (both she Leaders) wanted to feel the traces so
they knew their space. No traces led to lots of
visiting the driver, spinning around under the lines,
tangling things very quickly, needing to let her go
free from the wheeler. Ground person is there to keep
pulling her straight again, but she didn't know when
to stop, bend, for turns without traces. Just overdid
rein requests.
The string attachment has worked pretty well. Breaks
easily, but keeps traces where the horse can feel the
limits. side to side. We use cotton string, binder
twine doesn't break fast enough.
Even with experienced driving horses, good Leader, it
takes a BUNCH of practice lessons, TIME for horses to
understand their job, before we attach them firmly
together. We find the Tandem Leader to respond MUCH
more quickly than a single or even the Leaders in a 4.
Ground person still gets a good workout, even with
horses moving only at a walk, returning Leader to
correct position AHEAD of other horse.
Tandem doesn't leave an enclosed ring for quite a
while. Inexperienced leader and driver may need a
fair amount of time. We drive the road, horses HAVE
to respond correctly, so we are not a danger to
others.
You NEVER go out with Tandem without a second person.
Too easy for things to go wrong FAST! This includes
driving the ring, pasture, road or show. Interesting
things happen, some funny. Like the time my husband
swung the whip lash out and got caught in an overhead
branch! Grabbed the whip right out of his hand!! He
had to turn around, come back to get it. I couldn't
reach the handle from the ground. Even then it was a
wrestling match to untangle and pull the whip down out
of the tree with my TWO hands!! Couldn't have managed
by himself. Any adjustments, changes, safer done by
the 2nd person while driver holds horse reins.
Tandem is a blast, but sure not a quickie project to
have them reliable. Be safe.
Kathy Robertson
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