arena drag - crazy idea?

[Xanthoria]

I have an older retired TB who is plenty sound enough to pull a small drag in the fenced arena. He’s pulled a stagecoach in his distant past, though I’ve never driven him (any horse, actually)

I saw this and thought “hey, my old guy could drag the arena weekly and earn his keep!” - our barn manager is lax about getting that job done.

Is this a crazy idea?

Horse is very smart and calm, learns tricks quickly etc. I have a regular surcingle, he lunges and long-lines perfectly, but I don’t have a full harness - do I really need one? Could I buy a breast collar and use that with the surcingle and quick release fittings in case it all goes pear-shaped and just lead him in a halter? Then graduate to pulling a tire or something when he’s comfy, then a small, lightweight drag?

I have examined “Carriage Driving” by Heike Bean and it all seems doable…

[coloredcowhorse]

Friend of mine used to drag his working area in front of the radio cow (cutting horses) with one of his cutting mares…used a string cinch as a breast collar and tied the drag (a small toothed harrow about 3 x 4 in size) to the front cinch rings on his cutting saddle with safety release clips. Wasn’t heavy/hard work but sure put the butt muscles on her!!

[Xanthoria]

string cinch - good idea!

actually I have an eventing breastcollar that’d work with correct padding… hm…

ideas for small, homemade harrow?

[Drive_NJ]

small home made harrow

we have seen someone use a length (approx 6 ft) of chain link fence bolted to a 2x4
strap some weights on to keep it in contact with the ground

some eye bolts on the 2x4 can connect to chains or straps
then to the harness traces (of some kind

What you MUST have is a calm and quiet horse, willing to work with you

I assume you are just using the horse for the muscle and you and going to lead the horse around the ring

[buck22]

I’ve been meaning to make this but haven’t gotten around to it
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/random/dbe51877.jpg

[winfieldfarm]

My horses routinely take turns smoothing out the arena. It’s not a bang up job like the tractor drag but it smoothes out the lumps while giving them weight resistance for exercise.

I use a rectangle of hog wire or combo panel wire. I have a set of bio traces that stay clipped to the front of the wire at each end. I have two big 6 x 6 wood scraps tied to the wire with twine. I can remove one or both depending on the horse’s training level and fitness.

I drag two ways, as a drag behind a horse I am long lining or more fequently, I clip the extra traces to the underside of my jog bike while we walk and jog the arena. I have a ring of twine tied to my axle under the seat where it won’t slide around. This is also pretty safe as the horse is hitched to a jog bike and lessens the chance that they would act up and back their feet over the drag. When long lining, having the second set of traces also get the drag farther away from the horse’s hind feet so if they act up, chances are I will get them going again long before they back all the way onto the drag.

I would recommend getting a full harness, even an inexpensive one. when i long line, I pass the traces through the tug loops and the breeching rings to keep the line of draught straight on the chest. The downward pull doesn’t occur on the horse’s frame until the traces pass through the breeching rings.At that point, the rump is taking the weight across it’s entirety. This also lessens the likelyhood that a horse will step over its own trace. I clip the second set of traces to the set hanging off the breeching rings.

[ReSomething]

My trainer drags her arena pretty much daily using a similar set up to Winfieldfarms. The harrow is a section of cattle panel with a big 2x12 on the middle of it and spikes driven through and out the other side. It is about a foot wider on each side than the show cart, and the jog cart is wider so it is close to even. It has a cotton rope attached to the front of the sides, and the cotton rope has been knotted dead center to form a loop. Her two carts that I have used both have a screw in hook somewhere under the back of the seat and the loop drops over that. (I’ve always been sitting in the cart during the attach and detach process or I’d be more precise!)

It works great behind the cart and gives me tons of feedback about my track and turning. I haven’t ever seen her long line and use it so I don’t know if that is an option.

[MunchingonHay]

before you hitch your TB who was previously driven in a stage coach, make sure his/her brain is OK. When you use the words, TB/Stage Coach I instantly think of the racing TBs. and that is not really driving…thats going hell bent for leather around an arena with 3 other TBs. If he/she was an ex-stage coach racer, watch out for flash backs.

[gothedistance]

@Xanthoria;5259040

I have an older retired TB who is plenty sound enough to pull a small drag in the fenced arena. He’s pulled a stagecoach in his distant past, though I’ve never driven him (any horse, actually)

I saw this and thought “hey, my old guy could drag the arena weekly and earn his keep!” - our barn manager is lax about getting that job done.

Is this a crazy idea?

Welllllllll. I wouldn’t do it, personally – and I have multiple driving ponies. It is MUCH easier using a garden tractor.

If you haven’t driven before, it is a bit more complicated than hitching the poor horse up to something and away you go. You need to prep both him and yourself so that any attempts will be safe for the both of you.

If you still want to attempt it - meaning you have this on your bucket list - learn how to ground drive first with nothing behind the horse. Then work on teaching the horse to pull against a resistance by you holding back on the traces while you drive the horse forward. Then you graduate to dragging a smaller object - attached to the horse with quick release snaps so that you can disconnect it fast if things start to go wrong.

If all goes well - considering you will have spent a few weeks on the above - find someone who knows driving to be with you when you do decide to put the horse to the arena drag.

Again, this isn’t my preferred method of dragging an arena, and I think you’ll tire of it very quickly once the novelty wears off. A garden tractor is custom made for this work. Use that instead and save that wear and tear on your horse…and your shoes.

[gothedistance]

quote=Xanthoria;5259040]
Is this a crazy idea?

Well, not really, but if you have to walk behind the horse each time, it will wear thin really fast! Notice the number of posters above to attach a drag behind their carts …that should be a big clue. :lol:

I don’t have a full harness - do I really need one? Could I buy a breast collar and use that with the surcingle and quick release fittings in case it all goes pear-shaped and just lead him in a halter?

You can buy just the breast collar, but make sure it is a big thick wide one. The pressure of the drag’s weight will be on that one area of the horse’s chest, so you want to disburse the pressure over a wider area as much as possible. Quick release snaps are always a good idea. If you lead with a rope, make sure you have a helper than can detach the drag incase things suddenly start to go wrong.

I have examined “Carriage Driving” by Heike Bean and it all seems doable…

Always a good idea to study up first if you don’t have a good driving instructor or driving friend close by.

[Xanthoria]

[QUOTE=MunchingonHay;5260334]
before you hitch your TB who was previously driven in a stage coach, make sure his/her brain is OK. When you use the words, TB/Stage Coach I instantly think of the racing TBs. and that is not really driving…thats going hell bent for leather around an arena with 3 other TBs. If he/she was an ex-stage coach racer, watch out for flash backs.[/QUOTE]

Hah - no! He was at Knotts Berry Farm pulling a coach for tourists, and I’ve owned him 10 years: he’s a gem

[akor]

Do you any big guys, or women? Or strong more petite women? If so, you CAN drag an arena manually. With just the kennel panel - it does some good. I have seen one not very large male do it. So, I think 2-3 strong people could get 'er done…If this is a boarding place, it probably needs it to much for that. For a private facility with one or two riders it does work, though.

Also, the kennel panel works perfect behind a car or truck. I think you are not allowed to use machinery if I recall, BUT if you could sneak in a few laps with a small car and then rake over the final tire marks it MIGHT be an option.

[Xanthoria]

akor I’m just thinking it’d be fun to drag with a horse, you know? And less exhausting

gothedistance, yeah, I can’t really afford to buy a cart to sit on and I could use the exercise. Just not as much as akor describes!

of course the simplest thing would be to get the BM to drag the aena once a week… fat chance!

[red_mares]

Make sure your traces are plenty long & your horse is strong enough to pull it. The smaller the angle between the trace and the ground, the easier it is to pull. My last trainer screwed up my mare when he hooked her to a heavy drag. Now my driving horse is balky & thinks she can’t pull anything.