My horse was trained to drive as well as ride before I owned her, as she wasn’t specifically started for dressage.
She really seems to enjoy driving, and so do I, although neither of us want to do that all the time.
Are there any pitfalls and/or advantages that you can see from mixing in some driving work to our routine? This is of course without her head being checked up high. I would think it could help strengthen her back end?
Thanks!
advantages:
Cross-training is generally good, and makes for a good change of pace.
You can drive in shorts when the weather is hot.
pitfalls:
You might decide you like driving better :winkgrin:
P.S. If your harness has a check-rein, just throw it away; she should be able to drive nice and round, just like you ride.
.
I drive most of my dressage horses. 
Haven’t found any problems yet!
I do throw my overchecks/check reins away 
Thanks!
I do enjoy it, so good to know I won’t be working against myself in our dressage adventures.
My mare came to me knowing how to drive but had very little riding training. On a number of days I will go from driving and then unhitch and go for a ride. It’s only on those days that I notice a disadvantage to driving right before riding and that is that my horse isn’t as willing to bend. After 10 min’s of working on that though that problem is gone away.
I’ve worked a quite a few horses like this and IMO driving helps a horse take to dressage. It always seemed to me that the driving horses seem to be more forward and need less reasurance from their rider. Probably because they are used to being out in front on their own. Also IMO driving horses naturally have that push from behind. Probably because they are used to pushing with their hindend in order to push the vehicle.
I think it may have had particularly to do with the breed and/or the fact that they were driven in a four-horse team, but I spoke to a good dressage trainer who had been given two Friesians to “retrain” for dressage, after they had been driven for a couple of years in a four-in-hand. She said that had they been given to her as young horses, undriven (or perhaps only ground driven), she would have had no difficulties, but retraining them after several years in a four-in-hand had been difficult, and she had developed, according to her, tendonitis in both arms, bruised kidneys(!), etc. They were showing successfully and 3rd and 4th level and she said they were light in the bridle, etc. NOW, but in the beginning they were big time pullers…
I would imagine that if riding and driving were taught within the same time frame - i.e., not only driving for an extended time and then switch to riding - such problems would not arise.
driving & dressage
Thanks for that answer Sandy M. I’m interested in this topic b/c I was thinking of teaching my young dressage prospect to drive. It is going to be a challenge to keep his young mind occupied. However, I shiver at the thoughts that this task might encourage him to “pull”.
[QUOTE=Asmac;2946951]
Thanks for that answer Sandy M. I’m interested in this topic b/c I was thinking of teaching my young dressage prospect to drive. It is going to be a challenge to keep his young mind occupied. However, I shiver at the thoughts that this task might encourage him to “pull”.[/QUOTE]
That may not be an issue if you ground drive and/or ride first, then teach to drive to a cart or wagon. I do think that what the woman was saying was that those horses had been driven in a team for several YEARS before ever being ridden, and that encouraged the pulling. Perhaps if you do both “at the same time,” - i.e., not JUST driving for a year or two and THEN riding, it would be okay. Certainly, at breed shows that have driving classes, most of the horses are also shown under saddle as well.
Driving is great for the mind and body, and combined driving horses are very light in the bridle. Bad training of any sort can create a puller.
A good driving horse should not pull in the reins. They should be as light in the bridle as any riding horse.
That said I do think it’s easier to become heavy handed(and thus create a heavy in the bridle horse) while driving because you lack the seat, and leg aides. All you have while driving is reins, voice and whip. But that doesn’t excuse a driver from being heavy handed I think it’s just something that drivers need to be aware of so they can avoid it.
AGREE! (especially with the throw away the check rein part). Driving is what got me into dressage to begin with!
The pulling against the bit comes from Standardbred racing, where the horses are “held” up by the driver, and when the driver releases the pull on the reins they stop. A lot of drivers are taught to drive by Standardbreds - and they fall into that same habit. Then the drivers transfer that same method to other breeds that they drive. (I still have the bad habit of dropping the rein connection once I have asked for a down transition thanks to my first horse - a standardbred) Also, a horse who has learned to back in cart shafts, doesn’t wiggle about when backing. They back straight!
Driving can provide you with a much more balanced horse, both mentally and physically. Driving horses do bend when they’re driven as a single horse, the whip acts as your legs when driving.
You’ll also find out your horse’s hind end will be much more developed and a more normal way of his going…driving horses tend not to be overly on the forehand. They can also move more freely when being driven vs. ridden, resulting in the horse developing their extension at the walk and trot.
Have fun, if you drive well, your horse will never suffer in dressage…and yep, get rid of the check reins.
What Trak said. A riding horse who has never been driven, when driven correctly, will develop all KINDS of extra strength, muscle, and drive in the back end, which can only help with dressage. HRH Avery’s hunter’s bump disappeared completely when he was in serious driving training, and he developed a “power walk” under saddle that he never had before. It was really cool!
Edit: and yes, lose the check reins immediately. You want a driving horse engaged from behind in exactly the same frame you would a driven dressage horse. The horse should be light in the bridle and NOT pulling or dragging.
Might I suggest some driving lessons for self and horse with a competitive driving trainer? If you explain to them that you are looking to improve your horse’s ridden dressage, they all should have good ideas for exercises that will help.
question: i’m embarrassingly ignorant of driving in general, are “check reins” the same thing as “bearing reins” ?
overcheck/checkrein/bearing rein are the same device. Helps with driving, but severely disallows a horse to stretch when pulling up a hill with weight.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for all the replies!
I’m excited to get started again. I used to drive her fairly frequently, but stopped when we started to learn dressage. I will confess that I always drove with an overcheck…at the time we were driving a lot, she was being worked/shown as a saddle seat horse, so that was the way to do it.
I have left it pretty loose sometimes, but I think it is there as kind of security blanket for me…probably doesn’t really need to be there at all - I just need to get over it :winkgrin:
In the past we have serpentined through cones, done figure eights, etc. for suppling exercises, but I hadn’t thought about taking lessons from a different kind of driving instructor…that could be interesting.
Thanks again for all the response - it seemed logical to me that it would help with dressage since I know it builds up their backend, but wasn’t sure if it was a different kind of strength (pull vs carry). I’m glad to hear it will be useful - both horsie and I enjoy it!
[QUOTE=ideayoda;2955223]
overcheck/checkrein/bearing rein are the same device. Helps with driving, but severely disallows a horse to stretch when pulling up a hill with weight.[/QUOTE]
thanks! that’s what i thought.
My horse is not specifically trained in dressage just the basics for riding but we drove him when he came off the track to learn about stearing and stopping. It is great when the wind is at 30 mph and it is 20 degrees outside you can still work your horse and give them a break from the ring. We trail drive and my horse absolutely loves it! and so do I so that is the only down fall I have found. I use his regualr bit not a driving bit, I do carry a whip but very rarely use it…
driving the dressage horse
[QUOTE=canticle;2947005]
Driving is great for the mind and body, and combined driving horses are very light in the bridle. Bad training of any sort can create a puller. :)[/QUOTE]
I totally agree with this. I spent many years riding dressage and eventing. I now show carriage driving. I cross train with dressage. The driving and dressage riding compliment each other. I drive a lot of hills which encourages the horse to stretch their neck and back. Driving has also helped in getting them to move out more at the trot.
In respone to overchecks/check reins/ bearing reins: an over check runs from the top of the poll straight down the crest to the top of the harness saddle. This prevents the horse from dropping their head and allows no flex in the poll. These are seen standardbreds. The sidesheck and bearing reins run from either side of the bridle (split ) and then attach to the harness saddle. This style allows for the horse to drop at the poll put prevents them from being able to drop thier head all the way down. For safety reasons these are required for 4-H kids showing in driving classes .
Personally I do not use any. I also drive my horse in the same bit that I ride in. A french link snaffle. They are light and fun to drive.
Go for it and enjoy!
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