I’m training my new pony to drive. I also plan to break her but the driving is taking up my time right now so it could be awhile.
I know someone who used to drive their pony as a hilltopper. Has anybody else seen drivers doing this? I have a marathon “Meadowbrook” 2- wheeled cart so it would be suitable for rougher trails.
Also, anybody from Moore County Hounds here? I have some other questions regarding off season activities, esp if I get my pony riding by summer.
She’s a very sensible pony and she’s used to my dogs running all over, even while she’s working. She already goes through water and past lots of Scarey stuff. She’ll end up being a very nice hunting pony but I’m taking everything slowly so that I can have a nice pony for years to come.
Wow, what a neat idea. I will be eagerly following this thread!
My daughter was a passenger in a cart hilltopping at a hunt years ago. That same hunt has a member who can no longer ride so he drives a single horse and hilltops. It can be a fantastic way to enjoy a fox hunt! 
A couple of things to consider will be this: many, many horses have not seen a cart being pulled by a horse so desensitizing has to happen safely. You would have to work closely with the Master of a hunt that was willing to give it a try. So while your driving pony would need some proofing on the sights and sounds of a hunt field, the hunting horses will need to figure out what the heck you are.
Second will be the territory- in some places you probably just wouldn’t be able to drive down deep into the territory due to jumps and creek crossings. Then it you also have to consider the roads that criss cross the hunt country- are they twisty two lane rural roads that autos zoom down or just a little more than a farmers lane.
When I had miniatures when I drove them at the state park I was always paying attention to where the ridden horses were on a trail. As soon as I spied one I halted. I asked the riders what would work best for them- me to drive by them or them to ride by me. It always worked out well because I was communicative and kept safety first on the agenda.
Good luck in giving this a try!
So great to hear! Part of the reason that I’m also interested in trying this is that I don’t have a husband horse. I lost my horse to cancer recently so my husband lost his mount.?? He doesn’t have a lot of experience but loves going out with a hunt.
My cart should be good for rougher surfaces than many would. It has a tree or brush “cutter” and hydraulic brakes, plus shorter shafts for easier turning.
I think there is a guy around Richmond, VA who does this. He was interested in buying my mare to replace his old horse. Sounded interesting, not something that I would want to do with that particular horse, but interesting in theory.
There is a cart of hilltoppers with De La Brooke Hounds in Maryland. Being near the water, the terrain lends itself to mostly flat open spaces, perfect for the cart!
Yes, there are or have been such hilltoppers in Arizona, which came in very handy when a horse and I parted company and I needed a lift back to the trailer to fetch him.
Somewhere I have photos, will have to see if I can find them.
A old member of Tennessee Valley hunted her welsh at one of our flatter meets with a cart before selling it do the pairs, then trained a homebred Trakehner mare to do the same. She had a Meadowbrook that she could take down some skinny windy trails. It was fun to have her out.
You should post this on the driving forum too! This is a wonderful traditional way to hilltop. The thing that would concern me (as a driver) most is what your pony’s reaction to seeing/hearing running horses and being left behind by a herd. It’s great to know that your husband will be coming also because I’d want a very good and understanding person on the ground- but this might not be something that a green driving horse is ready to tackle for some time- but a wonderful goal to work toward.
[QUOTE=Beverley;7956098]
Yes, there are or have been such hilltoppers in Arizona, which came in very handy when a horse and I parted company and I needed a lift back to the trailer to fetch him.
Somewhere I have photos, will have to see if I can find them.[/QUOTE]
Oooh action shots of you taking a spill? Cause that would be–oh, wait, you probably mean the carting hilltopper.
CarrieK, no, I don’t think anybody got a shot of the spill but it wasn’t one of my more spectacular photo ops anyway. The particular borrowed horse, bless him, had probably never hunted in the company of more than a few other horses, never hunted in an English saddle, and, well, got a bit playful as we were ramping up speed a bit. I successfully rode out the first four crowhops, but alas, on the fifth, his front end found a hole, which of course lowered the front end more than I would have anticipated, thus, gravity became applicable. And the horse figured he ought to head back to where he was parked. But no biggie, we happily reunited at the trailer, I dimly recall I had to see to a broken rein, but the rest of the day was uneventful as far as his demeanor.
Beverley, funny you should mention AZ. That’s actually why I thought of it!
[QUOTE=Beverley;7956098]
Yes, there are or have been such hilltoppers in Arizona, which came in very handy when a horse and I parted company and I needed a lift back to the trailer to fetch him.
Somewhere I have photos, will have to see if I can find them.[/QUOTE]
Was it Sue Martin-Caskey and some of her little grey welsh ponies?
Yes rivenoak, it was.
I rode one of Sue’s ponies for a few days hunting when we had WHC. Great pony!
I’m still considering the driving thing. Pony is coming along nicely so perhaps next spring I can approach the hilltopping field someday.
In the meantime, I now have a new TB that is experienced and my old,old mare is coming home from TX, where she’s been on a lease for two years.
