These lovely ladies stopped by our hunt breakfast this morning (I was so proud of Mr. Blondie - he was definitely on guard when they arrived, but then he went back to his hay - although I did hear him humming “Fat Bottomed Girls” :D)
We were chatting with their driver, because I’m thinking about driving The Naughty Pony after I retire, and in the course of the conversation, he said that it was safer to drive a 2-horse hitch than a single horse.
So now I’m curious - what do you guys think?
Weeeelllll…I drive both singles and pairs. And while I have heard - as was oft repeated by the old timers - “better to drive a pair when one of the horses is against you, than a single where all are against you”…I honestly believe it is safer to drive a single than a pair.
We no longer live in the era of horses as main transport where if one of the pair got excited or upset, the driver could “rely” upon the other (usually an old timer) to calm the upset horse. Truth is… if you have one getting upset, the other can get just as upset, and then you’ve got a MUCH bigger problem on your hand.
Second, the pairs reins are split between the two, so corrections to a problem horse can be felt by the other, and can - if you are too abrupt - upset the non-problem horse. In a single, your reins are devoted to one, and all corrections are direct to the horse’s mouth.
Third, a side-by-side pairs vehicle is a 4 wheel vehicle - less maneuverable than a single’s 2 wheeled vehicle which can “absorb” (so to speak) a problem horse’s antics better than a 4 wheel.
There is so much more, but for now I’ll just say…no. As a long time pairs driver I don’t subscribe to that old adage. I love a pair and always will have them, but…for ease and simplicity and safety - give me a single.
MJHBEO
Congrats to Mr. Blondie for being such a cool character, too. Might he have driving in his future?? He’d be one handsome dude in harness! 
JMO but I’m definitely in the “pairs are safer” camp! More fun, too 
I frequently use one pony to ‘assist’ the other. And as for 2 wheeled vs. 4 wheeled? Give me 4 wheels any day! Two wheeled carts are much too easy to flip and not nearly as maneuverable as my 4 wheeled marathon with delayed steering and 5th wheel brake! Some of the trails I drive can get rough and I sure wouldn’t want to try them in a cart. Besides, even my ponies prefer 4 wheels; once I went from a cart to carriage they started objecting to the cart… 
I don’t know that Mr. Blondie has a driving career in his future… but he was really very good about the hitch. Even when the driver demonstrated how he could make the horses pivot right and then back to center.
His wagon (which I suspect might not be the correct term - sorry) has the front wheels on some kind of pivot, so they can turn underneath the wagon, so the four wheels aren’t always parallel, like on a stagecoach. So when he asked them to move over, the ladies sort of shuffled sideways, the front wheels pivoted, and the rest of the wagon pretty much stayed put.
The first wagon on this page (http://www.desertadventures.net/Wagons.htm) is what he was pulling.
My first thought was, “Well, to be SAFE, I will need to get another pony!”
Right? Mr. RAR can’t argue against safety, can he?
You were right - the proper term is a wagon.
The undercarriage has a “fifth wheel” - allows the front wheels to move independently from the rear (which are fixed -like a car’s rear wheels). Actually, all 4 wheeled vehicles have a 5th wheel to allow the front wheels to turn. Even stagecoaches.
For the sake of you getting another Blondie - sure! Tell DH two is always better than one!
Well, I agree with everything GTD and Ashemont said, so you can see I really have no convictions one way or the other. :winkgrin: Pros and cons in no particular order: Driving a pair is really fun, generally the horses keep each other company and usually if one spooks the other doesn’t. However, if they DO both spook at the same time, then you’ve really got some ponypower out there in front of you to manage down. :eek: It takes a fair amount of time to get a pair ready to roll. I can have a single hitched and ready to go in much less than 1/2 the time of a pair. I’ll drive a single alone (and usually do) but I won’t take the pair out alone or if I do, I don’t go far. There is too much that can go wrong and you need somebody along who can hop down and make it right while you control the ponies. Not to mention that (on a marathon carriage) with a pair in front you really do need that extra ballast behind in the form of another body.
[QUOTE=gothedistance;6126207]
For the sake of you getting another Blondie - sure! Tell DH two is always better than one! ;)[/QUOTE]
Not another Mr. Blondie - another little red pony 
The Naughty Pony (who is sometimes less naughty than other times) is a 10.2 hand pony of unknown origin. I’m guessing at least part Welsh, although that guess is simply that - a guess. He was a rescue who was left in a field by himself for 3 years. Was obesely fat when rescued, and now his crest has fallen. And he usually has goopy eyes because he’s missing parts of both lower eyelids. He must have been a pretty fancy little pony before the idiots got to him… :sadsmile:
His main job is to keep Prozac Pony (not a pony) company when Mr. Blondie goes away. And give little kids pony rides. But I’m thinking he could branch out…
The photos show him with his (very short) angel - the woman who finally called the rescue about him. She called him Tony the Pony, but he told the rescue his name was Panda.
“Tony the Pony”. How cute! And how 1950’s retro!!
Listen, if NP is quiet and mannerly, and doesn’t mind sounds behind him, and goes nicely being ground driven…he certainly may have some hidden driving talents of which you have yet to tap!
I’d say…go for it! Driving ponies are wonderful fun, and the smaller vehicles and smaller harness are so much more convenient and easier to use.
Do you have a driving person, or instructor, anywhere near you out there in cactus country? Can you perhaps find a pleasure driving show (all breed) you can attend to both watch and cop-a-schmooze with some of the drivers to ask questions and pick up some more info on the driving scene?
“Tony the Pony”. Love it! How 1950’s retro!!
Listen, if NP is quiet and mannerly, and doesn’t mind sounds behind him, and goes nicely being ground driven…he certainly may have some hidden driving talents of which you have yet to tap!
I’d say…go for it! Driving ponies are wonderful fun, and the smaller vehicles and smaller harness are so much more convenient and easier to use.
Do you have a driving person, or instructor, anywhere near you out there in cactus country? Can you perhaps find a pleasure driving show (all breed) you can attend to both watch and cop-a-schmooze with some of the drivers to ask questions and pick up some more info on the driving scene?
My theory is that he’s been driven before - based partially on the white hairs up where an ill-fitting harness would rub and partially on his response to seeing the guy in our neighborhood come by with his pairs of mares and a wagon: he perked up & wanted to follow them, as opposed to my other guys, who said, “OMG, WTF is THAT!?!?” :lol:
But I’ve never even ground-driven him.
My first steps are going to be getting him a driving bridle & a surcingle, and then take it from there. If he ground drives okay, I’ll find someone local who trains wee ponies to drive. We’re in the Phoenix area, so it’s not like we’re way out in the boonies. I know there are lots of folks who drive minis, and there are some driving shows at Westworld.
You can see how he does with a riding bridle and surcingle out on the long lines. Don’t bother with a driving bridle until you see how he does for you WAY out there. We start all our driving prospects in open bridles, to let them see what is going on around them.
Driving bridle doesn’t make an animal deaf to strange sounds, so he is better off seeing and identifying any odd things that can happen, to continue working calmly.
He is cute, good luck with his driving career.
Definitely start him in an open bridle.
I did when I trained my 16.2 horse to drive. I did every new step in an open bridle - even just putting the harness on. He’d never been on long lines before, never worn a crupper, and never seen or felt anything behind him.
When I finally switched him ground driving in a blinder bridle, I would take it off and go back to the open bridle when I added practice shafts, and then again when I added in dragging objects.
I am glad I did that. He can turn his head around enough to see the cart and me when we’re stopped, with the driving bridle on, and he knows it’s there and what it looks like and couldn’t care less, because it was all introduced so he could see it. I also had someone pull the cart, and hand walked him behind it so he could see it.
I don’t have much experience teaching horses to drive, but I do believe it helps a ton to allow the horse to see what’s happening.
I have never heard if it is safer to drive a pair vs. a single. As others have said, there are pro’s and con’s to both. I’ve been told many a time that a 2 wheel vehicle is more likely to flip if you’re trying to take a quick, tight turn (like a marathon setting) than a 4 wheel. I’ve never driven a pair, and I’ve never driven a 4 wheel, so I can’t comment, but I have seen plenty of vehicles that are 4 wheel, driven by a single or pair, that have flipped, so I’m not totally sure it really makes that much of a difference.
I’ve heard it said that people will rely on “old faithful” to keep a “young gun” under control when driving a pair, but I think that could only get you so far.
I just started driving a tandem, which is 1 horse in front of the other. I’ve read that this is one of the hardest things to drive. I can say from personal experience that it definitely is. With the leader way out there with nothing to keep him in line, it is very hard to keep the tandem straight.
Controlling 2 mouths with 2 sets of reins is also a bit tricky. I’m still working out the kinks myself. I can’t imagine controlling 2 mouths with only 1 set of reins. For the tandem, when I need to make a curve, (say, circle to the right) I need to actually hold my wheeler left, so the arc stays smooth, while my leader curves right. So I need those 2 sets of reins to control each horse individually. But with a pair, they both turn at the same time. But still, without being able to communicate to each horse individually , I imagine driving a pair is pretty difficult. Hopefully someday I’ll get the chance to drive a pair (and a 4 wheel!) !
He doesn’t currently have ANY bridle, having been adopted primarily as a babysitter for my big guys. And when we do pony rides, we lead him in his halter.
So I was thinking it would be less expensive just to buy a driving bridle to start working him. I didn’t think about the blinders. Are they not removable?
Not only am I definitely pro-pair, but I’m also pro-blinkers - right from the start. You will find most of the pro’s are too. It is especially important when driving multiples as it allows correction of one horse without interfering with the others. Blinders keep the animals focused where YOU want them to look. They also come in handy for avoiding spooks as you can just turn a head so the blinders block the scary stuff
I just got a young pair of ponies who supposedly drive as a pair - but they get terrified when blinders are put on! Now I’ve got to go back to square one with them. No fun 
As far as both animals in a pair spooking or acting up at the same time? I know I’ve only been driving for 5 years - but I drive almost every day and sometimes take out several a day plus I train weekly with Bill Long - so I’ve a good deal of great experience. Haven’t had a situation yet where I couldn’t use one pony/horse to bring the other back in hand. I do gallop regularly and all of my kids will come back to a walk from a chirp. I think the big key is TRAINING and lots of miles. JMO
[QUOTE=Risk-Averse Rider;6126915]
So I was thinking it would be less expensive just to buy a driving bridle to start working him. I didn’t think about the blinders. Are they not removable?[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, the blinkers aren’t removable.
I agree with goodhors - don’t feel you have to run out to get the driving harness yet. Let’s start with a bit of groundwork first. I’d just start him in his regular bridle, his little saddle, and use short long lines - two lunge ropes will work well - run through the stirrup leathers so they stay generally in the same area. Start by walking next to his head, then gradually and quietly move yourself parallel to his shoulder, then even more gradually start falling back to where you are walking next to his hip as he become more comfortable being out in front of you. You can do this type of training anywhere at anytime with just those long lines and his regular tack.
Once he is doing that capably, you start your lessons behind him and work him “driving” directly in front of you at a nice easy walk. If you are up for it, you can throw in some trots… and watch your waistline disappear!!!
Once he is going comfortably walk and trot on the long lines, it is time to introduce some noise. But we’ll cover that once you’ve completed the above.
[QUOTE=gothedistance;6127474]
If you are up for it, you can throw in some trots… and watch your waistline disappear!!![/QUOTE]
I’ve lost 25lbs in 3 months starting my B mare! :lol: But it didnt come much from my waistline. Legs and butt are looking good, but sadly the rest came from my boobs… :sadsmile:
You CAN order “open/blinkerless” cheek pieces for your driving bridles to swap out the blinkers. But this essentially just makes it a riding bridle…
[QUOTE=Ashemont;6126947]
Not only am I definitely pro-pair, but I’m also pro-blinkers - right from the start. You will find most of the pro’s are too. It is especially important when driving multiples as it allows correction of one horse without interfering with the others. Blinders keep the animals focused where YOU want them to look. They also come in handy for avoiding spooks as you can just turn a head so the blinders block the scary stuff
I just got a young pair of ponies who supposedly drive as a pair - but they get terrified when blinders are put on! Now I’ve got to go back to square one with them. No fun
As far as both animals in a pair spooking or acting up at the same time? I know I’ve only been driving for 5 years - but I drive almost every day and sometimes take out several a day plus I train weekly with Bill Long - so I’ve a good deal of great experience. Haven’t had a situation yet where I couldn’t use one pony/horse to bring the other back in hand. I do gallop regularly and all of my kids will come back to a walk from a chirp. I think the big key is TRAINING and lots of miles. JMO[/QUOTE]
I LOVE driving pairs.
Definitely blinders all the time -from the get-go. Like Ashemont wrote.
Once your horse drives pairs or 4-in-hand, they never want to go back! Our mare Katie used to dance in place in her stall at the draft horse shows whenever a 4-up or 6-up came by-she absolutely LOVED to drive multiples. Riding and driving single -ok. BUT DRIVING WITH A HORSE HERD, WITH DEFINED ROLES, RULES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND LEADERS!!! What horse wouldn’t want that.
The only thing that driving a pair is a little iffy with is hitching safely. Not because it is more likely to go wrong (it isn’t) but because if something does go wrong, the consequences are greater. There are more moving parts- so the wait and hitch tends to be more complex and take more time and more people power.
Definitely having a partner calms down the horses. They just relax more and are able to tolerate more stressful situations when driving multiples. They are also more patient, as their horse herd is next to them. They don’t need to go back to the barn, they take comfort in having that “herd” with them when driving.
Sounds like I DEFINITELY need a 2nd pony!
Purely for the sake of safety, of course,
BUT DRIVING WITH A HORSE HERD, WITH DEFINED ROLES, RULES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND LEADERS!!! What horse wouldn’t want that.
Wow, that’s a really good point! I didn’t think of it like that. I recently put together 2 minis in tandem, they both drive great single, and they live in the same stall so they are really really used to each other, but I’ve been thrilled with how well the tandem is working. I need to make a few modications to the harnesses, and iron out some kinks in my reinsmanship, but the horses are working together beautifully, and I didn’t think of it like this…
Now you make me want to get a pair. LOL
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