Star's Progress

[2DogsFarm]

So???
Where are the pics for COTH?

Sounds like you too have won the Mini Lottery. :encouragement:
Great you have a place nearby to drive.
I am limited to the part of my 5ac not in pastures & do drive on my lawn on occasion.
Roads here tend to be busier than I like & driven by idjits ignorant of Horse Etiquette.
Also no shoulder to get off on, just deep - 4’ - ditches on either side.

:lol: On your Dressage friend’s horse getting “animated” by your presence.
I used to have to avoid the warmup at a local show that had Drivers on Sundays.
My TB Hunter would lose his mind seeing those horses with Killer Carts in pursuit :eek:

[2DogsFarm]

Shame on your photog friends not sharing pics!
Star is a Q-T & I bet he looks sharp in harness.

I feel ya on the “hard to catch” :rolleyes:
My mini now feels entitled to accompany me through the service door of my barn.
Where he “inspects” the stacked hay & occasionally tries to open the feed bins.
He does trot obediently into his stall when I open the door & tell him “Get in your house!” :winkgrin:

[2DogsFarm]

Incentive for you to post Star Pics

Bugs (Show Name: Wascally Wabbit) & me at Fair last year:
(& yes, breeching was waaaaaaaaay too high & tight - fixed for next classes)

In a more relaxed moment, heading out for a drive with my local Club:

[IMG2=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“full”,“src”:"https://i.imgur.com/hq61jQd.jpg)

[Twisting]

He is so tiny and adorable! And I love your cart, is that a Bellcrown? I’ve been cart shopping, since it’s going to take Patty’s Pony Place quiet some time to make a new suspension for my pipe cart and those coiled springs are the worst.

[Twisting]

I know I am posting a lot, and I want to thank you guys for putting up with me.

So my long lines got here today, and I tacked Star up and took him to the round pen to work with him a bit. The idea was to work on getting a quiet steady trot in an area where I didn’t have to worry about steering or getting bounced out of the cart. This was the first time I’ve really gotten a good look at his face while working him, and I kinda hate what I see. He’s gaping his mouth even with light pressure. There was even some gaping when it was just the weight of the lines. He just looks uncomfortable. He’s currently in a loose ring straight bar, and I went ahead and ordered the same bit, only rubber. Going to long line him in that when it gets here and see if it’s more comfortable for him. I hate that he might be uncomfortable when working.

After a few minutes of long lining I decided to just lunge him instead. He had a halter on with his driving bridle so I snapped one of the long lines to that. Holy cow. Having nothing but my voice to communicate with him was an eye opening experience. Both what I could get him to do, and what I couldn’t. I’ve always lunged 50% off body language, but the blinders took that aid away. I got nice walk->trot->canter->trot transitions, but the trot->walk always ended up with him stopping and looking at me. His instant and subtle responses to a quiet “easy” or a single cluck tells me that even though I thought I had quiet hands I am still using them way more than he needs. I feel for Star, having to put up with me learning this stuff through trial and error. He definitely got an extra (sugar free) cookie today.

I clipped him two days ago, and he had some mild rain rot hiding under all that hair. I have a feeling he is going to be a bit of a hot house flower when it comes to his skin. He’s worth the extra effort though.

[cayuse]

I’ve been enjoying your updates. He sounds like a really nice pony and I bet his mouth will get sorted out easily enough. Has he had his teeth done? I’m betting that he has :). One of my minis reacted that way when I first got him, partly it was a dental thing and the rest of it was just a defense mechanism. Once he learned I wasn’t going to haul on his mouth he settled. I use a mullen mouth on him as a jointed snaffle bumps his palate.
About the skin, my allergy prone welsh pony with funky skin improved alot when I added vitamin E to his diet. It didn’t take long to see a difference, maybe 3-4 weeks. And I use Healthy Coat oil, a couple of tablespoons of that a day, that helps too.
Looking forward to hearing more of Star’s adventures!

[2DogsFarm]

@Twisting

He is so tiny and adorable! And I love your cart, is that a Bellcrown? I’ve been cart shopping, since it’s going to take Patty’s Pony Place quiet some time to make a new suspension for my pipe cart and those coiled springs are the worst.

:o I blush

Thanks.
He’s about middle-size for a mini.
Last measured him at 34", but that was using Mini Old School, where measurement is at the last mane hair < makes them smaller :rolleyes:
ADS now dictates measure at withers for VSE.

My wood cart was made by a local Mennonite guy.
I love it, but stupidly did not get enough legroom (I sat in the model, but not long enough:().
Fine for shows, but it can get ouchy for my wonky knees.
The metal cart is a standard Easy Entry I got at auction.
Lucked out, as I’ve treated it to some rough times & aside from a flat tire it has held up great for trail drives of 15mi RT.
If I could change anything, it would be to go to the heavier-spoked no-flat tires… Which would cost me as much as I paid for the cart :uhoh:

Your latest Star Report sounds great!
Like @cayuse said, don’t stress about his mouth yet.
He might not like the thicker rubber bit - not much room in those little mouths.
If he objects, maybe wrap your thinner bit?
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹I use a Mullen mouth too for the same reason as @cayuse .

[Twisting]

The rubber bit was inexpensive enough that if it’s a wash it’s not a big deal. I may try the wrapping thing if he doesn’t like the rubber one.

And thank you @cayuse for the idea about vitamin E. I do think he would benefit from some healthy oils and such for his coat. (and an anti-microbial scrub). He already gets Smart-pak’s Bug off. Might need to add another pack.

He had his teeth done in January, so those should be good.

Another lady at the barn mentioned that we are allowed to take our horses on the old golf course. It’s no longer in use, but is still mown regularly and the old golf cart paths criss-cross it. It runs for a few miles, but does require a short stint along the road to get to it. I have a slow moving vehicle triangle, and I trust Star, but I don’t trust drivers. I may need to give it a try on a quiet Sunday morning.

[RMJacobs]

@Twisting, I am enjoying your updates. I had to get out of horses entirely, and I’m vicariously enjoying your adventures.

Rebecca

[2DogsFarm]

Golf course sounds like fun.
As to the road part of access to it:
Could you go with a rider friend?
Someone on horseback would be sooner visible to a driver than you & Star who are below dashboard height.
Or go solo & wear something bright. Your SMV sign on the back of your cart will also be low.
Friend - who drives a team of minis - bought a neon yellow safety vest at TSC.
She drapes it across the back of her wagonette so it covers the backrest. SMV sign is there too, but I think the BRIGHT is more readily seen by drivers.

[Twisting]

The vest is a good suggestions. I really only need to be on the road to cross a bridge, so short distance, but no escape onto the shoulder if drivers get obnoxious.

Had fun at the driving demo today, got to meet a couple of the other local drivers. I also got to try my friend’s Bellcrown and it was so smooth! I disliked how small the basket was, it felt a little claustrophobic and I could see it being rough on my knees after a few miles. She has a 36 inch mini, not a small pony, so if I got a cart for star it would probably be bigger. I think the Ranger or Shetlander would be my only options, though Star may be a touch tall even for the Shetlander.

I liked the Bellcrown better than my old trainer’s Frey. The Frey felt just as rattley as my pip cart. One of the ladies there offered to let me try her Cricket. She has a 44 inch Shetland who hasn’t taken to the cart as well as she had hoped and it is just sitting around. Don’t think she is interested in selling it though, says she hasn’t give up on her pony. Hoping to try as many carts as I can so I can make an informed choice.

I am going to Maryland for 5 weeks in April. Thinking about seeing if I can snag a few lessons with some of the trainers out there on the weekends. I’ll be too busy during the week. Maybe I can see how a few other types of carts ride.

[2DogsFarm]

So Key-Oot! :love-struck:
He doesn’t look all that chubular, can’t even see belly from that rearview.
Wish I could say the same… :rolleyes:
The belly you see may very well go away once his topline muscles up from work.

Sounds like you & Star are getting along great!
Trying out different carts & making Driving friends :encouragement:

[DinkyDonk]

@goodhors

Well that sounds like several good reasons to keep him covered. These wild weather swings are hard to deal with!

A winter horse washing tip, is using the blower side of the (clean tub) shop vac, with pointed crevice tool aimed at his coat. Blowing him off makes horse dry faster because trapped water on hair is much reduced, fluffs up the hair. We then put acrylic cooler squares on wet horse in layers, with an elastic surcingle to hold them in place. You can make your own little cooler squares from a thrift store blanket or two, attach some tie strings in front to hold in place. Cut the squares big enough to cover his neck/chest and rump, long enough to reach his knees, which cuts down on drafts as he dries. I say put 2 coolers on to start, tying strings, using surcingle over both. Remove the top layer when it shows a mist layer or beaded water. Put on another cooler square over the DRY one next to his hair, fasten everything again. You may want to toss the damp square in the dryer if you don’t have more squares. Then it will be ready to use when the new outside square gets damp. It is funny how the damp goes right thru the layers to dampen the outside of the squares. With heavy coats, we find it takes about 4 squares to dry the equine. So with removal of the third wet square, we let the inside square wick off the rest of the damp resulting in a dry pony on the inside. They feel so nice when clean!

You can then wash and dry those squares, fold them to be handy to use after your drives. Same thing, layer and fasten the squares on damp pony, tie or stall him to wait inside as damp comes up thru the cooler squares to dry him off. Remove the wet layer, replace if very wet. Take them all off when he is dry to the skin. Usually takes less than an hour with lots of hair. If you get to drive often, washing squares weekly keeps them from being overly pungent! Ha ha Ours are acrylic, but polar fleece can work, just know that sawdust sticks to it badly! You might be able to get 4 squares for pony out of a king size blanket, depending on his measurements. Acrylic and polar fleece don’t even need edge covering, won’t fray. Hang to dry on wall hooks or a gate, ready to use after the next drive.

I just go buy polar fleece from the fabric department at Walmart for my mini donks, clamp at the chest, toss them in the run in shed out of the wind and close the gate to keep them in. Polar fleece tends to stick to their hair coats and not slip. Does not unravel on the cut edges. Cheap, lots of cute patterns and colors to choose from. Fabric is 60" wide; I buy 4’ lengths. Cost is around $4-$5. Smartpak carries or used to carry their fleece coolers in pony sizes–bought several a year ago (cheap end of season sale) for my 10.2 hinny, and they fit him really well

[RMJacobs]

The link in your post just sent me to the Amazon home page–didn’t see the bit guards you are looking at. But in general, I like bit guards on small ponies. I drove both my ponies with a half cheek snaffle, and my smaller pony needed the bit guards, even when I finally found him a bit smaller than 5". He was always pulling the bit through until I put the guards on. Luckily when he pulled it through, he would obey a verbal “Whoa!” and let me get out of the cart to fix him. My other pony was good in a 5" as he was much larger, and I didn’t need bit guards for him.

Rebecca

[DMK]

I ordered these off amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WVH22Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and they are fairly thick and sturdy, so they may do the trick.

I also ordered some from Chick’s Saddlery because they were cheaper and PURPLE (this would be a solid win in my matchy-matchy marathon game), I also ordered a pair and a spare in black. Meh. They are smaller so they don’t cleanly clear the circumference of my liverpool cheek (probably not a problem for you since Xan wears a 5.75-6, so, bigger rings) and they are thinner (possibly a problem for you).

[DMK]

I’ll leave harness fitting tips to others, but I think the neoprene ones would be better for bit fitting. Also 2,456,195 times easier to put on!

[Twisting]

@DMK I think you need some of these sparkly purple leather bitguards. Who doesn’t love glitter?!

https://www.amazon.com/Glitter-Overl…77205&sr=8-245

[2DogsFarm]

@Twisting

@DMK I think you need some of these sparkly purple leather bitguards. Who doesn’t love glitter?!

:eek: ME!
:disgust: I do NOT do glitter…or bling :no:

Call me Stodgy (go ahead :lol:).

My Reining Horse friend is forever freaking me out with BLING! on her Driving mini.
Another Driving friend does Allover PURPLE on her gelding: harness pads, glittery browband… :grief:

For me, adding Old Gold piping to my Navy w/Burgundy trim stuff is Living Wild.
I once sold a royal blue, worn-once sheet because it came with neon yellow trim.
I.Just.Couldn’t. :o

[cayuse]

I think Horze.com might have the bit you are looking for in the size you need.

[Twisting]

I ordered this bit from horze (through Amazon), but it wasn’t the size they said it was. Fortunately the bit guards came today, and they fit perfectly! It’s just the right size now, and he seems to like it. The gel ones were really easy to put on using my stall door and two pieces of baling twine.

We had an absolutely lovely drive today. He was so light and forward and soft in the small field I took him out in the big field and we had a wonderful long soft trot round 3/4 of the field. Probably a good half mile. He got a little inverted and quick when the helicopter buzzed over us, but I’d say that’s pretty understandable. We walked once I rounded for home, and when he got quick and picked up a trot without me asking I went with it and we did a nice big circle. It took him 1 circle to realize walking would get him home faster.

I’ve also kind of gotten the hang of mitigating some of the bumpiness of the cart. Bracing with my feet and lightening my seat. Almost a half seat if you will. Lets me sort of ride the bumps like a surfer might. This driving thing is pretty darn fun, and my knees and ankles aren’t killing like they did when I was riding. My back does get a bit sore still, but it’s manageable, and I am sure I need to gain a bit of core strength.