We found another trainer!

[RMJacobs]

After our trainer Denise abandoned us so she could stay warm in Florida all winter, @M_al and I have been looking for another trainer for the winter. I put posts out on three FB driving groups and got a couple of responses. We had our first lesson with Claire today, and I thought it went very well.

Claire has several horses who drive, including a drop dead gorgeous mini and a drop dead gorgeous gypsy. She also has a morgan, which was lying down napping most of the time we were there, so I didn’t get a good look at that one. We drove the mini today.

I finally got to use my new helmet, which was exciting. It’s very comfortable, another one that I forget I’m wearing. The weather gods smiled on us today–it was about 50 F, which was a lot nicer than it was at my house, about 50 miles away. The weather is supposed to be good next weekend, so we have a lesson scheduled for Saturday.

Rebecca

[2DogsFarm]

That is one cute li’l fuzzball!
& I am jelly of your weather.
We “warmed up” today to 26° “feels like” 15.
Both improvements
We make 40 this week, but it comes with rain.
Yay?

Keep me living vicariously with your pics

[RMJacobs]

We have a lot of snow melting here in the frigid north. I think I will be able to get my bike on the road tomorrow! I probably could have done it today, but I was totally exhausted from yesterday. So far today, I’ve ridden the stationary bike and took a nap. I hate that just a lesson can wipe me out, but I’m grateful that I can do it. I don’t mind so much paying for it later if it means I can do it in the first place.

Rebecca

[goodhors]

Congrats on finding another trainer! They are not always easy to locate. Funny how I always picture Colorado as snow covered, cold all winter. Certainly not suitable for bike riding in winter! Guess I read too many pioneer books as a kid, with all their trials and tribulations to survive! Ha ha Not doing any driving here, too slippery in many places for cars to stop if needed. No sleigh, we sold them when the road comission guy bought a house on our road. I do think we get plowed out first, usually right to the pavement, so he can get to work!! The horse was not having fun dragging steel runners the mile and a half home.

[RMJacobs]

We typically get some pretty nice days in winter. We also get huge temperature swings, but you just get used to it. Our snow rarely sticks around because the sun is so strong at high elevations. A week is a lot for us. I’ll be out on my bike as soon as I finish a call with one of my doctors. My easy entry cart had an option to put sleigh runners on it, but it was never worth it where I lived.

Rebecca

[RMJacobs]

This was today.

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Rebecca

[goodhors]

Looking good!

[RMJacobs]

I can’t even count the number of times the trainer says to me “where are your hands?” and I realize I’ve gotten lazy. In my defense, I have very limited feeling in my hands (and none in my feet) due to neuropathy, so I can’t tell where they are without looking. But still, I can do better than I have been. I created so many bad habits when I was driving my own ponies. My goal is to get rid of the bad habits and replace them with correct driving.

I’m thinking I might try going without gloves when the weather allows. I think that will allow me to maximize what feeling I do have.

Rebecca

[goodhors]

You might try some thinner athletic gloves, Neumann that are tackified for less rein slip. Read tackified in each glove description, not all models are tackified. Reins can be hard on your skin, leather may slip if wet, hands are cold, while the web types can be quite harsh in texture. Zilco with rubber woven in are especially rough.

Do look on the Internet sites, Neumann prices can vary a LOT on the same models. Husband likes football receiver gloves best. There are other good glove makers of receiver gloves, price and fit do make a difference! But the Neumann were most available, fit him well, so we stuck with them.

[RMJacobs]

Thanks!

Rebecca

[cayuse]

Just saw the video! I’m jealous! I missed that you had another lesson, are you having another one soon?

[RMJacobs]

We’ve had two lessons with this trainer. We couldn’t schedule one this weekend as it’s snowing, and M_al isn’t available next weekend. I really like splitting the lesson with her, since I have low stamina. So we’re going to try for the 17th, but we’re waiting until we have a weather forecast.

This mini is a major cutie and very talented when the trainer drives him, but he sure has my number. I really struggled to get him to trot last time because I can’t use the whip like I mean it. I kept popping him, and the trainer was telling me it wasn’t enough. This lack of hand strength and feeling is a real pain–it’s much worse since I was driving my own guys. Maybe the answer will be to drive one handed so I can devote my right hand to the whip. But my left hand is pretty pitiful. I have so little feeling in the last two fingers.

Rebecca

[cayuse]

Oh I get the whip thing! My mini Peanut knows my hands better than I do and takes full advantage of their weakness. He’d march right out for my instructor, but slogs along with me. Dan’s mini is better about it, he thinks a half-hearted pop on the heiny is serious business. I don’t think I could drive one handed, my coordination is too poor.
You have wonderful driving hands, even and steady. I have soft hands, but my left one likes to wander.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for good weather on the 17th.

[RMJacobs]

You say soft; I think our trainer would say marshmallow! But it’s all good. All I want out of it is to get to drive for a while, and hopefully improve my skills. If I can just break my bad habits, that will be enough.

Rebecca

[goodhors]

Not sure if you would want to practice with a reinboard. Easy to make, can use it watching TV or bicycle videos going on roads and trails. You can go from two-handed to one-handed as hands get tired, practice with the whip touches.

Some thin cord, a couple pullies that fit the cord and a pair of regular riding reins, correct (for your hands) width reins. Perhaps reins with leather grips spaced out, will help you hold things better. Two little water bottles with screw on lids and a chair with a horizontal back rest. Hang the pullies on the rail of chair as wide as reins of horse/pony come into your hands. Cut two pieces of same length cord, which should be slightly longer than from pullies to the floor. Make a loop in one end of each cord so one rein loop can be attached to each cord. Thread the skinny end of cord thru the pulley, end going out the back of chair. Poke a hole in lid of water bottle, push cord end thru top of hole and knot the cord end on the threaded side of cap. Repeat with the other cord and water bottle cap. Then put an equal amount of water in both bottles, screw the lids on bottles. For safety, you may want to add a wrap of duct tape to prevent lid coming off the bottle should your handling of “fractious” animal require some creative rein work!

This rein board model works quite well with minimal investment, ready to use in any weather. A whip (dressage) should allow you to “touch up” a non-responsive chair on both sides without wiping out any decorative items nearby. Practice making loops, giving with the outside rein instead of pulling the inside during turns. You can do wrist rolls, giving and taking rein without changing your handgrip, reining straight back with both reins even. Keeping the bottles even, moving smoothly with the rein is your goal. Maybe equal spaced, horizontal colored tape lines will help spot slight differences in rein give or take with the bottle, easier for you. Electric tape comes in colors, is pretty sticky to make lines with.

Reinboard might help strengthen hands a little with regular practice between lessons. RMJacobs you might be able to make videos while riding your bike, doing up and downhill, tight turns in both directions, traffic, for days when you can’t get outside.

[RMJacobs]

Funny you should mention a reinboard–I suggested one to M_al since she’s a beginning driver. I had one when I first started driving, to make sure my hand weakness didn’t result in jerking on my pony’s mouth. It was helpful then. I haven’t thought about using one now because the neuropathy in my hands has advanced so much that practice probably won’t make a difference. The muscle memory is still there, but my hands just don’t do what they are told. They are guilty of insubordination.

The way you describe making one is far more sophisticated than the one I had back in 2003. I had horseshoes for weights; it was very simplistic. I’ll give some thought to whether a reinboard would be helpful now, given my specific hand problems. Thanks so much for the detailed instructions!

Rebecca

[goodhors]

Funny you should say design is sophisticated! I thought it was about as “redneck” as possible!! Ha ha We just used stuff we had laying around.

I was not sure if your hands might strengthen or gain flexibility with more regular use of a reinboard. Just an idea.

[RMJacobs]

Unfortunately, the more I use them, the worse they get. So I prioritize doing things that really matter to me.

Rebecca

[2DogsFarm]

@RMJacobs

My goal is to get rid of the bad habits and replace them with correct driving.

Oh, how I wish you were a member of my Driving Club! Or that I was in your area!
Decent trainers here are hours away
Club is 99.9% Trail Drivers - to say they lack finesse is being kind

Glad to see you back at it with that OhSoCute! Mini.
Where’s your Partner in Crime, @M_al ?

[RMJacobs]

@M_al is around. I haven’t seen her in a couple of weeks because we haven’t had a lesson. I think the universe is conspiring against us. I hope we can have one next weekend. The texts were flying fast yesterday trying to determine if 1. I would go, and 2. whether our trainer might be fighting the weather too much. Number 1 ended up no, and number 2 ended up yes. Our trainer said she had huge gusts when we talked around 11:30 am.

I shouldn’t complain, since we started doing lessons in November. We’ve been able to do more than would be possible a lot of years. We’re due for a little snow in the morning, but it shouldn’t be much, and with luck, it will be rain so there is nothing to melt. Even if it does snow tomorrow, it should be gone by the weekend.

I have a new pair of boots to wear in a lesson; I bought them three weeks ago (in the middle of a snowstorm) but haven’t gotten to drive in them. I’d been wearing old ones that are duct taped together, and the tape isn’t very secure. So I’m very excited to get them.

This is Crackers and me, showing off our new boots right after we got them. The pic was taken in April 2007. Mine are Justins, his are Boas. It was the only kind I could find that were small enough to fit his tiny feet. I got a lot of mileage out of those Justins, considering that I’m just retiring them now.

Rebecca