What age do most people start their horse driving? It seems like i’ve heard 18 months to two years, but the search function is so useless.
I have a yearling pony and a lightweight easy entry cart.
I would start ground driving at 2ish, but not pulling until 3. The same as I would a riding horse. It puts just as much strain on growing joints as riding and I prefer to let them grow than have them break down early in life because I was impatient and pushed them too soon.
It seems a lot of people think ponies can be started earlier than horses just because they appear “grown” and stout for their age, but this doesn’t mean the knees are closed or the joints are up to the job.
Wanted to add, mentally, a 2yr old is most likely not ready to be safe to hitch up either! I’ve had 3yr olds that had to be put back in the pasture because their little brains weren’t ready.
I have a 5 year old whose brain is not ready!
Ground work at 2, hitch and light driving at 3.
Customize your program for the mental maturity of the horse, but you should still be able to get the basics done in that time frame. If they are still immature mentally, just spend two weeks of 30 minute training sessions doing what you might do in one week of hourly sessions, that sort of thing.
Better slow and steady than to blow their minds because someone is in a rush. No horse was ever harmed by a trainer taking their time.
Good luck!
We normally started ground driving our ponies at 2 years and tried to have them hooked by 3. Of course, this also depends on the animal as well and if they are mature mentally and physically.
Jana
Cres-Or-Lar Stable
Realize this post is almost a week old, but the gentleman for whom I was driving started driving training at 2 with no pulling, light driving at 4 with a light cart, and more meticulous driving at 5 - verbal commands, fine-tuning. Of course, he was driving drafts and draft crosses.
My friend usually starts his horses at about 18 months - his grow monster-sizes and they are still small enough not to argue too much then. He puts about 15-30 days light work on them, then turns them back out. He usually waits until around2 to start the pony colts, depending on how big they are.
