The more I read about it, the more appealing learning to drive is. We’ve already decided that it’s too much to ride right now, but perhaps there will be an intro clinic over the Winter in Florida or SC or early in 2023. It would be really nice to find an equine pursuit that my husband and I can do together.
One question: Are there snacks in the wicker basket?
When one does the pleasure driving/formal type of competing, there’s probably some specific requirement ( much like the appointments classes in hunters). When it’s combined driving, it’s probably alcohol!
If you do find yourself in Florida at the right time, the Florida Whips organize a multi day clinic called Metta Baxter (after one of the club founders). It’s an introduction to driving for new or people interested in learning to drive. Club members bring safe horses and carriages, there is rein board work, class room work followed by hands on experienced hitching up and driving. Plus it’s at Black Prong equestrian center so you can stay in a cabin on the premises. I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about driving.
ETA it really is a sport both can enjoy, I would recommend spectating on marathon day for a fun day for both. Garden State CDE in Allentown NJ runs from 10/6 -10/9, marathon should start at 9am on 10/8 (Sat). Lowest levels typically go first, highest levels last. You will see a lot of husband/wife teams out there!
And I’m pretty sure the breeder is a COTH regular! Or used to be. “Ironwood” sounds very familiar re the COTH universe. 
She is!
When considering risk and any discipline, do assess based on the level of competition. Often beginners and lower levels are much less statistically dangerous than an overall stat that is skewed by much higher level competitors.
Eventing is a good example - just as an example. The USEA itself acknowledges that the stats are night-and-day different between upper and lower levels. Prelim is the first level where the risk of more serious injury gets real. Of course it can happen even at the speed bump level. But overall the stats for just the lower levels are much more forgiving than some of the more generalized stats might lead one to believe.
You know what might be the discipline for you: breed shows.
Many barns cater to the amateur-with-responsibilities hours and lifestyle, including full training and grooming prep. The horses are (stereotyping here) generally good-minded who can take a bit of an inconsistent work schedule and/or amateur moments*. And they are designed to generate An Experience in their show schedules/setups.
*Full disclosure: I have a QH gelding and he fits this description to a T, although we do dressage and not breed show classes.
There is polo in her area that does adult lessons. Toughkenamon.
OP would fit in perfectly with a Morgan or ASB show barn. You might enjoy driving hackney ponies.
I have explained to my husband that our retirement goal is to compete a pony pair. He remains lukewarm, but he’s good at carriage maintenance and I have 20 years to work on him…but, seriously, OP, my trajectory was Pony Club --> eventing --> OMG nothing beats CDE.
Your budget is more than healthy, it doesn’t take me any longer to pop a harness on and snippety-snap it to the carriage than get ready to ride, and my experience (intermountain and PNW) is that people were friendly, welcoming, and helpful and intro clinics abounded. I’ve frequently pressed non-driving but horsey friends into the groom/navigator position (see husband lukewarm, above), so that’s an option for getting involved without committing to your own horse, etc.
PS in my opinion, a flask of whiskey is a reasonable addition to the spares kit.
Since this thread has already gone on down this tangent, let me just say that I have been on the hunt for a a solid driving pony for about a year. I am convinced that I would have better luck trying to find a 16.2 bay gelding who will pack around 2’6" 
It can go way beyond that. There are people who have horses in training for breed shows, and the horses are on the other side of the country! They jet in for an occasional lesson, or may take lessons with a trusted trainer in their own location, but for the most part, they arrive at a show to find a perfectly prepped and groomed and tacked up horse they can just get on and show.
It’s one of the reasons I could never exist in that world. The trainer has final say on everything, and people often aren’t allowed to work their own horses, even in lessons, so the horses won’t “lose ground.” I do enjoy watching the show, though. (BTW, if anyone is interested in watching the New England Morgan Show, it’s being livestreamed at https://www.visionof8.com/live-stream – but the main ring only.
I have some friends, Ruth and Joanna Wilburn, who breed wonderful Welsh Ponies, many of which they drive. Ruth is a vet and Joanna teaches driving clinics. I can’t recommnend them or their ponies highly enough.
Beautiful! My plan is to learn to drive once I’m too old to get up on a horse anymore. Maybe I should start before that happens! Looks like so much fun.
So I’ll just ask here then …
How often does the cart get flipped? Accidentally, of course. Analogous to falling off while riding?
How do regular self-doing folk transport the trailer? To trail rides, shows, CDE, etc? Can it fit on top of an SUV? Upside-down I assume.
I don’t want to put it on top of the horse trailer due to weight imbalance between towed and towing. It needs to go on the SUV roof if it goes anywhere.
Looks like fun! Thanks !!! <3
The CDE adage is it’s not if you flip, but when you flip. That said, I have not seen nor heard about many carriages (4 wheels) flipping or tipping at anything other than the highest levels where speed meets immovable objects more often than one would like, so maybe more analogous to the really bad crash and burn from a spectacularly bad distance to a big fence than the more routine parting of ways. Carts (2 wheel) is an entirely different story. They hit that point of no return a lot easier than a carriage. It’s an affordable entry point for a lot of people and I had the awful pipe cart, followed by a jog cart followed by a meadowbrook cart when I started out, but I’m not a fan.
Transportation is the real $$$$$ for people who are serious, and the more equines and the larger they are, the more challenging it is to get everything from here to there. The most common top end set up is 2 trucks and trailers, one is for the pair and a spare and maybe an ATV or carriage, the other is a LQ+equipment (2 carriages plus all the harnesses). Usually we are talking 8’ wide stock combo trailers because they are so adaptable for all the gear. @DiamondJubilee who posts on here has a 53’ 3 axle trailer that is her pride and joy. As in anything “horse” you can go up from there (the LQ van + equip trailers for the top 4 in hand drivers are insane and generally make the hj crew look like people who aren’t really trying to spend their money.
But there’s LOTS of people who do it on the budget. Usually it’s a stock combo with a converted tack room and someone else with the ATV on a small garden trailer, etc. In my case, I have a fully paid for low mileage F250 that is gas not diesel, and I figured the 30+ feet floor length at 8’0 wide rig that would transport pony+equip was more trailer than I wanted to pull with that vehicle and I wasn’t interested in replacing it with a new $truck$. So I had a custom BP designed by a guy who knows driving people. It’s an 8’0 wide BP, a 2H straight load with 9’0 in front of the stalls and a side ramp, no tackroom (think 2+1 config). It’s insulated and has a 30amp plug wired in with lights and power outlets. The pony goes in a stall, my e-bike and hay goes in the other (used to use a scooter, love the e-bike) stall. My presentation carriage goes in that front slot and my marathon carriage goes in the bed of the truck. When I get to the show everything is out and I plug in the trailer and it becomes the semi primitive camping for me and my gator. I love it, it’s actually pretty comfy.
People with carts who aren’t doing CDE typically get a stock BP and put the horse up front and cart in the back, with shafts sticking out the back door a wee bit.
I used to say that I was going to start driving again when I was too old to jump the sticks anymore. Life happened and I ended up looking for a driving prospect and not looking for a replacement hunter after my best horse ever died (he was already retired) and his younger replacement was looking more and more like he had early retirement as a life goal (he did).
And every single day since then I have said WHY DIDN’T I DO THIS TEN YEARS AGO???
#dontbelikeme #besmarter
Yes! I found them. Brandywine Polo Club. They invite spectators to their matches. Definitely worth a day trip and a picnic.
My friends are very involved with Brandywine polo club! You should go out there for sure! There are very low key lessons too. Lots of women are getting into it at all ages !
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