Hi all! Popping over from h/j land. My 79 year old father has been riding for decades. He’s still very sharp and capable, but riding hurts his body. He gave it up a year ago. Of course, he misses the horses terribly. I am trying to think of another way he could stay involved with less physical impact.
I know nothing about driving. Is it difficult to pick up? Is it relatively safe? Hard on the body? Anybody here pick it up later in life?
Thanks!
I started driving about four years ago at 56 because riding was beginning to hurt my athritic joints too much. Driving is great fun and I bought a mini that was capable of showing me the ropes and invested in a some lessons. I would say it is relatively safe if driving you learn the correct way of doing things and have a good minded horse that is well trained. The thing about driving is that when things start to go south, they go fast so I do not drive unless I have someone else around as a third hand. And I always wear a helmet.
About it being hard on the body, I am going to say I find it to be, but everyone is different and your dad might find it easier. I will be honest and say there are days when i wish I had trid harder to keep riding. I love driving, but miss being able to just hop on and go without having to haul out the cart.
I think your Dad should give it a try, maybe take a few lessons and see how he likes it. And a larger mini can make a wonderful driving partner :yes:
I started driving in my mid-50s.
As long as you have a skilled trainer, your Dad s/b fine picking up driving.
Be aware it is no way inexpensive.
Compared to tack, harness safe for use can run anywhere from $500 for good quality biothane & up for leather.
A safe Easy Entry horse-sized cart will cost $1K.
In Driving, quality harness & cart are non-negotiable.
A well-trained Driving horse is hardly likely to come cheap either.
You can look into retired racing Standardbreds, but they are not for novice drivers.
As for safety, in a Perfect World, no one drives without having a Header < 2nd person to help.
That said, I drive solo as that’s how I live.
If I waited for help, my drives would be limited to monthly outings with my Club.
I once asked a BN(Driving)T how to stop a runaway.
With a ridden horse you have the pulley rein option or just bailing off.
Her reply: “Aim for something solid”
Bailing might be safer for the driver, but it leaves a loose horse with a projectile weapon attached.
Consider a mini or pony.
I call it Barbies With Horses, but it means a smaller animal, lighter harness & cart.
No small considerations for older drivers.
I love my mini, can load his cart myself into my step-up stock trailer. I have both a wire Easy Entry & heavier wood show cart & both fit in the trailer together with mini in back, behind the center gate.
Lastly, Driving involves more physical work than riding.
Harnessing & putting to a vehicle is a lot more involved than putting a saddle on.
Same for the reverse when your drive is done.
My suggestion is to find a good trainer, get Dad some lessons & see if he likes it.
I was hooked after watching a Driven Dressage clinic.
I still dabble in ridden Dressage & hope to do a Century Ride with my 18yo horse.
My Goal - at near-70 - is to do a CDE with my mini.
We have done 1 ADS CT & 1 ADS Pleasure show so far. But mini will turn 6 in May. We have time 
My suggestions are oriented towards comfort in the vehicle. The very light 2-wheel carts seldom have much on springing under the seat to make for a good ride on uneven ground. Many are designed for use in rings which are groomed. They tend to be a basic frame with wheels, may or may not have a backrest, which I consider essential on drives over 20 minutes. Seems to be especially true with mini equipment, though better designs are available at higher prices. Two wheelers give a rougher ride than 4-wheelers because the shaft go up and down with the animal being one point of the balance. 4-wheelers hinge at the shaft,/vehicle connection, so any horse up and down motion stops at the hinge point. Never affects the people in the vehicle. Really nice if you have a big moving equine.
I will second getting lessons with a driving trainer, learning if he thinks it will be fun. Not sure of your location, but there are trainers out there to learn from.
As to a driving animal, you often “get what you pay for” in their training, being fun to use. Shopping among the Amish, horses tend to only have one trot, no bend to speak of. They may be fearless on the road, but lack barn manners and other things riding folks consider essential. So they need training. Listen close to what seller says about horse, ask MANY questions to cover details. Amish kids make money training and selling ponies, minis, so many of them have extensive handling, road time, fearless in odd situations. Check that they stand well anyplace, the BEST gait on a driving horse!
Other smaller equines like pony size Morgans, POAs, Shetlands, Hackneys can be fun driving animals. May know driving as part of their basic training. But very small animals can only pull reduced loads, if he might like taking a friend or OP along for a long trail drive.
As mentioned, it is not a cheap hobby, but quality equipment stays nice with care. There is LOTS of used equipment at very good prices, to save on costs.
Driving folks seem to be the nicest around, very helpful. There ARE other men who drive, he would not be the only guy at a club gathering or fun drive.
I started driving when disability sidelined me from riding. I started with a 22 year old Hackney pony that I bought after taking driving lessons. He was a bit much for me, but somehow we survived. When I had to retire him, I trained my daughter’s large pony, who was much calmer and steadier.
I did fine with easy entry carts. I drove on dirt roads, a bit on a paved road, in my pastures and across neighbors’ yards (with permission only, of course).
Rebecca
I drove for about 10 years back in my 30’s. Thought it would be a good thing to know for later in life. Now I’m not thinking about that… It can be fun, but as others said, its work - getting vehicle out and putting away. cleaning the tack - you will never complain about cleaning a bridle again…tacking up and hooking up is a project. Regarding safety I would argue that one is probably safer on the back of a horse than in a cart if things get dicey. At my mid-60’s age I cant picture bailing from a vehicle without personal damage. I have seen a few accidents, had one myself, and know of a couple bad ones.
I had a rock solid quarter horse mare but still used to say a little prayer that she was in a good mood every time I hooked her up. You have only those two reins and your voice; two wheel vehicles can flip.
Another factor is where you live - or the horse would live. You need some access to safe driving. One large field can work, but it gets old going in big circles unless you are working on cones courses. Second or third the comment that he should not drive alone.
Not trying to be a debbie downer, but personally I’d say “thumbs down”.
UNLESS - YOU want to take up driving and just bring along a passenger when he wants to go!
I agree that a lot is a “it depends” answer. If he’s in an established driving community where it’s easy to toodle down the dirt roads or trails in the carriage, then it might be a good thing. But if you are stuck at home and have to drive someplace to drive, loading up harness, carriage and equine, that’s a production in and of itself!
But I would still see about driving lessons because if it appeals to a person, it’s a while lot of fun with a lot of fun people (if you are in Florida, for sure Grand Oaks gives driving lessons).
Also, synthetic harness is the way to go. It’s still a production to do a serious cleaning, but most days a good spray off or dunking in a (clean) muck bucket of suds does the trick.
What did he like to do with his horses? What kind of facility does he have/have access to? What is his physical limiitation? these will shape the answer as much as anything else. If you look around at a Combined driving event the median age is probably 60.
If his back is bad, the jolting might not be comfortable but if he can’t climb onto a horse there are many ways to get into a cart. I can harness in about the same amount of time it takes me to tack up and yes the cart can be a pain, but it’s all about your set up. I only need to move the carriage 15 feet up/down the aisle. And biothane harness hoses off in a jiffy.
Lots of older drivers do pleasure drives where they just enjoy being out with their horse in which case having a traffic proof amish horse who doesn’t bend might be just the thing. I was surprised to see someone say the Amish horses don’t have good manners - standing both tied and not tied, and being traffic proof and pretty nice traits.
See if you can find someone to go for a drive with and he might really enjoy it.
Just a short story from my personal experience… my best friend’s dad decided to resume driving after a 10-12 year break in his 60s. He was of good health and nothing with no serious health conditions, besides he had significant driving experience. Unfortunately, he suffered a micro-stroke whilst driving and passed out, the car hurtled itself onto the pavement and into a couple of pedestrians. Fortunately, no one died but a young boy suffered significant injuries.
Obviously, everyone’s driving experience and health conditions are very individual yet imho there is a point at which you need to consider balancing out the risk that you may inadvertently pose to other drivers or pedestrians when you get older due to latent health conditions or otherwise.
Guess if we all look at the “maybe” things that could happen or go wrong, we should not be doing anything! Why is it folks bring up the worst, leave out the enjoyment parts? An older horseman COULD have a very nice time driving, when riding gets too painful. Our driving clubs have many older people as driving members. They drive at home and attend club drives with their equines, handle thinge well.
There are always going to be surprises like the man having a heart attack. But giving up living and doing thing you enjoy, for a maybe, changes it from living to existing.
Learning a new horse skill, with lessons, information, is the best way to do it right. You should be learning the safety along with the driving parts. You need to know WHY using snaps instead of billet ends is not a good choice, though faster to harness with. WHY you girth up snug in harness for a 2-wheeled cart, but not so snug driving 4-wheelers.
I see a lot of Amish trained driving horses who have to be further educated in good barn manners, different trots, walking for distances, so that is why I mentioned it. I certainly want a horse with good barn manners, not just fearless on the road. Some speed control! The Amish have different expectations of their horses than we “English” buyers. Speedy trot is one. Slow is not in the training. Horses get sold for being slow! It is OK to be different, but horse buyers need to know this type of thing. Amish are just people like other folks. Not all are great or even very knowledgable, about training horses. They just use them in daily life. They may go for the minimum in training, handling, so Amish horses can vary a great deal. Other Breed Trainers can be a source of lovely driving animals too. I have known a number of excellent, pony size Morgan’s and Saddlebreds that drove well, good on the trails and roads with traffic. Pony Breeders may be selling off some trained, older animals, that could be exactly what you want.
So was the man in his 60s still driving a car? Having a medical emergency while driving a car has much more potential for harm.
Rebecca
Well, I’m turning 60 this year so I guess I’d better hang it up.
Says the car hurtled up on the sidewalk, to hit pedestrians. NOT a carriage driving accident.
OK, I mistakenly figured “car” was a typo for “cart.” So I guess I don’t get how this is pertinent to driving horses.
Rebecca
Honestly the only way it makes any sense is if it is NOT a typo and the poster was confused and thought it was about the other kind of driving.
All I can figure is she was saying even in good health, any of us could “go” any second. So from that, none of us should be driving a car or cart in case we keel over. As I said, worrying about what might happen, giving up our dearest (horsey or other) pleasures is crippling, so we are just existing. I can not live like that.
I am very sorry for those who worry about doing anything “in case X happens…” There is no fun in their lives.
A person takes reasonable precautions, learns new skills with lessons, having fun with learning to drive a horse. When confident, you go out, put new skills to use and have a good time. Drive in the ring, around a field, down the road or trail. You enjoy the day, your nice equine and being able to do horse driving!
I think driving would be a good choice for an older person. I think driving is pretty easy to pick up if you know how to ride, at least to the degree that you can have a good time and be safe. I do think having someone who knows what they’re doing that can be a guide is important, but they don’t necessarily have to be a professional trainer. I feel like driving is somewhat safer than riding because you’re less likely to fall, but one caveat is that a lot of the tools you would have at your disposal when things go wrong while you are riding are nonexistent when driving. You really only have your whip, reins, and voice which won’t do as much to stop a bolting horse etc. I can’t really speak to how hard it would be on the body because I am young, but it is definitely going to be smoother than riding. There is still a physical component as you need to use your body to balance and counterbalance etc.
A miniature might be a good choice for your dad. It’s a lot faster to groom them and they’re easier to handle because of their small stature. They’re typically bred to have a good temperament, too. It shouldn’t be very difficult to find one for sale that drives solidly.
i’ve been driving for decades. My beautifully trained, bombproof Morgan mare passed away a few years back. Now i’m starting a 2yr old Standardbred colt. He’s a mighty fine candidate! I’m taking my time, groundriving him just in a surcingle and halter for months…now he’s putting on a full harness, still just groundriving. Do not know when i’ll add a single tree and a drag object. When i feel like he’s good and ready i suppose. For mme, the training part of all of this is the MOST FUN! I know that once he’s ‘there’ he will be a solid citizen. I have a lot of land, some flat, some hilly. I have lots of places to drive without having to go onto any roads. And i think i’ll not go on roads (unless it’s to drive in the local very small town parades). It’s a different world than riding, your head needs to stay in the game because your body is remote, and that’s all you have, attention…to control the horse. Sounds like your dad would be a good person to learn this with all of his equine experience. He’ll keep his mind on business and that is so very important!
Driving is a fabulous way to continue with horses and you’ve been giving some great advice. I would network in your Pop’s area and see what exist in the way of driving. Let him take some lessons and see if it’s something he wants to pursue further. For safety reasons having a buddy is best but it can be done solo.
Thanks, everyone!
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