# Fun driving



## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Hey guys. 
I sometimes enjoy driving too! 

At the moment I drive with just my friend's mare, but soon I will get my horse driving too  

We do it just for fun, exercise and starting to offer carriage rides to people. My friend's godmother has a guest house near the property, so it is easy to get to it to drive people around  

Shelby is the captain of my driving team  First two pictures from today. 

















Winter - needed to move hay to another place  where cars cannot get into.. 








Sometimes it is really hard to see the road in front when this big butt is in the way and I am sitting in the back seat


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I'm all about safety. What would you do if your horse decided to walk off, take off or got spooked? You should always have a line on them. 
Enjoy


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

churumbeque said:


> I'm all about safety. What would you do if your horse decided to walk off, take off or got spooked? You should always have a line on them.
> Enjoy


Tru, but this mare knows to stand still and not move. Normally we never let go, this was just people stepping out of the picture.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Cherrij, I need a harness like that, for a pair. Could you possibly take a measurement of the hoop on the collar? And a close up picture of the attachment to the collar? 
I would SO appreciate it! 

I think I can get the wood bent here, and not have to buy a Lot of pieces!

Thanks!

That horse is adorable! Sounds like fun.....


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

greentree said:


> Cherrij, I need a harness like that, for a pair. Could you possibly take a measurement of the hoop on the collar? And a close up picture of the attachment to the collar?
> I would SO appreciate it!
> 
> I think I can get the wood bent here, and not have to buy a Lot of pieces!
> ...


It is impossible to use the wooden "bow" for a pair hitch - the bow is what holds the.. urm.. I don't know the names. It holds the whole thing together. It is attached to the poles from the carriage, together with the collar. Pulling the collar together just tightens the whole thing.. I can try to measure it, but we use 3 different ones in the same carriage and no problem. It is because the "Bow" just has to be narrower than the poles from the carriage and has to raise above the collar.. 

Oh, and I think this type of harness is rarely used nowaydays.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

I also don't think it has really been used outside of Eastern Europe, to be honest. I've never seen anything like it in the UK or the USA. 

I have a spare collar for a small horse, though, but without the leathers that hold the shafts and the bow together - without those, it is pretty useless, unless somebody could make them, then again - without experience, I can't imagine how would they make them right. 

They are basically loops of thick rawhide that gets softer with use, and the tension in them to be able to hold all the other parts together is made by twisting them as needed. Then the collar is pulled together to "close" it, and that locks everything together so that all the parts stick to each other while driving and hold the harness tight and safe.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I have an Eastern European carriage that has a pole that goes up from the carriage....This is the only collar set up that makes sense, but perhaps it is used differently. I certainly can't use it with collars that attach at chest level. 
Thank you, though!


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Could you maybe post a photo of this carriage? That way Cherrij and myself might be able to see more clearly what kind of setup you're looking for.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I will try to dig it from the back of the carriage shed!thank you!


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

This is the only old type photo I can find. 

From what I understand, the collars don't have those loops. 
The horses are attached to the cart with lines, and they are attached to the one pole - which stays out in front of them. 

Nowadays everyone here buys modern, collarless harness and then makes their pair driving, so It is like impossible to get the old ideas..


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

See where that pole comes out? Mine curves UP at the carriage, and continues to slope up,( so we know it is not upside down otherwise it would be on the ground).

My cart looks like that, only there is not a back seat! Same type of seat. That picture is an interesting study of harness !


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

That is how we do it


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## GreySorrel (Mar 5, 2012)

What pretty color you have chosen to put on your driving horse, very eye catching indeed.


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## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*terquoise.*

your turquoise saddle square and bandages show out on your horse.
are you useing the saddle square as a pad to protect the horses back from the driveing saddle ?.


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

michaelvanessa said:


> your turquoise saddle square and bandages show out on your horse.
> are you useing the saddle square as a pad to protect the horses back from the driveing saddle ?.


I love this color on grey horses.. But it looks quite cool on my brown horse too, just not as great. 









He will be driving soon too... hopefully.. 


No, the saddle pad is not used as protection, I put it on for show. the driving saddle is padded with fluffy stuff, not sure if real sheep or fake, but its fluffy and soft, no protection needed. 

We just need to get the straps, that go around her hindquarters, because she has started to back out of the collar - at the moment we attach the collar to the driving saddle, but that is not a permanent solution.


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