# Emergency stop?



## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

You are correct, it can flip the cart. Driving is more dangerous than riding, that's just one reason. 

One thing that I find helps is to do serpentines, it generally will calm down the horse... but if it's a true run away, won't help you. In that case you better hope your horse "comes back" to you! Or "ride it out" until they settle down if you are in an area that it's safe to do so in.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

I know when I get one who wants to bolt on me I will start making circles and continue getting smaller and smaller until the horse stops. Bolting in a cart is no fun, usually the cart is kicked and thrown around and shafts go between legs, under stomachs, ect. Eventually that bolting horse with a cart will run that cart into a tree or something else and cause a lot of damage to the cart, horse, and if the rider is still hanging on, them too! Just be sure to keep the circles large enough that you do not take the chance of flipping the cart.
Driving is a lot more dangerous than riding.
The main thing is the same when trying to stop a bolting horse while riding, disengage the hind end in any way you can safely do so!
If it comes down to it and you can not get the horse to do circles until it calms down, then try to ride it all out just try to steer away from objects like trees and fences! Trust me I have had to do this with a green broke mini that jerked the lead rope from the person who was helping me hands and I was on the cart and he took off, he would not slow down but would listen to my commands for turns so I had to ride it out and just turn him away from all objects so he did not hurt anyone.


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## Dziggetai (Jan 16, 2009)

Thank-you both, that's really useful! Certainly food for thought.


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## sempre_cantando (May 9, 2008)

ok! now i'm officially too scared to drive! jk! but it is very useful info!


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## LauraB (Nov 11, 2008)

If I was aware that a horse has a tendancy to bolt I would never get in a cart behind it. I have seen too many wrecks because people were driving horses that were not suitible to be driven. You have to be able to put a lot of trust in a driving horse because you are trying to control them from 2-4 feet behind them with just two lines and your voice. For the safety of you, your horse, and others please be sure that your horse is truly ready to be driven before you hitch him. I don't mean to sound harsh but after the wrecks I have seen it always enters my mind every time I get in a cart.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

This is my biggest fear with breaking out April... I think she would be a nice looking mover in the cart but Im not sure her mind can handle it (the whole "something is chasing me!!!") I have had her in a harness and she has drug PVC pipes and she didnt mind it, But I am still worried. Chloe has a really quiet mind and basically nothing bothers her. She was really easy to break and I trusted her 100%, but I had been with Chloe for 7 years before hand. 

Maybe someday April will be in the cart...but not yet, I like her too much to ruin her (by getting into a reck)


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## Dziggetai (Jan 16, 2009)

You don't sound harsh, Laura, you sound realistic =) I really appreciate your concern. I also think you're right! I was already thinking from the first replies I got that it might be a bad idea to try and drive him, but now I'm certain. You say I need to be able to put a lot of trust in the horse I'm driving, well I can't put ANY in Casey! It's just his personality, he's so sharp and always testing (AKA a little poo :wink I don't want to make it sound like he's horrible, it's just that "what can I get away with" is a big fun game for him. Maybe he'd be fine in a cart, I don't know, but he might also see it as an opportunity to play and of course he'd have no idea of the danger. It was real nice imagining trotting around in a cart with him but I don't think it's worth taking the chance. He's totally happy to go walks down the road on a leadrope so I think I'll stick to that! XD

On the up side, searching for info about driving is how I found this forum so it hasn't been a total loss


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## LauraB (Nov 11, 2008)

Well, we are glad to have you join us!


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## Dziggetai (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks! =)


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## shermanismybaby3006 (Oct 10, 2008)

Yeah I would definately have to trust my horse not to take off before I would hook him up to a cart. 

My friend shows her ponysin carting and when she was at a pinto show the minis and ponies were in the same class with the big horses. I would never do that too much of a risk:? but anyways there was a horse that had only been hooked to the cart once and it was only his seconed time and they were showing him:-x Then he freaked out and took off and people were trying to catch him and two people ended up getting hurt. One broke her leg and I think she was the one driving the cart with the horse that freaked out. I just didnt see the comon sense in putting a horse that has only been hooked to a cart once and putting them in a horse show which could potentially danger other people.


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## LauraB (Nov 11, 2008)

I have driven my horse in a class with ponies and minis. All of the horses, ponies, and minis were well broke and had a lot of driving and showing experience. All of us exhibitors had a plan before we went in the class. The horses would stay to the rail and the ponies and minis would stay about 30 feet off of the rail. It also helped that it was a huge arena and there were only 7 of us. We pulled it off perfectly with absolutely no problems. It can be done with the right horses and drivers.

My biggest fear when I enter the driving ring is that someone elses horse will freak out and cause a wreck for the whole class. I have seen it happen before and it was horrific. Luckily I was watching from the stands. I will never forget what happened that day and I think about it every time I enter the arena for a driving class. If I had know that a horse was being shown on only its second time being hitched I would have never entered the arena with it. I can only imagine the rage I would have felt for that other person esspecially if my boy got hurt or my cart got wrecked.


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## shermanismybaby3006 (Oct 10, 2008)

Yea and thats good that they had a plan. The show that this happened at was just not very organized. No one even knew that this horse had only been hitched up to a cart two times until the wreck happened. They were just really lucky that no one got too seriously hurt and they were also lucky that their horse didnt get hurt either he just got a couple cuts that werent bad. It was just a very irresponsible thing to do.


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## LauraB (Nov 11, 2008)

Too bad, why must people be so stupid?


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

The only bolt I have ever had was a stud colt who got away from the person who was helping me when we hitched him the first time and it was more of a weeee, this is fun to run with the cart kinda thing instead of an all out freak out bolt. The booger listened to every command but stop! 

I could never even imagine taking a horse that had only been hitched 2x into a driving class! My guys all gotta go through at least 90 days before I will even consider entering them into a driving class. Some even have to wait longer than that if I have even the slightest doubt in their ability to handle something like a show in cart. I would also be outraged to find out that someone I was showing against was so irresponsible to bring a horse that had only been hitched 2x's!

I have shown against full size horses with my minis and I am not so sure I will ever do it again. We did the same plan as LauraB but the people who were showing large ponies and horses were very rude. There was about 12 people in a small ring and when passing shoved my mare, who was being driven by a experienced friend of mine, up against the rail and almost pushed her into it. They started out about 20 feet off the rail. She had to get off and go to the center of the ring and wait for the class to end because they made my mare a nervous wreck and scared the crap out of my friend. I am not so sure I will ever show against full size horses in another class unless it is just one or two of them. I have had good experiences when there was just a few other larger horses, but it seems when there is a large group, they try to push the minis around.


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## LauraB (Nov 11, 2008)

It is too bad that the other exhibitors did that to you. I show both my horse and my mini in driving so I know what it is like to show both. Some people just don't get ring 
etiquette in driving.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

In driving classes talking is huge... Like saying passing on left/right, please move to the left/right, I have shown in bigger classes that ranged from mini to draft and smaller in the middle bigger or faster on the outside. 

I have shown a mini and QH and I perfer the mini because I can see better- but regardless it is a risk


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## LauraB (Nov 11, 2008)

Angel_Leaguer said:


> In driving classes talking is huge... Like saying passing on left/right, please move to the left/right, I have shown in bigger classes that ranged from mini to draft and smaller in the middle bigger or faster on the outside.
> 
> I have shown a mini and QH and I perfer the mini because I can see better- but regardless it is a risk


Maybe you already do this but I don't sit in the center of the seat on my cart. I always sit to the inside of the arena and when we change directions I move to the other side. I feel that the helps me see better but I also still find myself leaning to the inside also.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

LauraB said:


> It is too bad that the other exhibitors did that to you. I show both my horse and my mini in driving so I know what it is like to show both. Some people just don't get ring
> etiquette in driving.


Yes, ring etiquette is very very very important to me. I am one of those people who gets very irate when someone has no ring etiquette. I want to, well, CHOKE them. I mean how dangerous can you be to cut someone off? I have seen kids with the worst ring etiquette and while I know they are learning the ropes, I believe their parents should teach them at least how to pass safely without cutting someone off or getting to close to another horse. That is just asking for disaster!


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## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

Totally agree with Laura and not driving a horse with a tendancy to bolt! I had one of my minis in training to drive, he did fine with the drag but when it came to the cart, he would bolt out of fear (my trainer is excellent and goes at the horse's speed, so she wasn't rushing him or pushing him too fast, and restarted the drag, to no avail) so he will not be a driving horse. I have him for sale (not b/c of that) and I make sure that anyone who inquires on him knows he is NOT to be a driving horse, he just wouldn't be safe. Not all horses are cut out for it!


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