# Wanting to start driving



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Carriage Driving Essentials

Carriage Driving Essentials

Here are 2 good books to get you started


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

I have the problem of having no one who sells driving gear either, and I have to order EVERYTHING online. Extremely annoying >.> However, Iowa Valley Horse Carriages has really great staff and helped me fit my mare by asking for very specific measurements. Amber Hillside Horse Harnesses is pretty good too, though they're cheaper and thus the tack isnt as high quality.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

SnowCowgirl said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm a total beginner to driving but would really like to start training my mare to drive. I did ground drive her a bunch while saddle breaking her as a 4 year old... but that was 10 years ago now! We were to the point where she was pulling a tire around the arena... but everything I did was total guess work and I'm not sure how "proper" my training techniques were.
> 
> ...


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

awesome, thank you to you both!!

churumbeque... see, I didn't even know THAT much haha.

.... but basically, I need to know what I'm getting for a cart before I get the harness? that's sorta crappy! I intended to start her back ground driving this winter and not even look at buying a cart til summer


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

what would you estimate I should spend on a harness? I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I also don't want to go for the "best deal" and end up with junk. Second hand would be ideal, I know


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

if you do not have much to pick from in your area I wouldn't want to buy a used 1 without trying it on and seeing the condition of it nice leather harness made to fit your horse can run 1000 dollars easily and if you're not very educated on what to look for it would be difficult to know really what you are bu. that said it depends on what you're going to do with it I drive a lot it was worth the money for me to invest in a nice leather harness and I don't particularly like biothane or any of those types
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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

SnowCowgirl said:


> awesome, thank you to you both!!
> 
> churumbeque... see, I didn't even know THAT much haha.
> 
> .... but basically, I need to know what I'm getting for a cart before I get the harness? that's sorta crappy! I intended to start her back ground driving this winter and not even look at buying a cart til summer


I'd get the harness first. You can do a lot of work with a harness but no cart. You can't do anything with a cart and no harness. DraftX can be a hard horse to get a good fitting harness. Some makers will make a small draft size but inevitably, you will need to do some custom work to make it fit correctly. I am partial to collar harness (work harness) and my breast collar harness just sit in the barn and collect dust. I did like breast collar harness on young horses that were growing and changing constantly but over time, I've picked up enough harness to have something to fit just about every size and shape. Stay away from harness on eBay. You might find something decent but there is more junk out there and until you put it on the horse, it can be hard to see just how improperly sized it is. You might find something on drafts 4 sale. I would be more apt to trust the quality as well. Pick up a single tree as well to play with. 

Carriage Driving Essentials is a good book to start with. It will familiarize you with the correct terms although the book does not give you the draft translation. Get a correct set of measurements off your mare, know what each strap is called, than you can ask the right question when you do find a harness and have to buy it on faith.


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## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*size of harness*

i think you ned cob size judgeing by your horses hight.
if you can find a harness maker you could ask if he would make you a leather set a bit at a time and that would save you loads of money and it makes the out lay very minamal in deed and you have a super harness.
books here sally worlround breaking a horse to harness.
she has a few on the subject.
i have just measured my boy for a full collar i used 2 steel coat hangers and celotaped them togeather and made the shape of his neck dont forget to leave a hand whith so not to pipe your horse pinch the wind pipe.
so i used a tape measure and got his measurements you can get an adjustable collar i am ordering a 24-26 inch and hanging up his breast collari could photostat a size chart it shows you were to measure your horse.
if you need any more imformation let us know.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

michaelvanessa said:


> i think you ned cob size judgeing by your horses hight.


In the US, Arab size is referred to as Cob size.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

yes are horses are much smaller here than in Europe
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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

oh gosh I don't think she'd fit an Arab-sized anything. She's not very tall, but she's really quite stocky.

(she's the mare on the right)

I think I'm going to start looking around online... are there any specific manufacturers you guys would recommend for a harness, in Canada or the States? I thiiiiiiiink I'm going to go for the non-collar type... whatever the heck its called... because I'd like to be able to use the harness on more than one horse if possible. 

Also, I'm ordering that book tonight


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

... though I haven't completely decided on that either. I'm still going to look into both types.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

what is your budget for a new harness . I had a custom harness made at carriage driving essentials I got it within a few weeks and they needed to make a few adjustments for which they did quickly and it was a extremely nice harness and a good price
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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

I'd like to stay under $500 if possible... is that majorly unrealistic? I'm not opposed to going the nylon route. Haven't looked into harnesses yet but I can't reaaaaaally imagine getting a leather one for that price.


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## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*sizes*

snow cow girl look in my albums at quincy he is about your mares size in stocky ness he has a full size harness and he is 16hh a cob size would fit him and i beleave he is a cross with a suffolk punch or heavy horse type.
i am geting a collar for him soon a canadian adjustable would benifit your mare greatley and save you on your costs an arab here is very fine and narrow to a cob.
a cob is more big set as thay have trates of heavy horse in them.
both of your horses look beautiful and keep us in the loop ok on how your geting on many thanks.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

SnowCowgirl said:


> I'd like to stay under $500 if possible... is that majorly unrealistic? I'm not opposed to going the nylon route. Haven't looked into harnesses yet but I can't reaaaaaally imagine getting a leather one for that price.


You can find a good quality used leather harness for that price. They are out there, I bought a Smuckers Delux horse size this summer for $400. I was very happy.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

SnowCowgirl said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm a total beginner to driving but would really like to start training my mare to drive. I did ground drive her a bunch while saddle breaking her as a 4 year old... but that was 10 years ago now! We were to the point where she was pulling a tire around the arena... but everything I did was total guess work and I'm not sure how "proper" my training techniques were.
> 
> ...



Back to your original post.

Before I sunk some money into a harness, I would get her ground driving again.
Just use your saddle and run the reins through the stirrups, find yourself a whip, and off you go. Practice patience, Patience, patience your and hers. You can do bends, turns, stops, starts, don't work to much on back till she is driving well.
you can use PVC pipes to make yourself some shafts, you can do all kinds of desensitizing to make sure she is suitable as a driving horse. Read some of the old driving posts on this site, there are some good questions and answers on here.
You can use a racing hood as blinders.

I would get your mare to pulling a tire before you spend a bunch of cash, it is a long process to teach a horse to drive and in the mean time you can save some $$$$$.

Good luck! We or should I say I like photos.


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

Taffy Clayton said:


> Back to your original post.
> 
> Before I sunk some money into a harness, I would get her ground driving again.
> Just use your saddle and run the reins through the stirrups, find yourself a whip, and off you go. Practice patience, Patience, patience your and hers. You can do bends, turns, stops, starts, don't work to much on back till she is driving well.
> ...


I will be doing this for sure  However, I don't think it'll take much to get back into it - we were at a point years ago where I'd say she was doing "very well" ground driving with the saddle, pulling a tire. She was a bit of a nutball as a youngster so I ground drove her for probably a month solid before I ever got on, and continued after that. I'm going to give the PVC poles a shot though, that's a good idea. 

I'd be pretty happy to find a decent second hand harness! I'll be looking around. Thanks all!


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## Gmac (Aug 6, 2008)

1000.00 is alot for a single harness if you ask me. I haven't paid that for anyo of my draft harnesses. Of course I only use collar harnesses, I don't have any breast plate harnesses(if you pull something on the ground like a tire or log a breast plate doesn't have the right draft) I'm not a big fan of leather either, all mine are bio. Bio is a little lighter to carry and clean up is a little 409 and a water hose.
One of my favorite books is "farming with horses" by Steve Bowers. Its not really that much about farming as it is about getting harnessed, harness parts, correct fit, and alot of other helpful info. its also has alot of good photos and illistrations that are helpful.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

my nice harness is around 5000 dollars so to me 1000 dollars is inexpensive. you get what you pay for some of the cheaper harnesses do not have as much adjusting or the leather isn't as good or the stitching there's a lot that goes into something that makes it a different price range ,Bucklin traces or sewn in there a lot of things to really consider .
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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

so would a nylon harness be a terrible choice?

I'm definitely not looking to show, that's for sure.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

the nylon ones that I have seen in less you get 1 custom made do not fit very well and they just left the adjustments . my sister had 1 custom made so it was a little bit more expensive and I think it worked ok for messing around but she just pulled a sleigh ave few times a year so if you were really going to drive regularly I would not use nylon
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## Gmac (Aug 6, 2008)

Dang, I don't have $5000.00 in my draft teams harnesses. Of course I don't show so my harnesses aren't blinged to the max, but they aren't completely plain either.
I didn't even realize a single harness could go for that much.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

mine is not bling. it is just a very high quality
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