| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 85.1 | Re: .0 | MERLAN::ECDLO | | Fri Feb 10 1989 17:50 | 11 |
| Oh yes, that is true. My mare has been off the track for
2 years after racing for 8, and they are trained that the more
resistance they get from the bit, the faster they are to go. I
hooked her up to a cart once. Once. She went like a bat out of
hell. She is the same way under saddle, unless I ride with a
very strong seat and a jointed Pelham to keep her neck flexed.
I'm new here, my friend just taught me to use NOTES. :-) I look
forward to some interesting commentary here.
Linda
|
| 85.2 | | DELNI::KEIRAN | | Mon Feb 13 1989 07:49 | 11 |
| I have driven all the harness horses I have gotten off the track,
and the key here is patience! You have to remember that when
they get hooked up again, no matter how many years they have
been off the track, it comes back to them pretty quick what
they used to do. What we usually do is have someone walk
at the head of the horse and have someone in the cart, and
off down the road we go. Until they know what it is I want
from them, as in stopping when asked, and going at a nice
slow pace, I keep them off any type of dirt road or anything
that would remind them of being at the track. Good luck
and be careful!
|
| 85.3 | It is True about harness horses! | SAGE::CORREIA | | Fri Feb 17 1989 14:14 | 12 |
| I also have an exharness racer, A Standardbred! When I first tried
to drive her, she took off like a bat out of hell!!!! Thank god
I was with a person who was experienced with driving racers. She
also wanted to take off as soon as she was tacked. We
have found out that it is better not to drive her but to use her
as a "trail" horse. We also have problems with her always wanting
to be the lead horse. On the good side, when she is cantering or
galloping because of her track training, she can go on for miles
without losing her wind. When we want to go for a quite cart ride
we use our Appolusa, he has been trained for pleasure driving.
|
| 85.4 | My standard breds have been good. | DNEAST::KRAMER_JULIE | | Mon Feb 20 1989 13:53 | 13 |
| I've had a few ex-race horses for pleasure driving and they
have been great. They relaxed and went with ease, of coarse, they
still had that want to race. Right now I have one thats been great
for sleigh riding. Its really alot of fun. I find that these
standard bred horses are well mannered, the ones that I had, anyways.
I had one that I use to race that would go on the bit. She was
a hand full, but when I retired her and used her for pleasure, she
seemed to know and was a great pleasure driving horse. I just needed
to reply because the other replies are not what I've experienced.
The standard breds I've had, have been good.
Julie
|
| 85.5 | | JULIET::APODACA_KI | Songs from the Razor's Edge | Wed Mar 29 1989 16:02 | 7 |
| I'm curious....if they go faster the more you pull on the bit, how
do you stop a track horse? We don't have harness racing out West
much (too bad!!! :'( ) So i'm not that familiar with the sport
as I am with Thoroughbreds.
---kim
|
| 85.6 | they know where they are going. | TOMCAT::HOLMES | | Tue Jun 20 1989 18:16 | 2 |
|
Only travel clockwise.
|
| 85.7 | progress...and more questions | THRSHR::DINGEE | CDD+ Development | Wed Jun 21 1989 10:46 | 27 |
| .6 made me chuckle...
Anyhow, I did get a 2-seater rubber wheeled cart; wood and quite
old so I have sanded it down, put in a new seat, dash, etc., and
stained and poly'd the whole thing. It's been a lot of fun! So
while I've been doing this, I've also been ground-driving Candy,
(she's a standardbred ex-harness racer).
She's amazingly receptive to the reins. Is this unusual, or because
she's an ex-harness racer, or is that the way driving is? At my
first attempt, I nearly had her do a 360-degree turn with much less
pressure on the reins than when I ride her!
But there was no problem stopping her. And she didn't take off, but
walked when I asked her to walk, and picked up speed and slowed down
when I asked her to.
The harness I have has breeching; I've been told racing carts don't
have this, so the pressing on her back end when stopping or going
downhill may cause her to react. Also, I've been told to *always*
have the whip in my hand, although I don't know why. Does anyone
have any details on these? Or...I can 'just see what happens', but
I have visions of bailing out while the horse and cart go sailing
off down the road; not something I can get excited about...
thanks,
julie
|
| 85.8 | Go carefully.. | PTOMV6::PETH | My kids are horses | Wed Jun 21 1989 15:39 | 8 |
| On the first attempt don't get in the cart! Drive from the ground
behind it with a helper at her head just in case. I had a pony that
was supposedly harness trained, drove from the ground great, tried
to hitch him and as soon as he felt the cart back there he flipped
out. As we found out later (after the cart and harness where destroyed)
he had been in an accident with a cart and never got over it mentally.
Sandy
|