In the Driver’s Seat with Elisa

In the Driver’s Seat

with Elisa Marocchi

Introducing Your Horse to Driving – Part 4

Now that you and your horse are comfortable with lunging and double lunging work, you’re ready to move on! The next step in our driving journey is to introduce the horse to the singletree.

Ido so in a series of small, incremental tasks, with the goal of this work being a horse that is comfortable and relaxed with an object being dragged behind him.

The singletree is fashioned from a tough wood such as oak or hickory and is equipped with a quick-release shackle (available through equine driving supply sites or at any marine supply shop – ask for a “spinnaker shackle”). (Photo 1) You may also be able to find a pre-made wooden or metal singletree; be sure to attach a quick release shackle before using it.

Begin by allowing your horse to investigate the singletree while you hold it. Wiggle it around a bit so he can hear the noise the shackle makes. Starting at the shoulder, begin desensitizing your horse to the touch of the singletree. Make sure he is comfortable being touched from head to tail with this equipment. Although it will likely never touch him while in use, it is a great exercise to ensure he is really content with this piece of equipment being around him. (Photo 2) Next, with your helper standing with the horse, begin dragging the singletree around him. Start with a large circle then, if your horse is not upset with this, begin to move closer until you are able to move around him quite closely in both directions, while bouncing the singletree around so it clatters and bangs on the ground. Watch for his reaction and if he is nervous, move out to a larger circle until he is once again settled.

At this point, your helper can begin dragging the singletree while you either lead or ground drive your horse behind it. Once he’s okay with this, your helper can begin to move to the side. Begin with your helper between your horse and the fence, to avoid your horse feeling trapped between the wall and the potentially “scary thing.” Then, move to the other side, and finally pull the singletree directly behind the horse. Be sure that your helper stays out of the kick zone while helping with this exercise.

For the next step, your helper will be walking behind your horse, so to keep her out of the kick zone, attach a lead line to the end of each trace. Have her walk behind your horse holding the lead lines as you ground drive him. As you move about the work area, ask her to start applying pressure to the traces. (Photo 3)

You’ve done your homework with the double lunge lines, so the feel of the traces around your horse’s sides and legs shouldn’t be a problem. As you work, ensure you mimic as many situations as you can. For instance, to simulate stopping on an uphill grade, occasionally halt while your helper maintains pressure on the lines. Other times when actually driving, the cart may roll slightly forward after halting. In this case, when your horse starts off, he will first move with no pressure but will then experience a sudden load on the collar. You can recreate this situation by having your helper stand with the traces slack while you move off. Have your helper hold the traces fast until your horse is pulling firmly into the collar. You can also pretend to hit a bump in the road and have your helper give a few hard tugs on the traces.

Make sure to change direction while working, and to allow the outside trace to press firmly into the horse while doing so.

Now that your horse is accustomed to the sight, sound and movement of the singletree, and has experienced pulling something behind him, you can attach the singletree to the traces and allow him to actually pull it along the ground. I do so with loops of baling twine and I have another length of twine I can use to lift the singletree up off the ground if my horse is at all worried by the exercise when I first start off. However, since you’ve done all your homework before reaching this step, your horse should be just fine with this next step (Photo 4).

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

At this point, while pulling the singletree, begin moving over different ground surfaces. The sound the horse will hear will vary as you move from gravel to grass to pavement and through puddles, so make sure you let him experience all of these situations.

Ground drive through the neighbourhood, practicing stopping and standing, then moving off again. A helper for these outings is important as she can assist if your horse should put a leg over a trace (which, again, he should be used to by now because of your previous work) or if your horse becomes worried and needs someone walking beside his head for a moment or two.

Remember not to move through any of the steps outlined here until your horse is thoroughly comfortable with each exercise. It might take him a lesson or two to learn to pull the singletree, or you may need to work on this for days or even weeks. Full details of the process are available in my handbook “Introducing Your Horse to Driving” available through my website, or in any number of good driving books.

The next step will introduce pulling a tire and as you’ll see, will follow many of the same steps we’ve just gone through to acclimatize your horse to the singletree.

Take your time, be patient and you will be rewarded with a happy, comfortable and safe driving partner.

Safe driving!

Elisa Marocchi is an Equestrian Canada licensed driving coach and a member of the EC Driving Committee. She owns and operates Wildwood Farm, a full service driving facility near 100 Mile House BC. An active driving coach since 2000, Elisa offers clinics and lessons in a safe, supportive and fun manner both on and off the farm. As a combined driving competitor, Elisa has successfully competed throughout North America with both her own homebred horses and those of clients.

(See her listing in our Business Services section under TRAINERS)

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