So today...

[evil_little_dog]

I got to drive a horse.

This has been a dream of mine for more years than I can even remember.

Let's meet the horse, shall we?

Comments

[shanachie_quill]

Wheee that looks like you had fun! What a big grin!

[evil_little_dog]

I have a video of us driving (from the seat) but I can't load it, sadly. SADLY.

I was ridiculously happy.

[shanachie_quill]

Aaaww bummer.

Yay!

[evil_little_dog]

Much yay. Horses are always yay.

[helliongoddess]

That really does look and sound like a lot of fun. It's always been on my bucket list to ride a horse, but my spouse keeps insisting I'm already too much of a physical wreck to to enjoy it, even with a really gentle horse. I'm still not 100% convinced he's right, but in the off chance he is, I could very much enjoy what you did - or even just getting to ride when someone else drove

[evil_little_dog]

Morgans are smallish on the horse size scale (or should be, in theory). I've been around/ridden a lot bigger horses than I played with yesterday! But if you aren't around them, any horse can look huge.

Driving is tons of fun. M asked me to bring Mom out next time and said I could drive her around. Mom's getting big eyes (more worried than excited) about this. She's a little scared of horses.

Clydesdales are huge! I love them, too. They're my favorite drafter...well, okay, I like just about any drafter.

[helliongoddess]

Yeah the Clydesdales were wonderful - we missed them when they were moved elsewhere (their pasture is now part of golf course #2 - whee.)

One of my dad's favorite childhood stories was about riding the Percheron his grandad had as a draft horse. Dad thought he was pretty hot stuff up on that huge horse - until one time he fell off the horse and into a ditch - a pretty long fall. He was ok, fortunately - only his dignity was wounded. I suspect my great-grandfather and the horse were pretty amused, though!

[evil_little_dog]

One of my friends lived next to a farm that used draft horses for plowing. He said he remembers running around their legs as a child and them tilting their heads down to wonder about this little flea thing making so much noise and being so busy. Their heads were about the same size as his whole body. :D

[cornerofmadness]

that is very very cool. I'm glad you got to do this

[evil_little_dog]

Thanks, I am, too!

[tinhutlady]

Wow! How thrilling! Man, you are so lucky!
Have ridden a horse but never driven one. That's something for the bucket list. (like you, I would want a brake)

[evil_little_dog]

silvrethorn and I used to go to the Live Oak Driving Competitions yearly (or as often as we realized it was happening) and the carts there have brakes. Of course, you kick them!

I have now ridden Western, learned something about English, and want to learn more about driving. :D

[silvrethorn]

Cool! So how long before I'm coming out to cheer you on as you drive your Fjord pony through the Live Oak course down here?

[evil_little_dog]

Any second now. :D But more likely a few years or so.

Or so.

M said her Morgans are very easy to drive because they haven't had any "traditional/dressage" training, they drive them like they're riding them. So I drove like I'd been trained to ride English seat, and I did okay. The main difference (well aside from not sitting on the horse) seems to be the hand position - rather than elbows tucked into your side, you want them out in front of you so you can pull back if necessary. That's kind of hard to remember! It was hard for me to get Silas to stop because my hands weren't in the right position (and I wasn't used to the bit or his mouth and didn't want to hurt him).

She did say today that next time I come out, I should bring Mom (and/or the dogs) to ride with me. Mom's getting big eyes over this.

[evil_little_dog]

Oh, oh, speaking of Fjords! I saw a herd of them (four to six?) the weekend before last whilst driving the family around. I nearly ran off the road whiplashing my neck to look at them. Except they looked huge! Like draft horse size, not tall pony size.

M doesn't know who thye might belong to but she wants to find out too, she wants to try driving a Fjord.