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Comment by Frances Tufts on December 17, 2010 at 8:13am

This  is great news Jennifer!  I will look forward to seeing photos! Have a wonderful holiday with your new horse! Nice Christmas present!

 

Here, we have decent weather and enough snow that we are thinking of  taking the pair for a moon-light sleigh drive on Saturday.

 

Happy holidays everyone.

Frances

Comment by Jennifer Moore on December 17, 2010 at 8:03am

Thanks Alison!  He sure is a peach overall - not fancy, but sweet and calm and forgiving.  I've ridden him a couple of times in the snow, and he just pokes along and does as he's asked.  Just waiting on a day with decent road conditions so I can go get him some harness.

Comment by Alison Plumbtree on December 17, 2010 at 7:54am

Very cool.  Let us know how the new boy goes!

Comment by Jennifer Moore on December 10, 2010 at 2:47pm

Oh,and I should add - I'm just going to drive a single for now.  One thing at a time!  If I get competent enough at that, I'll have my mare sent out for training in harness next fall, and can have a matched team then.  The new boy is a pretty good match for her I think. :-)  But for now I'll just get used to driving him on his own.

Comment by Jennifer Moore on December 10, 2010 at 2:45pm

Well, I brought home a horse on trial a week ago - Belgian x QH gelding, rides and drives.  The sleigh arrived this morning (2-seater cutter from Townsend Carriage in Quebec).  Now I'm on a harness quest.  I have a feeling I'm heading for Brubacher's or Martin's next week.  Still dithering between a hames collar style harness or breast collar.....

Comment by Jennifer Moore on November 19, 2010 at 12:33pm

Thanks for the info Alison!! I am hoping to vet this mare next week, and I'll go from there as far as finding a nice set of harness for her. I think with the way she is built she'll look better in a collar and hames than in a breast collar, but I'm looking forward to harness shopping once I have a horse to drive. :-)

Comment by Alison Plumbtree on November 19, 2010 at 11:28am

I have Rons harness and its very good for the price. Ive had it for about 4 years now and its held up well and keeps on going! Its not show quality harness, but I use it as my everyday working harness.
The draft horse should have no problem pulling 4 adults, especially with a sleigh as they tend to be very light. I have a 13.2h pony and he pulls a carriage thats about 400 pounds plus 2 adults (another 275 pounds total) and he can just do that. I also have a marathon carriage thats about 275lbs which is a bit easier for him to pull.
If you see your horse struggling with the weight, just take 2 people at a time...

Comment by Jennifer Moore on November 14, 2010 at 1:17pm

Yet another newbie question from me. :-) I have found a mare that fits a lot of my criteria, although she's taller and heavier/draftier than I had been strictly looking for. She's a good 16.1, and quite hefty. The owner says she is draft x, but I'm mostly seeing draft, not the x, lol. Anyhow, I am wondering if I just stuck to driving a single, and forget about the team - how much could a very solid, 16.1 hh draft x pull in a sleigh or a wagon? Could we comfortably put 4 adults in a not-too heavy sleigh with her pulling?

Comment by Jennifer Moore on November 9, 2010 at 11:11am

Thanks Frances for that thoughtful reply. Yes, looking at all the harness, vehicles, etc I will need to purchase is a bit daunting! :-)
I definitely am putting the emphasis in this search on something VERY well-broke to drive and steady for just these reasons - I need a bit of a driving school-master, and for sure it makes sense to only hitch a horse that is just recently broke to drive to something very patient, steady and reassuring.
So, the search for a 15.3 hand draft x steady-eddie driving horse continues.

BTW, anyone have any experience good or bad with Ron's Horse Harness in Nova Scotia? I've heard a few people say the quality is comparable to much more expensive harness and the service is great. Thoughts? (you can google Ron's Horse Harness for the website; there are close-up pics of the harness if you click on Presidential Single Horse Harness.)

Comment by Frances Tufts on November 9, 2010 at 10:58am

Hello Jennifer,
I echo Darryl's comments re: how they work together. In the case of a beginner driver, I would get the most mature, well trained driving horse you can get. This experienced horse will teach both you and the novice horse. At this point, it occurs to me that your learning is more important than matching a pair. I would also suggest that you consider a horse that is close in size and attitude as you will probably be using the smae harness and cart. Learn to drive first then think about a pair.
Another consideration is that for a pair you will need more harness, perhaps a different carriage, more help both for hitching and driving. I love driving a single, my husband likes nothing more thatn driving a pair. Fortunately for us, both our driving horses work well together and are perfectly matched in stride, work ethic, and size.

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