How to train a horse to drive

If you love all things horse related, and you're a horse owner who is interested in trying everything with your horse, you may want to consider training your horse to drive. This is a different relationship you'll be establishing with your horse, since the cues you give to a riding horse are many (you can use seat, legs, voice and hands) while a driving horse relies solely on your hands and voice. Training a driving horse requires some costly equipment, and you have to have a very calm and reliable horse candidate to avoid hurting yourself. Not every horse is cut out to be a driving horse, pulling a rattling cart behind her. Here are the basic steps, and what you can expect when you take on this new adventure.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Harness
• <br>Training Cart
• <br>Assistant
• <br>Rubber tires or logs
• <br>Driving whip

1. Know that most of your driving training will be on the ground. By the time you get to hook up the cart, you want your horse to be thoroughly used to you being behind her with noisy and heavy things being dragged behind her. That way there are no surprises for her, and no pain or injury for you.

2. Start by putting your horse in a driving bridle with driving reins over top of a halter with a lungeline attached. Lunge your horse in a circle at a walk and trot, holding both driving reins, with your outside driving rein falling across the horse's back. This will get your horse used to the reins going across his back. Switch directions. Repeat this with harness on.

3. Walk your horse in the driving bridle, walking slightly behind the horse and to the inside. Turn both directions, halt, and back up with the driving reins, using verbal cues. Repeat this with harness on.

4. Attach logs, poles or rubber tires to the traces when your horse is comfortable. Start with the lightest load possible, and slowly add weight. Have an assistant at the head of your horse as you drive from behind, to give the horse confidence. If you have extra assistants, you can have them pull on the poles as you go so the horse gets used to shifting weight as he pulls. Have your assistants make noise with the poles to get him used to hearing noises since the cart will be noisy. Have the cart he will be pulling in the ring or pasture with you where you are practicing so he gets a good look at it.

5. Attach the training cart to the harness. Continue to drive from the ground as your assistant walks alongside the horse's head. Get the horse used to the feel, weight and noise of the cart. Have an extra assistant put slight weight on and off the cart to get the horse used to the feel.

6. Get in the cart, with your assistant still at the horse's head. Ask your horse to walk and drive from up in the cart. Keep your assistant with you in the ring until you feel safe enough to drive without someone at the horse's head.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice ground driving beside a busy road if you will be driving your cart on a busy road.
• <br>Always take an assistant with you.
• <br>Only proceed to the next step when your horse has confidently mastered the current step.
• <br>Know your horse. If she shies at leaves or plastic bags while trail riding, she'll shy at them while driving and it can be dangerous.
• <br>Seek a professional if you don't feel you can train your horse yourself.
• Don't attempt to drive a novice horse alone.