Anyway.. now I've jumped to driving. I'm starting Sólon with grounddriving and the like.
He's 2 years old, you think it's a good age to start? Won't be pulling anything heavy of course, or go on very long tours. But he needs something to think about, I think he's bored from just biting and playing wth the two older horses.. he seems more content since we started at least, is quicker to come forward in the pasture and has more energy :)
I don't know much about driving, dad has a north swedish draft, and sure I can drive him on the roads, and I've had some horse driving lessons in high school, but I can't say I'm very skilled at it :P Fortunatly, I have a friend who used to compete in precision driving with her shetlands (also breeding shetlands and so), so she's here helping me :)
I figured I'd show some pictures. If you have any advice or so, feel free to share them :)
Solon in his new harness. It needs some fitting, and a few new holes to be punched, but I think it'll be good. I expect him to grow a bit more too :)
The sulky/rockard/thing when I bought it. :) It has gotten a new coat of paint, the wood is sanded down and fixed, and we've just finished the seat, I'll put it back on and take new pictures :)
First time with those..sticks (:P) attatched. He has been pulling chains and ratteling/noisy stuff before this and we'll pull a tire or something too before the sulky-thingy. But what we really need is some more time just practising. I think it's good if he knows to walk on a straight line before we start seriously, for one... :P And knows to slow down on the way home :P He's really good at stopping and fairly good at standing still (just a bit restless on the way home) already, but taking it slow is difficult. :) He's also really good when things go wrong, like if he accidenttally step with one leg outside the chain or stick, I can ground-drive him right and he doesn't panic. It's pretty comforting to know. The worst 'fight' we had was after this day; when he had stiood nicely and let me remove the sticks (ok, you may tell me what these things are called in english) and I was goig to lead him a few steps back and to the stall, he threw a fit with bucking and jumping and rearing and the like.. *lol* pretty boy :P As if he had never been lead before. But irt's nothing bad, I just let him act it out and lead him back in once he realised it was a pretty boring thing to do, jumping around like a fool. He stood nicely and lose when I removed the harness. (it's btw one I borrowed from a friend. It's easier to attatch random things to it and it's been fitted to him, before he get any weight behind him we'll change to the one I bought). I suspect the whip scared him, he doesn't care at all about it when I walk behind him, I can touch him wih it and wave with it and he behaves well, but it's scary when I walk beside him. We practiced a bit on that later on and I'll kepp doing that untill he can walk nicely even if I'm holding the whip.
We'll practice backing up more when he has that butt-strap (name?) rather than just the tail-thingy.. and without those sticks on.
Just checking how he'll look when he can pull it..xD Add a black seat and you'll know how the sulky looks when it's done :) I figured it wouldn't hurt to let him back in there a time or two. He's such a good boy :P
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