Hey everyone!
I was asked to take my horse in the local July 4th parade next year. My horse would be pulling an antique 4 person buggy from the 1700s that belongs to the town. It seems like it's in excellent condition and is beautiful.
My question is, how do I know that my horse is really to drive through a parade? He's a great horse and has only spooked twice since I've owned him (2 years) and both times were under saddle and were silly things. He's been exposed to lots of different things too (like construction equipment, tractors, guns, cattle, dogs, fair rides ect.) He doesn't bolt or anything..just shimmies sideways a few steps and calms down quickly. He's also fairly new to driving. I've taken him out with the cart under 20 times but he's been excellent every time. I've driven him on paved roads and in fields and so far he's never done anything wrong. Will he be ready to do a parade by July?
I'm also wondering if my light harness will be ok to pull a 4 person cart on paved, flat roads or do I need a new harness? Is the 4 person cart going to be too heavy for him? I'm currently driving him with a light training cart. He'll do up and down hills with 2 people on grass and dirt and holds us back no problem.
Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I was asked to take my horse in the local July 4th parade next year. My horse would be pulling an antique 4 person buggy from the 1700s that belongs to the town. It seems like it's in excellent condition and is beautiful.
My question is, how do I know that my horse is really to drive through a parade? He's a great horse and has only spooked twice since I've owned him (2 years) and both times were under saddle and were silly things. He's been exposed to lots of different things too (like construction equipment, tractors, guns, cattle, dogs, fair rides ect.) He doesn't bolt or anything..just shimmies sideways a few steps and calms down quickly. He's also fairly new to driving. I've taken him out with the cart under 20 times but he's been excellent every time. I've driven him on paved roads and in fields and so far he's never done anything wrong. Will he be ready to do a parade by July?
I'm also wondering if my light harness will be ok to pull a 4 person cart on paved, flat roads or do I need a new harness? Is the 4 person cart going to be too heavy for him? I'm currently driving him with a light training cart. He'll do up and down hills with 2 people on grass and dirt and holds us back no problem.
Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!