How To Get Started With Carriage Driving

Ponies make great carriage drivers, especially if they no longer have a rider due to them being outgrown. This is the perfect solution if your pony is part of the family, as it means you can still enjoy them without selling. When driving, a pony is more than capable of pulling an adult, which means anyone in the family can get involved, and if you have pairs they share the load and become stronger than just driving a single pony.

There are many things to consider when driving. An important consideration is the type of harness you want to use as there are several different ways to attach the cart to the horse. I use a ‘tie down’ harness but you can also get a ‘quick hitch’ harness which is most commonly used on trotters/pacers and stepping cobs. There are also different types of collar available; this is the part used to pull the cart. There’s a traditional collar - which I love and would eventually like to buy - but they don’t fit every size of cob. It’s very important to have a correctly fitted collar or it can do serious damage. The other type of collar is a breast collar which comes in one size but can be adjusted to fit most cobs. This is the most popular style of collar as it’s the most versatile.

The kind of cart you require will depend on which type of attachment you choose for the harness. If you choose a quick hitch harness, you’ll need to ensure you have a quick hitch cart. However, if you choose a tie down harness then there are many styles of cart to choose from, with variations in the number of wheels (2 or 4) and an array of different seating styles.

You also have a large selection of bits to choose from. The average driving bit is known to be a lot stronger than the average riding bit, but don’t panic, you can still use your regular bit... or even go bitless! Bitless driving is an area I would love to go into, however, my current cob is a stallion and although he is good, I would still feel more comfortable using a bit, just in case.

My first driving pony was a 13hh cob, and we had sooo much fun together; we could join the others out on hacks (route dependent) and then we would drive him home. We also took my grandparents out around the block, which they completely loved and is one of their best memories. If you don’t have a particularly horsey family, this is a great way to get them involved without them needing to know how to ride.

Murphy, pictured above, was my first driving pony; we both learnt how to drive together. Since then I have broken in many horses and ponies to drive, and have a real soft spot for driving cobs.

Another one of my driving cobs, Prince, is pictured below. He was my total favourite, as I love a really hairy cob! He too was only around 13hh and was great at doing anything with kids.

And now, onto my stallion! He is only 3 and currently, standing at 14hh, is still growing; he will be my next driving cob. So this year he will be in very light work to build him up to driving.

We have started with lots of short bursts of long reining in the field and also on the roads. Over time, I built this up so he was wearing the whole harness (minus the driving bridle - I like him to be able to see everything I’m asking, to build his confidence with it... plus, he has a big head so it doesn’t fit!)

We will always work on improving our long reining to get him listening better to both voice and rein commands, but I also gradually start to introduce more, such as pulling a tyre, or attaching poles to his sides so he gets used to having solid bars next to him (to replicate the shafts of the cart).

Once he is fully accepting of the above, I back him into the cart and just let him feel the weight of it. As he’s a foodie, I find giving him treats is a great way to help his acceptance, and then I build this up to walking and giving treats, but without the cart fully attached. Once I feel he is ready, I attach the cart fully and then begin to lead him round, slowly moving further behind him, so I am long reining him with the cart.

Because he’s young, I only work him for a maximum of 20 minutes and then he has a few weeks break to process the work I asked. Come winter he will be turned away with no work, and then next year he will be brought back into work by starting the process again, but doing it more frequently. No doubt I will than need a bigger harness and cart!