is Holly suitable to drive?

[CautionToTheWind]

Holly's owner's daughter has come up with the idea that her summer project with Holly is to get her a cart and for her to pull it, which seems the total opposite of my idea of training her up to do a bit of low level competing next year :p

As you can tell I'm not to sure about this idea. I don't know if this is just cos I've never ever driven before, nor have I really been around anyone who drives their horses, but I'm a tad worried that getting Holly broken to drive will make her riding go downhill, and I'm also worried about what weight she can actually pull as well as how they are actually going to break her to harness. I'm sure its not as simple as tying her up to cart and asking to walk on!

Let me know what you think, I really have no one else who knows anything about driving! So just fill me in, Holly is a 7 year old 12.2hh pony of mixed breeding (I can put photo's up if needed). Thanks! :)

[Poppy and Harmony]

Almost any horse can be put into harness technically, Holly looks good build wise for driving but alot of it depends on temperment.
Some horses really dont take to being broken to drive and you'll need an experienced driving person to help break her to drive
Being driven will probably change her way of riding, as they cant bend in a cart so learn to move their legs differently etc
As for pulling weight, they can pull alot more than they can carry! I'm sure there's a formula to work it out properly, but my 13.2hh new forest can pull me and my dad in her exercise trap very happily. We've had 3 adults and 2 children on 4 wheeled vehicle with her too

Hope thats helped!

[My Crazy Clan]

Like poppy said not all horses taken to being driving but you can try, I would spend a good 4 months just long reining her, then getting her to pulls things, spend a lot of time bombproofing her, the harness is the easy bit.

[CautionToTheWind]

thanks everyone :)

as I said it was the owner's daughter's idea, so I just wanted a heads-up before anything is tried xx

[gallopinggelding]

yes shell be fine , just more work for you hope you get to go competing x