Regarding the Horses in our lives...

[Zoomie]

That's a pretty fascinating set-up - I like how the angle goes to the collar. Those angles can be so important... many times even changing them just a little makes a big difference to the horse. Your mare looks so happy in that picture! No wonder!

Your comment that your mare is "only" 17.1hh made me smile. What a wee little lass...

Size of the carriage and weight of the harness was something that encouraged me to go with minis. That cart I'm driving only weighs 90 lbs. I can pick that up by myself and put it in the tack room of my trailer. Also, the way the rules are in CDE, I don't have to bring another driver with me when driving a VSE (Very Small Equine). Everybody else has to have a passenger. Of course, that's pretty cool to have someone else with you when you are out on course and need a little help, but the deal is, I live in the middle of Nowhere and most of my neighbors are cows... I don't have anyone to ask to come along with me to go driving. This is not DH's thing!

I've got three harnesses. My favorite one is the one in the picture; it's a Camptown and it's really well made, of leather. I LOVE their "Freedom Collar". SO much better than a regular breast collar... I think in Europe they call them "Empathy Collars". Also have one of those fake leather harnesses they make. I resisted, but must admit it's real nice to just dunk it in a bucket or spray it with a hose to clean. It's better than I thought it would be and very strong of course. They do line the most important elements with leather, so it's comfortable for the horse.

I should drive more! Perhaps when the weather is more reasonable. Although... I do have a little set of sleigh bells...

 

[paintedChix]

OOOO - the "horse thread" exploded

On older horses/eye surgery - anyone considering it, please have blood work done on your horse first to be sure he/she can metabolize the anesthesia even local. Often an older animal can't metabolize the drugs and then they can't/won't wake up. UGH. I, too, have had several ponies with either the loss of an eye or eyesight issues. Currently have a 24 yr old mare that won't metabolize the anesthesia and most vets support my decision NOT to have her undergo surgery. 2 other vets swear I'm being very cruel and that she is in pain and if we lose her during surgery, that's just the way it goes. She's eating and drinking, holding her weight thru the wonky weather this fall/winter so far, so she will remain the way she is. She still drives, does lead line riding and should be able to handle our granddaughters learning to ride. IF she "goes down hill", then instead of SX, we'll do euthanasia.

She was barely handle-able when I purchased her in 2009 at 18 yrs of age. She was a bundle of trials training - but now rides, drives single, pair, 3 abreast and has ground driven 4 abreast. Logs, goes in a sulky cart (no metal for her, she gets upset w/ the noise/sounds when single), fore cart w/ farm equipment, disk, harrow, wagon...



Her eye has actually gone "flat"... she definitely doesn't see out of it.



She drives on the right as a pair, and I usually don't change her around anymore...



ON the idea of a bell collar - I've used some form of collar on all of our shetlands since 2009. Unlike halters, they don't seem to get caught in a variety of environments, so I think you could give it a try. I have a lot of "Silver" and bay ponies, some solid & some spot - I can tell them apart, but friends and family can't. The collars and name tags help when catching/feeding...





Our other 1 eyed pony, a 5 1/2 yr old gelding.






and a pasture shot -



hmm computer oing weird things, gonna try to post this...

 

[Zoomie]

Oh boy, look at all those little guys! I just really love ponies, always have... it's a lucky thing I'm not rich or I'd have about a thousand of them. And Shetlands are so gorgeous.

That is so cool that you do farming with them, paintedChix. They are stronger than people realize and furthermore they seem to just love getting out and being with people. Just like people, horses really enjoy having a job.

Your 24-year-old looks really good! Is her eye issue from the silver dapple gene? I can't remember right now but it seems like there was some sort of issue with eyes and silver dapple, forgive me if I'm not remembering right... I've got a silver dapple too and love the color, always have. I'm sorry you have vets trying to guilt trip you... at least some of them see it on the horse's side. We would not consider surgery on our old gal either; she is perfectly fine and happy and is in excellent shape. We have no idea how old she is; if the guy I bought her from was not lying (not always a guarantee, and it wouldn't even have to be deliberate, it's easy to forget their age) then ours is about 25 now, but could possibly be much older (she actually *looks* old). We don't ride her anymore though. She is just a Pasture Potato.

 

[perchie.girl]

That's a pretty fascinating set-up - I like how the angle goes to the collar. Those angles can be so important... many times even changing them just a little makes a big difference to the horse. Your mare looks so happy in that picture! No wonder!

Your comment that your mare is "only" 17.1hh made me smile. What a wee little lass...

Size of the carriage and weight of the harness was something that encouraged me to go with minis. That cart I'm driving only weighs 90 lbs. I can pick that up by myself and put it in the tack room of my trailer. Also, the way the rules are in CDE, I don't have to bring another driver with me when driving a VSE (Very Small Equine). Everybody else has to have a passenger. Of course, that's pretty cool to have someone else with you when you are out on course and need a little help, but the deal is, I live in the middle of Nowhere and most of my neighbors are cows... I don't have anyone to ask to come along with me to go driving. This is not DH's thing!

I've got three harnesses. My favorite one is the one in the picture; it's a Camptown and it's really well made, of leather. I LOVE their "Freedom Collar". SO much better than a regular breast collar... I think in Europe they call them "Empathy Collars". Also have one of those fake leather harnesses they make. I resisted, but must admit it's real nice to just dunk it in a bucket or spray it with a hose to clean. It's better than I thought it would be and very strong of course. They do line the most important elements with leather, so it's comfortable for the horse.

I should drive more! Perhaps when the weather is more reasonable. Although... I do have a little set of sleigh bells...

Camptown harness was on my wish list about the time I was ready to purchase they got expensive. Right after he bought out Barb Lee of Nearside Harnesses. She was in Washington state and was innovating on harness with Biothane at the time. I so wanted one of her saddles. Full on Gig saddle and arched to allow freedom of movement. Especially good for long treks. Then when That European Collar came out I thought it was an awesome compromise. At the time they were running more than a whole harness...

I went with a harness maker that was a bit smaller up in Idaho. All leather.... Gawd its heavy. But I worked it over so the pieces parts can be put on individually. I been working leather for a good fifty years now. So I added some extra straps to fix the breeching in position. Just from the lazy strap on the breeching ring to go to a ring I added on the Girth. Draft horse harness is pretty loosey Goosey. And I uinderstand why. but my Girl is a bolter. Though she has only bolted once hitched. One of her issues is if the harness gets askew. So I was focused on success and wanted a little more to keep it in place.

The harness in the photo is actually a breast collar harness. I bought a Smuckers collar and hames. Larges one they had Just fit my girl. Then ordered the short traces for the buckle in . They were black but it didnt matter because once I put the russet traces on they covered all the black part. The photo was just before I scratched from the class. She wound up rearing and doing a capriole. I swear she almost took the whole thing off the ground. When I got her settled I decided to scratch and exit the practice arena. Oh we exited but that was when she tried to bolt on me. I got her turned enout to keep from mowing people over. She was having none of it and went sideways. She impaled the cart shafts through the back strech fence at the Del mar race track.

I so expected to see a broken shaft. but that cart is made of hickory Its STRONG. surprisingly having her physically stopped by the fence settled her down. I backed her up a few steps and she was her old self. I turned her on the track and went out the big gate. She went flat walk the rest of the way. As it was we went for a nice drive all over the fair grounds.

But the downfall of that cart is its only useful in an arena. I cannot get out of it easily. But getting out is easier than getting in. I would have benefitted by having a "monkey" or groom either in the cart or to help me from the ground.

I have three harnesses now. The Black leather one. The now old russet one. And a second hand breast collar one made of Biothane.

My first harness was an old farm harness bought second hand from a gal in Oklahoma. It was NOT setup for pulling a cart. and i eventually replaced every stitch on it with a hand awl. I built shaft loops and hold down straps out of an old western flank cinch and a set of reins. Then made lazy straps out of some old latigo I had. And hold back straps out of Webbing dog leashes... LOL. The forecart I started her in came from a Fijord breeder. Who sold her last draft years before. It was bent up and rusty in places but OH so sturdy for a green horse. I sold the whole rig to a woman who was rescuing PMU foals.

The harness burned up in the Cedar fire. The cart survived it but had to have new tires mounted. That fire burned so hot her fence posts were ash all the way down into the holes they were mounted in... Her horses were evacuated than goodnes..

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

@paintedChix

Love all the Chrome on your herd.

Good advice about the anesthesia on older horses. Draft horses have issues with Anesthesia as well. Has to do with all that slow twitch muscle. If the vet is experienced with special needs they can anesthesize but they have to be very careful and use more expensive meds.

I am with you. as long as they are healthy otherwise and up in weight. There really isnt a need.

Old time Shetlans are nothing but muscle... I have seen a team pull a thousand pounds in the light weight division of Horse Pulling Competition.


of course it comes from being pit ponies originally



deb

 

[paintedChix]

and for those who LOVE the "SILVERS" - here's our 8 Jr Mares. 2 are solid silver blacks, 1 is possibly homozygous silver (& could be homozygous Tobi as well - haven't tested her yet), 2 other silver black spots and 1 silver bay spot...



homozygous black, single gened silver in show shape - did well for us in ASPC Foundation Shetland classes in 2012 & 2013.



Bell (w 2012 filly-Classy) and Bit - from the drivers seat. Biothane draft harness w/ spots.



Silver bay tobiano mare wearing a betathane pleasure harness - the collar is shaped.

 

[paintedChix]

Zoomie - I got into the shetlands in 1995 - when our children were 5, 3 & 2. Since then, the shetlands have done and been many things/places.

They'be been all nite entertainment (our 1st foal raised as an orphan in our kitchen for 20 days). Think our 1st mare (Stuffy's dam) was homozygous for silver & black. Stallion was homozygous for black and tobiano. 2 silver tobiano mares & 1 silver tobiano stud colt. And family fun -





beds





Lesson ponies - western



backyard jumpers -



lesson ponies - english





then the girls graduated to ShetlandXs - out of larger pony, Arab & ArabX mares... and the smaller shetlands were sold. Our stallion and that first shetland were leased out.

 

[Zoomie]

@paintedChix -Oooohhhh... *dies of cuteness overload* Oh what lovely ponies! My brother once asked me just how many ponies I intended to have, and I answered "All of them!"

My own silver dapple is a "mini" but she is so big she almost can't be called a mini... she really looks like a Shetland. She is a very fancy mover. Did I mention I freaking LOVE Shetlands??!

@perchie.girl yes, that's what it's called - Biothane. I'm pretty traditional, and I've spent my life making and fixing tack, so I was reluctant to go to this option. But I must admit, it works pretty darn good. The "big" mini mentioned above has that harness made just for her. Also, WoW. What an experience you had with your mare!!!

That would be pretty scary. This one time, I agreed to help out a friend and be a navigator for her at a CDE. She raises Morgans (and they are all stunning, let me tell you) of the old bloodlines. So we are behind this mare, who was only about 14hh but seemed HUGE to me because I'm used to driving minis, and we drove up on course to one of the official timers to start another phase. For some reason not understood by me the mare took exception to something or other and prepared to bolt. My friend drives this amazing antique carriage that's all made of wicker. I immediately started to regret getting IN it, because there was no graceful way to get OUT of it. However, my friend really knows her mare (having raised and trained her) and was able to forestall the bolt with a really hefty WALK ON and although I was deafened for the rest of the day, the mare listened! WHEW! Not that we would have been in much trouble. We were out in the middle of nowhere and had just completed a couple kilometers of roads and tracks at a good pace. There was nothing there to run in to, no people except for the official who we were aimed away from, and miles of level terrain. Even so! Not fun when they bolt!

On harness, I have to admit I finally caved and bought a used nylon harness. I had sworn never to do such a thing... but it was one of those higher end nylon harnesses and even I must admit, it's pretty well made. It is a great harness for training. I sure don't have to worry about some young horse being silly and wrecking my good harness. Although my young horse, while VERY silly indeed, has been remarkably well mannered so far.

 

[paintedChix]

I just went back thru this post - VERY PIC HEAVY. I will apologize in advance. Take a break, put your feet up, enjoy a cuppa

******************
Then the girls graduated to the larger mares themselves... Then they hit high school, college and raising children...

In 2007, I purchased Magic back and also purchased our 2nd Shetland stallion.

In 2009, I got back into Shetlands in a BIG WAY - purchased 3 mares and 3 foals. Then added a few more over the years until I'd purchased 6 more mares by summer 2013... Well, then traded 2 that I didn't get along with well for 1 at Christmas 2013 ... In 2011, I started nominating all of our foals for the ASPC Foundation Futurity and in early 2012, I sent 3 ponies to trainers & purchased a 4th - that went to a trainer. We entered the breed show world and I had A BLAST in 2012 & 2013!! They did good - 1 filly was from our breeding program...

I'm obviously too large for riding them. So, I took lessons in 2010 to learn to drive - single & pairs. I didn't have the $ for purchasing harness - so I made it out of orange haystring (braided headstalls, driving lines, breast collars, traces, neck straps, breeching, cruppers and hip straps). Later, I'd start getting harness - bio & beta thane, draft type w/ collars & hames.





As we added extras or our young-un's came up, we started over w/ the ground driving.










We "logged" - single and pairs -









Those bonfires from the trees that came down (a total of 5 trees over a 4 year period) and trees removed from a path thru a patch of woods in early 2011 (that first pic) were AWESOME. We had a lot of brushy type "trees" that were removed from the very back over a 1 1/2 yr time frame. We bundled the branches and pulled them up in groups.


Bell & Bit disked - ground driving & ridden equipment, dragged & pulled round bales of hay (that was hard work & I'm working on a way to move round bales in an easier manner) -







practicing with a 3 abreast and a 4 abreast hitch - ground driving. I've hitched the 3 abreast - at home and on trail drives. Unfortunately no pics...

 

[perchie.girl]

Wow awesome work.. @paintedChix I have never drivin a team. But I have driven a tandam, sort of... riding one and driving the other.

Yep my riding days are long gone.

I have to go now but will pop in tomorrow and friday

Everyone have a Merry Christmas.

deb