how best to de-hot my new team?

[1ecofarmer]

Hi all, I have this new team that is much to hot and trotty for what I want to do with them. They jig constantly as if they expect to need to race off any second. They are 13+ hand bay ponies of unknown breeding and middle age. So far I’ve only driven them on my forecart. In the past they did a lot off fast Roadwork and before that took customers to pick pumpkins at an Amish place supposedly. I realize some of it is / may be basic temperament by I think there is a lot of Rome for improvement. Do you think hauling logs, plowing, or pulling a loaded sled regularly would help settle them down? What are the pros and cons of these options for a new teamster? (Not new to horses, just to driving a team and farming with them ).

[Anonymous]

One member of my new team came from a rough background (cattle prod and regular beatings from what I’ve been told). After about 6 weeks of regular driving and doing my best to communicate with him that he doesn’t have to be constantly on edge, ready to go, he’s settled down and is mostly happy to plod when I ask him to. Early on I had to step up the severity of the bit (not something I’m generally inclined to do), but only briefly for safety’s sake and we came right back down as soon as practical. Patience, consistency, and persistance were our best course – typically they just need time and repitition to learn and understand their new situation, I think.
My experience with logging suggests that it may be counter-productive for your goals; often horses learn to anticipate the pulling and can get to be more of a handful than they were, my guess is that they realize fairly quickly that a heavy load pulls easier the faster they go. Plowing may help, but you may find that when you hit the road again they fall right back into that mindset and that little has been gained.

Hope this helps!

[chrisf.]

I don’t have a lot of experience but I’ve found that if you can keep them at a walk from the start and not let them trot at all they get used to it after a while. I’ve got one horse that stays pretty quiet until he has to pull hard and then wakes right up and is a bit of work to hold back.

[1ecofarmer]

Hmm, interesting. Thanks for the advice. Doc and Whiskey – I’m glad yours did settle down. Hopefully mine will do likewise!

I can’t actually keep them in a real walk at all. The one jigs at the same pace as the other one walks and that’s been the best I can get some of the time. I don’t want to damage their mouths and I’m already worried about how hard I have to pull to hold them. After ten or fifteen minutes my hands are numb.

The mare also jigs while riding and I can deal with it a lot better there as I’m more experienced, only handling one horse, and have my seat to help. I’m hoping that training will carry over, but I want them trained to ride better in any case. I ride them a little more than I drive as I don’t need a helper. I would be in danger trying to hook these guys up alone at this point. I was thinking that having weight would help slow them down. An old-time teamster in my area told me to hook a big tractor tire to drag behind as that would, “take the starch out of them.”

I wouldn’t have thought about hard pulling hotting them up more. Is that true just for really heavy loads or do you all think that even a tractor tire would have that effect?

They turn really well and I notice that they slow down and focus more while doing so. Therefore I’ve been doing lots of turns and figure eights and driving mostly in a fenced smallish paddock. Does that seem helpful or do you all think it would be better to go out on a long straight road? I’m a bit concerned that my strength wouldn’t hold up for keeping them back on the way home. I did try stronger bits and it upset them, not in a good way. They already hate their (snaffle) bridles so I’ve been reluctant to make it worse.

Here’s a pic. By the way, we have raised and shortened the pole after this first drive.

Thanks for the input, Leah

[Ronnie Tucker]

a tire on a paved road will pull harder than you think.let the load hold them.drive miles not minutes.they need lots of time with wet collar pads.do not feel sorry for them.you are suppose to work them not the other way around.donot overload just load them and keep driving.

[Lane Linnenkohl]

I agree with Ronnie. They need miles. They will slow down, but be patient. And if possible, harness them and take them out every day. You’ll see a difference within 15 days. You won’t recognize them in 30. Hooking a tire or two behind your cart will help. Working them every day will help your confidence and skill as well. Nice looking pair!

[chrisf.]

Nice looking animals!

[Rod44]

Nice looking little team. As with the rest, sweat under the collar is best. My horse are like yours also. Like to trot and up into the bit. Got tired of the pulling and got liverpool bits. Made a big difference. Can hook them up less severe put you do have the breaks if you need them. As someone else said, it does help to start them at a walk and then keep them in it.

However, I like to go at a trot. They look good and they are actually under better control on a nice firm line. The one time I (well not just one) I got in trouble with them was at a walk. Some kids started jumping on a trampoline and they thought it was the boogey man and tried to turn around in place. Got them under control without making the turn around. But, if I had been trotting and a tight line (and paying attention) I could have kept them going forward past the trampoline.

Also, who was driving in the picture? If it is the guy the lines are way too loose and that could be the problem. Maybe he is just holding a safety line??

Keep up having fun!!

[HeeHawHaven]

@Rod44 33051 wrote:

Also, who was driving in the picture? If it is the guy the lines are way too loose and that could be the problem. Maybe he is just holding a safety line??![/QUOTE

I thought the same thing. If you’re used to riding western, driving is different and the team may know it. You should have constant contact with them, more like English riding. They may be antsy because they’re not sure what to do. Miles and consistency sounds like the solution for both you and the team.

I also think they look great. I’m into smaller teams. Probably the right size for most people. I have a team of fjord mules that are right around 14 hands.

Dave

[grey]

If your hands are going numb their mouths probably are as well, unless you are using pressure-and-release. Make sure you don’t have them reeled in constantly. They will tune you out if you are not active with the lines. It is amazing the amount of discomfort a horse can learn to withstand if it is constant and steady. Pressure-and-release will keep their attention, however. The jigging of the one horse sounds like excess energy. That could be due to nerves, excess sugar in the diet, or just a desire to get on with the program. Be active with your lines and have them pull a good solid weight till the sweat is dripping off them and they are happy to walk. A forecart alone isn’t enough to give them a good workout. Chaining a big tractor tire on behind is a great idea.

[grey]

Also, try to signal them to slow down *before* they actually change gait. There are little signals to watch for that will indicate that they are just about to go from a walk into a trot. If you can catch them and increase the pressure just a bit *before* they initiate the trot, you will be able to use a smaller correction than if they get all the way into a trot.

The signals to look for include a lengthening stride or a shortened one. Sometimes a clever horse will get his partner to initiate the trot and take the fall for it, simply by lengthening his stride and causing his team-mate to trot to catch up. Make sure your lines are adjusted so you are able to touch both sides of both horses’ mouths all at once. If you are losing contact with a horse, it could trigger that horse to speed up, seeking that contact.

Many driving horses have the gas pedal wired to the floor and we’re just riding the brakes with varying degrees of firmness. It is very easy to make that kind of horse hard-mouthed if you aren’t responsive with the lines.

Always being half a step behind your team is pretty much the norm when you are first learning to drive. Your mind goes a hundred places at once and it takes focus and thought to notice what you are feeling at the end of your lines and respond to it with 1/10th of a pound more pressure. Playing catch-up with the horses will cause you to have to use more force in your corrections than if you see the change coming and head it off at the pass. Eventually you will start to catch things before they are in full-swing and you will be expending less energy to accomplish the same thing.

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