Prance and Pleasure Driving Classes

We entered our first driving classes this weekend. We finished the cross country cart just before the event, so we had the team driving, and two standardbreds harnessed in carts. What a blast. There were mini's in their own classes, then ponies, and then the 14'3 and over class. There were six horses in most of our classes which was great, a little competition. This was the first time our horses had to compete against so many carts in the ring, but we all were well prepared. All the clinics and driving times we have arranged in the last few years really came together for all the competitors so we had a wonderful safe driving event.

The new cart is working out well. At first the air shocks were set too hard and the ride was a real jaw rattler, but with them adjusted down a little it worked really well over the weekend. We tried our hand at pleasure driving, command class, reinsmanship and then pole bending and barrels. I really shouldn't have taken Artist in the pole bending and barrels, too much turning for a "green to pleasure driving" horse, but I think in the end it was okay, as he was able to get out there and blast and that seemed to calm him down.

One funny thing was that he was a little agitated by the applause. I had to laugh, as this is a horse that has raced on many of the top standardbred tracks on the west coast, and here he couldn't quite understand the applause. I guess when the crowd roars in the race tracks the horses are going so fast they just run right through all that noise, of course, many of them have ear plugs as well. He wasn't very good at standing, but we will work on that. Next event for the team and Artist is the combined driving event at 70 mile on July 9th. Hope we are ready for that.