I just discovered my pair of mini horses is a 'team'.?

Question

I recently bought 2 mini's. 5 and 6 year olds.

2 mares, foals at their side, and bred again. Mare's are still cranky.

Today, I was just informed that the 2 mares are actually a driving team. Well, geez, I was NOT prepared for that.

I have many in the saddle. Most on a cart.

I have never ever dealt with a team.

I don't even know where to start.

I suppose I'll need a mini team harness. DUH

What do I do after that?

I searched the internet and couldn't find an answer.

This wasn't in the plan, but, plans can change.

I need to know EVERYTHING.

Help!

1) I don't even know "how" a team thinks.

2) Can a team horse be driven alone?

Any and all advice (or opinion) will most graciously be appreciated.

Still jazzed by the idea,

Valerie

Answer 1

Team horses can be driven alone with no problems.  Contact the American Driving Society they should be able to hook you up with someone in your area that can help you.  Good luck and what fun!  I just started my little donkey driving and we are having a great time!

http://www.americandrivingsociety.org/

Answer 2

I drove teams a few years ago, and although the horses I used were drafts, I imagine there are a lot of similarities.

A lot of driving horses are taught voice cues.  You have the walk-trot-canter cue - mine all knew the names of the gaits.  You have gee and haw for right and left respectively, and of course whoa!

Team horses think like any other horse.  This means that when you are driving a team, you have to really be aware of what is going on around you.  What might set off one horse might be fine for another - and visa versa.

Some team horses have preferences of whether they are on the right or the left side.  I think this is because of habit more than anything.  If you always put Bud on the right and Mike on the left, they get used to that.

You'll need two harnesses and a pair of long reins to start.  I would polish your skills from the ground by ground driving before you ever hitch them to a cart.  You should be able to drive them either together or seperately.  You may have herd-bound issues if you seperate them, since a lot of team horses are deeply bonded to eachother.  be patient with that.  be gentle on the reins - use your voice for most of the commands, then follow up with rein cues only when they don't respond to voice.

Go to amazon.com and look up books on the subject.  there are many to be had!

Answer 3

well try if they go alone but they might be used  to turning early or turning later then the other horse, like the out side horse has to turn a bit later then the other one

all riding experience gone for a second .....

OMG mini team that is soooo cute.....

ok bak with the profesionalism

(i have no idea wat im talking about)

but yeh u never know i would try teams it would be cool and easier for both the ponies.

Answer 4

Driving a team is different than driving single.  It's multi-tasking.

You need to know which horse is dominant...the other will follow that one's lead.  Basically if you keep that one doing what you want her to do, the other will do the same.  But, you still need to keep your eye on the other horse, for hazards, potential spook issues..etc.

A team can travel further per trip and pull more load than a single.  

A team horse should be able to be driven alone, but the more dominant one will be easier to handle than the less.

A team of ponies is on my "must have" list...congrats.

Answer 5

Just because they've been recognised as a possible team, doesn't mean you have to treat them like one.

If they are already a team, they shouldn't know what to do.

If you have ever driven a team before, you'll know that blinkers are the best way.

You may want to take classes, take them to a proffesional.

And yes of course a team horse can be driven alone. It's just a normal horse!

Answer 6

Uh...since when do two horses have to be a team? I suppose it's something you could do if you had an interest in it, but otherwise you can treat them as you usually have. Have they even been trained in team already? A team horse can often be driven alone.

As for training, it's the same as with a full-sized horse...if you don't know how, get a trainer. A horse that doesn't know what it's doing with an inexperienced trainer is not a good match, as I'm sure you're aware.