[buck22]

So nimble and quick and game! The angry glances of the whip to the navigator is pretty funny too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFEA5...em-uploademail

[butlerfamilyzoo]

LOVE the ponies... Carriage sure took a beating though didnt it! Seeing how quick and tight these ponies can turn, it amazes me to think of the warmbloods fitting in these turns! I dont think i could manage a team of 4... I do want to do pairs one day though!

[charismaryllis]

i'm impressed the driver remembered the pattern-!

but yes, awesome!

[bluemooncowgirl]

That's CRAZY!!!

[DrivingNewsUSA]

They are indeed very fast and with them, Bram won the World Championship in Slovenia last year.

On the top step was my son, Jacob Arnold, who is in Holland now working with the Chardons. Jacob reports that Bram's "looks" weren't in anger, but just to check if the navigators were still on-board! The left front wheel hit the obstacle very, very hard.

(they also won this show, Lahden)

Mike Arnold
DrivingNews USA

[buck22]

Seeing how quick and tight these ponies can turn, it amazes me to think of the warmbloods fitting in these turns!

I know the ponies had to be nimble just to make it through, full size (+) horses must have zero wiggle room.

Love the little grey maned leader though, so brave and obedient! "follow me chaps!" he seems to want to lead the whole group the whole way though!

They are indeed very fast and with them, Bram won the World Championship in Slovenia last year.

On the top step was my son, Jacob Arnold, who is in Holland now working with the Chardons. Jacob reports that Bram's "looks" weren't in anger, but just to check if the navigators were still on-board! The left front wheel hit the obstacle very, very hard.

(they also won this show, Lahden)

Wow, congratulations to Bram and your son! And thank you for the clarification, Bram was very vocal during some of the glances and it looked like a 'hey! whats doing!?!" but yes that carriage did rub a bit hard I could certainly see one of the navigators getting bounced off. Good of him to be so mindful of his team members.

Thank you so much for sharing!

[Chewbacca]

That looks like so much fun, it's sick!

I want to try !!!

[DrivingNewsUSA]

That looks like so much fun, it's sick!

I want to try !!!

More fun than you can stand! Do you drive? If not, its probably better to start with just one. Depending on where you live, perhaps I could help you get on a carriage somewhere to give it a try.

Mike Arnold
DrivingNews USA
http://drivingnews.us

[2DogsFarm]

D'OH!

I just spent 8 days in Holland & if I'd known this was going on I'd have coerced my Dutch friends into getting me there to see it.

Oh well, maybe next year?

Mike - congrats to your son

& I am hijacking this thread to ask if you know of any trainers in NW Indiana.

I'm looking for someone teaching basics with a view to driven dressage.

I have a Hackney pony sitting around getting fat because I can't seem to find anyone to help me (total Newb driver) get him hitched.

[Chewbacca]

More fun than you can stand! Do you drive? If not, its probably better to start with just one. Depending on where you live, perhaps I could help you get on a carriage somewhere to give it a try.

Mike Arnold
DrivingNews USA
http://drivingnews.us

Thanks Mike. For the chance to drive a 4 in hand, I'd come to you! lol.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to attend the ADS meeting just to try out driving a team pair for the lesson segment being offered on Sunday.

I do drive. I have a variety pack of critters in every size. lol! I really want to learn to drive a team and eventually (in my dreams) a 4 in hand. Right now, the closest thing I have to it is a tandem of minis.

www.youtube.com/user/yautjakshai

www.kshai1715.wordpress.com
Life in 2012; Horses, Life, Photography

[elsbet]

How AWESOME!!! That looks like so much fun! And those ponies are moving FAST!!!!! Wow!

[Malda]

That was a blast to watch. Were those ponies competing against horses?

[threedogpack]

I am in awe of anyone driving anything. But those ponies are marvelous!

[twadwis]

D'OH!

I have a Hackney pony sitting around getting fat because I can't seem to find anyone to help me (total Newb driver) get him hitched.

Oh boy, get him (and yourself) going, hackneys are so much fun. That said, they have big motors, are very quick and very smart and you will need to know what your doing. If you push this guy too soon and too quick you'll be driving a Maserati with no steering or brakes.

[SarEQ]

I don't drive an haven't since I was a kid (well ut only counts as drivig if you count the times my friend and I would harness her demonish shetland pony and the two of us would cross country ski behind him as driving. It worked well because usually one of us would stay on our feet to stop pony when the other fell.)

This looks like fun and I will have to try it when I get back into horses (DH in med school means no money for horses).

That background is in case I sound judgy. I dont mean to, I just truly don't understand. Perhaps it is the quality of the video (my screen needs an upgrade and I will watch again from a better screen) but it looked like he was really YANKING on the reins a lot. That plus the yelling seemed harsh from what I saw.

Is this because the distance from te ponies negates some of the force? Or is he not yanking and it was my poor video quality? I saw another one recently with lots of what looked like yanking and loud shots. Horses appeared happy but it surprised me. I have never been a teller expect during extreme naughty moments. Is the yelling for the horses sake, so they can hear directions over the crowd?

[buck22]

I'm far from experienced, but I didn't see any yanking at all, I thought he drove the team very smoothly.

I can see how the big arm gestures might appear deceiving however due to the amount of rein he has to take up and then give as the team stretches out for the straightaways and then compresses around the turns. Its a lot of rein to keep managed with not a lot of space or time to do it, so surely it looks odd.

I also didn't think he was particularly loud or harsh, but again you have to remember he has to keep control of 4 equines, moving as fast as they can, in tight quarters, smoothly, from a remote location in an exciting atmosphere. Thats a LOT. All 4 have to do their jobs and not be distracted, using your voice to keep them working as a team and focused is very valuable.

When I drive my horse and for whatever reason he is potentially loosing focus, I make my voice as loud as needed to override external stimulus and keep his mind on his task.

[trubandloki]

Wow, that is impressive.

i'm impressed the driver remembered the pattern-!

Me too. Totally thinking that same thing while I watched.

[HPFarmette]

yee ha!!!! athletic people hanging on to the back of the cart too!

[SarEQ]

I'm far from experienced, but I didn't see any yanking at all, I thought he drove the team very smoothly.

I can see how the big arm gestures might appear deceiving however due to the amount of rein he has to take up and then give as the team stretches out for the straightaways and then compresses around the turns. Its a lot of rein to keep managed with not a lot of space or time to do it, so surely it looks odd.

I also didn't think he was particularly loud or harsh, but again you have to remember he has to keep control of 4 equines, moving as fast as they can, in tight quarters, smoothly, from a remote location in an exciting atmosphere. Thats a LOT. All 4 have to do their jobs and not be distracted, using your voice to keep them working as a team and focused is very valuable.

When I drive my horse and for whatever reason he is potentially loosing focus, I make my voice as loud as needed to override external stimulus and keep his mind on his task.

Okay, after watching it on a big screen multiple times I can see he wasn't rough. I couldn't see the lines on my smart phone so I saw his big arm movements and it looked like yanking. Watching it full screen I could see the sharp arm movements were forward (to shorten/adjust rein I assume?) and backwards he was SO steady and smooth. I was impressed at that control at those speeds with those turns. I did see one yank... when he was thrown sideways once. I would have been tossed so that is understandable!

The 'shouting' was much quieter when I watched it again. The speakers on my phone seemed to pick that up and I could tell it wasn't screaming or shouting (like I've heard plenty of riders do) but commands. I also remembered when I would ride one and pony four or five when working at a dude ranch... I'd yell if they weren't paying attention or were thinking of naughtiness. The ones at the back of your group were out of arm reach and had to be voice/lead controlled. And on trails I'd use voice commands for the line horses since some riders didn't listen.

I won't lie, once I could see the thing well I watched it several times. He is amazing. I want to do that. Well, maybe not with four. Give me one or two (can one pony do that with a person or would it need to be two?) and I'd love it. Do all the competitions require multiple people on the cart? What are they called?

[2tempe]

For those of you in the US who want to see one of these events a little closer to home come to Live Oak (Ocala) end of March next year. They have a beautiful course and lots of competitors all sizes and shapes. Great to watch these, but it truly takes some guts to do it at the speed these go...
I also loved the dark maned lead; what a hard working little bugger!