Driving Pictures

Since the Driving board seems pretty dead, I thought I'd post some pics. These were taken at a few shows I went to this year.

I am a wanting driver. I know the ropes(or lines actually), I am pretty adequate, I just don't have a horse to drive. I would kill for a fine harness horse. I have driven Saddlebreds, Hackney Ponies, and one Hackney Horse.

The breeds you will see are Saddlebred, Standardbred, Hackney Horse, Hackney Pony, Dutch Harness Horse, and Fresian.

I hope you enjoy them. Sorry for the blurrieness. My camera doesn't get the best motion shots.

Saddlebred
>Fine Harness
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lex15.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lawrenceburg7-1.jpg

Fresians
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh19.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh6-1.jpg

DHH
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh10.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh14.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh13.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh21.jpg

Hackney Ponies
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh15.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lex17.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lex16.jpg

>Roadster Ponies
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lex26-1.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lex25.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lx27-1.jpg

Hackney Horse
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh1.jpg

Standardbred(aka, Road Horses)
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/LTh23.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lawrenceburg6.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lawrenceburg5.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lawrenceburg4.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lawrenceburg3.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Lawrenceburg2.jpg

Here is William Shatner and his Road Horse, Spill the Ink. He's the one with the black horse on the end.
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Shatner2.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/MokeyBird/Horses/Shatner.jpg

Hmm, I thought I had more than that. I'll have to recheck. I need to get some more ASB pics. Those stupid hackneys are stealing the show.

Wow great pics! Thanks for sharing! Driving is so neat, I would love to go watch a driving show. I have a sleigh that we drive my boyfriend's horse in in the winter, but no buggies for summer time.

Well, I just found out that I am going to another show tomorrow morning, so I will see if I can get some more tomorrow.

:eek: Hey! what do you mean....stupid hackney's....lol;) I have one of those and although we aren't as frilly as the outfits you have seen...we have a good time...:p

Her name is Fancy...we bought her for my daughter for her birthday when she was 9 and Fancy was 4....Fancy is broke to ride and drive...but she prefers to drive...

Here is Bonnie (my daughter) & her friend Kate at an open show with Fancy....it was early spring...she is still pretty fuzzy...
5727

Here is me and Fancy...I love to drive her...she is hot and fun...we do pleasure driving and obstacle driving and we even just drive the roads around town....

5728

5729

I love to watch the big belgium hitches that come every year to our county fair...it's their National Show....WOW...I wish I had some pics of that.....

Well, the horse show was nothing special, so I didn't want to waste the time taking pictures.

Don't get me wrong. My favorite drive was a snitty Hackney mare. She was voice operated. I remember working her at the KY State Fair. I saw a road horse coming down the chute. Out of habit, I said whoa. She slammed on the brakes and I ended up in the basket. It was very funny. I miss her. Her owner sent her to the killers as well as a few horses we had close ties with, and we didn't find out in time to save them.

We just have four and we can't get rid of them. They are like an infestation. They take a backseat to the Saddlebreds, and so do not get worked. So they just stand there and eat. It would be one thing if they had a function.

Your hackney is cute, pjlr2413.

Well, the horse show was nothing special, so I didn't want to waste the time taking pictures.

Don't get me wrong. My favorite drive was a snitty Hackney mare. She was voice operated. I remember working her at the KY State Fair. I saw a road horse coming down the chute. Out of habit, I said whoa. She slammed on the brakes and I ended up in the basket. It was very funny. I miss her. Her owner sent her to the killers as well as a few horses we had close ties with, and we didn't find out in time to save them.

We just have four and we can't get rid of them. They are like an infestation. They take a backseat to the Saddlebreds, and so do not get worked. So they just stand there and eat. It would be one thing if they had a function.

Your hackney is cute, pjlr2413.

Well, my hackney is not very hackney like....oh don't get me wrong she does have "hackney" moments...LOL.....mostly concerning water....we have a tendency to JUMP puddles...even in the cart - HAHA....I just love her though...she has soooo much personality. She came from a sale barn...a throw away from a big breeder in southern IA...sold without papers...she is a roan(which I guess they don't want) and she has some eye issues(which they didn't want to breed to either)....I love the roaning AND the eye issuses are not genetic and she has given us two super foals....I have never put the "proper" shoes on her....since we can't do anything but open shows and she lives in the pasture 24/7 I don't see the need....but I have often wondered how much more action she would have with toe weights....I'm afraid she's probably a lifer....never leave our farm...

I LOVED how you called them an infestation...hahahhaa...I can see how they would seem that way if there were more than one....how much driving do you do at your place?

What do you mean "proper shoes"? just curious.

I wouldn't say she is a throwaway because she's roan. Heck, some of the better hackney horses are freaking paints. I could see a few flaws that would count against her, but who cares. If she is a good drive, you can't beat it.

We honestly don't do much competitve driving, but the majority, if not all of our horses(and most saddlebreds in general) are broke to drive early on in thier training. Driving is an essential tool in the life of a Saddlebred show horse, even if his division is not driving. It helps with so many things.

I would just kill for a good driving horse that I could show.

What do you mean "proper shoes"? just curious.

I wouldn't say she is a throwaway because she's roan. Heck, some of the better hackney horses are freaking paints. I could see a few flaws that would count against her, but who cares. If she is a good drive, you can't beat it.

We honestly don't do much competitve driving, but the majority, if not all of our horses(and most saddlebreds in general) are broke to drive early on in thier training. Driving is an essential tool in the life of a Saddlebred show horse, even if his division is not driving. It helps with so many things.

I would just kill for a good driving horse that I could show.

Oh proper shoes - well, here the folks that show their hackneys keep a longer toe and use pads and toe weights. I just have her trimmed like all the rest with regular keg shoes..since I drive her on the road and we have gravel around here. I have never had any pad or weight on her. She does have a lot of natural action, especially if she's having a snit...lol....and just once I would like to see her with all the frills and see how she did. I know she is "dumpy" in comparison to most of the show quality hackneys I have seen and I have no idea how to get her "set back" on her hind the way many go...I know I don't have her head high enough, or the overcheck tight enough, but with her eye issues she is very uncomfortable like that and gets very fussy. SO..I just drive her like I do my QH or the drafts I have driven....so I am sure that counts against her....although we do win a lot at the open shows around here....people think she is very flashy...lol....until they see her lean on the shafts and sleep between classes...

There is a gal around here to brings her saddlebreds to the open shows to school them...she had an absolute drop dead gorgeous chestnut with high white socks on all 4 driving at the last show...he just floated...made me drool....there is nothing prettier...just nothing...

Great thread, guys! ENjoyed the pictures and the info!

Hackneys are the epitome of high stepping, and they do not need much at all whatsoever to do move like they do. The effect is not caused by the longer toe, or the weighted shoes. The shape of the foot and weight of the shoe help control the action. Surefire, our road pony(who is the only one we plan on keeping), has a "normal" foot, with "normal" shoes and he goes a great trot. The good ones do not need it. Most of the mediocre ones do not need it. My POS broodmare(who we don't breed 'cause we really don't care to have another hackney) trots level in the field barefoot. With how she moves we think she was a roadster when she was in training. She passes her movement and style of movement to her foals.

Pads are shock absorbers. With how some of these guys hit the ground a lot of them do need it.

Essentials of hackneys(for me, and my ringside judging usually comes close to the judge), are headset, motion, behavior, conformation/proportion, overall presence.

Saddlebred people often refer to thier extremely talented horses saying "He trots like a hackney pony."

One of my favorite horses was a big clunky POS(*shudder* he was awful) Hackney Horse, we called "Charlie". He was with the guy that sent my favorite pony to the killers, so I don't know what happened to him. He probably died in the back woods of that awful man's place with his teammate that I never got to meet or handle. I drove ol' Charlie back to the barn at one of the shows. He was a doll to work around.

I really like hackney horses. There was one at Tattersalls(Saddlebred sale that also accomodates Hackneys) a few seasons ago that I wanted to bid on. If I had endless money I would have taken that bloke home with me. He was a big bay stallion. He looked like a straight necked yak in the stall, but when they led him into the auction ring, he was MARCHING his neck was up and arched, he was walking over level, and that 'yak' was ALL hackney. Yeah boy! He was one of the top sellers at the sale. He brought over ten thousand and worth every penny.

Hackney Horses are actually a rare breed. A lot of them that were at the Lexington Junior League show were paints even. It was interesting.

And yeah, I love one with lots of chrome too. That can be both a good thing and an absolute curse in the showring, in any division, though, too. The white legs really accent the motion. If they are great, they look supurb. BUT if they can't use thier legs, that will be noticed even more with white legs.

Hah, I was really excited. Two of our foals this year both have four white legs and big blazes, and EACH of them are incredibly nice. The filly has five gaited written all over her, and the colt will do well anywhere.

Though my favorites are the plain ones with no markings, I'm a sucker for a chestnut with a blaze.

yes, Fancy does have lots of action on her own, especially if she's in a snit...but I often wondered how the weights and pads would effect her movement...like I said, we do lots of things not just open shows...so I never felt like it was safe to do it. I once had a lady at a show ask me why Fancy had the plain shoes (she was a saddlebred breeder) and not a "proper" set up. She told me we were wasting her the way she was....hhhmmm didn't understand that...since we use her all the time and she seems to love her job.

I did know Hackney horses were a rare breed - we used to do a local horse fair here in our area and we tried to get as many rare and endangered breeds to come as we could for our parade of breeds. Have you ever been to the ALBC - American Livestock Breed Conservancy's web page...it is SO interesting...it lists all the rare and endangered livestock animals...not just horses.

I like chrome when it's even all the way around...and in this horses case it did just accentuate how wonderfully he moved...that's why I like Fancy's too...they are matching..in her case it might not be so beneficial to her though...hahah...but I agree there is nothing prettier than a shiney chestnut...they almost have a glow...

I have invited a dear friend of mine over to these boards to post a couple of her pictures taken by my hubby this year at Sport Horse Nationals of her incredibly wonderful YOUNG stallion in his Driving class.!!! Not only do I LOVE the photos taken, but the horse is awesome!!! We plan to use him in our breeding program next year in hopes of getting a filly for Esquire down the road.

Hope she does not take too terribly long to hop over, join, and post :)

Denise Gainey
www.gaineyarabian.com

Hi Denise !://\\ Thanks for showing me this board, neat photos, Love them !!!!!

Here are some photos of my 4 year old Arab Stallion & I competing in Carriage Driving:)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b300/spiritthyme007/Spirit-Heather1stclass13.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b300/spiritthyme007/Spirit-Heather1stclass5.jpg

trying NOT to take myself to seriously !
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b300/spiritthyme007/SHNCasualHeather3.jpg

Hey D... NEED more pix ( hint )

Promise to get you some soon...in fact an entire CD FULL of Spirit pics :)

Denise Gainey
www.gaineyarabian.com

OOOO what a pretty BOY!!!!! He looks great in harness....LOVE the high socks in front....

He is gorrrrgeous!!! wow!

you know, I know nothing about driving. but doesnt that hurt the horses, when they tie their hed up so tight like in the first picture? Im probably wrong, because my source is black beauty.

No, that is the "normal" head carriage of that breed. They are bred for a high head carriage and strong, animated movement. The thing "Tying" thier head up just helps them set thier head better.

Here is my ALL TIME FAVORITE Fine Harness Horse. if you will notice the slack in his overcheck. *drool* Holy cow, he was the only horse in the ring this night! The other horses looked like pleasure driving horses. My camera died before this class. I can't wait to see him next year.
http://www.howardschatzberg.com/Proofs/2007%20Lexington%20Jr%20League%20Show/JULY%2013,%20FRIDAY%20-%20EVENING/115%20-%20Fine%20Harness%20Junior%20Championship/Images/115-047-07LEX.JPG

The overcheck is used differently in different driving disciplines, from my understanding... the standardbred racers use it to hold the horse upright....so they can pace or trot with more extension.. not a "headset"tool.....it can be dangerous in racing, because if a horse starts to go down they can't really "catch" themselves.....

My hackney will not tolerate a tight overcheck.....fusses the whole time...not a problem for me because we just do it for fun....but hers is pretty floppy...