As an avid driver, I do a lot of ground driving. This is an integral part of foundation training for driving. I spend weeks/months walking around with my partner and find that time is very well spent in building a foundation for the future. Like most, I ground drive until I hitch and then only revisit it under unusual circumstances. However, my thoughts on this are changing. Read More »
The first question people generally ask me when they discover we train our own horses/ponies in harness is “How long does it take?” The answer is seldom what people expect or want to hear: “As long as it takes.” There is no standard because each equine is unique and comes with it’s own set of experiences, skills and willingness. My personal guideline is to allow 100 training hours from start to cart, although that is just a planning number, NOT an expectation.
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The dressage training scale starts with rhythm. There is no doubt that’s a great place to start and we school for it during nearly every drive. Along the road to fitness, I discovered an interesting phenomenon – the equine’s heart rate also changes as the rhythm improves.
In the beginning of conditioning work, the heart rate bounces quite a bit – even when doing the same task. In working both Pippin and Chloe, I have very clearly seen the correlation between even heart rate (at a given task) and rhythm at that task. For example, at the trot, on even ground, the heart rate of a horse NOT trotting with good rhythm is quite uneven. It looks like the heart is mimicking the trot. Or, is the trot mimicking the heart?
Good rhythm is born from many influences: good breeding, understanding of the job at hand, relaxation, and condition. The horse that is being taxed will have a more difficult time finding that smooth and even rhythm. The taxed horse will also lose their relaxation which compromise the even footfalls even more.
Since the heart rate monitor gives insight into the degree of taxation that is happening, the monitor also helps us understand whether or not the horse is capable of finding that elusive rhythm. Anxiety also shows on the monitor, which gives us further understanding of the horse’s state.
The use of monitoring may help in developing rhythm by allowing us to know when the conditions are optimal for the horse: calm, anxiety-free and not unduly taxed. When we are pushing the horse to develop condition, we can understand there will be some loss of rhythm while the conditioning develops. Does conditioning the heart enhance rhythm as a side effect? I think, “yes”. I don’t believe it will create rhythm in the absence of other influences (good breeding, understanding of the job), but when those other things are in place, I am seeing a direct relationship between cardiovascular fitness and rhythm.
Now in our third week, Pippin continues to make progress in our conditioning program. At this point, my goals are fairly simple: 7 minute trot intervals (with reasonable energy/engagement) followed by a walk break where his heart rate returns to his “walking” level. We’re doing three intervals with a five minute walk break. Naturally, there is a warm up and cool down with it. He’s working for about 45 minutes each drive.
Today, Pippin showed me that he no longer needs a 5 minute break — 3 minutes will suffice. His trot speed has come up nicely — even though speed is not a goal right now — it is a by product of asking him to put more ‘push’ into his work. Our workout includes much more bending/circles now (we’re working with obstacles to keep it interesting). The bending reinforces the push (he can’t really navigate the obstacles without energy from behind) and I can actually see the muscle developing.
I will be adjusting his training plan to call for 10 minute trot intervals, followed by 3 minute walk recovery. I expect it will be a bit of a stretch for him the first time, but not so much as to put him at any risk. I will adjust the plan on the fly if his heart rate doesn’t come down quickly enough during his recovery phase (although I doubt this will happen). He continues to have every-other-day off so as to have ‘rebuild’ time. We also feed Platinum Performance and that really seems to help support our fellows during conditioning.
One of the huge benefits of using heart rate monitoring is the ability to assess, in real time, the physical state of the equine’s cardio-vascular system. Given that the heart rate is a clear indicator of the amount of work the heart is being called upon to perform, much can be deduced by observing the patterns.
I’m conditioning two young ponies: Pippin (who has several years under harness, but is very much out of condition) and Chloe (who is both out of condition and inexperienced). Both warrant very careful monitoring to insure they’re working hard enough to develop condition, but not so much as to cause injury and/or pain. Both are happy and willing workers. My goal is to make sure that I don’t push them too hard so as to compromise that delightful willingness in them. Pain from over-exertion must be avoided!
I use interval training where a period of higher activity work is followed by a rest/walk period. I discovered that both Pippin and Chloe were having trouble maintaining their trot for the entire interval I had defined. This was shown by elevating heart rate that was moving out of the target zone I had set. Returning to the walk brought the heart rate back down. This told me that their bodies were being put under more stress than I wanted, at this level of conditioning. (Certainly, as they are fitter, I will ask them to work in the higher heart rate zones. Now, we need to be conservative.)
I adjusted both training plans to call for a shorter trot duration with a longer rest/walk period. In doing so, I actually increased the number of intervals, but had each one shorter. The result? Both ponies were able to complete the training plan without elevating their heart rates outside the zone I had planned. Without this technology, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to determine the ponies were feeling stress. Neither pony showed any outward sign. But, their hearts don’t lie.
From this point, I will be slowly adding time to the trot intervals. The trick is to add time slowly enough to allow the pony to develop it’s strength, but not so slow as to not ask for any work. No work = no development. Too much work = pain and/or injury. It’s a fine line.
Pippin is a wonderful worker — willing and athletic. However, at 11.3 hands, he’s not a big fellow. I worry about pushing him too far/too fast but using my Polar Heart Rate Monitor has given Pippin a voice.
I’m working him with trot intervals, with walk breaks in between. The monitor gives me real time feedback to Pippin’s status. Today, during our third trot interval, Pippin’s heart rate raised suddenly. There was no outward change in his behavior or performance. However, his heart was telling me that he was either frightened (not), in pain (doubtful) or tired. Given that the heart rate came down rapidly after returning to the walk, I decided he was telling me that he was tired. Without the tool, I wouldn’t have known — he truly did not show any outward sign of fatigue.
The technology allows me to adjust his workload to his status on that day. Making sure that he isn’t pushed too far is critical to me and I’m thankful for the tools that let me watch out for little Pippin.
I’ve adjusted his plan for shorter trot intervals while he builds up his strength. He’s worth the effort to protect him!
It was an ambitious project: teach people how to prepare their equine for work in harness…over the web! We broke the skills into small steps and grouped the steps into 6 separate sessions. During each weekly lesson, we reviewed the steps, discussed how to teach the step and covered what issues may come up. Each week we built on the steps taught previously. I did the lessons right along with the class with our demo pony — Scooter Pi. He was totally green and proved more-than-happy to provide photos of his learning.
Did it work? Oh YEAH! The participants are still refining the lessons, but I’m pleased that they (students AND equines) have the necessary skills to move forward. Is this approach right for everybody? No. It takes a large commitment of time, plus a great deal of patience. But, if you like teaching your equine, it’s a great way to develop a new set of skills and to have fun along the way.
We’re planning the next offering now. If you are interested in participating, please email me for more information.
Check out the great progress the students in First Steps to Harness have made! I am SO proud of them. Their hard work is certainly paying off.
Video of Stella and her AMAZING progress
Three cheers for Denny taking such great photos….his photo of Team Hobbit earned a half page plus the table of contents.
ADS “Hours to Drive” photo/article
Come learn about the fun and family-friendly sport of driving — the fastest growing equestrian sport in the US! During this free clinic, we’ll help you understand what you’ll need to know to get started. Learn about harness, vehicles, training and different styles of driving. There will be plenty of photos, links to video. With your computer, log in to the site and learn. Bring your questions (and enjoy from the comfort of your own chair!). Rain or shine — we’ll be in on the computer! March 10, 7 PM (Pacific time)
This is the same clinic that we’ve done “live”. We’re hoping to make it available to even more folks by offering it in webinar format. Please register at http://www.roadsenddriving.com/Registration.htm
Is it possible to teach people how to prepare their own horses/ponies for work in harness from afar? I believe so — I think the concepts are basic when broken down into small parts. We’ve put together a web based course to teach people how to prepare their own horses/ponies for harness work. This is a six session course that will teach you how to teach your equine. You will have homework! If you are interested in participating — please email me for more information! First Steps to Harness_Web_Based Syllabus
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Many thanks for the photos, provided by Hidden Falls Farm
How exciting to be thinking about all the new drivers coming to the Pacific Northwest! I’m looking forward to driving events with all of the attendees competing/playing! For those who had trouble downloading the handouts, I’ve broken it into three parts. Please let me know if this isn’t small enough and I’ll go smaller.
Kim, Denny and I all really appreciate all the participants! Thank you for spending part of your Saturday with us. Questions? Email me or post them here.
Check out the resources links for some of the sources that I mentioned. A very special thanks to Robert from Graham Carriage Works who drove a long, long way to share his amazing cart with us. I can hardly wait to get mine!!!!
Getting Started Driving2011_1
Getting Started Driving2011_2
Getting Started Driving2011_3
A bit about the demo ponies:
Claire
Claire is 8 years old. We’ve owned her for about 3 years. She is a Nokota (mustang) X Chincoteague Pony and is (without a doubt) the smartest equine I have ever met. I started harness training with her on the day she came to our farm and within a month she was hitched to a vehicle. She began competition that year and has consistently been in the ribbons. You can see her on the Nokota Conversancy Website and she’s been in the ADS (American Driving Society) publications twice. She also works under saddle. While she is very much a “don’t touch me, and most certainly don’t CUDDLE me!” mare, once she goes to work, she’s 100%. Not a child’s pony…she’s perfect for me!
Chloe
Chloe is a 3 year old APHA. She’s been with us since she was a yearling. I hadn’t planned on starting her at two, but she would hang over the gate watching me work the others with a “pick me, pick me!” expression. One day, I decided to give her a try and much to my surprise found that she was most certainly ready to learn. By last summer, she was working in harness and is a delightful (although green!) driving partner. Most recently, Kim put her first ride on Chloe who took it in stride. The polar opposite of Claire, she adores touching and affection. Surprisingly, the two of them are best friends and I’ve started work in putting them together as a team.
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After my accident in October, I began searching for safety devices that would help reduce the risk of serious damage to my not-quite-as-young-as-I-used-to-be body. I found the Hit-Air vest and am thrilled that I did. Read More »
For their health and safety…
Heart rate monitoring allows us to closely monitor the well being of the horse in training. Since stress raises the heart rate, real time monitoring allows us to avoid pushing the horse/pony too far. At the same time, athletic development will only occur when working — so it is a very delicate balance. We began using real time monitoring when Claire was recovering from surgery. It has proven to be an invaluable training aid that we now use for all conditioning.
We develop training plans that are downloaded into the realtime monitoring tool This helps us work according to a progressive plan — while allowing for variations if we see signs of stress. Prior to any conditioning training session, the training plan is downloaded and the monitor is attached to the horse. We monitor heart rate during activity and also track the recovery time.
Because they’re worth it….
Starting Out
The first step in using heart rate monitoring is to get a monitor. We use an “on board” monitor and this document will focus on that type. Real time monitoring offers many advantages over taking the vitals after the work is completed:
When taking readings after the work is complete, you may miss that point where the horse has reached it’s maximum. Pushing beyond that point may cause injury.
It’s impossible to determine AFTER the fact whether or not the horse has actually “worked”. If the heart rate hasn’t elevated at all, the horse is not working.
We use Polar equipment. We like the product so well that we’ve become dealers. We’d like to help you use the tool to give your horse/pony a voice.
