From: hannah@pomponio.ai.sri.com (Marsha Jo Hannah)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: driving
Date: 16 Apr 92 20:53:57 GMT
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
In-reply-to: kcumming@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu's message of 16 Apr 92 13:48:34 GMT

In article <1992Apr16.134834.26131@newserve.cc.binghamton.edu> kcumming@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Kitty Cummings) writes:

   ....  One of my boarders just
   purchased my 2yr red dun app filly, 'Rosie'. ... she
   *really* wants 'Rosie' to learn to drive, and drive well.  Her husband
   likes horses, but isn't really into riding and her young daughter
   suffers from a severe siezure disorder ....  So, her mom wants 'Rosie' to
   drive so that they can enjoy her as a family - go out for summer drives
   together, winter sliegh rides, etc.  

   ... i want to compete in pleasure driving with her on a more competitive
   level than I've ever done in driving ....  I'm also interested in
   the cross-country obstacle driving competitions ...
   S0, anyone have any driving competition expereince??? in iether
   pleasure driving or the XC type??

My driving experience is a little strange.  Since my driving animal is
a donkey, ADS/AHSA rules exclude us from most formal competitions.
That, plus my general preference for unstructured activities, has led
to my not participating in the types of driving you want to do.
However, I've read everything I can get my hands on, attended every
clinic that came my way, and at one time was fairly involved with
Combined Driving---doing course design, setup, judging, and scoring.

For the types of driving you want to do, you need to become an ADS
member (address in the earlier posting).  They publish a monthly (?)
informative newsletter, send out an annual rule book, and offer many
books for sale; in addition to the Roth one, you'll also want one by
Charles Kellogg (its title escapes me) on the ins and outs of show and
Combined Driving.

   We were thinking of a Meadow-wood (sp?) as a pleasure driving
   competition vehicle - is this acceptable???

I think you mean a Meadowbrook; they are usually a natural-wood
finished vehicle.  There are a lot of them out there, in use for both
pleasure driving and CDEs.  I personally hate them, as they are a real
pain to get in and out of---IMHO, not suitable for a handicapped
person.  Also, for a green horse, no matter how quiet, I prefer
something where the groom (or driver if alone---not a good idea, BTW)
can quickly and safely bail out and get to the horse's head in an
emergency.  I would suggest that you go to one of the carriage
auctions (contact Martin's Auctioneers in Intercourse, PA---it's about
time for their big spring auction) or big driving shows and look at
all of the types available.  Serious competitors end up with something
like a Bennington gig or a Kuhnle marathon "war wagon".  Driving
Digest magazine will have ads (with pictures) of all that.  Family use
suggests an eventual 4-wheeled vehicle (most carts only hold 2
people), but a green horse ought to start with a cart, since a
4-wheeler can be easily flipped by a greenie backing at the wrong
moment.

   ... What is the acceptable
   attire - colors, use of lap robe, style for men/women???

There is a good section on this in the Roth book that I recommended,
and almost all of the pictures in it show people "turned out"
properly.  The basic idea is to have an "integrated", conservative
look; "period" costumes are definitely discouraged, except in
specificly designated classes.  Think of a British businessman or
-woman....  Colors are mostly dark and subdued, although a bit of a
brighter accent is acceptable---for instance, a black painted carriage
might have red pinstriping; the driver's black lap robe could then
have a red monogram on it, and the driver might wear a red scarf at
the throat, probably with a white blouse and a black jacket and skirt
or slacks.  A hat is mandatory (with a small brim---not one of those
big floppy jobs), as are gloves, a lap robe, and an appropriate
driving whip IN HAND.  A red-dun app could reasonably use a black,
dark green, or dark blue carriage (with color-coordinated attire);
natural wood is OK, but you'll "be taken more seriously" in a painted
carriage.  Natural carriages usually use russett harness; painted
carriages use black.  There are SO many details....

Marsha Jo Hannah		Murphy must have been a horseman--
La Honda, CA			anything that can go wrong, will!