breaking to harness?

[MitchyInge]

can you do this at any age? anyone here do it, professionally or otherwise?

[Pixel]

We used to drive our old pony, he was great and we enjoyed it but didn't really have much choice at the time about where we could go. We got fed up with the same 3 miles of narrow country road before we could turn off anywhere. Then we moved close to lots of nice quiet roads but had nowhere to store the cart. It wasn't very safe or dry under tarpaulin so we ended up selling it. Shame really, as the pony my sister has now was driven for years by a previous owner.

[MitchyInge]

Thanks everyone :) couldn't be more dangerous fun than first attempt to lunge

wonder if it is too late to add books about this to my Christmas list?

[horseymum]

I broke a few ponies to harness at my work, including my own horse, although she became unsound before i was actually able to drive her properly. I had plenty of support at first but a lot of it is simple leg work - gets you very fit, specially when they are trotting. We did them at any age, some were coming back to it after breaks of 12 plus years, others were youngsters, others first time teenagers - temperament the most important. It is great fun and i miss it just now. Probably easier if you have someone to show you the basics and catch up with you every so often as easier to learn from a person than a book! It is not rocket science though and we have fairly inexperienced volunteers helping with it after a bit of training. Take your time so that each stage is assimiliated and you won't give them a big fright - kinda common sense, sure you know all that anyway! just to say, I'm sure you will manage it, have fun. Driving people are pretty friendly in my experience (many verging on the dotty but lovely!)

[Santassnowyoldclothcatpuss]

I know of welsh mountain ponies who are driven before breaking to saddle. They can drive as a two year old but are too immature to be ridden.

[elephantpoo]

Don't know about how anybody

[elephantpoo]

I used to help a lady who bred welsh ponies and also broke to ride and drive. A lot of the basics a horse learns for driving are what are done when they are broken to ride. Age is usually not a problem, as Callisto says, as long as they are ridden already.
Lots of long reining and dragging objects first (tyres work well)........plenty of exercise for you!! Would you be doing it yourself?
Don't know about anybody else does it, but the lady I knew did the breaking, but got the owners very involved.......was ideal for a lot of people.

[Callisto]

I'm planning on breaking DD's pony to drive in the spring. I've never done it before, but I know someone who has and who will help me. I'm going to do all of the long reining myself.

I think as long as the horse/pony has been broken to ride already there will be no problem breaking it to drive whatever it's age.