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In reply to the discussion: The Rude Pundit: How Fucked the Climate Is in Two Photos (Updated) [View all]magical thyme
(14,881 posts)I was in a rough board situation at a farm with a small, private track. I hired myself out for care, lessons and training to various boarders. That included a guy who had 2 harness horses -- I jogged them for him daily for a year or so. It was a blast. I also had limited experience when my best friend across the street got a pony and cart, so the 2 of us drove her around.
So I'll need training in driving, although I did ground drive my filly as part of her training. Plus I want to learn to twitch logs. The local county fairs here include competitions in log pulling. Mostly large draft horses, but haflingers have also become popular here. I'd like to see a return to morgans. We don't need to import light draft; just get the foundation lines back here again. And I think morgans cross with arabs much better than the haflinger crosses I've seen. The haflinger-arab crosses look like they have the typical problems that F-1 generation warmbloods had. Draft-hotblood are just too unlike in basic type so you end up with a lot of disasters. Whereas foundation morgans are much more like old-style arabs -- just with more substance.
It was my old gelding that I lost; my mare is young and enjoying her vacation. Sorry you lost your mare. My 1st teacher was a big-time eventer (Lockie Richards), and wanted me to go in that direction. I was a very good jumping rider, but lack the courage (or insanity, lol) required for eventing. I wanted to learn dressage from the time I saw Miracle of the White Stallions when I was 11.
Btw, according to Robert Hall, eventing is really just dressage with running and jumps in between