How long does it take to train a horse to drive.

Question
Hi,

I have a wonderful little horse named Earl. He is learning to be a service animal. We starte ground driving last fall and want to start teaching him to drive.

My question is, How long does it take to teach a horse to drive?  I have been told by an "expert" that it takes years. I have help to teach Earl and am trying to plan my training schedule for this summer. I am in Vermont and wasn to take advantage of the warmer seasons.

I rode for years and ground drove all my horses, but never drove.

Thank you very much,
Patty

Answer
Patty,

It doesn't take years.  I usually have a horse going pretty well in 2-3 mos.  A lot depends upon the horse. Ones that are self-confident, not spooky and reasonably bold will have the basics down in about 30 days from the day your 1st put them in the shafts.  If you've not ever trained a horse to drive you would do well to get some advice from someone who knows how to properly train them.  Mistakes made early can ruin the best horse.  

Just as with being ridden under saddle, experience is the best teacher of all.  The more the horse is driven and exposed to different situations, the better they get.  I started a 4 yr. old pony last year.  I had her hooked and was driving her in a cart within a week from starting but she is exceptional and I know what I'm doing.  There are lots of people in VT who drive.  Robin Groves is in VT., I've known Robin for years and she trains.  

If you have no one to give you a step-by-step process let me know and I'll do my best to tell you what to do but it would be better in person.  It's not terribly difficult but yeah, you need at least 1 helper for the early steps and 2 when you first put the horse to cart.  But if you've never actually driven either then please, by all means, get someone to give you some driving lessons.  It's radically different when you have to take the length of the cart and horse as well as the width of the cart which is not to be learned when you are trying to teach the horse.  There are some unique considerations in driving that you have to be aware of.  I hadn't been driving in over 20 yrs. when I went back to driving a pony I got.  And my driving up to then had been limited to jogging Standardbreds a few times around a racetrack.  Believe me, driving on trails is radically different!  I have lots of trees with gashes from the hubs on the wheels and have had some interesting experiences while I was learning how to drive on trails!  Granted, you may be figuring on limiting your driving to an arena setting but that has it's own challenges because of the size.  

I hope to be able to continue driving when I can no longer ride.  I found it interesting that a number of people have told me they consider it more hazardous than riding.  It has it's own hazards but I don't think any more so than riding.  And I find that all the horses that I train to drive before I break them to saddle are extremely easy to ride once they've been driven.  They already have a mouth on them, their gaits are set, they have some condition and have never learned to do 180's and run away because you can't do that hooked to a cart.  

Good luck and I'll help you all I can.

Lyn