Don't Look a Gift [Harness] in the Mouth

 When your barn mate asks you to play hooky to do horse stuff only a half hour away, you take the afternoon off and go do horse stuff! The National Drive takes place spring and fall at the Hoosier Horse Park, and recreational horse drivers gather from all over the country to socialize, attend clinics, take private lessons, and participate in the driving-centric tack swap (our reason for attending). 

This kind of invitation is kryptonite to horsewomen

We figured we'd go look for a show harness for her cobs and potentially a ground driving/training harness for Pyro. Little did we know what the beautiful day held in store!

Hint: It was epic.

We met up with our friend Lisa, a long time breeder of beautiful welsh cobs (including the one I tried to breed Missy to, as well as the two Jen owns), who introduced us to some of her friends there at the Drive. They were getting ready to take their welsh cross mare, Sophie, out on the cross country course and invited Jen and me to ride along! 

The dog copilot was the most badass of all of us riding, lol

It was Jen's first time riding in a carriage ever, and my first time hanging on the back of a marathon vehicle. (Don't @ me if I get the terminology wrong, as I'm just beginning to learn!) The driver and her coach were so gracious and instructed us how to shift our weight to help keep the wheels on the ground around tight turns.

We got to watch how Sophie raced through the cones course and was nimbly guided through the series of gates by her driver. 

The dog's paws never left the dash

We were both grinning from ear to ear and it was evident we "caught the driving bug" right then and there. 

We did peruse the tack swap, and, while Jen didn't find quite what she was looking for, we must have been in the right place at the right time because a lady offered a free harness as we walked by her table. A little stunned, I asked what size. Turns out, it was exactly Pyro's size!

Even if it needed some repairs, I couldn't turn down that deal. I'm still learning what all makes this harness unique (I've never seen thimbles before!), but if nothing else, it'll be a great tool to practice ground driving with. 

Playing dress up!

Once I got it home, it appeared to fit Pyro quite well! The wires holding the blinders are all intact, and the only weak spot in the leather appeared to be at one end of the wither strap. It included a running martingale, which will need a stopper added if I use it. 

The one strap threatening to tear

It's definitely seen some miles, but the leather cleaned up well and is good quality. 

I'll likely replace the worn pad on the saddle with a fresh fleecy one.

The bridle was in great shape and has rings for a side check, rather than an overcheck

I'm looking forward to building on our previous ground driving work with this harness. I find it's a really great brain teaser to cycle into our work routine, especially in the winter. 

While I've driven a couple times, it has always been under the supervision of an experienced driver. I have a LOT to learn if I'm ever going to break Pyro (or Missy!) to drive. So, the next logical step was to scour the internet for appropriate books on the subject. 

My haul from the online "thrift store"

Those of you with driving experience, what resources would you recommend for a newbie wanting to do things safely?

I'm hoping to one day get to drive Pyro like this!