News on the Driving Front

 I thought I'd give a brief update on all things driving, since there have been some exciting developments. 

Best mare <3

Missy and I had our first foray into the hay field! There's a pretty steep hill down from the indoor/parking lot to the hay field, and I didn't want her first experience of holding back a cart with the breeching down a hill to be that... intense. So, I drug the cart down the hill myself and put to just outside the outdoor arena. As a "pre-flight check", I ground drove her a lap around the hay field, just to help her bridge the gap. I'm grateful I did because she was a little spicy at first! However, she settled by the time we got back around to the cart and was perfect as I hooked everything up. 

Of course, Tessa wasn't about to be left behind.

Honestly? She was superb. Every once in a while, she wanted to jog instead of walk, but I think that's because the momentum makes the cart a little easier for her to roll over the grass. 

Good spotty girls

Just in case, I had asked Jen if she'd be around as my "Emergency 911 Dialer" should I need it. I didn't, but she grabbed some lovely media of our drive. Anything not from the driver's seat is thanks to her. (Excuse the grainy screenshots, but omg, Missy was so good.)

There are a few gentle grades in the hay field, so Missy got to feel the cart being held back by the breeching. It didn't bother her one bit. Neither did the pair of bucks that popped out across the driveway as we were heading straight toward them.

We ended with her pulling the cart UP the steep hill back to the indoor arena, which was not an issue for my little ATV.

Will ground tie for cookies

So thankful for these girls

In other news, I'm now the proud owner of my very own carriage! (The breaking cart we've been using is on loan from my father-in-law.) It's an older model, but in great shape and well suited for CDE if I end up dabbling in that sport. 

Picture from the FB Marketplace ad of the carriage with the prior owner.

Malhon, my ever-supportive husband, drove 8 hours round trip to help me pick it up. 

Testing the fit of the driver's seat

It only needed the back rest of the seat reattached. 

It has brakes!

Platform for a navigator

I LOVE the color scheme... but this means I need hunter green pads for my harness, right?

It has quick release shackles, so I had to order converters for my slot end traces. 

Between waiting for that part and some soundness issues for Missy, I haven't gotten to use it yet. (Missy is due for joint injections for her arthritic front pasterns, but repeated ACTH results in the equivocal "grey zone" have me hesitant to give her steroids again. My vet and I are coming up with a plan to try Platelet Rich Plasma, PRP, therapy, along with some other backup plans to get her feeling as good as possible.) Once we have her taken care of, I'm looking forward to tooling around together in this carriage! 

And so is Tessa!