Sassafras First Day Hooking to Cart

This pony has had one week of basic NH groundwork, line driving, and long lining. 7 yr old mare, very green and skittish, has been led with children on her back but had no knowledge of how to steer etc. Otherwise very sensible, smart, friendly, and good natured. By the end of the video she was pulling cart quietly. 4 days later she was driving solo See: "Sassafras 4 Days Later Driving Solo" www.youtube.co... Three weeks later pony was safe enough for the little girl who owned her to drive with my assistance. (Three weeks of driving this pony every day) See:"Sassafras Three Weeks Later Driving" www.youtube.co... The girl was also able to now ride this pony. See: "Sassafras Under Saddle" www.youtube.co...
I disabled the comments for this video because of people who don't seem to understand training a horse. #1 these people were given this pony for free only to discover the kids were unable to do anything with her. She was skittish and unpredictable to the point of being dangerous. Maybe someone tried to teach her to drive previously and made a botch up of it, who knows. Point is, the people could only afford 6 weeks of training so I needed to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. While it's nice to have months to play tiddly winks with your backyard pet, business is business and time is money. Luckily I have a background training standardbred racehorses where time is of essence. #2 one of the critics stated he only watched the first 15 minutes. If he had stuck around for the entire video, he would have seen that the pony settled down nicely by the end.. only 27 minutes getting this wild rangatang over her issues is not too shabby.
I am a professional horse trainer licensed by the United States Trotting Association since 1976 as a Trainer/Driver. Have started dozens if not over a hundred standardbreds to driving. Certified by PATH International as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor, experienced at teaching special needs children & adults how to ride and drive.
I specialize in training horses and their owners in groundwork techniques that improve horsemanship skills and turn horses into respectful, obedient, safe partners.