Sunday driving...

My wife's goofy, generally useless, oversized QH-cross gelding, the unworthy son of my late stallion, has been finding himself between the shafts most Sunday afternoons here lately. Mostly because I'm trying to get my wife to spend more time holding the lines, and she's afraid the big drafters will get away from her. Although he's 16-3, her gelding doesn't have the brute strength (or raw gumption) to drag the heavy forecart anywhere if I step on the brakes.

He's getting to be a pretty solid cart horse. Today we switched around the harness on him a bit... We'd been using a breast-collar cart harness. I kept the surcingle, breeching, and bridle from that, replaced the breast collar and its traces with a collar & hames from an old harness we had in the back and the plowing tugs I'd made for his sister. Added the beta lines borrowed from a draft harness.

He was much more willing to pull with the neck collar set-up... Although still a lazy sod.

Now if I could get the wife to use her hands to work the lines instead of standing up and dancing ballet to use her whole arms to manage the things. But at least she's actually taking them now.