Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Human error

We all know we do it..human error when it comes to handling horses....none of us are perfect, and even if we were perfect with one particular horse,  another one would come along and challenge our perfection!  Here is a fine example of "not perfect"   Last weekend I had a friend come over to take some photos of Lady and I as we worked in harness and hitched. Alice snapped a few photos while I warmed up Lady in harness.....and...gave me a perfect example of "human error."  I thought it might be interesting for folks to see such a fine example of "wrong" ...lol...and perhaps learn from my mistakes.  In this photo you can see we are working quietly and willingly,  but...my hands have dropped down, and my horse's head has aimed for the sky.  This is a classic example of wrong.
Lady looks a bit stressed here,  and why not!  her human is making a big mistake.  We went on to drive and I have a photo of "wrong" regarding fitting of her cart and harness.


This picture shows the result I get when my hands are correct!  a forward, willing walk, with Lady working in the frame she should ;-0  the "wrong" thing about this photo is,  my traces and not in true line of draught (draft) .....instead of following the line of the shaft, the traces go high at the single tree and make an uncomfortable connection from pony to cart.  THIS is why I need photos...lol....so, in my next post, I will show the revised version of the pony to cart connection. Proper harnessing is complex. There are many, many adjustments on the harness and learning your ponies "sweet spot/best fit" can be a challenge. It takes a lot of experimenting and alot of learning and thought process. I know my adjustments worked, as I drove the next day I could hear that pony sigh for a mile ;-0 a..yes, my human finally got it right.


4 comments:

  1. Nice to see the photographic differences isn't it? May I ask when do you post next, please include the before (above) and after for easy reference and comparison? Like you, I enjoy the photos telling the fit. I often take photos and then go over them again later on or the next day and scrutinize the fit. Great work!

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    1. sure, before and after photos together would make alot more sense eh? I will put that on my list of things to include.

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  2. Interesting! I don't think people realize how complicated carting really is. I investigated it at one point and watched a DVD with my husband. Afterwards, hubby looks at me and says, "I think riding the horse is where you should stay." :) Kudos to you! Can't wait until the next post!

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  3. I'll need some help finding the sweet spot with our harness and cart fit if you want some practice. I grew up driving a retired Amish horse...we didn't fiddle around with fit back then but I take it serious now. Not sure I can invest a ton of brain power into driving though. It's just a casual hobby for me. Lady is looking great! Go Top of the Hill horses!

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