Driving Very Small Equines
Why choose a miniature horse?

Manageability

Miniature horses are easier to handle than larger equines because they stand below our natural center of gravity and are lighter weight. They can leap around at the end of a lead shank and not pose a danger to the handler. They are smart and quick to learn. Generally they are of quiet temper with plenty of horse sense.

Not only is the size of the horse scaled down but the size of everything else. We keep our harnesses in medium sized gym bags and our heaviest two-wheeled cart weighs 150 lbs. Our carts fit easily in the back of a pickup truck or in the horse trailer. Equipment can cost less because less raw material is needed but the same amount of work goes into a small harness as a larger one so don’t expect a huge difference.

Miniature horses require less space than their larger counterparts but most zoning laws define them as the same. Remember this if you’re planning to keep your minis at home. If you plan to board out, most stables want the same price for a stall regardless of the size of the intended occupant.

For agricultural purposes, regulations use animal units. An animal unit is defined as 1000 lbs of livestock so four or five miniature horses are needed to make one “AU”. This is a big advantage when figuring out how much pasture is needed or if you have to “manage” your manure.

Transport for miniature horses is easier too. We can fit several horses in a trailer that will only hold two large horses. Some people haul their minis in vans or trucks. Someone even revamped their RV to have a stall inside for their mini.

Cost

The initial cost of a VSE can be less than that of a large horse or pony. If you choose fancy bloodlines or breeding stock that price can go up quite a bit but there are lots of miniature horses for sale around $2,000.00. It is more difficult to find minis that are already trained to drive.

Obviously, miniature horses require less feed, hay and shavings. You still want to use quality feed and hay. Avoid feed with high fat or protein content, as most minis are “easy keepers”. Founder can be a problem but minis seem less prone to it than ponies.

Miniature horses don’t generally wear shoes. Their hoof walls are quite thin so it’s hard to fit a nail into the wall without damaging the hoof. Breed show rules don’t allow shoes or nail holes in a horse’s hooves. Most minis have very tough feet so it’s not a problem for them to be barefoot. If you do have one with softer feet or one that needs some corrective “shoeing”, Vettec glue can be used to form a covering on the wall edge.

Points to Consider

Weight when Driving

1000 lb. Horse   250 lb. Horse = Ratio of 2.50   = Ratio of 0.91 400 lb. Load   275 lb. Load

The balance of the cart is that much more important because of that weight ratio. Most miniature horse vehicles are two-wheeled carts. The shafts of the cart act as a lever with the axle as the pivot point. The shafts should be level with the load (the driver) at or slightly behind the axle. That way there is little or no weight from the cart on the mini’s back. If the driver leans forward his weight is shifted to the horse’s back. If the driver leans back the horse can be lifted up. Roadster drivers will use this to their advantage to lighten their horses’ forehand and allow them to stride out more.

26" Wheel with 23° slope   20" Wheel with 30° slope The angle of slope is less with a larger wheel.

Choosing a wheel size can make a huge difference also. Most of the weight of a wooden wheel is in the hub. A 20” wheel and a 26” wheel are almost the same weight. But when driving over bumps the larger wheel is easier to pull because it has a lesser degree of slope to go up over each bump. Imagine pushing a shopping cart across a pasture. It’s very difficult because the wheels get caught in every little divot. The same will happen with a smaller cartwheel.

Checks?

There are two types of check in use today, the sidecheck and the overcheck. They act in different ways to hold the horse’s head up. The sidecheck snaps onto the bit between the cheekpiece and the rein. Then it runs up the side of the horse’s head to a ring on the crownpiece. From there it goes along the neck to the check terret on the harness saddle. The overcheck buckles onto the bit in front of the cheekpiece and runs up the horse’s face, between his ears and down the neck to the check terret on the saddle.

The sidecheck asks the horse to flex at the poll. If he reaches too far down it will force his head to stay up. The overcheck works on the neck causing the horse to hold his head up or get hit in the mouth. Both types of check need to be adjusted correctly or they can cause problems.

What does the horse’s head have to do with pushing the cart? Imagine you’re pushing that grocery shopping cart again, heading up hill. It’s easiest to put your head down so you can engage more of your back muscles. Now imagine your head is being forced up. Makes the job a lot harder doesn’t it?

Breeching?

The horse needs something to hold the cart back when going downhill or to push the cart back when backing up. Breeching mirrors the breastcollar, running around the horse’s rear end and buckling around the shafts into the footman’s loops. Adjusted correctly it rests on the buttocks at the widest point. If it’s too high it will slide up under the horse’s tail; if too low it will force the horse’s hind legs forward and up. Breeching is the best option for cross-country driving.

Tug stops can be added to any shafts. They are small knobs that stick out to the side to hold the tugs in the proper position. By using a French or gig tug that wraps tightly around the shaft with a tug stop, the horse will be able to hold or push the cart back. An overgirth with a wrap strap could also be used with a tug stop. This option is more appropriate for the show ring or any time the horse will be driving on a level surface only.

Thimbles are cups that fit over the tips of the shafts and then are strapped to the saddle. They are used in harness racing. Once again they are only an option when driving on a level surface. Both thimbles and wrapping tugs with tug stops force the horse to hold or push the cart back with his back muscles rather than his rear end.

Competitions for Miniature Horses

American Driving Society (ADS)

The American Driving Society sets standards for Driving shows and competitions in the United States and Canada. ADS came up with the acronym VSE for very small equine. In their rulebook VSE is defined as any equine 39” and under. Of all the competitions under the ADS umbrella two types have classes for VSEs, pleasure shows and combined driving events (CDEs).

In pleasure shows a variety of classes may be offered including 3 types of pleasure driving classes, several types of cones classes, obstacle and cross country classes and age or experience specific classes. Many show organizers are adding separate divisions for VSEs. VSEs are eligible for pony classes if no separate division is available.

Based on the three-day riding event, Combined Driving Events (CDEs) are competitions with three parts, dressage, cross country and cones. At this time training and preliminary level events are offered for VSEs. Plans for adding an intermediate level are ongoing.

American Miniature Horse Assoc. (AMHA) & American Mini. Horse Registry (AMHR)

Breed shows also offer a variety of driving classes. Pleasure Driving Classes are judged on performance with the accent on more action and fire. Country Pleasure Classes emphasize daisy cutter action and manners. A horse can only enter one type of pleasure class at any show. All horses can cross enter into Roadster classes.

Roadsters are judged at the trot only. They enter the ring going clockwise at a jog trot (slow) and show at a road gait (medium). All entries reverse at the jog trot, work at the road gait and then trot on (fast!). The class is based on the common practice in the 1800’s of young men racing their horses along the roads driving single seat vehicles called “sulkies”. A sulky type cart and silks are required for the Roadster classes. Silks are similar to the ones worn by harness racing drivers, made up in each stable’s colors.

A few other driving classes seen at breed shows are obstacle, versatility and park. Obstacle driving has each entrant driving through a group of hazards individually. Versatility is judged on driving, halter and jumping. All competitors enter the ring driving and are judged like a pleasure class. The harness and cart are removed in the ring with the help of an assistant. The horses are then shown in a halter for conformation. In the last section each horse is shown over between two and eight fences and judged as a hunter.

American Driving Society vs. AMHR and AMHA

Differences in Harness

ADS prefers all horses be driven without a check. If a check is necessary a sidecheck may be used at lower levels. AMHR and AMHA require a check; both sidechecks and overchecks are allowed.

AMHR and AMHA also allow running martingales to be used. ADS does not allow any type of device that ties the horse’s head. False martingales are used on certain types of harness like a gig harness. They run from the collar to the girth but don’t tie the horse’s head at all.

Breeching is required for ADS except if there are brakes on the vehicle. AMHR and AMHA allow breeching but not using it is preferred.

ADS will allow any type of bit provided the mouthpiece is fairly smooth. This includes all types of riding bits. AMHR and AMHA will only allow snaffle type bits though the mouthpiece can be twisted.

Required items for the driver in ADS shows include hat, whip, gloves, and apron. None of these items are required for AMHR and AMHA classes. As more and more people show their miniature horses in both types of competitions the unwritten rules for dress are changing in the breed shows. More drivers are showing with hats and aprons, gloves and whips.

Opportunities

The best reason for choosing a miniature horse is all the options available to VSE drivers. There will only be more as our sport grows.