TRAINING
Join-up
Consider sending your horse to be trained for driving at Butternut Farm. All breeds welcome. Pat is also available to prepare your horse for a Fjord Evaluation.
PAT'S QUALIFICATIONS:
TRAINED OVER 40 DRIVING AND DRAFT HORSES, 1970 TO PRESENT
PRESENTLY TRAINING HORSES AT BUTTERNUT FARM
INSTRUCTOR, SKIJORING CLINIC TO ICELANTIC PONY CLUB, 2009
INSTRUCTOR, 2 SKIJORING CLINICS, WINTER 2008/ 2009 AT BUTTERNUT FARM
INSTRUCTOR, BUTTERNUT FARM, DRIVING AND DRAFT, WORKSHOP, ALL BREEDS, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
IMPORTED AND TRAINED FOUR AWARD WINNING FJORD STALLIONS: HOSTAR, MARNIX, FELIX, AND PRYDARSON, 1987 TO 2007
IMPORTED AND TRAINED PRYDARSON, TOP EVER EVALUATED FJORD STALLION IN NORTH AMERICA
TRAINED PRISCO AS A THREE YEAR OLD STALLION, FOR RIDING AND DRIVING
HIGH POINT AWARD WINNER AT THE 25th ANNIVERSARY FJORD HORSE SHOW IN MINNESOTA USA, 2006
MEMBER OF ORGANIZING COMMITTEE OF 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE USA NORWEGIAN FJORD HORSE REGISTRY, 2005
OFFICIAL EVALUATOR FOR THE FJORD HORSE BREED IN NORTH AMERICA, 2004 TO PRESENT
MEMBER OF THE NORWEGIAN FJORD HORSE REGISTRY EVALUATION COMMITTEE 2000
DIRECTOR, NORTH-EAST USA FJORD HORSE ASSOCIATION 1997
CANADIAN CHAMPION PAIRS DRIVING 1997
BEST GENTLEMAN DRIVER, CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, 1996
INSTRUCTOR, LEEDS COUNTY DRAFT AND DRIVING WORKSHOP, ALL BREEDS, 1985, 1986
TRAINED 4 MORGAN STALLIONS: ADANAC MIKE, DIAMOND, NICK AND BRUCE, 1980 TO 1995
PAT’S TRAINING STYLE
Typically I will teach a green horse to drive in two months. Everything I do is carried out in a gentle manner. I believe that building trust with an animal is the first step in any lesson.
I begin in the round pen. My goal is to achieve a join-up with the horse. This may take a day or a few days. In this time I get to know the horse and he gets to know and trust me. I am a Reiki practitioner and if the horse is at all nervous or under stress, I will give him a Reiki treatment.
Round pen session
Once the animal trusts me, I will get him used to a saddle, and then to a driving harness. I do this by putting the saddle on him and turning him loose in the round pen. I do another round pen session hoping to achieve another join-up. I do the same thing with the horse in his driving harness. Next I long-line in the round pen getting the horse used to the voice command, “whoa”, and to turning.
Long- lining
Subsequently I ride in the round pen again to work on the “whoa” and on turning. I have him trotting in the round pen as well. I find riding safer for me and for the horse than moving directly to hitching. I can teach the horse many things from a saddle that take much longer and are more difficult to convey from a cart.
Riding
When he understands what I’m asking for, and this takes several days, I take him out to the driving ring. Here, for two weeks or so, I ride at a walk and a trot. I use a cones course to teach him to turn and bend. When he is comfortable in the ring I will ride him on the cross country trails we have on the farm.
Introduction to the training cart
The next step is getting him used to the harness and the cart. I first get him used to the feel of the harness, and the noise, movement, and bumping of the cart. This may take two or three days. I then long-line him for several days in the ring with his harness on. At the end of the first month, he is usually ready to hitch.
Hitching
When it’s time to hitch, I work very slowly with the horse. The first several days, I have him walk only. After he is completely at ease with me touching the whip on trees as we pass by them, and making noise with the cart, and speaking loudly, he is ready to progress to a trot.
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| Walking | Trotting |
The next three weeks I build his confidence. He learns the two walking gaits and three trotting gaits. I try to work with the owner and his horse so that the two of them are comfortable together. It is very important that the owner gives the same aids I have taught the horse.
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| Bending | Learning the aids |