We have a young woman in our family (married a grandson) who is a successful pony trainer. She's trained and sold some Welsh ponies who have been very successful in some big venues. She thinks that ground driving has no carryover into riding. I do not agree with her, but it's an interesting theory. I ground drive everything and drive a few with a cart. Four year old Tosca had two ground driving sessions in the round pen before yesterday when I bravely drove her out the gait and down 1/2 mile of dirt road, over three bridges. She is SO trainable and so willing to be trained. As to which muscle groups are influenced by driving, I would think the hindquarters might be working when pulling a carrt. If the horse is rounded when ground driving, then I suspect the muscles over the topline might be at work. Nancy ________________________________________________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.
