>>>> That just kills me - he's not ridable but would make a good driving >>>> horse - NOT !! - driving requires a very stable, rock solid horse - >>>> much more so than riding. It just shows a level of ignorance
Yep... however, I can think of a few exceptions...such as if the horse has a particular injury that makes weight-carrying via saddle painful or inhumane, but the injury doesn't affect his ability to pull. When we thought that Loftur might have "kissing spines" (before he was x-rayed) I discussed the possibilty of driving him with the vet. Loftur's old injury - which turned out to be soft tissue, thankfully - was around his withers, and the vet didn't think it would affect his potential for at least some light driving. We've never checked into that, and he was eventually cleared for riding, so we never pursued driving him. FWIW, the vet who said that served as the US Olympic driving team vet for several years. More often though, I think such things are said out of ignorance. Karen Thomas, NC
