Chapter 8

{Page 49}

Another solution to keeping horses and getting older may be driving. A person who is comfortable driving can spend hours of enjoyment traveling through nature at a clip exactly the same as in the days of their youth. Horse drawn vehicles can be manufactured with a very low threshold sometimes referred to as an “easy entry” vehicle, allowing the driver and/or passenger to enter without having to stretch quite so high, sometimes impossibly so. Additionally, the driving equestrian has a broader spectrum of equine companions from which to choose. If a draft horse or warmblood do not suit you, you may find a lovely Morgan (a breed famous for talented driving horses). Think about the innumerable Standardbreds who are adept at driving yet need a home so desperately once they are retired from their careers at harness racing tracks.

My senior friend Danny, a very charming gentleman, has made quite a lucrative business for himself with just such a horse. Danny has been a wise and respected horseperson his entire life and has found that living so near Plymouth Massachusetts and having connections to Standardbred horses which are in need of retirement homes put him in a very fine position. Danny used his skill and knowledge as a great judge of horses and selected a steady, reliable, well mannered individual to purchase. Danny then bought a lovely white Vies a vie carriage and attached his beautiful bay Standardbred to it. The handsome white haired Danny and his shiny bay Standardbred cut a dashing image as the pair drive along the waterfront parks of downtown Plymouth offering romantic open air tours of the historic town. What an entrepreneur! What a wonderful way to continue to enjoy your life with horses! Isn’t driving a lovely option?

One can do it on a smaller scale than Danny…literally. What about a Shetland pony, or even a Mini? Both of those breeds are capable of giving a person (or perhaps even two people) a fine ride in a cart or carriage! All the work done to support horses of this size would be diminished as well. Smaller tack to clean, smaller stalls to muck…so much less hay and grain to buy…less of everything really…except the fun and the bond that comes with finding the horse that is perfect for you.