There is a great deal of progress being made toward the inclusion of VSEs in American Driving Society events. During the past year, rules have been examined and changed, organizers have provided more opportunities and more challenging venues, and many events are including a VSE class. Here in the Northwest, several of the events had over one-third of the entries coming from the VSE community. There indeed seems to be a place in the world of Combined Driving for those of us who choose to drive these smaller versions of the horse.

Last year was my fifth competing in CDEs. I have watched a core group of three or four VSE entries grow to over twenty-three at my last event. We have VSEs at Training, Preliminary, and Intermediate levels. Several of the whips from this area are active in the ADS and are involved from local to national levels. Most of the VSE owners are also very active volunteers. This success has not been an accident. We have been blessed with organizers who were willing to work with ADS rules and provide us a venue to compete. Our area is also blessed with a group of VSE owners who take the sport seriously and give back as much as or more than is given to them. Perhaps the hardest part of continuing the success is overcoming the misinformation and prejudices that a number of fellow horsemen, organizers, and ADS officials have concerning the abilities of the VSEs. To that end we have allowed the performance of the horses to provide some of the education needed to change some of those opinions. I believe the horses themselves have spoken loudly and clearly that they can handle CDE competitions quite handily. Still, it appears that the task is not completed. There are individuals who feel quite strongly that such a small horse is unsuitable for Combined Driving events.

There are three factors I would like to address concerning the suitability of these small equines:

First, there is the overall appearance of the VSE turnout and the repercussions generated by perceptions. There is that instant I call the "first sight" moment. It is the time someone first sees the combination of horse and driver. Many opinions are formed in that first few seconds, perhaps the first time someone will have seen a VSE in harness. These impressions, be they right or wrong, may be so indelible as to cement opinion and override facts far into the future. Both observers and observed might do well to ask themselves what that "first sight" moment communicates: "Wow what a nice horse and driver," or "Wow, look at that huge person driving that tiny little horse." It is the latter impression that we share the responsibility to overcome. Perhaps one does not "see" the well-groomed turnout of a well-conditioned animal put to a well-balanced cart and shiny harness. It may make little difference that the small horse and the big person had had excellent dressage scores and finished the marathon by walking the last 500 meters because they were too fast and had to walk to avoid penalties. Few may notice that at the vet check the little horse's heart and respiration rates were barely above resting rate. What some folks care about is how it looked when they saw that big person driving that tiny little horse. "How can it be possible for that poor horse to pull such a load?" It is these images that provoke such great concern and often wagging of tongues.

That image also seems to stimulate an uncontrollable need to make things right for the little horse. Among some, there is little regard for the actual skill set or knowledge level of the driver or the actual condition of the horse. "How could this person possibly know anything if he is willing to place his animal in such pain and suffering?" "We must protect them from themselves." "We must make rules to protect the animals." I believe that the solution is not in creating more regulations but in providing education for all the concerned parties.

It would be wise for VSE whips to be cognizant of these issues and to take some appropriate proactive steps to help alleviate such negative perceptions before they occur. In all fairness, the VSE folks must take some responsibility for the perception problem. Even though it is a very small percentage, we do continue to have VSEs that are ill-mannered, poorly-trained, and unconditioned attend events. All participants have an obligation to present a turnout that represents their animals in the most favorable light.

One small incident at a single CDE can cause more damage and repercussions than a hundred magnificent turnouts at all the other events combined. As my friend Wanda has said, "Right or wrong we are always being critiqued. People seldom remember the fit, clean, correct horse; it's the over-round little guy with duct-taped traces that gets the attention and stays in the memory of those who don't know any better."

During my past five years of participation I have had the pleasure of meeting numerous officials, organizers, and best of all a whole new group of driving friends. Here again, in the Northwest I feel VSEs are being accepted and are being offered, in most circumstances, as much as the ADS rules will allow. In spite of all this success it continues to amaze me the amount of negativity that is encountered at all levels about VSE participation. Many of those responsible are knowledgeable men and women in the horse industry with many years of experience both as a whip, and some as officials. These people just cannot get beyond old adages, wives' tales, and preconceived prejudices regardless of the evidence available to them. Though the numbers of nay-sayers are small, the impact of their words continues to plant the seeds of doubt, division, and derision about the suitability of the VSE in the sport of Combined Driving.

Second, there is the need to address the fact that VSEs do not follow the same weight-to-load ratios as their larger cousins. One of the foremost concerns is the weight ratio of driver and carriage to the weight and size of the horse. I have read in several places that the maximum load for most breeds of horses is about 70% of the horse's weight. I could not find any recent studies to prove or disproved this information. It does seem to be an acceptable standard to use to judge the load. This may work fine for the large breeds of horses, but this guideline does not work when used to calculate loads for VSEs.

In an attempt to shed some light on just what a proper load might be for a VSE, I explored numerous web sites from farms that breed, raise, and train miniature horses. These sites provided some interesting insights into the beliefs of miniature horse owners. Estimates of minis' abilities to pull weight range from 1½ times their weight to up to ten times their weight under certain conditions. There was no consensus, but not a single one listed 70% as a limiting factor. None of these sites was able to supply any data that supported their beliefs. However, in 2005 on a ranch in Washington State, twenty-three horses participated in a study to gather factual information about VSEs and their abilities.

Data was collected on the weight of the driver and carriage and on the weight of the horse alone. This data is on the Happ's web site for all to see. I used this data to calculate the ratio of load to horse for twenty-one single turnouts and one pair. The turnouts ranged from a low of 84% to a high of 153%. None of them was under the 70% rule of thumb range used by larger horses. The average was 104.5 %. None of these horses had any difficulties finishing a full three-phase marathon. (Go to www.happs-inc.com and look under "Miniature Horse Research.") This data very strongly suggests that VSEs can handle a higher ratio of carriage-and-driver to horse than larger horses.

I have been driving in breed shows for ten years. I know many of you will say it is not the same as driving in the marathon of a CDE. But to some degree driving is driving and I have many hours in the seat of my cart behind many different horses. All of them were less than thirty-nine inches tall at the withers. I have watched hundreds of classes and observed numerous hitches at these shows. The majority of the horses are pulling loads well in excess of their body weight. I come to this conclusion by some simple logic. The average thirty-four-inch VSE weighs in around 200 pounds. Let us say the average small adult is 120 pounds, medium adult 150 pounds, large adult 200 pounds, and super-size 250 pounds or more. If the average cart weighs approximately 100 pounds, then the load for a 200-pound horse and a small adult is approximately 220 pounds. That same 200-pound horse will have a load of 350 pounds or more if a larger person like me is in the cart. I believe these are conservative estimates and that the actual load levels are higher than these.

I can testify that I have driven numerous horses in this weight range and none have had any difficulties handling the load. I believe the evidence supports that VSEs, when conditioned for the task, will have no difficulties handling a load around 1½ times their weight. Despite more and more evidence to support this, it is very hard for some individuals to recognize this as an acceptable load for the size of the horse.

Third, then, is the possibility that there may be physiological differences in the structure and physiology of the VSE that make it very suited to handle higher levels of work loads than originally thought possible. There has been some research done on this. For example, one study found the normal resting respiration rate for a miniature horse is 12 to 25 breaths per minute at rest. This is slightly faster than the normal 9 to 15 for large horses. A small study done in Texas in 1984 found that the miniature horses had fewer red blood cells than large horses but that those red blood cells were larger than what had been considered "normal." (Harvey, Hambright and Rowe 1984) I have heard numerous times that the heart and lungs are often larger in proportion to size of the animal in miniature horses, but I have not found any studies to support this information. I mention this area because it is an emerging field of study with a great many questions left unanswered.

However, this would not be the first time a breed with unique characteristics has been developed. In the beginning the major goal of miniature horse breeders was to develop the smallest horse. In pursuits to that end a diversity of genetics from all the smaller breeds of horses was infused into developing the miniature horse. Many of those foundation breeds were developed from hardy stock that worked in underground mines and survived in such harsh environments that most equines would have perished. The ultimate goal was to produce a horse under a certain height that maintained the proportions of a well-balanced horse. Approximately thirty years ago breeders became interested developing a specific kind of miniature horse more suited to pulling a cart. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that through their efforts a small breed of horse has developed with endurance and abilities unique to themselves.

Unfortunately there are not too many statistics available that give any tangible data, so the debate goes on. How much weight should a healthy, fit VSE be able to handle? The answer often comes back, "Well, that depends." We are once again reminded that we have to consider terrain, the size of the horse, the balance of the load, humidity, ambient temperature, footing, the fit and type of harness, and most of all the conditioning, fitness, and suitability of the individual horse. And there is that intangible something extra that we refer to as a horse's "heart."

VSEs may be wonder horses in many ways but they do have limits. Some of the factors that give the most concerns are long steep hills, deep sand, sharp rocks, and heavy mud. Certainly a combination of these conditions could be overwhelming to many VSEs. These issues are not unique just to horses under 99 cm. Knowing the venue and preparing for the diverse possibilities at each event they enter is always the responsibility of the drivers who wish to participate. Part of those preparations is knowing the limits and capabilities of their individual horses. Every event has the conditions and types of the terrain posted in advance. Entering an event when the posted terrain will obviously be overwhelming to one's horse, or not withdrawing from a competition when the conditions warrant, would be irresponsible no matter what size horse one might drive. Fortunately, most ADTs and CDEs do offer venues that are well suited to the abilities of many VSEs and their owners.

I hope that in coming years there will be even more events throughout the nation that offer VSE classes. Here in the Northwest, and perhaps in other venues throughout the country, we will continue to collect data at the events that will assist us in making informed decisions about VSEs. Factual information and not speculation should eventually determine complete and reasonable expectations of the capabilities of these Very Special Equines.