DIY Ground Driving Lines- For under $25!

Ground driving and long lining are training methods used by horsemen spanning almost all disciplines, and are a wonderful way to work on a horse no matter how advanced. My horse, Huayra, is coming up on 1.5 years old and is at the very beginning of her career and has progressed to the point of handling ground driving. My experience with the practice isn’t super advanced, but I have done it enough with trainers to feel comfortable doing it on my own. So, I took to the internet to  find what I was looking for: a simple pair of driving lines.

Well, it wasn’t easy, or cheap. Short of buying a ‘system’ of sorts, simple lines ranged in price (and quality). Armed with a short list is necessary products, I descended upon Home Depot to buy the necessary items to make a pair of 30ft driving lines.

What you will need:

• ~60ft of paracord or polypropylene rope (I bought the 1/2inX100ft)
• (2) Swivel snap hooks
• (2) Rope clamps (My package came with 2, make sure the clamp is the right size for your rope!)
• Hammer
• Lighter, preferably a stronger torch lighter

Products in hand, I measured out 15ft on the floor with a measuring tape and had my husband hold one end while I walked the distance, crimped it, and walked back to cut a 30ft line. The polypropylene rope I used is great for this, as it doesn’t warp and need a whole lot to get straight on the floor, and it a great lighter weight (easy to hold and carry) but is strong enough to be used with horses. After we cut the line, we went outside to burn the ends so that they didn’t fray and unravel. (Note: This will smoke a little so don’t try to do this indoors).

Once cooled, take one of the rope and slide on the swivel hook. Fold over about 3 inches of rope and attach the clamp. You don’t want a huge loop at the end for the snap hook to move a lot, as this might distract or irritate the horse. All you need to do now is hammer the clamp teeth down onto the rope.

Then you’re done! Happy ground driving/long lining!