Competing Together
There's a difference between thinking about competing "with" or "against" one another.
Dressage at Bromont International CDE, 2025
I have not competed at Bromont International CDE in [...]
Fundamentally True
This week marks yet another week that I have been reminded of something so fundamentally true, it can not be escaped: “Teach what your train, train what you teach.” Having recently returned from a successful outing at the Bromont International Driving Championship CDE, I turned to planning the next steps in Loretta’s training. In that process, I reviewed the areas in our work that are going well, and
Why Driven Dressage for Recreational Drivers?
Why should recreational drivers practice dressage even if they don't intend to show their horses? Simple exercises can gain you and your horse big benefits such as better communication, improve your horse's balance, and most importantly, greater longevity.
Dressage at Live Oak
Yesterday’s dressage test at Live Oak FELT GREAT!! ‘RettaRoo is [...]
Loretta Earns Back to Back HOTY Awards
Photo: picsofyou.com Each year the United States Equestrian [...]
Training Young Horses?
When I say "young horses," I mean anything under 4 years old. I get a lot of questions about what we should be doing with those yearlings, 2 and 3 year olds. The answer is quite simple.
Spring Training
I've had quite a few people asking me about getting [...]
Occam’s Razor
When you hear hooves, you naturally think of horses before you'd think of zebras. It's the simplest explanation. When we have training issues with our horses, we don't always use such simple logic. Occam's razor can help!
Your Covid-19 Pony Plan
Things you should be doing with your horse during the [...]
Carriage Driving Questions & Answers
Questions Answered! You can watch a recording of my live question and answer session from March 30th, 2020. We talked about collars, marathon times, long lining, getting lazy horses to walk, then getting the hot ones to relax, and more. Check out the full recording plus links to the reference materials and recommended long lines.
Baulking With a New Carriage
When you’re teaching a horse to drive, sometimes everything goes [...]
Learning From Horses
I've had great teachers to learn from in my life as a carriage driving trainer. Many of them were human. However, some of the best teachers have been horses. The best ones will catching you doing your job right. The other ones will make you better by waiting for you to figure it out.
Single Jointed (snaffle) Bit for Carriage Driving?
Is the single jointed bit the root of all evil? Many people shy away from a bit that has been used successfully for generations. What’s bad, and not so bad about a single jointed bit?
How Much Contact For Carriage Driving?
I’m often asked, “How much is too much contact, and how little is too little.” The answer often depends on what it is that you’re doing with your horse. But the question of how much contact you should use goes beyond the specific activity your are doing with your horse. It can change within the course of a single workout. Instead of focusing on “How much contact should I have?” you should focus on “What is the most effective contact for that moment?” Read more and watch the video.