Sometimes it’s easy to forget that how you’re using your body on the carriage effects how your horse is moving. After all, you’re fairly isolated from the horse, and you’re sitting 3-4 feet behind him. [...]
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This style breast collar has been showing up more and more as I travel the country. They seem especially prevalent in small pony and mini harness. They feature a ring where the trace tug is [...]
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Do you ever feel like the second half of your dressage test or pleasure class is just a little better than the first half? Maybe you’ve even thought, “If I only had a little more [...]
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Most people think of transitions as that moment when your horse goes from one gait to another, such as a walk to a trot. However, that interpretation sells the importance of transitions short and also [...]
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It only takes a quick search on the internet to find all kinds of misguided theories on why driving horses wear blinders. The most common reason given is that they are used to keep the [...]
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Carriage drivers may be a little more isolated from the horse than riders, but that doesn't mean that you loose the "feel" for the horse. Here's a great exercise to get reconnected to your horse [...]
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In my practice, I rarely use bucking straps (aka. kicking strap.) That doesn’t mean that I’m against them. I have several students who keep bucking straps on their harness because their pony has been known [...]
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There's a pervasive syndrome that has been affecting the equine world for years, decades really. Yet it goes on, without discussion, mostly unchecked, and untreated. It's known only as GPS (Good Pony Syndrome) to professionals [...]
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Winter is often the “off-season” for most horses and horse people. For me, it’s the “off-the-field season,” but in many ways, it's my “on season” for a lot of the work I do. I’m always [...]
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15 years ago today, I was skiing in Vermont on Killington Mountain. Known as “The Beast of the East”, Killington is one of New England’s largest ski areas (insert heckling comments of Western U.S. and [...]
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The Day I Learned About the Outside Rein. As a young horse trainer, I was aware of this concept called “the outside rein.” But my understanding was entirely conceptual. Sure, I had an outside rein, [...]
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Three fun things you can do with your horse this winter without freezing your buns off! Winter brings short days, cold temperatures and hard footing. That might put a damper on your carriage driving, but [...]
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I'm not a great person to preach about the perils of waiting until the last minute. I have that habit too. However, waiting until the last minute to sign up for an online class is [...]
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... and where it's going! The idea started out simply enough. It went kind of like this: I had a handful of students that were entering their first or second season of combined driving. They [...]
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This little note on bending is long overdue. I’ve put it off for a long time for good reasons. The main reason is that most people get their priorities out of order when the subject [...]
