Training & Instruction for the Sport of Carriage Driving
One thing that drives me crazy is “theoretical instruction.” Like most people, I start to get fidgety, even anxious when an instructor makes a deep dive into theory, no matter what the subject. After all, it’s great to know the theory, but I want something I can use! (there’s something you can use at the […]
When a horse or pony bucks in a carriage, it presents a potentially dangerous situation. If the horse is able to get his hind end high enough, he can kick the carriage, or worse yet, the people in the carriage. To safeguard against that, a bucking strap can be added to the harness. However, that […]
Even the best horses have their spooky moments. When those moments occur under saddle, their usually pretty easy to ride through. However when we put the horse to a carriage, those spooks can a be more intimidating. As with many things in life, it’s not about what you’ve been handed, it’s what you do with […]
The most difficult thing about creating lesson plans is making sure that I explain the movements of the exercises as clearly as possible. To be honest, that can even be challenging when we’re together in a one-on-one lesson in person! At least in that scenario, I can use as many words as it takes, point, […]
Every once in a while experience walks up to me and gives me a good dope-slap. Sometimes, it does so several times because, well I probably need it. The dope-slap I’m thinking of right now has to do with long lining horses. I first became enthralled with long lining in college. One of our classrooms […]
Your reins are your primary communication device when driving your horse or pony in the carriage. So how you use those reins is of critical importance. Here are some tips on how to make those communications come through loud and clear to your horse.
In the words made famous by Frank Sinatra “The best is yet to come!” Fall is my favorite time for driving horses. It probably has something to do with the fact that my passion for driving started when I was a kid working on hayrides in the fall. Of course, there a whole lot […]
Probably two-thirds of the information passed between the driver and the horse is transmitted through the reins. It stands to reason that the more clearly and accurately we can handle the reins, the clearer and more accurate our communication will be. That’s where being able to achieve stillness on the reins is critical. Of course, […]
I got a great little success e-mail last week from one of my west-coast students, Deb Holmes. She’d just finished up the Equestrian Institute Combined Driving Event in Ethel, WA where she won her division. The note read: RE: “There’s no place like home” Andy, Thank you again for all your words of wisdom, catchphrases […]
What’s your plan when you head out to drive your horse? Do you make a plan and follow that plan, or do you follow your horse’s nose? Some people will answer that they are going to do ring work, dressage, cones, or fitness and feel like that’s a pretty good plan. But that is hardly […]
Driving corners and turns in a dressage test shouldn’t be that difficult, but it’s the one place that people most often get it wrong. They either drive so far from the corner that they bearly use the ring, or they bury their poor ponies in the corner. Unfortunately, there’s no guidance in the rulebook other than […]
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. But small changes in your body can make big differences in your horse’s way of going. Here’s a short video […]
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 anchored to the breast collar. One assumes this is intended to accommodate varying lines of draft (line of weight bearing) […]
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 time to put my pony together, I could have had a much better drive.” That’s a common experience. Sometimes it […]
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 explains why so many people and horses have difficulty with their transitions. A transition should be viewed as a multi-phase […]
