Coachman’s Delight Home

Does your horse wonder what you're talking about? As a carriage driver, your voice is a critical aid in your communication with your horse. It’s as important as the rider’s seat. It helps to translate your rein and whip aids into action. Of course, the use of verbal aids can go in a [...]

From time to time in a conversation or in writing I refer to my “Horse Trainer Lifestyle.” It’s a handy little phrase that can be turned in just about any direction I need it to. Of course, I’m kinda sarcastic, so it’s often used that way. It’s my version of the popular phrase “Livin’ the [...]

What do you do if you're on a runaway carriage with your pony or horse? Stay calm, look ahead (so you don't hit anything), then re-establish communication with your horse. That last part requires a leap of faith. Learn more by watching the video. You might want to watch it with captions on, though. There [...]

(not actually the opening in the story) It was my last chance for survival… I had just left an airplane at about 6,000 feet (1,800+ meters), and I was spinning on my back being slung around like a doll by a malfunctioning parachute rapidly diving toward the ground. There was no way I [...]

Snap shackles are fairly common these days in carriage driving. They making hitching and unhitching your horse quick and convenient, but the primary reason for using them has to do with safety. Learn a little more about snap shackles, including the ones I use in this Facebook Live video I recorded on Feb. 7th, 2019. [...]

There are lots of great carriage driving and horse training questions on the Ask Andy page. I think it will be fun to answer some of those questions in video posts from time to time. Here's the first installment! https://youtu.be/Ej1za3_pIBQ

It’s seldom “just one thing” that causes a problem for your horse. I was inspired to write this little note by a post I ran across called “Trigger Stacking.” It’s a great quick read about how one thing going wrong usually won’t cause a problem, but when it’s combined with several other factors, things can [...]