Training & Instruction for the Sport of Carriage Driving
If you spend enough time around me, you’re going to find out about the eight-pound cat rule. It’s an important rule to remember, and it will help you explain things to your horse much better, so pay attention. I’ll start by telling you what brings the Eight Pound Cat rule to my mind today. Right […]
Here’s a rare experience for me; Sitting down on a Sunday morning with coffee doing some reading. It’s rare because Sundays are not usually my low activity days for me. During the year I’m usually pretty engaged in some activity on weekend days. Sunday mornings usually involve getting up a little earlier in the morning […]
A student of mine was at an equine expo watching the various demonstrations and clinics. Afterward, she sent me a note; “Not one clinician told their students to look up and away from the horse. Is that [looking ahead of your horse] just an Andy-ism?” My reply; “Not an Andy-ism, just a global world truth […]
The more they stay the same! I was asked an interesting question this morning about my upcoming class on driving cones. “Will the content be applicable to both lower and upper levels?” The answer is an emphatic “Yes!” The strategies for driving cones don’t change from one level to the next. Sure, the times and clearances […]
The strategy behind driving a serpentine obstacle on a carriage driving cones course is all about staying one step ahead of the turn. It’s quite different than a serpentine in driven dressage. The trick is to stay as close to the centerline of the series of cones as possible. Take a look at this video to learn more about how to drive this obstacle.
The secret to training horses successfully is building one success upon the next. While big moments do happen, sustainable change requires consistent skill building. Learning the technique of building skills “Strides at a Time” can improve your success leading to greater gains.
You can get a lot out of one lesson, but when you combine that with followup lessons the rewards are exponential. Read how quickly the benefits add up.
Many carriage drivers struggle with their horse taking a step backward after completing a halt. Understanding why the horse is taking the backward step is the first step toward solving the problem.
Driving horses takes a tremendous amount of focus and attention. Well, going for a carriage ride doesn’t take much. Almost anyone can get into a carriage with a half-way trained horse and master left, right, stop and go. But really driving horses well, beyond just getting around takes focus, attention, thought, foresight, and coordination. If […]
The second clinic in Washington was even more successful than the first! The gains students made between the first and second clinic were clear. On top of that, we had better communication to work on, well, communication!
I spent Memorial Day on the high plains of Colorado giving a 4-day clinic. What a great group drivers, ponies, and horses! I can’t wait to make it back there to work with all them again.
Every spring for the past, well I don’t know how many years, I’ve traveled to Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) for their Combined Test and Arena Driving Trial. For me and my students, it’s a perfect way to start the season. GMHA is a relatively small horse park in comparison to other horse parks that […]
Taking my second trip to the Pacific Northwest has me anxious to go back!
I’m getting packed up to head out to the Pacific Northwest! Not much time to write, so I just put it together in a short Vlog.
I gotta say, I had a really good time this past weekend. Well, that shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, since I was surrounded by some of my favorite people and ponies. But I went into the weekend a little tentative. I’ve had this thought of hosting a driving camp for quite a while, […]
