The Romance & Thrill of Driving by Robyn Cuffey Web Version Click here for Full PDF 1 2 Carriage driving is one of the fastest growing equestrian sports today. Driving offers pleasures and challenges unequaled in ridden sports and has something to offer just about anyone. Whether your goal is a peaceful jaunt down a country lane or speeding around a challenging obstacle course, carriage driving can fit the bill. Driving can take you on a trip back in time, trotting down a dirt road at a pace that invites you to savor the scenery and the company of a friend in the cart with you. Traveling at the speed of a horse’s trot brings unique insight to the daily challenges and pleasures our forefathers took for granted. Antique carriages and sleighs delight history buffs and invite endless hours of painstaking research and renovation, and a whole new appreciation for the craftsmanship of times gone by. No matter how ambitious or modest your goals, driving has something to offer you. Just about any equine with a good mind and sound body— be it a draft or a pony, a fast trotter, or an easy-gaited saddle horse—can be a pleasure to drive. A retired harness racehorse can introduce its new owners to the world of driving for pleasure. A seasoned saddle horse can learn new skills and be enjoyed in a new way. Donkeys, mules, and miniature horses are all well represented in the driving world. Driving can extend the time you use and enjoy your horses and ponies. A beloved pony may be driven long after its child rider has grown too tall to ride it. A young horse may be taught to drive long before it should be carrying the weight of a rider. Training for driving will pay dividends later as the young, green horse learns to understand the voice and rein aids, learning to trust and obey its handler before being introduced to the saddle. Driving is physically easier for a young horse and gives us a chance to develop its mind and body without undue stress on growing bodies. Driving offers opportunities to advance your horse’s training. Driving or long lining is an excellent way for a horse to learn lateral work, bending, and collection without having to carry a rider’s weight. A child’s pony may be schooled in harness by an adult family member to improve its training and behavior. Older horses trained to drive can benefit from the reduced stress driving places on the front legs and the absence of a rider’s weight. Keeping the older horse in light work can be beneficial for those stiff old joints, and the driver has the advantage of working with a horse that has years of experience. With proper care, horses may be used well into their twenties and ponies into their thirties. Driving offers the pleasure of horses to those who are not able to ride. A well-trained horse or pony can offer years of pleasurable driving to the senior equestrian who no longer feels comfortable in the saddle. Physical limitations that come with age can lead a rider to discover driving, sometimes with smaller animals than those he or she previously worked with. Someone who experiences decreased strength, stamina, or range of motion can often handle ponies and miniature horses more easily than full-size horses. Therapeutic riding programs are adding driving to their curriculums, using vehicles modified to accept wheelchairs so those who cannot walk can drive. Friends and family members who have not learned to drive can enjoy a carriage ride behind a trustworthy horse. The Pleasure in pleasure driving may be found in many different forms. Driving your horse enhances your relationship, as you learn to communicate without your legs and body weight and your horse learns to understand your voice and gains a deeper trust of you. Experienced riders may find that learning a new skill and training their horses to a different discipline gives a deep sense of accomplishment. Sleighing, combined driving, and competitive trail driving bring fresh challenges to riders who thought they had done it all. For the advanced driver, driving a multiple hitch offers challenges far beyond riding the single horse. Robyn Cuffey is co-author of The Essential Guide to Carriage Driving, from which the above has been excerpted with permission. The book, which shows how to start driving safely and affordably, is available from Rural Heritage. Watch for Robyn Cuffey on “Carriage Driving,” among other fine programs sponsored by Rural Heritage--a bimonthly journal featuring horses, mules and oxen used for logging and farming. Please contact us at: Rural Heritage 281Dean Ridge Lane Gainesboro, TN 38562 931-268-0655 www.ruralheritage.com editor@ruralheritage.com   On Now   Little Britches Rodeo Up Next   Dutch Oven and Camp Cooking Followed By   Alaska Magazine TV