Easy in the Harness

I want to start by thanking the Beginning Carriage Driving group on Facebook. I asked them about what their personal pet peeves and no-sale features are on harnesses and they did not disappoint. There were quite a few things that I already had planned to cover, but there were also some that I had not thought about and appreciated being able to add in to this episode.This episode is geared to help you identify features of harnesses you might buy that will inhibit your ability to use it. Features that can do harm to your driving animal or make it difficult to use. I hope you find this useful and it prevents you from making costly mistakes as you get into driving.What features do you put high on your "no-sale" list? Conversely, what are your favorite features that you must have on a harness?If you want to support this podcast, find us on patreon at patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the start of an occasional series about Driving Rites of Passage. These are things that most drivers seem to experience as they dip their toes into driving. Many drivers have owned a Meadowbrook at some point in their driving life if they do pleasure driving.Have you had experience with Meadowbrook carts? Do you love them or are glad they are now in your past? Let me know!The Carriage Association of America has an article on the history of the Meadowbrook as well and I used it and other sources for the history of the vehicle: The Quirky History of the Meadowbrook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode discusses the types and uses of check reins. It compliments the article and illustrations I shared in this post:https://www.patreon.com/posts/check-reins-129285311 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do you need to look for when selecting a vehicle for you and your driving animal? This discussion covers the important, basic points to consider for ensuring that you have a vehicle that is both functional and comfortable for you and your driving partner.I have a brief article with illustrations discussing vehicle fit here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/107412296 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is contact? How do you use it and how should it feel in your hands? Contact is a subject that comes up frequently and here I express my views on what it is and how it should be used in order to communicate with the animal you are driving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Picking the proper bit can be a big topic in driving. Selecting one that works well for your animal. While this is a topic best addressed with visuals, I make an attempt to discuss bit cheeks and mouthpieces in an introductory fashion to help give people a baseline understanding of how to talk about them and what to look for in one.I have a post with illustrations on driving bit cheeks here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/basic-cheek-for-98729400I have an article in-progress covering mouthpieces that should be finished this summer. I'll update this post with a link once it's finished! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover the key differences between the two types of neckware found on driving harnesses. How does the neckcollar and breastcollar compare to each other and what is the ideal use of each one? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode discusses the difference between reactions and responses from our animals and how to help them respond better in stressful situations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is a breeching? Why do you need it? What does it do?In this episode I talk about the breeching, what it does, why it is important, and cases in which you might not use one and types of breeching. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short podcast covers one of the overarching principles in my training philosophy that developed after reading the book "Give Your Horse A Chance" by Lt. Col. A. L. D'Endrödy. The physical book is no longer in print, but you can find electronic versions of it. My copy was published by Trafalgar Square Publishing in 1999. That principle is the idea of asking the animal to do something, and then giving them the space to allow them to do it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the "about me" podcast, also my credentials, or why you might want to listen to what I say episode. I hope you all enjoy hearing about how I got to where I am with carriage driving and working with animals in harness from my first experiences driving to formative animals, books and dvds that influenced my process, and more.The DVDs and books mentionedClay Maier: Train Your Horse to DriveNate Bowers: Parelli Driving DVDDoris Ganton: Breaking and Training the Driving Horse"Carriage Driving" by Heike Bean and Sarah Blanchard"Understanding Harness" by Barb Lee"Breaking and Training the Driving Horse" by Doris Ganton"Driving Horses" Steve Bowers and Marlen Steward"Long Reining to Break Horses to Harness" by Heinrich Freiherr von SendenIf you want more carriage driving related content and would like to support this podcast and the other content related to it, please visit https://www.patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-Carriage is a valuable trait for any horse to have no matter the work they are being asked to do. In this episode I discuss how to evaluate, check, and improve your animal's self-carriage for better, more fun and productive driving.If you want more carriage driving related content and would like to support this podcast and the other content related to it, please visit https://www.patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I discuss the spares kit, what it is, and why you should have one on your vehicle when you're out driving.If you want more carriage driving related content and would like to support this podcast and the other content related to it, please visit https://www.patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Open and closed bridles: What they are and why we use them. Considerations for why you might drive using an open bridle or a closed bridle. A discussion and a few stories about why someone might chose to drive their animal in an open bridle over a closed one and vis versa.If you want more carriage driving related content and would like to support this podcast and the other content related to it, please visit https://www.patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The training quadrants are basically ways to either reinforce or extinguish behaviors. Positive reinforcement adds something to reinforce a behavior and negative reinforcement takes away something to reinforce a behavior. There is also positive and negative punishment, which discourage or extinguish undesired behaviors. The first two are the ones we want to focus on and use when working with our animals.Find more great driving-related content and support the podcast at patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the most important gait for the driving animal? This is a trick question: it's standing still!This is a discussion on why standing still is so important to driving and how to help improve your animal's ability to stand when needed.Find more great driving-related content and support the podcast at patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A discussion on the different types of ways you can participate in driving from agricultural work to the show ring and racing to pleasure.Find more great driving-related content and support the podcast at patreon.com/certhorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Easy in the Harness Podcast! Stories, Solutions & Strategies for Safe, Satisfying Driving.In this episode we are covering driving resources for helping you get started on your driving journey, whether it is training, competition, or practical work.Governing OrganizationsInternational Equestrian Federationhttps://www.fei.org/drivingAmerican Driving Society Americanorganization for driving competitionResource for Canadian and USA drivers.americandrivingsociety.orgCarriage Association of AmericaMotto: ”Helping preserve our horse-drawn heritage”https://www.caaonline.com/North American Classic Six-Horse Serieshttps://naclassicseries.com/ or drivesix.comHaflinger and Hitch Pony Champion Serieshhpcs.orgEducationCarriage Association of Americacaaonline.comRural Heritageruralheritage.comCoachman’s Delight-Andy Marcouxcoachmansdelight.comTo find more great content relating to driving and support the podcast go to our Patreon site at patreon.com/CERTHorsemanship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.