When Your Carriage Horse Spooks
December 4, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
How Do I Get There?
December 2, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
My Long, Long Lining Story
November 6, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
Activating The Rein
October 23, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
I’ve been back at my computer writing articles and lesson plans. As I write, you, my students, are in the back of my head all of the time, asking questions. This week’s question that keeps popping up is “Andy, what do you mean by activating the rein?" Reinsmanship, as it's
Finally Fall!
October 2, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
Finding Stillness
September 13, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
There’s No Place Like Home
August 27, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
Specific Goals for Specific Results
August 22, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
Corners and Turns
May 21, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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 Unfortunately, there’s no guidance in the rulebook other than the diagrams that come with
Improve Your Body Mechanics
April 11, 2018 by Andy Marcoux
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
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