by Rhianne J. Weghnnar
Brian and Colleen Coleman are considered by their peers to be among North America’s top draft horse trainers.
While the family, including young daughter Taylor, currently reside in Schulenburg, Texas, they will be returning to Alberta once restoration and reconstruction of their farm is finalized.
Many horse people will remember that the family and their Didsbury farm suffered a tragic loss due to a fire where 32 head of horses perished. Their new facility now under construction will stable 18 horses and provide a more suitable learning atmosphere.
The Coleman’s desire is to help educate and establish proper progress of the sport of driving because, as Colleen says, “a big influence on what people think of as driving is what they see on TV or in the movies.”
With that in mind, the couple attended this year’s Horse Breeders and Owners Conference in Red Deer, AB, to share their insights on how to properly begin in the sport of driving. Here is what they had to say:
Attitude
Because horses are so receptive, it’s important to have a positive attitude when training and working around them. Establishing clear goals that build on each other allows you to communicate with your horse in a clear and affirmative manner and will help determine when you should move onto the next step.
It’s important to learn how to keep your routine and training program organized while still working with a “team” mentality. “There’s less chance that you can fake it when you’re not prepared and consistent,” explained Brian.
Communication
When your horse does not do what you want, it ultimately implies that you are not communicating in a clear and effective mode. Horses are perceptive to our body language, muscle tension, and sound volume, and are also able to distinguish different tones within our speech.
When you are quiet, confident, and consistent with your directions, it creates an appropriate learning environment for your horse. However, if you are hesitant, unpredictable, and use either too low or too high a volume, it creates confusion and conflict between you and your horse.
Horses become more anxious in bigger numbers, and by shouting you will worry them even more. Make sure your commands are given as directions and not as questions.
Create a set of consistent commands that make sense to you without adding too many terms or over verbalizing. Some terms that are commonly used are:
• “Alright” to collect and prepare the horse(s) for following commands;
• A smooch or a kiss to start or move the horse forward;
• “Steady” to slow down;
• “Whoa” to stop or halt;
• “Gee” to move right;
• “Haw” to move left; and
• “Back” to back up.
Contact
Contact refers to the amount of pressure you have on the lines and is the only physical communication we have with the horse while driving. “People don’t realize how much their hands can communicate,” says Colleen.
You have to remember that you’re responsible for a horse that is 30 ft away from you, so you want to keep your contact consistent. Your horse should never have to guess what or when you’re communicating. If your contact becomes comparable to a bad phone connection with on-again off-again reception, your end result will be disagreeable and unpleasant.
“When people use contact incorrectly, they communicate similar to the erratic conversation of a walkie-talkie,” says Colleen. “But, when contact is applied properly, it is smooth, gentle, and clear.”
Your posture and hands also play a role with proper contact and communication. By sitting up straight and visualizing yourself inside a box and keeping your movements directed to your body’s core, your range of motion should remain controlled.
Also remember to place the lines through your whole hand for optimum connection, and keep your hands close together while in front of you for control and safety.
Instinct
Horses are referred to as “into pressure” animals, meaning they naturally move into pressure rather than away from it. When training a horse to drive, it is essential to keep some of the horse’s natural instinct to lean into pressure and move forward, such as when you want the horse to lean into the collar and walk on.
At the same time, it’s necessary to have your horse move away from you with light pressure to their body, and to be willing to drop their head for easy haltering and bridling from light pressure to the poll.
When teaching a horse to give to pressure, you need to start soft and the very moment the horse gives to the pressure, you must release, thus effectively communicating and rewarding a give to pressure.
Equipment
Buy the best equipment you can afford while making sure it is strong, safe, and well fitted. Your needs will be reflected by the type of horse you are driving – whether it be a miniature or a heavy draft – as well as by the number of horses you plan to drive at a time, the vehicle you use, and the discipline in which you participate.
There are different materials and different options, so it pays to research and ask questions before you make a purchase. Good equipment requires proper storage and maintenance, and you should also know how to recognize stress or damage.
The use of blinkers is left to the discretion of the handler, as only the handler knows what best suits the horse. There is an opinion that an open bridle can teach a horse to anticipate, while a blind bridle helps the horse to focus.
Hooking
Once again, you need to understand the importance of using strong, safe, and well-fitted equipment. If you do not feel comfortable or safe with your current equipment, do not hook up.
Make sure you have the bridle and lines on your horse with the lines in your hand before hooking. When preparing to completely unhook, remove the lines and bridle last. It’s also important to allow your horse to settle before hooking, and allow time for it to settle before moving off.
“If you don’t understand about driving safety, you won’t understand the great things about driving,” says Brian. “It is important to seek out knowledgeable and skilled horsemen with driving know-how and the ability to help guide you and your horse.
“It’s also important to take the process of learning how to drive slowly and to have reasonable expectations. A horse that is broke to ride is not necessarily a horse that will be willing to drive.”
The Coleman’s will be facilitating an upcoming driving clinic at Olds College in May. Keep watching the Horses All Calendar of Events for more information as the date approaches.
