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

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

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

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.

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!

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?

This episode discusses the difference between reactions and responses from our animals and how to help them respond better in stressful situations.

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.