A Change is as Good as a Rest: Our Training Day Out

Ranch Ride Carriage Drive meets up with friends for a training day away from home!

Starting a Horse to Drive

Have you ever wondered how horses learn to pull a carriage? Here is an exercise that introduces your horse to the feel of the traces and pulling a load.

Ranch Ride Carriage Drive Takes a Look at the Driver’s Seat!

Why is the carriage driver's seat wedge-shaped? What's the difference in configuration between modern vehicles and antique ones? Hint: did you know that British men in the 1870s were on average five inches shorter than British men in the 1970s? Watch Paul (uncomfortably) demonstrate what it's like in the driver's seat!

HACA Luncheon July 2024: Sharing the Achenbach Style of Driving

Many thanks to the Houston Area Carriage Association for the invitation to speak to the Club about Achenbach driving and our experiences with it! We enjoyed the chance to share a meal with our carriage driving friends, to talk a bit about our past driving experiences, and to demonstrate the Achenbach driving technique using our rein machine! We hope everyone enjoyed the event as much as we did!

A Summer Day at the Ranch

Enjoy a summer day with Ranch Ride Carriage Drive - we're busy with lessons, helping to manage cattle and crops, and challenging Fen with new training experiences! Along the way we were treated to the sight of a crop duster at work, and a dust devil churning through our hayfield.

Reins: Fit, Safety, Materials, and Maintenance

Come along with Ranch Ride Carriage Drive as we show you how to choose the best width for your hand, talk a bit about synthetics, and show you what to look for in your safety inspections.

A Brief Overview of Carriage Shaft Hardware and Fittings

Ranch Ride Carriage Drive answers your questions! Lately we've had some questions about the hardware and fittings on carriage shafts. What's this brass thing? What goes in this second staple? If you've ever wondered, here's your chance to find out! Come along with us as Paul explains each fitting, step by step.

Practicing Start, Stop, and Steer with a Simple Cones Circle

Ranch Ride Carriage Drive practices driving turns and transitions using a simple cones pattern to improve confidence and accuracy.

A Little Horsing Around on the Ranch!

After the ranch maintenance work is done, we take some time for training our horses. Today, we're changing it up by pairing Dainty with Jace.

Traditional Carriages and Attelage: Elegant Sport Driving

Antique and reproduction carriages require skill to drive, but offer the driver the opportunity to preserve our driving traditions and to participate in the elegant, and growing, sport of Attelage. Learn more about Attelage and why the Achenbach driving method is our choice for traditional driving.