MARCH/APRIL 2010 THE RIDER /51
The
Carriage Driver
Right bit—Right fit! Starting 2010 with driving musts
By Brooklynn A. Welden
The importance of properly fitting the bit of your carriage driving horse can- not be overstated. Without the proper bit and the proper fit, little else is likely to go right. Bearing these guidelines can help make 2010 your best driving year ever. Putting first things first when think- ing about correct bitting begins with your equine partner’s teeth. At least once every year, have your animal’s teeth checked and floated if necessary by a vet. Doing
so reduces chances for blisters or open wounds in your horse or pony’s mouth and resulting problems of head tossing and refusing contact with the bit. Unlike riding, where a hackamore can be used, bitless bridles are forbidden in carriage driving: the horse must absolutely have a bit in its bridle.
Some basic rules of bitting for carriage driving:
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www.driveontario.ca
Visit
Central Ontario Pleasure Driving Association
www.driveontario.ca/copda
Directors at Large:
Mary Cork (705) 434-4848,
tyandaga@netrover.com
Tri-County Carriage Association
We’re all about enjoying carriages and driving in Ontario!
For information call Sue Nicolas at 519-848-6288 or email
TriCountyCarriage@sympatico.ca
The Ontario Combined Driving Association
President: Mary Cork (705) 434-4648,
tyandaga@netrover.com
Secretary/ Show Secretary/ Volunteer Co-ordinator:
Marion Hawley (519) 856-4605,
marion.hawley@sympatico.ca
Treasurer & Membership: Frances Uhran (519) 928-5923,
angel_90_per_cent@hotmail.com
Website: Jeff Kohler, (705) 733-8161,
jeff@relhok.ca Directors at Large: Janis Promaine (519) 942-4318 Courtney MacGillivray (905) 877-8798 Allison Plumbtree (905) 955-1070
OCDA Mailing Address: Frances Uhran, 182161 - 20 Sideroad, Orton, ON L0N 1N0
Eastern Ontario Pleasure Driving Society
Box 955, 6120 Rideau Valley Drive, Manotick, ON K4M 1A8
Website:
www.eopds.ca
Membership applications available on the website or from the Treasurer. President: Mary Mulligan 613-692-3296,
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jeff@relhok.ca VP/Newsletter: Gerry McCallum 905-936-5444
gtmabc@gmail.com Secretary/OEF: Mary Gregoris
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Because the driving bridle cheek- pieces and the noseband are thicker and
Wilson Snaffle
horse’s tongue. Veteran internation- ally-recognized carriage driving champion Kirsten Brunner recom- mends the Glory Butterfly or Mullen Mouth bits, which have curves on the mouth-pieces to allow room for the animal’s tongue. Kirsten adds that only rarely does she use a straight mouth-piece bit.
Snaffles are recommended for You must allow room for the Glory Butterfly Mullen Mouth Liverpool
inexperienced drivers is that the bit pinches the horse or pony’s cheeks, which means that the bit is too nar- row in the animal’s mouth. Always
During the cold months, remember to warm up your bit before bridling, so that your equine partner doesn’t get an ice-cold bit in its mouth.
Happy driving in 2010!
Dressage Canada Announces New Board, Ratifies Committee Chairs
Ottawa, ON — The 2010 Dressage Canada Board met face-to-face for the first time this year at the Equine Canada Convention, held early February, in Montreal, QC. The group welcomed new members Michaela Eisengruber, Courtenay Fraser, and Renee Young, as well as two new athlete representatives — long-time competitors Nancy MacLachlan and Gina Smith. Also new this year is the addition of three committee representatives on the board.
Three integral DC committees can now send one representative each to sit on the DCB to facilitate the smooth operation of the organiza- tion as a whole. John Harris of the High Performance Committee and Kristy Nahirniak of Domestic Devel- opment fall into this category as does Karen Thompson-Harry who is per- forming double-duty as both the Officials Committee Representative and the newly elected Chair of the DCB.
Remaining on the board are Kim Goodyear, Lisa Hossack-Scott
and Sue Rothgeb. Rothgeb was encouraged by the face-to-face meet- ings at the Convention noting that, “the first meeting of the new extend- ed board saw a smooth election that put Karen Thompson-Harry in as the new chair.” She remarked further that, “with all committees up and running now, it looks like 2010 will be a good year.”
Additional Way to Support Canadian Riders’ WEG Dreams
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The Convention also saw the ratification of all DC committee chairs. Heading up the Athlete’s Council is competitor and active vol- unteer, Victoria Winter. Frances Ribbink is leading the Coaching Committee and FEI Judge Lorraine Stubbs is chair of Competitions. Angela Booth Malleau is staying on as chair of Communications, as is Joanna Crilly of the Rules Commit- tee. Domestic Development will be handled by Kristy Nahirniak and her team; and Officials will be overseen by Joan McCartney with Margaret Murdoch taking on the leadership of the Stewards Sub-Committee. The High Performance Com- mittee underwent a face-lift this past year when the group re-made their Terms of Reference. The committee now consists of a number of different working groups, each with a group lead- er who is responsible for their members. These leaders, along with chairs Pauline Bosman and John Harris, will form the High Performance Executive. Groups include: Criteria, Human Resources, Team Man- agement, Public Relations/Pro- motion, Development and Youth.
With many new volunteers this year and the continued ded- ication of past members, 2010 will surely be an exciting and rewarding season for all involved in Dressage in Cana- da.
There are still a number of WEG ticket packages available. Each package contains tickets directly behind “C” for four dressage events and are $875 (CDN) each. Dressage Canada also has a few select hotel rooms available at the official Cana- dian hotel — the Griffen Gate Resort and Spa in Lexington, KY. This is the same hotel where all the Canadi- an athletes will be staying. The room rate is $329/night plus taxes and the hotel rooms are booked for arrival on Sept 26th for 7 nights.
For more information, visit the Dressage Canada website (
www.equinecanada.ca/dressage) and click on the “WEG 2010 Ticket Package Special” advertisement.
About Dressage Canada
Dressage Canada, as a commit- tee of Equine Canada, is the National governing body for Dressage in Canada. Dressage Canada’s objective is to foster the growth of Dressage and the pursuit of excellence in the sport at the local, national and inter- national levels. Dressage Canada provides support and guidance to both amateurs and professionals through the following programs: coaching education and programs; officials’ education and programs; rules and qualifying criteria; sport development; and publications and awards. For more information about Dressage Canada, please visit the Dressage section of the Equine Cana- da site or connect with us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/dressagecanada or Facebook at
http://tinyurl.com/lp8cnd.
About Equine Canada
For more information about Equine Canada, please visit
www.equinecanada.ca.
wider than a riding bridle the bit often needs to be one-half to one full inch wider than the riding bridle.
young animals learning to drive—for instance for up to the first six months or so of driving to get the animal started. But you do not have to change the bit if your horse goes well and you want to enter driving com- petitions. You are allowed to com- pete in a driving snaffle if your horse goes best in a snaffle bit.
A frequent bitting mistake of
allow at least 1-2 finger-widths on either side of the cheeks. Doing so allows freedom of movement of the animal’s lips so the horse or pony can play a little with the bit. In addi- tion, paying attention to width avoids pressure and pain on the inside of the animal’s cheeks against his molars.
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