Links

Over the last several years I have driven myself quite crazy tracking down every possible resource for the VSE driver and her horse. Below you will find the fruits of that labor, complete with descriptions of pertinent sale items and commentary if I have had personal dealings with the company. I will not list companies whose products or customer service I have had negative experiences with or have heard bad things about, so to some extent you may consider these links to be unofficial, unsolicited endorsement of the companies listed. This is my own personal list, not a Better Business Bureau, so I bear no responsibility for your own experiences with them! Be wise, know what you need, ask many questions and make sure you know what you are buying. I have repeated the listings under any additional categories they may fit to aid in ease of finding what you need and most of the links are in alphabetical order to simplify organization for me.

I have also included some links to breeder and competitor websites for your own enjoyment. While some of these people are friends of mine, others are complete strangers and I offer no endorsement of either their breeding, their horse handling, or their training ability because I have not met them. The links are simply included for your own viewing pleasure and you contact the owners at your own risk.

*The site that started it all:*

 www.minihorsecde.com

American Driving Society (ADS)  www.americandrivingsociety.org

Carriage Association of America (CAA) www.caaonline.com

Evergreen Miniature Horse Club- many members compete in CDE's and they often post classified ads on this site www.evergreenminiaturehorseclub.com

Happ’s Inc. www.happs-inc.com

Lil’ Beginnings Miniature Horses International www.lilbeginnings.com

Books

One excellent source for both current and out of print books is Wild Horse Books and Art, Kayo Fraser- bookmaster http://www.wildhorsebooks.com/. Most of these books are available from Carriage Driving Essentials, Driving Essentials, or the ADS website as well.

"A Driving Horse Photo Album, 2004-2005," by Robert A. Mischka. This incredible book is full of photos of top-quality turnouts from the best events in the country including pleasure driving shows, dressage and marathon. Buy it both as eye candy and as a guide to how to dress.

"The ADS rulebook," available on the ADS website and an absolute must-have before you compete.

“Bending the Driving Horse,” by Muffy Seaton. A thin blue paperback book with adorable illustrations that explains Muffy's basic principles for bending the driving horse.

“Carriage Driving: A Logical Approach through Dressage Training,” by Heike Bean and Sarah Blanchard. Available on Amazon.com and absolutely the bible of carriage driving. Full of immediately applicable training guidance as well as theory, it covers everything from ground-driving the green horse to competing an advanced pair. This book is a must-have for any level of driver. You can now visit Heike's website at www.heikebean.com!

"Carriage Turnout and Appointments," by the Carriage Association of America. A guide to proper turnout for sporting carriages, park driving turnouts, road coaches, tandems, family carriages, and others. "Turnout" covers types of harness, livery, paint colors, pinstriping, trim styles and much more. If you plan to attend Pleasure Driving events this is the guide for you! All the nit-picky traditional stuff you ever wanted to know and lots of pretty illustrations. FWIW, most of this is far fancier than we will ever need to get with our minis.

"Conditioning Sport Horses," by Hilary M. Clayton. A very thorough but easy to understand book which covers everything from exercise physiology (cardiovascular and respiratory systems, energy production, the muscular system, thermoregulation, fluid and electrolyte balances) to practical aspects of conditioning and conditioning for specific sports including combined driving. And the CDE section is a good 12 pages of useful advice, not a little paragraph somewhere! I purchased this book from Carriage Driving Essentials but also found a copy in my local English tack store.

"Driven Dressage with a Single Horse," by Sandy Rabinowitz. An excellent overview of driven dressage principles with plenty of illustrations. It is particularly recommended for those just starting out in the sport or who do not have a trainer to explain concepts like "working trot" and "achieving a correct bend."

"Driving Horse-Drawn Carriages for Pleasure: The Classic Illustrated Guide to Coaching, Harnessing, Stabling, etc.," by Francis T. Underhill. A slightly altered republication of a book from 1897 and containing 124 illustrations, this is a fascinating look at the carriage horse during the era of horse-drawn transportation. There is also an interesting chapter on bearing reins or check reins discussing both pros and cons from a historical standpoint.

"Driving Towards Excellence: A Guide to the Fine Art of Reinsmanship, and to the Selection of Harness Horses and Carriages," by Franz Hannesschlager. Pretty much out of print, this spiral bound booklet is indeed an excellent guide to reinsmanship. It covers Achenbach, ground work on the longe and double longe, use of the whip, proper vehicle turnout, and tandems and four-in-hands among other subjects.

"The Essential Guide to Carriage Driving," by Robyn Cuffey and Jaye Winkel. This book does indeed cover all the essentials of carriage driving from what to look for when purchasing a used harness to how to repack your wheel bearings. Different kinds of carts, competitions, breeds, and harness styles are discussed along with how to put-to and safe driving practices.

"The Manual of Driven Dressage," available on the ADS website. A complete encyclopedia meant to educate new judges which covers every gait, every movement, and every level of driven dressage. This is a substantial and well illustrated work which no CDE library should be without!

"Understanding Harness- Balanced Draft, Breast Collars, and Neck Collars," by Barb Lee. A hard-to-find book, it covers her theory of balanced draft, the mechanics of breast and neck collars, and a discussion of what type of collar is appropriate with which vehicle and why.

Breeders

Caribbean Dream Miniature Horses, FL http://www.caribbeandreamsminiatures.com/contact.html

Cedar Plains Miniatures, Manitoba http://www.cedarplains.ca/

Cooke Livestock Miniature Donkeys (yes, they do CDE's!), Alberta http://www.miniaturedonkeys.com/Pages/inaction.html

Fox Holler Farm, KY http://www.foxhollerfarm.com

Grass Mountain Farm, WA http://www.grassmountainfarm.com/

Harlequin Farm, CT, email Rhonda Jaacks at rjaacks@sbcglobal.net Website coming soon!

Heartwood Farm, NY http://www.heartwoodfarm.com/

Kateland Farms, NY http://www.katelandfarm.com/

Maple Mountain Miniatures, Ontario http://www.freewebs.com/mmm202/

Raftered Hearts Miniature Horses, OR http://www.rhminis.com/

Ron and Dorothy Whiteman, WA, email at dwhit21@hotmail.com

Ruff N Tuff Miniature Horses, ID http://www.ruffntuffminis.com/

Son Spun Miniature Horses, IL http://www.sonspun.com/

Sun Country Ranch, TX http://www.suncountryminis.homestead.com/

Tanglewood Farms, CA http://www.tanglewood-farms.com/

Vandy's Farm Miniature Horses, CA http://www.vandysminihorses.com/

Willow Crest Farm, TX http://www.willowcrest.com/

CDE competitors and Friends of the Sport

Breanna Sheahan of Bakersfield, CA- http://www.imagestation.com/members/MiniHGal

Jaye Ventresca of Regency Performance Miniatures in Bucks Country, Pennsylvania http://www.regencymini.com/index.shtml

Wanda Lusk of Too Mini Ranch in Port Orchard, WA http://toominiranch.com/

Ted and Joy Jenney of Kateland Farms in Holley, NY http://www.katelandfarm.com/

Earl Morris and Mary Winter of 3G Farms in Ames, Iowa http://www.threegfarms.com/meet.html

Teri Reinemer in Arlington, WA http://www.goodneighborhorseandhound.com/Photos.html

Eileen and Allan Davis of Davis Ranch Combined Driving Center in Prescott, AZ http://www.horsecde.com/

Lucy Kusluch & Jane Wagner of Field of Dreams Miniature Horses in Springtown, TX http://www.fieldofdreamsminihorses.com/

Susan and Al Bulgawicz of Willow Crest Farm in Cypress, TX http://www.willowcrest.com/

Nikki, Greg, and Heather Faubus of Cuzawana Ranch in Pixley, CA www.cuzawana.com

Judith Jay and Kim Porter of Fox Holler Farm in Georgetown, KY www.foxhollerfarm.com

Jessi Zamboni in AZ http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v295/CheyAut/Chili%20Pepper/

Cindy, Walter, and Geneva Pond of Heartwood Farm in Geneseo, NY http://www.heartwoodfarm.com/

Gallery of ponies Merlin and Coco, owned by Kelly S. and Aaron in Doylestown, PA http://community.webshots.com/user/ksoldavin

Robert and Linda Smith of L Bar R Miniature Horse Ranch in Prescott, AZ http://myweb.cableone.net/lrsmith/

The Smiths’ friend, Mary Jane- lots of pictures http://theatonnas.com/horses.html

Martha and son Jimmy Duchnowski of Silk Purse Farm in Nokesville, VA http://www.minihorsecde.com/SilkPurse/home.html, also

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/donkey_mom/albums

Mickey Lofgren of Grass Mountain Farm in WA http://www.grassmountainfarm.com/

Mark and Linda Kern of Caribbean Dreams Miniature Horses in Loxahatchee, FL http://www.caribbeandreamsminiatures.com/contact.html

Eve Dexter of Old Bell Farm near Campbellville, Ontario, Canada http://www.oldbellfarm.com/

Mike, Lori, and Michaela Rafter and Dale Zimon of Maple Mountain Miniatures in York, Ontario, Canada http://www.freewebs.com/mmm202/

Jim and Dorothy Walter of Sunset Valley Ranch in Goldendale, WA http://www.sunsetvalleyminis.com/

Gig-on-the-Fell Farm in Van Alstyne, TX http://www.theclassygoldhat.com/farm.html

Jeanine Rachau of Blue Mountain Farm Norwegian Fjord Horses in La Grande, OR http://www.oregonvos.net/~jrachau/fjord.htm

Cindy Vollers of Charming Creek Farm, LLC in Robesonia, PA http://www.charmingcreekfarm.com/tourthefacility/theminis.html

Active drivers with no website yet:

Beth Rieselman in PA, email at PungoER@aol.com

Merridy Hance of Silverdale, WA, email at merridyhance@forevermail.com

Dr. Pam Ripperda, D.V.M. and daughter Patty of Stoney Ridge Ranch in Princeton, TX, email at doctor_pam@hotmail.com

Ron and Dorothy Whiteman of Elma, WA, email at dwhit21@hotmail.com

Helen Stroklund of Heart Prairie Miniatures in Onalaska, WA, email at LJ7HELEN@aol.com

Ed and Donna Stormer, and their junior competitors Isaac, Bobby, Ben, Hannah, Simon, Sarah and Deborah Stormer of Seabeck, WA, email at estormer@integrity.com.  Various members of the family make light weight portable pens and round pens for miniature horses, miniature jumps, and custom trailer boxes for hauling minis. Email for prices and details.

Margo in New Mexico

Shirley in WA

Whitney in Michigan

Driving Apparel

Most driving suppliers offer driving aprons and gloves as well as other appointments. Thrift shops are another excellent place to shop for hats, nice jackets, etc.

DD Rapps Distinctive Designs for Drivers http://www.ddrapps.com/

Elizabeth Cole Millinery and New Farm Carriage Supply http://www.newfarmcarriage.com/LadiesHats.cfm

Hats Off Boutique http://www.hatsoffboutique.com/

Karen's Karriage Kreations http://www.karenskarriagekreations.com

LaRose Hats http://www.darkhorsefarm.net/larosehats.html

Tailor Tacks, Susan McLoudrey, email at tailortacks@mindspring.com

Driving Forums and Mailing Lists

ADS forum http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=92675

Carriage Driving List (CD-L) http://www.carriagedriving.net/

Chronicle of the Horse (COTH) http://www.chronicleforums.com

Driving Pairs http://www.drivingpairs.com/

Lil’ Beginnings http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com

MiniHorseDriving List on Yahoo! http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/MiniHorseDriving/

Recreational Drivers List on Yahoo! http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/RecreationalEquineDriving/

Driving Supplies

American Cart and Harness http://www.horsecart.com/

Camptown Harness http://www.camptownharness.com/

Carriage Barn http://www.thecarriagebarn.com/

Carriage Driving Essentials http://www.carriagedrivingessentials.com

Chimacum Tack http://www.horsedriver.com

Country Carriage http://www.countrycarriagesusa.com/

Driving Essentials http://www.drivingessentials.com

Ear nets for minis, custom made by Cindy Vollers http://www.charmingcreekfarm.com/earnets.html

Iowa Valley Carriage http://www.iowavalleycarriage.com/index.php

Lignite- a great selection of custom sleigh bells http://www.dotnet.com/~lignite/

Smuckers http://www.smuckersharness.com/

Ultralite Whips http://www.ultralitewhips.com/ (They make great custom whips for the Hyperbike if you ask! I dubbed mine the "HyperLite Whip.")

ADS Events for Minis

The best place to find information for any of these events is on the ADS website at http://www.americandrivingsociety.org/07calendar.asp. There you can search by name and find the date, location, and all other pertinent details like when entries open and close. The one thing the website does NOT do is tell you which events accept VSE's! That's what this list is for. Since I only live in one tiny corner of the country and relied on the internet to create this list, please email me with any additional events you're aware of so they can be added as well.

AZ events? Arizona CDE, Old Pueblo CDE, Grass Ridge CDE http://www.azcarriage.org/calendar.htm

Beavercreek CDE, OR http://www.beavercreek.org/

Black Prong events? Does anyone know for sure if VSE's are allowed in these? http://www.blackprong.com/eventcalendar.cfm

Brandywine Carriage Driving Show, PA http://www.bvdc.org/home/horse_show.htm

Cedar Creek Carriage Driving Show, TX http://www.texasdrivingclubs.com/calendar.html

Central Valley Harness Association http://centralvalleyharnessassociation.com/

Chapter One ADT’s, NJ http://www.chapteronefarms.com/

Connecticut Valley Driving Trial, CT

Cowboy Country CDE, OK http://www.insureokc.com/cde1.htm

Eden Hill Pleasure Driving Show

Elk Creek CDE http://www.bvdc.org/FHI/FinalElkCreekCDEprizelist.htm

Gayla CDE, KY http://www.gayladrivingcenter.com/BG-CDE.htm Update: VSE division cancelled for 2007

Gladstone CDE, NJ http://www.gladstonedriving.org/

Happ’s CDE,WA http://www.happs-inc.com/CDE_home.htm

Happ’s VSE DT-T!, unsanctioned, WA http://www.happs-inc.com/VSE_home.htm

Haven Hill HDT, TX http://www.havenhilldriving.com/

Henry Boyd CDE, CA http://www.henryboydcde.com/

Indiana CDE http://www.iwwi.org/calendar_of_events.html

Lincoln Creek, WA http://www.lincolncreekevents.com/

Lord Stirling, NJ, email nwilliams@scparks.org

Metamora Pleasure Driving Show, MI  If you live in the area, please support this new event. If enough VSE's attend, they may open the Metamora CDE to minis in the future. Information is available at Metamora.