Driving Horses ─ How to Harness, Align, and Hitch Your Horse for Work or Play

Driving Horses is the classic reference guide for people who drive horses, whether on the farm, in competition, or as a business. If you’ve never harnessed a horse before, how do you make sense of all those straps and buckles? How do you hitch a pair so they pull evenly? How do you hold the reins? Driving Horses explains what you need to know to work with your horses safely and efficiently, so you—and the horses—get the most out of each day. Driving horses like a pro is all about the details, and this guidebook is built on details.

With more than 250 color photos and diagrams alongside clear, step-by-step instructions, Driving Horses covers all the bases—from different types of harnesses and collars to how to get a harness on and off your horse to how to select a work horse. Learn how to hitch a horse to an implement, how to maintain correct lateral and longitudinal alignment, how to grip the reins, and much more. Whether you’ve been around horses all your life or are just starting to work with them, you’ll find this handbook essential.

The late Steve Bowers was a well-known horse trainer and author. He wrote a book on draft horses titled A Teamster's View: More and Different, and he promoted the use and training of horses that are light on the lines and strong on the traces. He sought to develop horses and teamsters who are “calmer, smarter, better.”