IVC Carriage (formerly known as Iowa Valley Carriage) - Equestrian Driving Equipment
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Starting the Driving Horse

Starting the Driving Horse 0

There are a lot of beginning carriage drivers who are unknowingly skipping some major steps in their training process. Below I will highlight a VERY brief synopsis of what we do as preparatory steps to train our driving horses. Each step builds on the next and skipping steps can create major confusion for the horse.
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  • Myrna Rhinehart
IVC’s New Not-So-Silent Partner

IVC’s New Not-So-Silent Partner 1

You’ve seen him at the expos and carriage shows wearing the IVC polo shirts, you’ve seen him ballasting on the back of a number of marathon vehicles, driving in CDEs and a few other pleasure shows, designing some cones courses, and in various other roles in the carriage driving world.  Who is our new partner?
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  • Myrna Rhinehart
The Single Jointed Snaffle Paperweight

The Single Jointed Snaffle Paperweight 1

I have had more than one customer who has said, “My driving horse hates his bit”.  For a lot of people, the single jointed snaffle is considered the driving horse bit.  What is it about the single jointed snaffle that generally doesn’t work with carriage driving horses?
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Mistakes New Carriage Show Competitors Make

Mistakes New Carriage Show Competitors Make 1

We coach quite a few new carriage drivers.  Since we have been competing in carriage shows for quite a while, I can usually give the new driver a pretty good idea on what to expect at a carriage competition.  Here are some mistakes I see new competitors make who unfortunately don’t have that type of coaching.
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The Mysterious Turnout Class

The Mysterious Turnout Class 0

When people are new to carriage driving, the Turnout class can seem like a full-fledged mystery.  So what can you do to be competitive in a Turnout class?  In this article, we go over the judging criteria and what that means for a great turnout.
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“Floating” Shafts?

“Floating” Shafts? 2

How much weight should be in the tugs on a two-wheeled cart?”  I think there is a bit of a misnomer in the term “floating shafts”. When I think of that term, I picture air completely around the shaft with the cart totally balanced by the weight of the passengers.  When people try to achieve this, they find out that the cart slams up and down on the horse’s back and girth.
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