Article Index

Unconscious Abuse

Repeat

Rest and Digest

Sometimes Wrong is Right

Passenger or Driver

Sky Rocket

Wheel Alignment

Have You Ever Been Fired?

Straighten Up and Fly Right

Hi Ho Silver

Two Heads

Pedal to the Metal

The Whole Enchilada

Boulder Jumping

Passenger and driver riders can be male or female, any age, height, weight or background. So what makes the difference between a passenger rider and a driver rider since they both can get on a horse and ride?

A passenger rider, in my opinion, is someone who has a tendency to be passive and who usually allows the horse to make many of the decisions. A passenger rider hasn’t yet acquired the riding skills, good timing or reflexes in order to take control of a situation whenever his horse becomes resistant or gets scared. Thus he allows his horse to do things he really doesn't want; like switching gaits, getting too close to another horse, inconsistent within a gait, and not going where he is being directed. A passenger rider is similar to a passenger in a car who is being chauffeured around. Neither one is in control. Being chauffeured by your horse may feel comfortable to you but it doesn’t prepare you to have the confidence to know how to resolve a problem or communicate effectively. Any time you get lost in how to handle a situation with your horse; you have begun to slip back to being a passenger rider.

On the other hand, I consider a driver rider to be similar to a good safe driver of a car. The driver rider has learned the skills required to maneuver his horse wherever he wants to go and knows how to handle most unpredictable situations safely the same way an experienced driver of a car can carefully maneuver in traffic. Quick and subtle shifts take active involvement besides feel and timing to stay out of a car accident or a disaster with a horse. Cars don’t have a thinking or emotional mind (unless you own a Herbie) but horses do. Because horses think and can get emotional, a driver rider has to have the confident knowledge and experience to handle his horse whenever he rides. A driver rider’s communication skills also need to be excellent so he doesn’t confuse his horse.

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