Special guests - Mike Wilder and Mike Wertz

We've been lucky enough to have two special guests for the clinic, surprisingly both are named Mike!

Our first Mike, Mike Wilder will be our lunch time speaker and is brought to us by the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association. A native of Ohio, Mike developed an interest in horses through his stepfather who trained Standardbreds at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. He was well-know at Lebanon Raceway, where he won 13 driving titles, and he captured two driving championships at Scioto Downs before moving to The Meadows in 2001. Mike registered his 5,000th lifetime driving win in 2009. In 2012, he was one of nine drivers chosen to compete in The Battle of Pennsylvania Driving Challenge.  Mike will talk about what it takes to be a competitive race driver and how that differs from other types of driving.  He'll also be bringing along a race cart for you to examine.

Our second Mike is Mike Wertz, owner of Mike's Carriage Service. Mike and his Percherons have been doing parades, special events and downtown Pittsburgh tours for nearly 20 years.  At the height of the holiday season it is not unusual for them to appear at 4-5 different venues in one day.  That means organizing people, harness, carts, and horses for maximum efficiency.   Mike will be not only be bring draft harness with him, he'll also be bringing one of his trailers and a carriage.  He'll be showing you some of the easiest (and safest) ways to transport your carriage.  Show carriages are an investment that you'll want to protect.

The Horses!

Several people have asked about the horses that will be used at the clinic - who are they and what type of experience do they have.  While change is always possible right now we're intending to have Aiken, Against the Best and the minis, Trick and Treat, at the clinic.

Aiken is a 9 year-old Fjord who rides and drives.  He has competed at a variety of shows including the Saratoga Driving Trial, the Finger Lakes Fjord Show, and Tri-Valley Horseman Assoc. shows.  Additionally he has participated in the Parade of Breeds at the KY Horse Park, Carriage Round-up and the National Drive. He's also been known to haul a light log or two out of the woods.  Aiken currently holds the title of 'cutest horse in the barn' at Caustelot Farms where he is boarding.  He is typically driven by Bruce Haak but is currently on loan to Kathleen.

Against the Best retired from the racetrack two years ago with 274 starts.  He has made a successful transition to pleasure driving horse but excels at combined driving.  He does very well at cones and marathon, and is working on his collection to place higher in dressage.  He has been reserve champion at the Saratoga Driving Trial twice.  Best has participated in Equine Affaire (Ohio), the National Drive, Carriage Round-up and the KY Horse Park's Parade of Breeds in addition to several parades.  Best is typically driven by Kathleen Haak.

Joyce Haak is the primary driver of Trick and Treat, minis that she purchased on Halloween several years ago.  The 'boys' do it all - they have done pleasure shows, driving trials, and in-hand shows.  Joyce drove them to championships in 2012 at the Saratoga Driving Trial and the Susquehanna Valley Whips and Wheels Driving Trial.

They are 32-inch blue roans, as blue roans they change color year-round so you'll see pictures of them with really white coats in July to really dark coats in winter.

Other horses that may be at the clinic include:

The small but mighty Tell.  Tell has only been driving for a few months but he may be joining us to demonstrate a harness.  Eventually Tell will be joining Trick and Treat as either a unicorn or three-abreast hitch.

Draken is a three-time SPHO National Champion driving horse.  He has appeared at the World Equestrian Games, the Kentucky Horse Park, and various other venues over his career.  Draken was trained by Joyce Haak and driven by Kathleen Haak. At 22, Draken is pretty much retired but occasionally comes out to try new things.  In 2012, he drove tandem (one horse in front of another) with Best!  While Draken will probably stay home he has been know to make his way into the trailer unexpectedly.

Driving Games

Driving can be a lot of fun but sometimes driving in a ring or down the road can get a bit boring. Spice it up with cones, hazards, or games.

Cones classes are regularly found at pleasure shows and can range from the basic driving between two cones to Gambler's Choice, Progressive,Pick Your Route, etc. Joyce Haak will walk you through the basics and talk to you about how the rest are set up.

Interested in CDEs, HDTs or Arena Driving? Hazards are, for many, the funnest part of those types of competition.  While we probably will not have room for a true hazard we will talk about them and look at some diagrams of how to create one.

Games - oh, what fun you can have!  We've done games with everything from dunking for apples to hula hoops.  Don't discount traditional gymkhana games either!  Driving horses can weave poles, run barrels and basically turn and burn with the riding horses.

Joyce doing a hazard at the Saratoga Driving Trial

Pole Bending

Registration form

Need a registration form?  This is the link to the registration form, everyone should be able to open it.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6VS1ALS00owODdSRXJXS3pTVlU

Show Clothing

Whether you show in hunter seat equitation, western pleasure or carriage driving, attention to detail often makes the difference between a good performance and a ribbon-winning one. As exhibitors, it is important to realize that when two competitors are tied in performance, turnout is often considered as the tie-breaker.

Following “traditional” fashion guidelines,  driving attire not only has to fit well, and be complimentary to the individual’s figure, it must also coordinate well with their harness, vehicle, and of course, the horse.

Kathleen Haak will discuss competition show clothing, and how to put outfits together, as well as:

• Where to Buy Clothing in the Pittsburgh area
• Driving Aprons
• Footwear
• Makeup 
• Shopping on a Budget
• Rain Gear and Waterproofs
• The Proper Hat and How to Wear It

A variety of hats will be provided so that you can see how the shape and color of a hat accents your face.

Tipperary Farm

Tipperary Farm is located on over 150 acres in North Fayette Township, western Allegheny County, in southwestern Pennsylvania. 

The farm is only 30 minutes (non-rush hour) from downtown Pittsburgh and a short drive from The Pointe, The Mall at Robinson, and the North Fayette Township Municipal Complex. The 28 stall equestrian facility with attached 80 ft. x 200 ft. indoor riding arena enjoys beautiful views of the surrounding countryside from its ridge top location. Tipperary Farm specializes in Kerry Bog Ponies and Irish Draughts.  

Their goal is to provide a safe, educational and fun environment where children will be taught in group lessons on school owned horses and ponies. While we realize that many children dream of having their own pony, we have decided to focus on our lesson program using school owned "equine instructors". This means that our students will benefit from riding different horses and the horses will benefit from the school managed routine of regular exercise and care.

For more information on Tipperary Farm visit http://www.tipperaryfarm.com/

Many thanks to Tipperary Farm for allowing us to use their wonder facility for this event.

Tipperary Farm
1185 Stewart Road
McDonald, PA 15057