Wagon Rides of Bandera Texas

05/06/2026

I am going to attend her free driving training! I love learning more about driving.
Debra K Slate

You already know the value of thoughtful, thorough training—and you know that it’s what sets great horsemanship apart.

Driving is interesting, because it can appear so effortless that it's easy to underestimate the work, time, and energy invested to reach that level of ease. Even skilled riders can fall into the trap of thinking it’s simple—until they try it.

When you try to start driving your horse by imitating what you’ve seen others doing, you're likely to miss crucial steps in your horse's education. The gaps might not show up right away, but when progress stalls or problems seem to appear out of nowhere, that’s often why.

Perhaps you've been there.

You’re holding the reins of an anxious horse—fidgety, tense, unable to stand still. You ask him to walk, and he spins around to face you. Maybe you get him straightened out, but the walk feels rushed and jiggy, or wiggly like a worm. Nothing feels settled or reliable. In some cases, things escalate to balking, rearing, even bolting.

It doesn’t have to be this way!

Here’s the truth: there are specific skills every driving horse needs to master—and you can teach them.

With a thoughtful plan, your horse gains confidence step by step—while you build the communication, connection, and ease that make driving truly enjoyable.

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 where I’ll break down the training of a driving horse into 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 that lay the foundation for confidence and clarity.

You’ll learn how to use different types of groundwork to teach and refine the key skills your driving horse needs to succeed. No guesswork, no overwhelm.

Whether you’re brand new to driving or looking to fine-tune your current training program, this masterclass will give you a clear, practical path forward.

📆 𝗧𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘: Thursday, May 7 at 6 PM Mountain time / 8 PM Eastern
👉 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲: https://www.christinebeattieequine.com/groundwork

(𝘕𝘖𝘛𝘌: 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘡𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.)

And don’t forget to share this with your friends so that you can compare notes and share the journey!

03/21/2026

JR is teaching a new person to drive. Today we’re out in the Pioneer forecart enjoying a ride through Bandera, Texas, and even stopping for a beverage at The Coconut Cowboy on Main St.

03/11/2026

This week we are at the Frontier Times Museum 11-3 in Bandera.

03/01/2026

Dixie Dude Ranch is a wonderful place to stay.

02/23/2026

More behind the scenes. Our white carriage gets an upgrade…a new brake master cylinder. Thank you Scott Slate and Jerry Hill.

02/23/2026

New tires all around in February. First the truck, and today a trailer gets new tires. Keeping our horses and ourselves safe on the road.

02/15/2026

Part 2 of 4. Pros and Cons of using Blinkers (on your driving horse).

There are both advantages and disadvantages to outfitting your horse in blinders, but before we can talk about that, we first need to understand where they came from, and the purpose that they serve.

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 2 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 4-𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 1 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1N2YXwYsgQ/

While blinders have come in and out of fashion in various regions and driving traditions throughout history, their use can be traced back at least as far as ancient Egypt, some 3,500 years ago.

Fundamentally, blinders serve three key purposes:

𝟭) 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿.
While horses have an incredibly wide field of vision, their eyesight isn’t equal in all directions. Vision to the side and behind is designed for detecting threats, not for clear focus.

When a horse is hitched to a carriage, that vehicle sits squarely in this “predator zone,” visible in the part of her vision meant to trigger a get outta dodge response. Most horses can learn that the carriage following them is benign—but that acceptance is learned, not innate.

For many driving horses, even once they’re “okay” with the carriage, fully relaxing into the work can still be difficult. All that movement behind them acts like constant visual white noise, something the brain must continually filter out.

Even if the horse isn’t worried, that filtering still costs mental energy. She may not look frightened, but she may not be fully settled either.

Blinders remove that visual input, significantly reducing the mental load on the driving horse. Like noise-cancelling headphones, they simply make it easier for the horse to focus on the job, without all the visual static in the background.

𝟮) 𝗕𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲
When you’re driving two, three, four, or more horses together, sometimes you’ll need to give an aid with the whip towards one specific horse. If the horses are in open bridles, they will all see the movement of your whip and potentially respond, even if the aid is not directed to them.

With blinders, no horse will see the movement of the whip; and only the intended horse will feel it—clearly and precisely. This means less guessing, less anticipating, and more clarity for everyone.

𝟯) 𝗕𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀’ 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿-𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺
In a hitch with horses positioned in front of each other, the reins of the leaders pass through rings on the wheel horses’ bridles, to keep them from tangling between animals as they make their way back to the driver.

Blinders ensure that these reins keep clear of the wheel horses’ eyes, for certainly a rein in the eye would be an unwelcome and unpleasant surprise.

* * *

Considering these three distinct functions that blinders can serve, you can appreciate that a driver may have different reasons for choosing to outfit her horses in blinders—or not.

The case 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 blinders is generally that with a full field of vision, there are no mysteries or surprises to the horse. When she hears a sound behind her, she can easily identify it, putting to rest any potential boogeymen sneaking up on her.

Some horses have a hard time relaxing with blinders obstructing their vision—a horse who is frequently swinging her head around to look behind her may, in fact, be much happier in an open bridle.

Arguments in favour of open bridles are also often made by horse farmers and loggers, who are asking their horses to do some incredible precision work. These horses may benefit greatly from being able to see exactly where they are and what’s around them—in narrow rows between crops, or navigating through stumps and underbrush to skid logs into place on the landing.

There is no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to blinders. It is the responsibility of each one of us to outfit our horses in the way that they are most comfortable. Sometimes, this might mean unlearning long-held beliefs, and letting our horse tell us their preference.

* * *

Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at the different styles of blinders out there, and how to fit them comfortably.

02/14/2026

They are like noise cancelling headphones.
Why do driving horses wear blinders? I enjoy this 4 part series. Take a read.

01/30/2026

Nick and JR are enjoying their vacation, and TLC from Laura. They had a good brushing and grooming today.

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas

12/14/2025