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c economist suntribune sports thursday sept 12 2002 33 training starts with driver walking behind horse from page 32 with legs and seat driving is like switching from standard to auto matic transmission as marg clucked and slapped the rein gently on alexs rump ask ing him to walk my legs uncon sciously squeezed and my behind sank deeper in the buggy seat drivers rely on voice commands and feeling the horses mouth with the reins like riders good drivers have soft hands enabling messages between 1500pound horse and puny human to zing invisibly along the reins in mutual understanding and respect while most horses accept a rider not as many are keen on a pesky contraption rattling behind them teaching a horse to drive starts with a trainer walking behind practising voice and hand commands a buggy or carriage with is slowly introduced in canada drivers compete in pleasure driving or combined driv ing with single horses pairs or a fourhorse team combined driv ing has three phases in dressage horses are judged on gaits impul sion and presentation the marathon phase requires drivers to travel as much as 27 kilo metres across various terrain with hazards such as bridges and streams the third phase has driv ers twist and turn between cones with balls on top if a ball falls penalties are incurred as we trundled along a track competing more fun than gym from page 32- staff writer anne howland schomberg farm staff photosjoerd witteveen literally took the reigns while trying out carriage driving at marg shaws beside farmers fields like a couple of genteel ladies marg gave me the reins and my hands fell into a famil iar grip my back straightened eyes looked forward and elbows and arms relaxed in a slight bend as with riding driving is more than just sitting there once id done some simple stops starts and turns and generally kept alex out of the soy bean field marg suggested we pick up a trot ok cluck cluck here we go suddenly the noise and lurching of the buggy increased tenfold and i feared alex was making a break for it whoa i seesawed lightly on the reins as instructed but marg would have none of it and urged me to drive on at what was actually a leisurely jog as i felt the harnessed power of the single horse thrumming in the reins i imagined what it must be like to drive two four six or even the whole budweiser team the world record of 28 horses in hand was mindboggling id stick with alex thanks very much back at the barn we pulled to a stop dismounted from the buggy and untacked marg was thrilled with how i had done but i knew the credit was due to alex i scratched his soft whiskery nose in apprecia tion of his patience and wisdom as both riders and drivers know its the horse that makes or breaks you marg shaw teaches driving lessons in schomberg call 19059397285 the markham resident and teacher at bayview secondary school in richmond hill acknowl edges hes still a competitor on the court i want to do well just like every body else who is on the court he says still relishing the opportunity to show the opposition his high school moves mr mcneilly believes mas ters tournaments give people like him an outlet a lot of guys play because theyre jocks at heart theyve done it since they were kids and they played in high school or college or university its a lot more fun instead of just going to a gym and working out he also enjoys the social side that is emphasized at many events a lot of guys who play in these masters tournaments look forward each year to seeing the guys theyre lifelong friendships a tolerant spouse helps too when it comes to being a weekend warrior on the masters circuit without them spouses it wouldnt be possible for us masters competitors to do what we like to do mr mcneilly says iteb at the friday october 25 saturday october 26 sunday october 27 thousands of new ideas products 6 km north of hwy 7 on mccowan road avjlsi ftetounfy in the kitchen healthy lifestyle centre crafters market building renovation interior design decorji advice from the experts frcjithutijy johnsillaots it y host of hgtvs in the workshop will discuss how to get the perfect f infsh onall your wo setting up a home workshop and how to keep your house in top shape check out our website for updated information wwwmarkhamhomeshowcom ghouinard bros ssf hoofing aluminum windows v pools katherine loader russ loader canadas leading feng shui experts will discuss the power of place 0uuuafa isf homes marfadlle publishing group fordlh