Carriage Driving Expert Muffy Seaton

Muffy Seaton from Williston, S.C., is a well-known driver, trainer and breeder of driving ponies. She has been an active combined driving event and pleasure driving competitor, judge and clinician for the past 28 years. In addition, Muffy has served on American Driving Society (ADS) and United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) driving committees. She is a registered USA Equestrian and ADS judge in pleasure, combined driving and driving dressage. She also is one of few worldwide to hold the prestigious British Driving Society Light Harness Horse Instructor’s.

Driving her Dartmoor pair of “Fleas”, Muffy has won every major combined driving event in the East, and in 1997 she was invited to represent the United States at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in England where she placed third overall and was the highest-placed American. She has been the USEF National Pony Champion four times, first with a four-in-hand and then with her pair. In 2005 she qualified for the World Pony Championships in England and trained the single pony who won the gold medal.

As a clinician, Muffy believes a strong bond of confidence has to exist between the driver and the driving horse in order to have a safe and happy turnout. She stresses communication and trust in all her training sessions because she feels that without communication, there can be no trust, therefore, no teamwork between driver and horse.

Visit her website at www.muffyseaton.com

Read Muffy’s answers to reader questions.
Driving from the hind end
Sidecheck and overcheck
Introducing a horse to the cart