In a relaxed environment, with those not taking lessons encouraged to watch and listen, Peter occasionally worked his students within the confines of a dressage ring, but more often asked them to work in an open field. Occasionally he took up the reins himself to get a better feel for what the driver was experiencing and so he could better help them make corrective adjustments.

Peter is a believer in the Training Scale [see “"The German Training Scale" on page 16] to build a solid foundation that can be built upon as the horses and ponies develop. Although the scale was developed for riders, not drivers, “We have to think about what the rider does when he sits on the horse, and then when we are sitting behind them use the aids that we have to work: the reins, the brake, and the voice together.”

With every student in the clinic, using the whip effectively was a consistent theme. He implored drivers to use the whip more and the voice less. He instructed them to be proactive with the whip – not reactive. “When you use your voice, your horse immediately stops working from behind. He needs to be active behind. Using the voice makes him go faster. Tell him with the whip. We need engagement. We don’t want him to go faster, so we need to learn to use the whip in the right place.”

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