Staff

Don has been involved in the driving world for the last 20
years. He has been competing in Combined Driving, in
the Northwest since it's beginning here, 19 years ago.
Don and navigator Lisa, along with his one of a kind
horse Gem, won many Combined Driving events in the
US as well as in Canada, through the upper levels, until
her retirement in 1998.

After many successful seasons in Combined Driving as
well as pleasure shows, Don decided to go ahead and
train professionally, after the many requests to do so.
He has been professionally training for over 12 years.

As well as competing, coaching, training horses and
officiating, Don has served in numerous capacities with
national and local equestrian organizations and filled
almost every conceivable positition for horse
competition management. This includes 2 years as
Director of Equestrian Institutes Combined Driving
Committee and a stint as an ADS Technical Delegate.
In addition, he was responsible for establishing
"Equifriends" disabled driving program.

Don and his wife Lisa own and operate the Driving
Training Center in Snohomish, Washington along with
the boarding facility French Creek Stables. They train
all breeds and sizes of horses from Mini's to
Clydesdales. All horses are started with complete and
gentle ground work in a relaxed atmospnhere, stressing
safety and the driver/horse relationship.

Lisa, with 28 years horse experience, is a valuable
asset to the Training Center. Her ridden dressage
experience, as applied to the driving horses, is one
of the primary reasons the horses go on the bit,
bend, and go round. With 16 years as Don's partner
and navigator is the driving competitions she knows
her way around a horse and carriage, but the time
spent on the horses back in a training situation is
what makes her shine.