Preferring Horse Power to Horsepower

Once upon a time, before Southern California was car crazy, if you wanted to get the family from point A to point B, you hitched the horse to the wagon and away you went.

Nowadays, people like Randy McFarland, who forgo their internal-combustion engine jobs for a surrey with the fringe on top, are called hobbyists.

McFarland, the regional representative for the American Driving Society, will share his passion Friday in the seminar “Carriage Driving, It’s Not Just a Hobby . . . It’s an Adventure,” at Cal Poly Pomona.

McFarland works as an orthotist by day, fitting people with artificial limbs and braces.

“That’s how I make my living, and the carriage driving is a hobby to keep my sanity, just like some people play golf,” he said.

McFarland concedes his is not a common hobby. When asked how many carriage drivers there are in California, he said:

“I would guess around (400 or 500) in the whole state, maybe more. Some people don’t get in with carriage clubs.”

In his seminar, McFarland will emphasize that you don’t have to have a carriage to begin breaking your horse to haul one. It’s a process that takes several steps.

“The horse’s instinct is to run from things,” he said. “You have to get them used to having something behind them and get them used to the harness.”

There are modern carriage builders, so if your great-grandparents traded theirs in on a Model T, you can still get one. In fact, modern carriages are often built to withstand the rigors of competition driving, which includes dressage, or showing the horse; the marathon, a cross-country event with hazards, and driving around cones.

The talk, sponsored by the Arabian Horse Assn. of Southern California, will start at 7 p.m. in the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center on campus, 3801 W. Temple Ave. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and children.