The National Drive

Our Clinicians

FALL 2023

Stacey Giere   is a seasoned trainer and equine enthusiast who manages and operates a full-service boarding and training facility on her 7th generation farm in Brecksville, Ohio.
    Stacey attended Ohio State University, where she received a B.S. in Education, focusing on K-12 Physical Education, and a Master of the Arts in Education for Physical and Mental Disabilities. She rode for both the Huntseat and Stockseat Equestrian Teams and went on to several championships.
    During the show season, Stacey has been able to compete some of her own horses/ponies while training and competing for a variety of clients. Her focus has gone from hunter jumpers to breed show accomplishments to combined driving and all over in pleasure driving world, with championship titles throughout. Even though she loves to compete, she always focuses on training, exposure and quality skill building for the equine athletes.
    When you interact with Stacey, she will answer your questions honestly and will always find that the cup is half full. She passionately wants people to understand how the animals think and will be the first to help you make safe and skill-appropriate decisions.    $100

Theresa Burns has had a lifelong passion for horses and has experienced many equine disciplines, but in the 80s she discovered driving. What piqued her interest was dressage in driving as a dressage rider she was fascinated with driven dressage. She lived in Wisconsin at the time and was a member of the Dairyland Driving club. She got involved in training her own horses to drive, but also helped others get started. Her focus is safety for both horse and driver and choosing the proper equipment.
    Theresa is a founding member of the Midwest Distance Driving Association which holds events in conjunction with the Upper Midwest Endurance and Competitive Riders Association. She has competed in 6, 12 and 25 mile drives. Putting on those miles is a great way to confirm a work ethic and expose the horse to many different experiences. Conditioning, judging fitness in the horse, electrolytes and checking metabolics are all essential things that Theresa has learned and taught others who joined the sport.
    Her Teaming UP to Drive program focuses on barn calls where she helps horse owners get their horses started in harness. Driving horses is such a team effort and everyone learns from each other. With her Quarter horses, she has driven single, pairs, tandem, unicorn and four-in-hand, competing in combined driving events and pleasure shows. Theresa has her Level II Certificate from the Carriage Association of America Driver Proficiency Program and is a Level I instructor.
    In 2015, she became a Certified Practitioner with Masterson Method Integrated Bodywork for horses. www.mastersonmethod.com. She helps horses release tension and improve their performance while building a relationship with them.
    A member of Mid-Iowa Driving Association, she is helping new drivers build their relationship with their equine. She looks forward to helping folks at the National Drive have fun, make progress and benefit from her years of driving experience.    $75

Sterling Graburn comes from a long line of horse trainers who believe that dressage is the building block for all equestrian activities. Growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania, he spent his early years competing in combined training, adding combined driving as a teenager. At the age of 21, Sterling participated in his first international event as navigator at the World Four-in-Hand Championships in Hungary. At 30, he was navigator for several-time champion Larry Poulin at Gladstone during the World Pairs Championship in New Jersey. He was groom/navigator for Wendy Ying at the 2005 World Pony Championships in England.
Since 2006, Sterling has competed in three World Champions, placing the highest of all American drivers in each event.
Sterling continues to train and compete in both Pleasure and Combined Driving events with singles, pairs, tandem, unicorns and four-in-hands. In 2020, he relocated to Harrodsburg, KY, where he trains and develops top-level driving and sport horses. He and partner Kimberly Moore breed Dutch Harness horses and American Saddlebreds at their Waypoint Farm. $100

SPRING 2023

Joanna Wilburn is the co-owner of Rollingwoods Farm which specializes in hunter and driving ponies located in Olive Branch, MS. As a farm Rollingwoods Farm has bred/trained/owned either the National or Reserve National Welsh driving pony from 1991 to present. Moving from farm trainer for the ponies to training people to drive was a natural progression for Joanna as driving is a real passion for her. Joanna has competed in CDEs as a Navigator for several years from Single Training Level to Advanced four-in-hand. Joanna loves beginners and children as that is the chance to start a great foundation. Her heartfelt enjoyment of the equine brain mixed with her wit, enthusiasm and practical advice will benefit drivers of any skill level. $75

Mary Ruth Marks’ vocation is a realtor in the Madison area, but her passion and avocation are horses, particularly driving horses. Two of her horses have been long listed for the US team, and, in 2010, her stallion, Adeszko, was 6th in the nation for Horse of the Year awards and first alternate to the U.S. Team for combined driving.
She was founder and first president of the Dairyland Driving Club (now 30+ years strong), is a registered judge with the American Driving Society and conducts seminars and driving clinics throughout the U.S. She produced the popular DVD “Teach Your Horse to Drive” and wrote two books, the “Tandem Driving Handbook” and the coffee table book, “The Dogs of Madison”.
Mary Ruth brings boundless enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge to all of her horse endeavors. She loves helping others learn and currently owns Equine Basics, an educational endeavor to provide solutions to horse owners throughout the region. She lives in Verona, Wisconsin, and raises German Riding Ponies and sport horses. $75

Spring Drive

April 27-30, 2023

Fall Drive

October 3-8, 2023

Hoosier Horse Park, IN