Meet the British driving team

George Bowman

At 71, Britain’s George Bowman (pictured right) is the world’s most prolific and experienced FEI four-in-hand driver. Winner of individual silver and bronze in World and European Championships, George Bowman has only missed one World Four-in-Hand Driving Championships — the 2004 Worlds in Hungary — in his remarkable 33-year competitive driving career and will be a stalwart of the British Team again. Team gold medallist at his first World Championships at Frauenfeld, Switzerland in 1974 and again in 1980, Aachen will be George’s 16th World Championships.

British team stalwart Karen Bassett has represented Britain at the last six World Four-in-Hand Carriage Driving Championships. She won team bronze in 1996 and was the highest placed British driver, and the leading lady driver, when she finished in 12th place in 2004. Karen began carriage driving as a child and was driving a pony team at just 12 years old. She became the first lady ever to win an International Four-in-Hand Carriage Driving competition at Saumur in 1995. Since 1980, she has won the National Four-in-Hand Pony Team Championship six times and the National Four-in-Hand Horse Team Championship four times.

Dick Lane first represented Britain at an international championship at the previous World Equestrian Games in Spain four years ago. Since then he has attended the World Four in Hand Championships in Hungary in 2004 and the World Horse Pairs in 2005 in Austria. Dick was introduced into the sport of carriage driving by Pippa Bassett (British team reserve) some 10 years ago. Some of his current team of grey Lipizzaner horses previously represented Britain with Pippa, although Dick has also introduced three young Lipizzaners into his team from Croatia.

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