I know first-hand how hard it is to find qualifier details and keep on top of planning your season, so I’ve collated your need-to-know information for the 2026 harness horse and pony HOYS qualifiers in one place. Negotiating where to go to secure your Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualification is no mean feat, but this should help make your planning much more straightforward.

While the HOYS qualifier list has been announced for 2026, the some fixtures are still confirming their judges. So I’m frequently updating this page with all the new details as they are released – most recently the Edenbridge and Oxted judges – so it can be your one-stop-shop for planning your qualification.

2026 Harness horse or pony HOYS qualifiers

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View all the 2026 HOYS qualifying shows and classes

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Carriage drivers have shared frustrations at being effectively excluded from certain Forestry England woodlands, owing to a bureaucratic system – which the organisation has promised to review.

H&H has reported on the closure of horsebox parking at some Forestry England sites and how this has affected riders (news, 7 August, 4 September, 6 November). H&H also heard from drivers, who are required to have permits and who have faced issues concerning applying for and renewing permits to drive horses in Forestry England woodlands, and access to tracks.

“In England and Wales, carriage drivers have access to only 5% of public rights of way, as we are limited to restricted byways and byways. Taking a pony and carriage on the roads is extremely challenging, however good your pony is in traffic, so we too are classed as vulnerable road users,” British Driving Society rights of way officer Sarah Bellow told H&H.

“Many carriage drivers have been riders but due to increasing age and reduced mobility have taken to driving to enjoy a different aspect of the sport that they love, and for some with disabilities, a way of accessing and enjoying the countryside without engines or powered by batteries. A large percentage of carriage drivers are women, who can feel safer driving a pony with a friend acting as groom, rather than walking or cycling.”

She added that carriage drivers are happy to pay and to prove they have insurance, but that tweaks are needed to the online forms to make them more suitable and user friendly – currently, the online forms treat carriage driving as if it were an “event”, rather than individuals wishing to enjoy the woodlands.

“We understand that there are areas in the forests which must be protected for wildlife. However, walkers, dog walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders have free access anywhere in the forest, no permits required unless they are part of an organised event, to go anywhere in the forest without restriction at any time of year.

“Across the country, we are seeing a similar situation, only through the hard work and dedication of a few carriage drivers, in one or two areas, a small glimmer of hope is being seen.”

She added: “We are only too happy to have discussions with Forestry England to find a way forward so that individual carriage drivers can access this fantastic resource respectfully, once again.”

She also shared her own experience, adding: “For many years, I was able to contact the ranger covering Thetford Forest, complete an application form, send proof of public liability insurance, pay my money (around £100 per year) and obtain an annual permit. I could enjoy safe off-road routes, accompanied by a friend as groom, stopping to chat to other forest users – and our pony was frequently photographed and patted along the way.

“In October 2021, I was told that Forestry England was undertaking a consultation and a review into access to their forests, therefore the issue of permits was suspended.

“Almost four years on, the situation is still the same. As carriage drivers, we are allowed to access the public byways which run through or around Thetford Forest, often shared with off-roaders, four-by-fours, and motorbikes, but not Forestry England tracks. These public routes are often closed due to damage caused by vehicles or so badly rutted that it is difficult to drive a pony and carriage along them.”

Alison Finlay told H&H that losing access to Thetford Forest “ended [her] driving”.

“We had access via permit for carriage driving for decades. It was a total joy, not to say safer, than carriage driving on roads,” she said. “We paid £90 a year while riders went free. It was worth it. Then about three years ago, they refused to renew permits and have never given a reason. This has stopped me having another driving horse.

“We have tried asking and writing. We’re often ignored or get a vague response about birds needing protection. Yet the forest is vast and we only use hard tracks [while] hikers and dogs have access to all areas.”

Claire Worcester told H&H she has ridden, and recently driven, in Abbot’s Wood in East Sussex for more than 40 years, always paying for a permit.

“I’ve recently moved and now use Bedgebury Forest [in Kent] and it’s my go-to for exercising my driving ponies. For the last six months, I’ve had an endless battle via email to allow me to drive in the forest,” she said.

This includes filling in “numerous questionnaires”, risk assessments, plus giving details on harness type and make of carriage, reasons for driving there, how often, how many hours, if she is carrying spare parts, first-aid kits, mobile phone and a request for proof of third-party insurance.

A Forestry England spokesperson told H&H it issues thousands of permits every year for a wide range of activities in the nation’s forests.

“Every permission is for a maximum of 12 months, and sometimes local circumstances mean we cannot renew them immediately but might be able to another time,” said the spokesperson.

“To try to make things easier and fairer for people, and more efficient for us, we moved from many paper-based systems across the country to a single online system. We use one enquiry form that covers all activities and events that people want to do, and a few extra forms where we need more information.

“We understand that although some questions may not apply to individual carriage driving, they might for a carriage driving event. We are reviewing how we might make this clearer and easier. And if anyone needs help applying for permission, they can contact our local team who will be happy to help or complete it on your behalf.”

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A former rider celebrated her 90th birthday with a surprise carriage driving lesson – an experience she hopes to repeat when she turns 100.

Dorset-based Sylvia Pope owned horses with her late husband Robin and the couple judged at local fairs.

“They got married in 1955 and two years later my grandpa bought a horse,” Clare Woodward, Sylvia’s granddaughter, told H&H.

“My grandma hasn’t owned horses for about 40 years now, but one she still always talks about was called Sheba. She still likes to keep in contact with what is happening in the equestrian world and she’s been a Horse & Hound subscriber for around 70 years, she remembers when it cost a sixpence.”

Sylvia turned 90 on 14 July and Clare and her mum Julia Wilkie organised a surprise carriage driving experience for her at Madgwick Carriage Masters in Curdridge, Winchester.

“She thought we were taking her to the zoo!” said Clare. “The owner Kevin Madgwick was fantastic with her and really took the time to explain everything. She started in the school and then went out on the roads with two Friesian stallions called Ant and Dec.

“She was thrilled. We held a surprise afternoon tea for her and she couldn’t stop talking about it. She last rode when she was about 70 and although she’s still very active she probably wouldn’t be able to get on a horse, so we thought the carriage driving would still give her that feel for holding the reins, and she absolutely loved it. She has requested to do it again on her 100th birthday.”

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Johnny Arden, the countryman and founder of carriage driving business Dartmoor Driving died on 25 July, aged 89.

Mr Arden grew up on his family farm near Chagford, Devon, working the farm with horses. His father Major Bert Arden restarted the Mid Devon Hounds in 1936, and Mr Arden later helped as whipper-in and kennelman.

After the war he went on to ride pointers as an amateur jockey while doing his national service. When he was injured in a fall at Newton Abbot he was no longer able to do active service, so he joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, working with dogs and driving horses.

After the war he ran a hireling stables near Cirencester, and in the 1980s he returned to his beloved Dartmoor, where he was based at Michelcombe, Holne. He hunted with the Dartmoor, hosting meets for the hunt, and for the Dart Vale and Haldon Harriers.

Mr Arden developed a passion for carriage driving early on and preferred it to riding. It was suggested to him that he could offer to take people out on the moor and turn his passion into a business, and Dartmoor Driving was later formed. People would send horses and ponies to Mr Arden to be trained to drive, and he taught many people over the years. He met his wife Marguerite when she spent a week on holiday learning to carriage drive, and in 1986 she moved to Michelcombe.

Mrs Arden said her husband’s main love was “getting a team of horses out on the road and putting in the miles”. He spent more than 30 years sharing his love of Dartmoor and teaching people to drive. He was also a member of the Western Counties Heavy Horse Society. Dartmoor Driving scaled down around five years ago, but Mr Arden continued to enjoy driving up until last summer.

He will be greatly missed by his family and the carriage driving community.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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Malcolm Salter and his impeccable Dutch Warmblood Koning were on song at the 2022 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) to take the HOYS harness horse and pony of the year title.

Showman Malcolm has been competing at HOYS for almost 40 years, but this year was the first time he’s scooped the top title.

Koning was bought from Holland as a three-year-old by Malcolm’s friend and client Mike Clark.

“I began producing him for Mike and then we nearly lost the horse to an illness, so when we nursed him back to health, Mike gave me a half share,” explained Malcolm, who has been reserve in the HOYS harness horse and pony of the year championship on more than one occasion.

Since Malcolm and Koning’s HOYS victory, Mike has given Malcolm full ownership of the Eebert seven-year-old.

“Mike said to me ‘he’s all yours’; I’m very touched as he’s a fantastic horse. He will live out his days with us,” said Malcolm, who was joined by his son, Oliver, in the ring.

Malcolm first showed at HOYS in 1986 when he took reserve in the concours d’elegance championship. He last took reserve at HOYS in 2018 driving the Welsh section D Newydd Beau.

“My wife, Nicola, has been reserve several times, too,” he added. “I can say it’s been a long road to get here!”

Malcolm confirmed that he knew Koning would be a superstar from the minute he laid eyes on him:

“He’s very special and he’s everything I could have dreamed of and more. He’s a lovely character and is very observant. In another life he could have been a circus horse. He’s beautiful to drive, too, and he instils confidence in me.

“When I took him down the centre line I took one hand off the rein and let him go. He just sat up and went. You wouldn’t believe it was his first time at HOYS.”

Koning is shown in a spindle back gig made by Thompsons. The gig has been driven in the HOYS harness horse and pony of the year final previously when kitted out with a different outfit:

“The gig had been sat in my garage for years but it fitted Koning perfectly,” Malcolm explained. “It was meant to be.

“When I was driving at HOYS everything fell into place. I looked out into the crowd and saw faces of old friends I’d shown with back in the day.”

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A gypsy cob who started life as a vanner is headed to France this week to represent Britain at the FEI combined driving World Championships for ponies (Haras Du Pin, 15-19 September).

Woodie (Elwood) was spotted pulling a wagon near Kelso and was bought off the road from his breeder, Gary Davis. He has gone on to be an unexpected success in top-level driving trials.

His new career direction began when his owner Caroline Church sent him to well-known tandem driver Carol Boswell for schooling.

He did some work as an Riding for the Disabled Association pony and then returned the following summer for some more schooling, leading him to begin his career in driving trials with Carol’s daughter Rebecca March.

“I got into a bit of a bet with Mum,” Rebecca said. “She was at the nationals with her tandem, that she competed with her ex-partner, and when he left there was a bit of a gap. I said to her ‘if you go and aim for the nationals again, Jamie [Rebecca’s husband] and I will drive next season as well and we can both try to qualify.’

“Mum had other ponies but she thought I’d have the most fun with Woodie. He is so different to anything I was used to but she was right and we have had a ball with him.”

Rachel’s grandmother Gladys Dale bred Welsh ponies and Rachel had driven them “for fun around the field” but had never competed seriously, having had more interest in riding sport horses.

She had to give them up because of work commitments but thought driving a pony “would be easier”.

“That idea soon went out the window, as just the same level of training is required!” she said.

They first realised Woodie may have the talent to go on in driving trials during their first ever lesson, which was with world four-in-hand champion Boyd Exell.

“Someone cancelled so mum said ‘could Becs come?’” Rebecca said. “Boyd drove him and said ‘he’s got an extension, you’ve got something here to work with.’”

Rebecca went on to buy Woodie and they tackled their first nationals at novice that year before starting to wonder whether it was feasible to draw up a World Championship campaign.

“We aimed to get to these worlds but never really thought it possible,” she said. “Breaking it down into years helped and my trainer [former pony fours world champion] Jan de Boer also helped hugely.”

Rebecca said that Woodie, now 14, has become a “very good marathon pony” and is also strong in the dressage.

“On the marathon he has the heart of a lion. The girl that rides him for me events to intermediate level and she says he is faster than her intermediate horse, he has a serious engine,” she said.

“You wouldn’t think he was sporty to look at him though because he has cankles as soon as he grows any hair — and his canon bones are so short and fat that we can’t use boots on him because none of them fit.”

She added that he also had fabulous paces with a “fantastic” extended trot, and because he started life as a vanner, his “discipline is unbelievable”.

“He has done a bit of everything and I think if we hadn’t driven him, whatever he would have done he would have gone to the top.”

Rebecca said that her aim for their World Driving Championships debut, where they compete as individuals in the single pony, would be to finish in the top half of the field.

“The trick is keeping the consistency in all three phases. We usually get two out of three but at international level you need three out of three,” she said.

“It’s going to be our first time abroad because of Covid, so it’s a bit nerve-racking but a lot of other people are in a similar position as so many couldn’t go to the test event either.”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

What does it take to keep a harness horse in good health? Driving vet Rosie Mould MRCVS offers her advice

From a fun outing with a pony and trap to the four-in-hand championships at international FEI level, driving encompasses a huge variety of activities.

Any type of horse or pony can learn to pull a carriage, as long as he is confident and well trained enough to go forwards with a wheeled “creature” chasing him. The sport offers a second career for riding ponies who have been outgrown, an alternative for ponies not compatible with small children and a shared experience for families and friends.

Just as the ridden horse should carry weight on the hindlimbs to free up the forelimbs for movement, the driving horse should push with his powerful hindquarters – rather than pull – and use his shoulders and bodyweight to propel the carriage forwards. Once momentum is achieved, the effort required to keep the carriage rolling will depend upon the surface, the gradient and the requirement for twisting and turning.

The horse’s level of training will then come into play, along with the skill of the driver and the “backstepper” (the passenger positioned in the rear of the carriage), to reduce the load and produce a smooth ride.

Instead of carrying a rider of, say, 70kg, the horse must in effect push the weight of the vehicle and its passengers – which represents quite a difference in effort. As a result, driving can exert pressures on hindlimb function that differ in their intensity and occurrence from those on ridden horses.

Wear and tear

Training for any driving competition requires a methodical approach to fitness. As it takes several years to develop a high-level competition driving horse, much like in any other discipline, various orthopaedic “wear and tear” challenges can be encountered along the way.

If the horse has to negotiate obstacles, it is important to give him the best chance of cornering securely at speed to reduce the risk of self-injury, so pay attention to shoeing and the type and tting of any studs or pin nails used. But self-injury is relatively rare and overreaches unusual. Leg injuries more often occur during accidents or are occasionally caused by the other horse in a pair or a team.

Joint pain, sacroiliac joint issues, hock problems and, in particular, hindlimb tendon sheath injuries and in ammation are all common. Addressing and diagnosing these at the outset will almost always produce a better long-term result.

Those horses who perform in the S-shaped outline often seen in driving, where neck flexion comes mainly from the poll and not from the lower neck as well, tend to suffer more, as their hindlimb muscle structure does not support their activity. An occasional stride of lameness turns into an “every stride” issue, or a single “unlevel” comment from one dressage judge becomes the opinion of all three.

Some lamenesses, particularly in the hindlimb, are difficult to see and might only manifest themselves while the horse is in the carriage. I sometimes get onto the carriage in the backstep position while the horse is working to identify the issue.

As veterinary expertise increases and with the use of lameness detectors, it is now often possible to diagnose problems earlier and o er orthopaedic treatments more speedily. An equine physiotherapist qualified with the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy will help with this, particularly if they see a patient regularly, as they can detect changes quickly and bring them to an owner’s attention.

Whether you’re driving a horse for leisure or competition, harness must be well fitted and maintained to prevent rubbing or bruising.

Driving bridles and bits are chunkier and heavier, especially in pairs and teams where the bits incorporate more metal to avoid trapping the coupled reins that cross over between horses. Driving saddles look more like rollers, but require the same attention to detail as a riding saddle to ensure that they are comfortable and do not put pressure on the spine. A double girth is used, so there are more buckles, and usually a crupper that ts under the tail.

Athletic demands

The competition driving horse is not only pushing extraordinary weight around a dressage arena and demonstrating accuracy and speed around a cones course, but also must complete a marathon – the most strenuous part of which is a section of up to 9km that includes up to eight timed obstacles. The marathon lasts for between 60 and 90 minutes and incorporates a 10-minute halt, with vet checks en route and at the finish.

Surface and gradient can have a profound e ect on the effort required; hard ground is often preferred to soft, while sand, mud, water and hills all make additional demands. A low-grade lameness or poor shoeing can be sufficient to make that extra effort impossible, while a subtle respiratory condition such as equine asthma may only become symptomatic under athletic stress.

Accidents do happen, sadly. Usually, the faster the pace, the more disastrous. Horses can be trapped if the carriage overturns; once freed, however, it is amazing how many seem to stand up relatively unscathed.

Injury can also occur if a horse is accidentally turned into a post, or a pair is “split” with one going either side of it. Remember that a driving horse’s sight is limited by blinkers; these must be fitted correctly to allow a sufficient range of vision. A positive spin-off is that blinkers afford good eye protection.

Shoulders tend to receive the worst of the damage in collisions, although modern harness is well padded over crucial places and will provide some protection. Most drivers use protective boots in the faster phases, to reduce the risk of traumatic injuries to the lower limbs.

As with any equine athlete, meticulous preparation and appropriate competition aftercare will go a long way in helping the driving horse cope with the rigours of the sport.

Dual disciplines

Many driving horses are also ridden, switching happily between the disciplines.

When introducing a horse to a completely new activity, however, bear in mind that established riding and driving animals are very different. Riding horses usually have better developed shoulder and forearm muscles, whereas driving horses tend to develop the medial (inner) thigh muscles – which can only add power to the ridden capacity. A horse who has only ever been driven will lack muscle across the withers and back, so this area must be developed gradually with “long and low” work, through a mixture of riding and lungeing.

A programme of static and active exercises, including stretching, polework and circles, will further help the driving horse adapt to being under saddle. He may already be familiar with lateral work, such as leg-yielding and shoulder-in, as part of his dressage and cones training, so this can be built on for ridden dressage. Remember, too, that a driving horse will be used to blinkers and may not be familiar with what happens behind him, even if he has been ridden before. He’ll also have undergone some voice training.

Generally, it is the inflection of the voice, rather than the actual words used, that gives the command. The universal continental expression for “slow down” or “halt” is a rolled “rrrrrr” sound, so be careful what you ask for. Once verbal communication is established, it is easy to combine this with the ridden aids and then to drop the speaking altogether to remain within ridden competition rules.

Ref: 18 February 2021

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A rider and carriage-driver were lucky to escape uninjured when fireworks were thrown from a car at their horses, in separate shocking incidents.

Police are making enquiries after a number of similar reports on Sunday (8 November).

Judith Yarnold was hacking her Arab mare Zotti in West Kingsdown, Kent, when a dark grey Mini drove past.

“There was a young lad in the passenger seat, who looked at me as he passed,” she told H&H.

“They threw something on to the grass verge just in front of us — it exploded with a lot of smoke. You can get little rocket launchers and I wonder if they fired it. That would explain why it went into the undergrowth, where the smoke was billowing from, and that’s even more dangerous.”

Mrs Yarnold praised her 15-year-old mare, who stayed put.

“She’s normally quick to react but we live next to an estate where there’s a commercial shoot and I think that was my saving,” she said.

“She didn’t bolt but she was covered in sweat, with her head going round in circles, snorting.

“I was lucky but I reported it to police because it could have been a completely different story. I’m a grandparent, and kept thinking about what would have happened if it had gone into a buggy, or if it had hit me or my horse? It could have been horrific.

“I can’t understand the mindset of people who would do something like that; they’ve got to be stopped.”

Trainer Krissy Valentine was also targeted by what is believed to have been the same culprits, when she was out with a friend and the friend’s horse in the Dartford area that afternoon.

The pair were walking either side of Matilda, who was harnessed and pulling the carriage, but were not yet on board as it was only the five-year-old mare’s third time on the roads.

Trainer Krissy told H&H: “We were just coming up to a roundabout when a car overtook, then slowed right down in front of us, and someone shouted something.

“They threw out what I thought was a joint, but then I heard that hissing whee of a firework. There was a moment of pure panic, realising an explosive is about to go off in front of you.

“My friend and I were on either side; I pulled Matilda up as quickly as I could and held on, as the firework went off about four feet in front of us.”

Krissy said the young mare was “amazingly good”, believing the fact she lives near the M25 may have accustomed her to loud noises.

“But the fact we were on foot and next to her saved the day,” she said. “If we’d been driving her — and we had been just about to get in [the carriage] — and trotting, she’d have been hit in the face.

“The car just drove off, pedal to the metal.”

Krissy, who rang police immediately, has since heard of other similar incidents locally, on the same day, including another family driving a horse, and a woman in a car, both targeted by thrown fireworks.

“I’ve always been against the public sale of fireworks because every year it’s the same; another animal hurt, another person hurt, another animal dead,” she said, adding that she has signed the latest petition to the Government calling for changes to on firework law.

“It wasn’t just us, they endangered everyone who was on the road.”

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A Kent Police spokesman told H&H: “At 2.38pm on 8 November, Kent Police received a report that a lit firework had been directed towards a horse, which was being walked in Green Street Green Road, Darenth.

“The firework, which is said to have been thrown from a dark-coloured Mini Cooper, did not make contact with the horse, or its owner, and no injuries were sustained.

“Initial investigations failed to identify any proportionate lines of enquiry and the case was briefly filed. However, further potential evidence has since been identified and enquiries continue.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Kent Police on 01474 366149, quoting 46/200437/20, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Sign the latest Government fireworks petition online.

Do you think firework laws need to change; does the Government needs to act? Email hhletters@futurenet.com for your chance to be featured on our letters page. The letter of the week wins a bottle of Champagne Taittinger.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A carriage driver who was thrown from her vehicle when her pony was chased by dogs has said multi-user routes won’t work unless everyone plays their part.

Sue Hamley-Richards of North Pembrokeshire and groom Jane Howell attended the opening ceremony of a multi-user route between Narberth and Haverfordwest, held by Pembrokeshire County Council and charity Sustrans, on 1 August.

“After the opening Jane and I went for a drive with my six-year-old Welsh-section C Liam along the route,” Sue told H&H. “When we approached a shaded area I noticed a loose collie dog on the right and saw a man with three more collies up ahead.

“I steadied Liam and as we approached the man called his dogs and they went to him. I thanked the man and commented how brilliant his dogs were, but then the dogs rushed underneath Liam.”

Sue said Liam reacted as if he had been bitten by one of the loose dogs.

“The four dogs were rushing around Liam’s heels and he panicked. He was bucking and kicking and I think he got his leg caught over a trace, then he bolted with the dogs following,” she said.

“I was trying to steer and Jane fell out the side. I think the harness must have got caught while Liam was panicking but thankfully the dogs dropped back. Liam headed towards a bank, I fell out of the carriage and Liam got stuck in some trees.”

Jane, who suffered bruising, caught Liam while the dog owner called an ambulance for Sue.

“I realised I could move and the ambulance was cancelled. I had whiplash and bruised ribs, but I was more worried about Liam,” said Sue.

“The dog owner told me he regularly sees horses on his walks and his dogs have always been fine. Then he was gone. But it doesn’t matter if they’ve always been fine – they weren’t this time.

“I long-reined Liam back to the car park which settled him down. I reported the incident to the police, the dog warden and the British Horse Society. Things could have been a lot worse, there could have been children or families ahead. It’s really knocked my confidence and I’m sure it’s knocked Liam’s – I’ve not put him back in a carriage yet.”

Sue said multi-user routes are “wonderful”, but everyone needs to “play their part”.

“It’s great horses are being included on some routes. We don’t want to lose access by making enemies and have people say it’s simpler if we’re not there. The dog owner probably thought his dogs were so well trained they wouldn’t do anything, but the fact is they did – had they been on a lead this might not have happened,” she said.

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“We all need to be aware of each other – there could be walkers; cyclists; wheelchair users, riders and carriage drivers using the route. For multi-user routes to work everyone needs to be responsible – they won’t work if people think they’re the only ones using it.”

A spokesman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “We received a call from a member of the public to report an incident where four dogs had attacked a pony in the Canaston Wood area. The caller was advised to call again if they were able to identify the owner of the dogs.

“Police would remind all dog owners to ensure they are on leads when there is potential of causing harm or distress to other animals.”

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From the wagons and carriages of TV period dramas to the exhilaration of competitive scurry driving, there’s something very compelling about carriage driving. The discipline involves vehicles being pulled by a either single horse, a pair (two horses, side-by-side), a tandem (two horses, one behind the other) or four-in-hand (four horses in two pairs). While you’ll need either a lot of experience or a lot of expert help to break your own horse(s) to harness, many driving societies run ‘taster days’ when you can find out for yourself how it feels to hold the reins.

Jo Broadbent (pictured) of Fenix carriage and driving centre is a former open single horse British national champion and started driving around 25 years ago.

“I was involved with horses from a young age and had regular riding lessons as a child before becoming involved with driving by helping a friend who needed a passenger,” she says. “I soon became hooked on the driving rather than the riding and would spend all of my spare time helping and learning about the sport. I absolutely love it. Every day you learn something new, the challenges are endless and the sense of achievement with competitive driving can be huge, especially when you and your team are focused and on form.”

If you’re already a rider, then you have a head start when it comes to trying driving. Angela Flanagan has represented Britain at the World Carriage Driving Championships with both singles and pairs, and is currently a member of the British Carriage Driving Council.

“In my experience as a coach, those who have ridden tend to find the transition to driving easier than a non-rider, as they have a basic understanding of rein handling and also understand how the horse or pony is likely to react to certain situations,” she says.

Jo adds: “In my opinion, the bond you have with a driving horse is just as strong as with a riding horse. The only connection with your driving equine is your voice and the rein. Riders can take their seat for granted sometimes and underestimate the connection and feel you have through it. As drivers we have to have the confidence and trust without that connection. Driving horses, especially team/tandem leaders are a long way from the driver so a mutual trust and respect is essential.”

If you’re keen to try driving, both Jo and Angela recommend trying a taster session first, then a course of several lessons to learn safe practice.

“If you get hooked, then your coach or trainer will be able to advise how best to proceed from there,” says Jo. “Breaking or buying your own driving horse or pony and investing in equipment for driving can be expensive, so take your time and get advice. Remember that cheap harness and bargain internet buy carriages are almost always a false economy, and can even be dangerous. Good quality second-hand equipment can be an economical way to get started but again, but do get advice on correct fit and suitability. There are starter kits out there, but take your time to decide which type of driving you want to get involved with before buying kit that might not be suitable for what you want to do. If you don’t want to own your own turnout, regular lessons with a driving centre’s turnout can be very rewarding without the cost of owning.

“The beauty of driving is that there are lots of ways of being involved without the cost and ties of owning — for example, back stepping or grooming can be great fun and rewarding. There are plenty of drivers looking for help, and joining a local British Driving Society area or driving trials group will be a good way of meeting drivers and learning about what’s involved.”

“All of our British Carriage Driving clubs run their own training clinics, some of which are specifically for beginners,” adds Angela. “It’s always a good idea to go along to a club event to watch and learn about the discipline and meet and get to know people. Driving is a very sociable activity and you’ll soon find yourself getting involved.

To find details of events in your area, visit the British Carriage Driving website or search for carriage driving club Facebook pages in your local area. British Carriage Driving are planning to run a nationwide series of taster days in 2019, keep an eye on the website for details.

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A lack of horsepower has put a halt on a Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) group’s popular carriage driving activities for some members.

Somerset Levels RDA driving group holds two sessions a week and also has a waiting list.

The group is desperately seeking a suitable new pony, with a calm temperament and standing at least 14hh, to fill the gap.

“Until a few years ago, we had three RDA-trained ponies, including a large pony that could be driven by some of our larger wheelchair clients,” said Somerset Levels group chairman Caroline Sturgess.

“Since then, our mid-sized pony has retired, and our large pony has returned to its owner.

“My own Dartmoor is our fourth RDA-assessed pony, but he is too small to pull our specially adapted carriage for larger wheelchair clients.”

This means the group is unable to provide therapeutic driving sessions for a number of its wheelchair-bound members.

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“A perfect example is John — a former cavalryman who suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to speak and bound to his wheelchair,” added Mrs Sturgess.

“His weekly session of driving our big pony from his wheelchair made a huge difference to his life.

“While we all struggle to understand what John is trying to say, a pony has a magic ability to understand him and do what he wants.

“This gave John the precious ability to be independent and in control, just for half an hour each week.

“We have a number of disabled people in very similar positions to John. Right now, we are unable to help them until we can find someone in Somerset who owns a large pony that could join our team.”

The sessions take place at Chalton Adams, near Glastonbury, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Contact Mrs Sturgess on volunteers@somersetlevelsrda.org or 01278 760621.

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With so much depressing rain as well as short days, indoor events are a Godsend! I have enjoyed indoor club events with the ponies and am really excited to have got my dad driving too (pictured top).

My sporty Welsh section C, Mr J, is proving to be an excellent teaching pony even though he is a bit of a Ferrari! He has taken giving lessons in his stride and is now getting used to different drivers taking up the reins.

I was amazed when my dad expressed an interest in having a go, given that he has been involved in helping since I was 10 but still does not consider himself at all “horsey”.

One of his first driving events was the club Christmas fun day and dad’s smile stretched broader and broader across his face as he got more confident driving the cones courses and then the obstacle. Finally in the grand finale arena challenge he got a winning clear round.

I can safely say he has become hooked on driving and has struck up a great rapport with fellow father Mr J (who has sired several stunning foals) as “team dad”! As dad has just celebrated his 60th birthday it proves you are never too old to start in this super sport.

Years of driving a car and horsebox, then lorry and trailer seem to have given him especially good spatial awareness as he very rarely knocks a ball off in the cones and positions himself superbly for the tight turns in an obstacle. On 3 January I was unwell and the rain was unrelenting but we competed anyway as dad was so keen.

Mr J looked after both of us, giving me best dressage, clear round cones and very fast obstacles to win the open pony section and dad the win in the newcomers class with a very good cones round.

You can’t find better entertainment indoors than Olympia Horse Show in London.

I was thrilled to be given a press pass to the event and the highlights had to be the extreme driving and the Horse Welfare celebrity scurry.

Extreme driving is an absolute masterclass in speed, precision and horsemanship. Watching at close quarters as the drivers so skilfully manoeuvred teams of four horses in such confined space and such an atmosphere was so so exciting.

The Horse Welfare display was very special too, as many watching will now realise what can be achieved with rescue ponies. They were brought back from the brink of death to put on a dazzling performance with speed and stamina and obviously loving their new careers in driving.

Finally there was also indoor horse shopping heaven at Olympia. Although I didn’t dare spend as much in the equestrian shopping hall as on past visits (as I am meant to be a responsible spender now I am self-employed with my carriage driving) I still came home with excellent bargains for my driving ponies. Meanwhile, my friends were staggering, weighed down with bags of goodies. What a wonderful event Olympia is!

Emily

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Driving is popular and pairs particularly so. A local taster day focusing on finding out about driving an experienced Shetland pair attracted a record number of junior and adult drivers, keen to learn and take up the reins.

The day was organised by the local branch of the British Driving Society but similar days are also hosted by clubs affiliated to British Carriagedriving and lessons with a pair can be arranged at an approved centre or with a qualified coach.

Welsh driver Wendy Morris kindly brought along her well established pair who she has driven for many years as pair and tandem and more recently as wheelers for her Shetland team. The two ponies are affectionately known as “The Cherubs” have been involved in fancy dress fundraising for the Welsh children’s cancer charity LATCH, as well as excelling in many a show ring and earning Wendy her coveted tandem bars.

Shetlands — being small but exceptionally strong – are ideal to pair up, as then they can take several adults out driving even over hilly terrain. Wendy has completed many drives and driven Trec events easily completing eight miles over the Welsh hills.

The pair, and team, have also enjoyed indoor and outdoor club driving trials.

After finding out about the ponies, the eager learners at the training day were able to harness up and long rein with Wendy alongside advising.

According to her “fit bit” Wendy walked more than four miles during the hour long session. Long reining is so useful in getting the feel of the pair and the knack of keeping them together — especially on the turns where the outside pony must make up ground compared to the inside pony, yet keep calm and focused. This was also a useful time to establish the voice commands that the ponies were used to. Smiles grew more and more broad as the long reiners gained confidence.

The ponies and Wendy then enjoyed a well earned break while everyone had lunch watching the useful DVD “Double Up!” by Jane MacInnes.

After this everyone drove well-schooled single ponies to improve rein handling, transitions and smooth turns before having a good go at driving the pair. Wendy sat alongside to give advice and had ultimate control with dual reins. However she found her learners so attentive that she was able to let them keep control while walking, trotting, halting and changing the rein.

The atmosphere was amazing and progress very positive. Pairs for pleasure driving and competitive driving is truly satisfying and rewarding. Everyone was buzzing with excitement from the experience and all agreed Shetland pony pairs are a lot of fun!

Emily

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What an amazing success! Anna Grayston has won the first ever gold medal for British carriage driving at the World Championships in Breda, Holland.

To achieve a gold medal with a pair reflects her skill and the high level of training she has achieved with her ponies, but then there’s not much Anna doesn’t know about successfully driving ponies.

She is unique in having been national champion with a single pony, pony pair, pony tandem and pony team.

For many drivers there is something especially exciting about the prospect of driving a pair. For a start it is easily the most horsepower you can achieve with just a single rein in each hand. Then there is the challenge, and satisfaction, of getting the horses or ponies working happily in synchronisation.

Anna believes the secret to success when considering ponies is: “Temperament, temperament, temperament! Good natural rhythm and stride, and for a pair the same work ethic as their partner.”

Then there is the need for consistent handling and carefully structured training. Anna’s big bay ponies are beautifully schooled.

Anna has weekly training sessions with Barry Marshall who she describes as: “A fantastic mentor, coach and friend. Barry was an FEI ridden dressage judge to World Championship level and chef d’equipe to the British Dressage team at the Barcelona Olympics. He has taught me so much!”

Training with a coach is really helpful at whatever level you are driving and possibly makes more difference more quickly for grassroots drivers even if it is only occasional. You are given focus and helpful exercises for the key areas to work on to improve both driver and equine. Anna herself is a Level 3 coach who enjoys working with all abilities and ages.

If you are competing, a good dressage result sets you up well for the rest of the competition. Anna’s performance had her leading the world class field for a long time. She was eventually pipped into second by just 0.51 pens.

It is worth remembering how good schooling also pays off handsomely in the marathon and cones where a responsive, well balanced horse can manoeuvre more tightly and cleanly, saving on time and other penalties. When driving a pair there is always the additional skill required to keep both animals working as one.

Like many national and international drivers Anna swaps a marathon specialist pony into the pair for this phase whose enthusiasm, acceleration and staying power will lift the performance of the other. This is even more important when the course is not only demanding technically but when the ground conditions are heavy.

The thick mud at Breda sapped the energy from the horses and made the courses very slippery.

Anna said: “The obstacles were rutted and deep where everyone was driving very similar routes. This problem was made worrse for us as we went second to last in the pony pairs and after all of the singles had already gone too. Most of the obstacles were like driving in trenches so it was really important to keep a good even rhythm and smooth lines. Any stopping and starting was very tiring for the ponies.”

It was thrilling for Anna to gain speed over the obstacles with no errors and come out with a score that put her at the top of the leaderboard with just the cones to go.

Fortunes change very quickly in the final phase and intense concentration is required. Taking tired ponies into the final phase is a special challenge for multiples.

The slippery course and many turn backs at Breda made the cones especially technically demanding and Anna credits her ponies for rising to the occasion: “With the cones running in reverse order and going into the arena last put us under immense pressure and the atmosphere was electric. The course drove much harder than it had walked seven hours earlier but my ponies were brilliant throughout and all of our hard work and training paid off. Thank goodness my ponies are so experienced as I think they got me round the course!”

Anna’s well deserved gold medal is the result of her dedication over many years of training and shows that with the right approach dreams can come true. It is an inspiration for our top drivers in their future World Championships but also for all drivers. It is wonderful to achieve your goal even if it is a more modest one.

For many drivers Anna’s high profile win has awakened the desire to drive a pony pair and I will report on an exciting new venture into pairs driving next month.

Emily

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British pony pairs driver Anna Grayston has won individual gold at the FEI world driving championship for ponies in Breda, Netherlands (2-6 September).

Partnered by her experienced Welsh section D pair Kings Irish Son and Bluewillow Johnny Reb, Anna took an initial close second place in the dressage.

A sixth placing in the marathon — using third pony Kings Blaze — saw her move up to a comfortable overnight lead going into the final cones phase.

A technical cones course proved highly influential, with Christof Weihe (GER) dropping from second place with an expensive 20 penalties.

Anna’s performance in the cones was good enough to retain pole position on the podium, finishing 4.34 faults ahead of German driver Jan-Felix Pfeffer.

“I didn’t know how much I had in hand so I only knew that I had won when I came out of the arena,” Anna said.

This was 43-year-old Anna’s fourth consecutive championship representing Team GBR in the pony pairs.

She collected her first individual medal when she took bronze in Pau, France, in 2013.

The Kent-based carriage driving coach has previously been a national title holder in every division — single, pair, tandem and team.

Solid performances across the board from the British squad of Anna, Alan Clarke and Roger Campbell (pony pairs); Rosanna Walters-Symons, Robert Buck and Sue Mart (pony singles) and Sara Howe and Joanna Broadbent (pony fours) helped them secure team bronze.

The new team format was used for the first time at this year’s championships.

Squads were made up of two or three singles, two or three pairs and one or two four-in-hands.

The scores per phase of the two best singles, two pairs and one four-in-hand counting towards the team result.

Rosanna, who was a silver medallist at the 2013 championships, finished two penalties outside of a podium placing to collect fourth in the singles with her familiar international partner, 18-year-old Welsh section D Dabernon Tiger Woods.

Roger Campbell also climbed up the leaderboard after a disappointing dressage to post individual sixth in the pairs, while Sara Howe was best of the British pony fours drivers with her Welsh section A team in midfield 10th.

The Netherlands collected a second consecutive team gold, aided by another superb performance from Bram Chardon, who also retained his world championship title in the pony fours.

Fabian Gänshirt (David L) helped his country towards team silver as he took gold for Germany in the pony singles on his world championship debut.

See next week’s H&H out 17 September for the full report.

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One of the private driving calendar’s three major end-of-season championships has been cancelled this year following the closure of its host venue.

Organisers of the Victoria Foods Carriage Driving Extravaganza have been searching for new premises to host the show since The Hand EC in Clevedon ceased trading in December last year.

Show director Dave Hunter-Thomson said a fruitless six-month search had left them with no choice but to cancel the 2015 event.

“We looked at more than 40 showgrounds to try and find something along the same lines as The Hand that was available on those dates, as we have just the one window in September that doesn’t clash with other shows,” said Mr Hunter-Thomson. “It’s a big show that requires quite a lot of space.

“While we weren’t able to find anything for this year, the show will return on the 9-11 September 2016.”

Confirmation of next year’s venue, which will be in Somerset, is expected within the next month.

Two Victoria Foods titles will still be handed out in 2015, after the Royal County of Berkshire Show agreed to host the exercise and pleasure driving and private driving championships.

The classes will take place on Saturday, 19 September, the day before the show’s own private driving programme.

Anyone who has qualified for these championships between 14 September 2014 and 6 September 2015 will be eligible to enter.

“We hope that people who come to do the championship will stay on overnight and enter the classes at Newbury on the Sunday,” said Mr Hunter-Thomson.

“All driving competitors will have free access to the showground.”

Last year’s private driving champ Jessie Dudley-Apicella said: “It’s a really fun show and one we always look forward to.

“I’m probationary judging at Newbury so as long as there’s no clash I’ll be there to defend the title. It’s nice that the Royal County of Berkshire Show have accommodated it.

“I hope missing a year doesn’t kill the show and they have to build it back up again. Competitors need to make sure they get behind it next year. We’ll always be there to support it as long as we can.”

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A retired nurse who almost lost her leg in a carriage driving accident has stitched a quilt to raise money for the air ambulance that rescued her.

Sandra Pochin from Wartling, East Sussex, broke her leg and six ribs when the horse she was driving bolted through a gate.

Sandra and the cart collided with a fence post.

The accident happened in August 2012 when Sandra was training the horse for the Riding for the Disabled Association’s carriage drivers.

The horse’s owner raised the alarm and the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance landed in a nearby field.

The doctor and paramedic onboard treated Sandra at the scene.

She was then flown to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where she stayed for three weeks.

Sandra has since made a good recovery and has helped to sew a patchwork quilt to raise money for the air ambulance.

“It’s our way of trying to help the air ambulance in the hope that they can make some money out of it,” said the 69-year-old.

“I couldn’t have been treated any better by them and I can’t praise them enough. I owe it to them that I still have my leg.”

The quilt took a team of eight ladies from Needleart four months to complete.

The sewers, Maureen Wadhurst, Pam Britton, Pauline McFee, Barbara Willis, Marianne Gunther, Ruth Willcox, Pat Norman, and Sandra, made each patch.

One of the squares on the quilt features the helicopter that came to Sandra’s aid.

It was taken to the helicopter base at Marden on 28 May and is expected to be auctioned off to raise money for the charity.

The Air Ambulance service in Kent, Surrey and Sussex costs around £6.5million a year to run.

The charity relies almost entirely upon public donations to support the two helicopters based at Marden in Kent and Redhill in Surrey.

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Alfie, aka Beechwood Bracken, is my handsome hunk of 14.2hh Welsh Section D who I use for the national driving trials.

He has had a quiet season this year as I am still on crutches following our unfortunate tip up at Keysoe indoor finals, however I am keen to compete at Sandringham national HDT at the end of June, and determined to do what I can to further his education.

Alfie is considered to be a marathon phase specialist and is a powerful responsive pony who thoroughly enjoys cantering around obstacles and galloping through water. He has a flamboyant “I’m up for it! What are we waiting for?” attitude so it requires time and skill to settle him to dressage and quieter pursuits!

I decided that the peaceful BDS area Show on the Gower peninsular would be the perfect day out to get him used to working among other turnouts in a confined area. Only too often at events he has settled to a beautiful rhythm in dressage but become excited by the proximity of another turnout leading to the inevitable dreaded comment “tension shown.”

The added bonus of this jaunt would be the opportunity to try out the four-wheeler carriage we had just bought to take my mum out on pleasure drives. With this we could enjoy grassroots classes. Mum, who has a bad knee, is thrilled that at last I have a carriage she can easily climb aboard and the two generous passenger seats at the back are perfect for my parents. I can also have someone more agile up on the dual drivers seat. This means the carriage is perfect for teaching as the learner can sit alongside, with dual reins if needed.

Usually I show in private driving classes with my section C so it was a bit of a scramble to find the more relaxed outfits suitable for exercise class showing – these hadn’t been used for a number of years and were buried deep in the wardrobes!

It’s always great fun thinking about what to wear and as the carriage has lovely deep blue shafts and wheels blue was going to be a strong contender in colour choice. Minor crises – such as finding only the jacket for dad who would be my groom and having to ferret out dark twill trousers, then discovering that the panama hat had been squashed and was sadly in need of TLC – are inevitable. The hat was duly repaired but then blew off as soon as the carriage got moving at the showground. Luckily there was a much smaller one that had been left by friends along with gloves and a driving apron.

This means that somewhere at home dad’s gloves along with his entire private driving outfit are safe in a plastic box! I will need to turn the place upside down to find it in time for next weekend when it is the Three Counties Show where I am private driving with Mr J on Saturday and then sports driving with him on Sunday.

The day of the show in Gower we were all up by 6am to feed ponies and check the last few things were on the lorry. Our fingers were crossed that Alfie would load easily, and when it came to it it actually wasn’t too bad on the “Alfie scale of lorry loading reluctance!” We were on our way!

Sat navs are truly amazing at getting you into tight spots with their so called best routes and having to detour to miss the low bridge to then spend a happy hour touring the housing estates of Swansea and testing their speed humps! Dad at the wheel was not amused and had his own suggestions about the chosen route which can’t be printed! This meant we arrived as the exercise class was finishing but this now meant we had plenty of time to set ourselves up for Alfie’s new experience. Time too to settle him in the carriage and make minor fitting adjustments.

It was such a useful afternoon – as I knew he would get excited (and rather full of himself!). He was also bemused by the whole showing procedure, in particular having to stand in a line up while turnouts drove under his nose. This was a challenge that he rose to as the afternoon proceeded. He was second in the novice horse class and so qualified for the grassroots championships where I can truly say I was thrilled to win reserve champion.

Keen for more practice we entered the concours d’elegance class where we came third behind the two immaculate private driving turnouts. We also came second in the registered Welsh private driving class.

Mum got her first drive on her new carriage and sat in the back with dad making it a very special family occasion. We enjoyed a fabulous picnic and homemade chocolate cupcakes while watching the private driving classes and chatted to our driving friends. It was a lovely day out and really illustrates that driving has much to offer families and the whole age range: my 70-year-old friend with her novice mare was over the moon after winning all her classes and the grassroots championship while three young juniors delighted judge Mrs Boucher with their enthusiasm, focus and skills.

What’s more a few more outings like this will go a long way to sorting out Alfie’s arrogance and superiority issues. I was thrilled with the progress he made. Happy days!

Emily

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Trehewyd Brenin Arthur — one of the most successful private driving ponies of the past decade — has been put down after collapsing at home on Monday (20 April).

The 18-year-old Welsh section C won the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) harness championship on three occasions with owner Nigel Fuller, taking the title in 2006, 2007 (pictured below) and 2010.

Well-regarded for his easy temperament, exemplary looks and eye-catching extensions, the gelding was prolifically successful in the show ring, securing many major driving titles including the British Driving Society Annual at Smiths Lawn. He was also partnered to numerous young driver successes by Nigel’s niece Oakley and pupil Angus Rowe before switching to driving trials two years ago.

“He was a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” said Nigel, who bought the pony as a six-year-old after spotting him being exercised on local roads. “He was a really special person who did it all so effortlessly. He went on to prove it was possible to do two disciplines successfully.”

After retiring from the show ring, the drive was handed over to Minta Winn, who took the pony on to a new career at the age of 16. Last year he took his first advanced pony win in the national driving trial at Lowther.

“After his marathon at Lowther I could’ve stopped driving right then and there because I had the best drive of my life,” said Minta. “He was looking fantastic and he loved the job.”

Following a run of form, British team selection had been firmly in their sights this season.

“We competed at the weekend and he was just awesome. I thought ‘we’ve cracked it, bring on the worlds’ [championships],” said Minta. “On Monday morning he came out a bit stiff, which you’d expect in an 18-year-old, so I turned him out for a bit in the sunshine and kept an eye on him.

“I thought he didn’t look happy so I went to bring him in, he came round the corner and his back legs gave way,” she explained. “We called the vet and when he did an internal it looked like everything had flipped over and wasn’t where it should be. We got him relaxed and rehydrated him but he collapsed again and we decided it was best to put him down.”

She added: “It took a long time to get into his inner circle but when you were in you were there. He drew everybody in, everybody knew him and wanted to watch him.”

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A rare town coach commissioned by King Johann in 1870 is being sold by Christie’s on 30 April.

The Royal Saxon brass-mounted parcel-gilt and black painting town coach is coming under the hammer in the European Noble & Private Collections sale.

The coach came back into the House of Wettin (Albertine line) last year.

“This impressive town coach embellished with the gilt-brass coats-of-arms of the House of Wettin was almost certainly commissioned by King Johann in 1870 for use in one of the Dresden Royal residences,” said Christie’s in the auction catalogue.

The signatures on the hub caps indicate it was supplied by the Dresden-based coachbuilder Carl Heinrich Gläser in 1870 — the year he was appointed Royal coachbuilder.

Records show the Gläser company supplied the Royal house with 125 carriages and seven sleighs.

From the mid-18th century the Royal carriages were kept at the Royal stables close to Residenzschloss in the centre of Dresden, Germany.

In 1876 they were put on public display in the newly created Historisches Museum despite still being used by the Royal family.

After the dissolution of the German monarchy in 1918 the Royal Saxon town coach was one of 15 carriages to become the property of the Dresden State Art Collection.

The carriage miraculously survived the bombing on Dresden in World War Two, which destroyed much of the city.

A herse, a luggage carriage and the replica of the Coburg ceremonial carriage from the collection were the only ones damaged.

“This is an unique opportunity to purchase a carriage commissioned by one of the most distinguished German noble families and is offered for sale for the first time since it was built for the Royal House of Saxony,” said Charlotte Young of Christie’s.

“This is a very well made carriage with fine details, such as the interior trimmed with braiding depicting the family’s coat of arms.”

In 1949 with the creation of the German Democratic Republic the collection was given to the GDR State where the coach has remained ever since.

The coach has a rectangular body with two half-glazed doors, each mounted with the House of Wettin coat of arms.

This is also displayed on the brass door handles and the family crest is applied to the box seat and ribbon trimming the silk brocade interior.

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Auction house Bonhams’ first carriage sale has recorded sales of more than £1m.

An ex-Royal British Mews Landau (pictured) coach was the centrepiece of the sale on 7 March, and was bought by a north east Asian bidder for £247,900.

The coach commissioned by King William IV in 1835 was among a rare collection of carriages collected over the past 30 years by a European industrialist.

The Landau was sold by the Royal Mews in the early part of the 20th-century, and was eventually acquired by the famous American collector James Coson.

When the Coson collection was sold its new owners sent the carriage to the restorers Stolk of Holland.

“The Landau is a wonderful piece of early Royal transport and the restoration work carried out to return it to its former glory is unlikely to be ever repeated again,” said a Bonhams spokesman.

The sale’s 150 lots attracted bidders from Australia, Mexico, the US, Europe and Far East.

“We had a packed auction room, 100% sold, international bidding, and many items soaring far above estimate to achieve over £1.1m for the sale,” said Rob Hubbard, Bonhams’ auctioneer.

An 18th-century sled fetched £31,050 — well above its £7,000-£10,000 estimate.

Other highlights included two 19-century coaches from rival champagne houses Veuve Clicquot and Moet & Chandon which achieved £34,500 and £26,450 respectively.

A Park Drag made in 1880 with coachwork by Holland & Holland sold for £79,900 and a child’s horse drawn pull along carriage sold for £750 (estimate £250-350).

Among the memorabilia the candle coach lamps sold well with one lot going for £4,125.

Many pieces of art also went for well above their estimate. A William Carel Nakken painting of a carriage with driver in a Dutch landscape circa 1865 sold for £2,750 nearly double its estimate of £1,000-1,500. Another lot of four seasonal prints went for £1,062.5 (estimate £200-300).

In the harness section three Dutch heavy horse harness sold for £400 (estimate £250-300); an incomplete team harness with silver fittings sold for £1,500 (estimate £200-300) and another lot of harness with silver fittings sold for £625 (estimate £200-300).

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Carriage driving as a sport offers tremendous training opportunities for young participants.

Those interested in traditional driving are supported by initiatives run by the British Driving Society (BDS) and for those keen on driving trials and sports driving, British Carriagedriving welcomes all youngsters into BYDS ( British Young Drivers).

As a young driver who competes equally with both organisations, I would thoroughly recommend participating in as much training as you can — you will find both organisations provide amazing value.

The activities offered include residential camps with excellent training and, coming up shortly is one no young driver will want to miss — the well established and popular Easter camp held at the Unicorn Trust, near Stow on the Wold.

It’s worth noting you can benefit from BYD training up to the age of 30 — although most are aged under 25. Due to the popularity and success of BYD training camps, many young drivers now compete in driving trials nationally and internationally.

Of course, others are just starting out and developing skills at club level with the greatest support and encouragement.

Everyone enjoys amazing facilities — the use of the outdoor and huge indoor arena where training sessions are run by top national coaches. The horses have first class accommodation in the immaculate stables, while the young drivers and their back-up crews are pampered with cooked meals.

As well as driving sessions, there are discussions and driving talks on key aspects of horse care, sports psychology and preparing for competition.

Camp is very friendly and a great way to meet up with young drivers from all over the country. There is even a “buddy system” where a young driver volunteers to share their turnout — thus enabling someone to drive even if they don’t have a horse of their own.

Youngsters who are not yet driving, but are keen to find out what it’s all about are welcome and pay a lower “on-foot” rate.

Camp training is subsidised heavily by Baileys Horse Feeds, which keeps costs as low as possible, while membership to BYDS is free. BYDS has a further camp during the summer holidays — normally at Ashfields Driving Centre with its wonderful national outdoor facilities and marathon obstacle course including a big water obstacle (pictured below).

Exciting training opportunities

This year there are further exciting developments within BYDS with the Boyd Exell talent programme, offering training for advanced young drivers. I have been lucky enough to be invited to take my pony to the first training weekend at The Unicorn Trust. I am incredibly excited about this and the prospect of coaching from the world indoor and outdoor champion. This will definitely be the subject of one of my next blogs!

The driving groups are always looking for ways to encourage youngsters into their sport. This year for the first time at a national driving trial organised by British Carriagedriving, there will be a special class for young drivers who have not competed above novice level at a regional or national driving trial.

The spring event at Catton Park (8-10 May) will give the less experienced BYDS the opportunity to compete on the national course alongside the adult competitors for the cones, but with a different dressage test and only section B of the marathon. The steep hill obstacle is omitted for all competitors as it is early in the season.

The young driver class competition will run as a two-day event with dressage and marathon on Saturday and cones on Sunday for all. There is a very special discounted rate for them and special commemorative rosettes to all competing in the class, with the 12-14 age group earning extra recognition.

Drivers like myself, taking part in the national class, will be very happy to help the young drivers with course walking and settling into the big event. It’s a great initiative and will hopefully be well supported to encourage other organisers to run similar classes.

Plenty up for grabs

The BDS also has national schemes in place to support young drivers up to the age of 18. Osborne qualifiers for young drivers in two age categories (10-14 years and 15-18 years) offer young drivers keen on showing the opportunity to compete in either exercise or traditional vehicles and qualify for the national championships in designated young driver classes.

Shows are also encouraged to put on junior classes and to award best junior rosettes in open classes. The society also provides a smart rosette for the best junior driver at any affiliated show, whether a local or county level outing.

BDS schemes run annually to reward youngsters for taking part in the full range of driving activities and the National Brian Sims Award provides generous bursaries for those who are exceptional in their traditional driving skills and knowledge.

Membership of the BDS is amazing value at just £15 a year.

Training is offered within the individual BDS areas as well as at national BDS camps for the regions — Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As the newly appointed BDS commissioner for young drivers, I am very keen to develop the network for young drivers within the organisation — especially with regard to regular training opportunities and to ensure these are well publicised. There are some exciting developments in the pipeline.

Adult drivers can be forgiven for envying the youngsters with all these fabulous opportunities!

For the young at heart, but less young in body, there are also excellent training and camps available — a future blog will look into these.

Emily

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There is great excitement in Wales with preparations well underway for the first ever World Championships for scurry and trials at the Sandringham Game Fair in September. This is an exciting arena sport open to singles, tandems and teams of ponies, as well as the pony pairs you see in the usual scurry competitions.

As competitors can drive any four-wheeled competition vehicle, this means drivers like myself, who enjoy three-phase driving trial events, can use our marathon vehicles, while scurry drivers can take part with traditional scurry vehicles. In the pony pair classes you will see both types of vehicle flying round.

Scurry and trials competitions are run as arena entertainment at county shows and game fairs around Britain. The crowd enjoy cheering on ponies of all shapes and sizes as they tackle the timed obstacle course comprising cones, arches, barriers, flags and ramps. Music and commentary adds to the atmosphere for the crowd and competitors alike.

It’s really exciting racing through the cones and round the obstacles. The challenge is combining accuracy with speed. You need to avoid knocking down balls while keeping time penalties as low as possible. Mr J (pictured right) is tremendous fun to drive, can turn on a sixpence and really responds to a cheering crowd making him ideal for this type of competition.

The sport began back in 2012. It was founded by Ivor Williams and Carole Davenport, who are still the main organisers and driving force (excuse the pun!) behind it today. Carole explains: “We wanted to start something that was attainable for all carriage drivers, giving a weekend of fun with their pony or ponies. We didn’t want anyone to have to go out and buy specialist equipment and we also wanted it to be entertaining to a predominately non-horsey audience.”

They have certainly met their objectives. Newcomers are made very welcome and quickly become addicted to the atmosphere and social side, as well as the thrill of speed driving in front of an appreciative crowd. The sport has gone from strength to strength and they are busy throughout the season at shows across the country.

This year I took Alfie (pictured top) to the selection event for the Welsh team at Bridgend. At 14.2hh he is a full-up size for this sport. I found it much more of a challenge to keep his momentum up through the obstacles, which were tight for him, compared to driving Mr J. I was also a bit cautious as I didn’t have my usual experienced back stepper and could tell we were ‘light’ at times as Alfie surged round! He did me proud though. We came second in each of the mixed classes, being the highest place single turnout, and on Sunday (championship day) he won the single pony event.

So now we are busy preparing with the other Welsh team members. I will be driving Mr J for the team and we really cannot wait. Team kit is ordered — kindly sponsored by Tristar — and training is in full swing. We are all very much looking forwards to the inaugural World Scurry and Trials Championships at the Sandringham Game Fair on 12-14 September.

Emily

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British carriage drivers are returning home from the FEI world driving championships for ponies in Pau, France (31 Oct-3 Nov) with 2 individual medals.

Senior team debutante Rosanna Walters-Symons added to her 2012 junior European bronze medal when she collected individual silver in the single pony class with Welsh section D Dabernon Tiger Woods.

Representing Britain in the pony pairs at her 3rd consecutive world championships, Anna Grayston stood on the international podium for the first time as she secured bronze.

The 6-strong British team fielded 2 competitors in each of the 3 pony classes (singles, pairs and four-in-hand) to finish 5th of the 9 nations taking part.

Team standings were boosted by a strong result from squad first-timer Roger Campbell, 5th in the single pony with Carregcoch Keltic Rose. Long-term team lynchpin Sara Howe also produced a solid 9th with her team of Welsh section As in the pony 4-in-hand.

This is the first time British pony drivers have brought home medals since Sara secured individual bronze in the pony singles in 2007.

The Netherlands broke Germany’s long-term whitewash of these championships. After 5 consecutive team golds, Germany were finally relegated to silver.

The Netherland’s Bram Chardon, 20, retained his world title in the pony 4-in-hands, dominating all 3 phases to complete with a superb 14.76pen advantage over Hungary’s Jozsef Dobrovitz Jnr.

Team-mate Ewoud Boom was similarly impressive in the pony pairs, leading throughout to finish with a distinct margin over Germany’s Marco Freund.

Bronze team medallists Hungary produced their best result in the single pony, where Martin Holle took the individual gold.

View full results

Full report on the FEI world driving championships for ponies in Pau will be published in Horse & Hound magazine (14 November issue)

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The Health and Safety Executive is prosecuting the owner of a carriage ride business over the death of a partially sighted woman at a country fair.

Carole Bullett died on 20 June 2011 after being hit by a runaway horse and carriage at Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the previous day.

Her death was ruled as accidental by a coroner at an inquest last year (news, 18 October 2012).

Now the HSE is taking St Edmundsbury Borough Council, which ran the show, and carriage ride operator Duncan Drye to court.

Each faces one charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Both parties are due to appear at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates Court on 7 February.

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15. Carriage driving

Indoor carriage driving is a really exciting sport and with the world’s top drivers competing at Olympia, it’s sure to be a spectacle. After first appearing at the show in 2011, and being a great success, Olympia will now host the FEI world cup leg making it even more exciting. Each driver has a team of four horses and competes in a speed carriage driving competition. The fast turns, skill and courage required are truly something to marvel at and a great event to watch out for.

Head to the Olympia website for more information on booking.

ADVERTISING VIDEO

Carriage driving enthusiasts in West Sussex and Essex have the opportunity to pick up the reins and learn more about the sport by taking part in subsidised training courses.

The “Driving Back to Sport” project, funded by Sport England, has already introduced 120 new adults to driving in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Devon, Cheshire and Yorkshire.

There are 68 places now available on five-day courses taking place at Albourne Equestrian Centre (West Sussex) and Ashfields Carriage and Polo Club (Essex) throughout April, May and June.

For more information visit www.horsedrivingtrials.co.uk.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (12 April 2012)

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A New York carriage horse that died en route to work last month was already ill, a post mortem has shown.

The horse, used for taking tourists around Central Park, collapsed and died at around on Sunday 23 October, causing public outcry.

“While the cause of death is still open and is likely to be inconclusive, pending a microscopic analysis of the tissues, the gross necropsy [post mortem] report indicates that he was not a healthy horse,” said a spokesman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

The draft horse, named Charlie and thought to be around 15 years old, was taken to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for examination.

Charlie had been working as a carriage horse for only a few weeks and not much is known about his past.

“We have observed some horses returning to New York City after furloughs [time off] on a farm in worse condition than when they left,” said Dr Pamela Corey, director of equine veterinary services for the ASPCA’s humane law enforcement department.

“We are very concerned that Charlie was forced to work in spite of painful maladies, and these particular health issues can be difficult to diagnose because draft horses are by nature a stoic breed, not displaying signs of pain until they are very severe.”

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Older people looking to improve their fitness are being urged to try the fast and furious sport of carriage driving.

And no previous experience of horses is required.

As part of Sport England’s Olympics legacy programme – aimed at getting more people into sport – the British Horse Driving Trials Association (BHDTA) has been given £30,000 to introduce 200 older people to carriage driving.

Half of the money came from a sponsor, the rest in the form of a grant from Sport England.

Chris Hillman of the BHDTA said: “Very few sports cater for the more mature adult.

Driving horses is perfect as it requires no physical fitness to start the sport,” he added.

Participants will be sought from the south-east, Midlands, east of England and north-east through an advertising campaign in local media.

They will be taught by accredited coaches, such as Minta Winn.”Driving has tremendous physical benefits,” she told H&H.

“Although you are sitting down, you are keeping your hand-eye coordination working. You can also go in at lots of different levels, depending on your fitness.”

She cites her pupil Carol Heading as a great advertisement for the sport.

Miss Heading, 65, took up carriage driving five years ago after working for a number of years on the Red Cross ambulance at Farleigh House Carriage Driving Trials “watching and wishing I could do it”.

She is now preparing for her first competition.

Miss Heading told H&H: “I have been hooked since the first time. It’s the bond with the animal and the fact that I can improve – and learning dressage tests has done wonders for my memory.

“I really look forward to the next lesson and don’t mind driving miles to get there.”

To apply for driving lessons, email bhdta@horsedrivingtrials.co.uk or tel: 0845 6432116.

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (20 October, 2011)

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A group of disabled carriage drivers and helpers set off on Tuesday (27 September) to drive from the Scottish borders down to Birmingham in 13 days.

The epic drive is being led by competition and display carriage driver Amanda Saville and her ponies from the Chariots of Fire Driving Centre.

It has two aims, to raise money for Sports Driving Unlimited, which provides pony driving activities for people with disabilities, and to provide the drivers, some of which are wheelchair users, with a real adventure.

Chairman of Sports Driving Unlimited Rosemary Flexney said: “They set off from Boreland on Tuesday and drove through Lockerbie, Gretna Green and on to Carlisle where they stayed at Greenlands EC for the night.

“Then on Wednesday they drove to Kendall Rugby Club where they camped for the night and held a try driving session for local disabled people yesterday.

“And today they are on their way to Morecombe.”

The intrepid band aims to arrive at Cadbury’s World in Birmingham on Sunday 13 October.

Three groups of drivers and ponies will take part each day, covering around 60 miles a day.

So far the ride has raised around £5,000 for Sports Driving Unlimited.

To donate, go to www.justgiving.com/b2bdrive.

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The largest carriage driving for the disabled group in the south-west is urgently seeking a new home, as their current landlords are selling up

Somerset Levels’ Carriage Driving for the Disabled Group has been based at a farm near Wells, Somerset, for 11 years.

But now the group must move.

The group serves more than 30 disabled people, from those who get therapeutic benefit from being driven, to those who compete against able-bodied drivers.

The group needs a new base in the same area for the three ponies, specially adapted carriages, hay store and horsebox.

Ideally, the site would have additional space for classroom sessions.

Organiser Caroline Saunders said: “We can offer reasonable livery and rental costs, but we need our new home to offer access to carriage-driving for our disabled clients — either quiet country roads or off-road facilities.”

If you can help, please contact Caroline Saunders, tel: 0845 241 4351 or email saunders709@btinternet.com, or Charles Simmons, tel: 01749 344875 or email simmons950@btinternet.com

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Riders and carriage drivers are being asked to write to their MPs to secure greater equestrian access to Forestry Commission land.

The British Horse Society’s (BHS) Forestry Campaign is striving to give riders the same access to forestry land as walkers and cyclists.

At present, riders in many areas are being charged for a permit to Forestry Commission land. This extra expense is forcing them to stick to the roads, which are more dangerous and less enjoyable for both horses and riders.

“We are encouraging all people, but especially those who are charged to use forests in their area, to write to their MPs because this is unfair discrimination against equestrians,” said Mark Weston, BHS director of access, safety and welfare.

The English Forestry Commission estate extends to 258,000 hectares – a potentially vast resource of off-road riding. However riders have access to just 22% of England’s public rights of way and carriage drivers only 5%.

The BHS has prepared a letter to download from their website and post to your MP.

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Professional carriage drivers now have the chance to achieve a nationally recognised, professional qualification.

The Foundation Certificate in Commercial Harness Horse Driving has been launched by the British Driving Society (BDS) in conjunction with Plumpton College, Sussex.

The course is tailored for professionals in the carriage-driving sector who want to endorse their skills with a qualification.

“There has been a rise of horse-drawn passenger-carrying services, for weddings and funerals and such,” Stephanie Evans, secretary for British Driving Society awards board, told H&H.

“There is an obvious need for a professional qualification to support the sector.”

Stephanie said the Rural Employer Engagement Development Network (REEDNet) is helping to fund the course.

“This is the first major national funding that the BDS has ever had,” she said.

“We are hoping that people take advantage of this golden opportunity to have their skills recognised by national bodies.”

The course is held across two and four day blocks throughout the year. It is composed of three modules, which focus on practical driving, equine nutrition, training and injuries, and business marketing and accounts.

“There have been some accidents within the sector, where unsuitable horses have been used for horse-drawn events,” said Brenda Smith, a lecturer at Plumpton College and co-ordinator of the course, “and it was deemed necessary to introduce a qualification.

“We have had a very good uptake so far, and we hope to have 25 students in the pilot course, which is due to start this January.”

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A Leicestershire rider hopes to raise £10,000 for the East Midlands air ambulance services following a week of unusual alternatives to his 17-mile drive to work (28 September-2 October).

On the fourth day of his challenge (1 October) Harry Whinney, 38, rode polo pony Sherman, from home at Barkestone-le-Vale in Leicestershire to Langar Hall hotel.

From there he cycled to hitch a ride with Friesians Jack and Danny (pictured right) pulling a fully liveried wedding carriage for the last six mile section into the centre of Nottingham.

The carriage was donated by Sue at the Nottingham Horse & Carriage Company and Sherman was loaned by Kim Lampard (former Zimbabwean international polocrosse player) who coaches the England polocrosse team.

On the other days he canoed 23 miles along the Grantham Canal, cycled, ran and swam 17 miles in a pool mounted on the back of a lorry.

“I wanted to highlight the work of the air ambulances and how they support riders and other countryside pursuits — plus to raise the much-needed funds,” said Harry who is operations manager and graphic designer for the BBC at Nottingham.

“Having friends and acquaintances who’ve been injured whilst riding, cycling or playing rugby, I wanted to raise £10,000 because that is roughly the cost of one mission.”

The money raised will go to the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance and Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance.

To sponsor Harry and read more about his adventure, go to www.harrys10grandchallenge.co.uk

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The Bowman family, formidable competitors in the sport of Horse Driving Trials, are to undertake a 140-mile journey across Ireland by stagecoach, in aid of Barretstown, a specially designed activities camp for children with serious illnesses.

George Bowman, who has been British National Champion a staggering 19 times, has meticulously planned the four-day trip, in which Team Bowman will travel the highways and byways from Limerick to Dublin, retracing the steps of the coaching era.

They will set out on Monday 21 September.

“We had always planned to drive from Galway to Dubin. It was only about two months ago that we decided on this route and so we have been a bit tight on time to organise things,” explained George.

“Luckily, we are entirely self-sufficient regarding the horses, as the horseboxes have portable stables and carry up to 500 gallons of water.”

The Molly Malone Stagecoach, which was recently discovered disused in a barn in County Galway with old musket balls embedded in the woodwork, has been fully restored to its former glory for the trip.

The coach, originally built by O’Shea of Mullinger in around 1865, once completed the journey from Limerick to Dublin in only 2 days, averaging a speed of 12mph.

During this more leisurely journey, the driving will be divided between the Bowman team, consisting of Robert, Barnaby, George and George Senior, with horses and drivers changing after seven- to ten-mile stages.

“With 16 horses, horseboxes, grooms, drivers, a bus and supporters coming from Germany, England, America, Belgium and France, it has been a tricky manoeuvre to organise,” explained Tracy Dawes, marketing director of Team Bowman.

“We’ve also just realised that the trip coincides with a ploughing campaign in Ireland so everywhere will be very busy — although that will be good for the fundraising.”

The team plan to stop at historic coaching inns and hotels along the way to make the most of the Irish hospitality, and are encouraging people to join them for social evenings.

“We have an Abba tribute band travelling with us, and they are planning to perform at several of the pubs so it should make for some memorable evenings,” added George.

For more information on the trip, see www.teambowman.co.uk

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Horse-drawn carriages in Rome may soon be a thing of the past, as new welfare guidelines are introduced.

Carriages will be confined to parks during weekdays and replaced by electrically powered vintage cars in the centre during the week.

“The plight of horses drawing carriages in polluted and crowded streets had become a scandal leading to the deaths of several animals among the 90 employed in the trade.

“The time has come to abolish this anachronism,” deputy minister for Italian tourism Michaela Vittoria Brambilla told The Times newspaper.

Concerns arose last year following the euthanasia of a horse that fell and broke its leg after being grazed by a lorry.

The guidelines, expected to take effect in 20 days, will allow the horses to have sheltered breaks, where they will receive food and water.

Coachmen will be forced to register the horses’ working hours and compliance will be monitored via microchips implanted under the horses’ skin.

But activists are calling for a ban, still claiming this is not enough — as horses will continue to stand in traffic jams under the heavy sun.

New York’s Central Park is also under scrutiny after an animal rights protest group claim the noise and other distractions of the city are harmful to the horses’ health.

Legislation was recently introduced in the New York City Council to end the rides, however carriage drivers have rejected the criticism saying 400 jobs would be lost.

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Ireland’s national governing body for equestrian sport — Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) — now has responsibility for carriage driving in northern and southern Ireland.

The organisation Carriage Driving Ireland has been discontinued and combined with HSI to save costs in the current economic climate.

The outgoing chair of Carriage Driving Ireland, Sarah Mullins said: “The primary reason for this decision is to reduce costs. It is very costly in terms of time and money to maintain a separate legal structure.

“I also believe that the discipline will benefit from, being part of a bigger organisation, with the strong support structure that Horse Sport Ireland has in place.”

HSI chairman Joe Walsh said: “One of the key reasons for the establishment of HSI is to gain efficiencies and in the current economic climate this is even more important.

“This decision will free up the key volunteers to focus their efforts on developing carriage driving rather than have to worry about all requirements and responsibilities that go with running an organisation.”

The first meeting took place on 21 January at HSI in Naas.

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A young carriage driver is appealing for information after thieves looted her entire tack room in Essex last weekend.

The stolen driving equipment, which included a Hartland pleasure carriage (pictured right), also had sentimental value as the girl inherited it from her late mentor, Sylvia Mactaggart.

The burglary occurred on East Road, East Mersea during the night of 21st September, and included four saddles, harnesses and bridles, as well as the carriage.

Essex police have taken fingerprints and removed a glove that was found at the scene.

If anyone has any information on the whereabouts or has seen any of these items for sale, please contact Essex police on tel: 0300 333 4444 extension 10320, with reference E124B1680408.

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Young English drivers were celebrating last weekend after winning team bronze at the unaffiliated Junior World Trophy in Austria (23-27 July).

Thirteen teams from 12 nations took part in the competition. Belgium took gold and Austria South silver.

The England team, trained by Anna Grayston, was made up of Mark Bell (18), Katie Bell (16), Charlotte Snow (16), Michael Hodgson (12), James Gambs (16), Frank Campbell (17), Claire Campbell (13) and Rosanna Walter-Symons (17).

Mark Bell also won individual gold (17-18 years category) while his sister Katie took individual bronze (15-16 years category).

Chef d’equipe Sara Howe told H&H: “I’m very proud of them. It’s an honour to be their chef d’equipe. There have been ups and downs but they performed very well. They’ve been training for a year and a half and their standard is very high. We’ve had a most enjoyable trip and all the ponies travelled extremely well.”

A full report on the Junior World Trophy will be in 7 August issue of H&H.

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AMERICAN actor Alec Baldwin has shown his support for the charity PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaign to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York.

The actor hosted a special screening of a documentary called Blinders which details the life of the carriage horses in the city last night (19 June).

PETA claims the work is dangerous and unhealthy with horses involved in road accidents and subjected to road fumes and they say horses are kept in poor conditions.

A bill to ban the carriages from New York is being considered by Congress.

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A ride through Central Park in a horse drawn carriage could be a thing of the past if activists get their wish in New York.

City councillor, Tony Avella, who plans to introduce the bill next Wednesday, claims the horses are exposed to unacceptable risks as they compete with Manhattan traffic:

“This situation is only getting worse – the animals are not being treated properly, and enough is enough. Horses are incompatible with traffic – especially midtown traffic,” said Tony Avella.

The introduction of this bill to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York has been strongly supported by a number of animal charities following an incident in September when a horse took fright at street musicians and bolted through Central Park to its death.

It was the second such incident in less than two years.

New York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, expressed his displeasure of the bill, remarking that horse-drawn carriages were as important a tourist attraction as the Empire State Building:

“These are things that the tourists like and New Yorkers like and they define a city,” said Mr Bloomberg.

The Health Department of New York, who issue permits and registration for the horses, said the agency has convened a horse advisory board to address horse health and safety issues in the city.

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This weekend, Dave Titmuss organised for us to drive out to some set-aside that a local farmer allows the area’s equestrian enthusiasts to use. Dave suggested I take the reins from the start for the first time, which was a good sign that we are making progress.

To reach our destination we had a short 100m drive along a main road before turning onto a quieter side road. Dave told me how to position Duke so I could get a good view of the traffic coming in both directions before pulling out. Luckily the majority of drivers in the area seem fairly au fait with horses, which is a blessing.

As we approached the set-aside I transferred my reins into one hand and prepared for my first one-handed turn of the drive. Having run through with Dave how I was going to tell Duke to turn left, I put it into practice but to be honest, it was a bit more of a snakey bend than a smooth turn on to the track.

After another wobbly left turn on to a different track, we saw two horse riders coming towards us. As they approached, Dave recognised them as friends whose horses should not be spooked by the sight of Duke in the carriage, but told me to stop and let them pass, just in case. Ridden horses do sometimes find carriage horses the most shocking beasts on the planet!

After they had passed we trotted up to the top of the hill and as we drove along the top, Dave told me to try a canter at a clear spot. Duke was a little reluctant at first but after lots of hup, hup, hups, he realised what I was screaming about and set off in the steady gait I’d experienced when riding him last weekend.

Cantering in harness really is an amazing experience. I think the sound of the wheels makes you feel as though you’re going 20 times faster than you are. It feels really good being able to communicate with Duke without the use of legs or weight; like a real achievement.

We steadied back to a trot, performed a turn I was actually rather proud of and then slowed to a walk. I suddenly realised my shoulder and arm were not aching at all — I’d driven coachman’s style all this way — and I could feel Duke’s head movements through my wrist. I proudly announced to Dave that I must finally be getting it.

This cantering lark has really given me the bug — it really is rather addictive. I can see what motivates people to spend all their spare cash on carriage driving sports throughout the summer.

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This week, my driving trainer Dave Titmuss and his wife Jean were away stewarding at Thoresby Park driving trials, so I got the chance to ride Duke instead of driving him.

Duke is regularly ridden by Jean and does have some dressage training; he’s even had success in ridden coloured classes. However, it did seem a bit strange putting a saddle and bridle on him rather than his harness.

Happily, Duke is a very enjoyable ride and has one of the smoothest canters I’ve ever experienced. It was a valuable experience to learn more about what makes him tick and it made a change from having my left ache after driving with one hand!

But I didn’t have to go all weekend without my driving fix. On Saturday evening I got to let my hair down at the British Driving Society’s annual dinner dance, and on Sunday morning I gave Steve Manyweathers a hand with his horse, Jordan, while he was trying out a Denney dual action bit.

Initally Steve drove Jordan round the field and as I watched from the ground, I was keen to see how Jordan reacted to the new bit. It was also beneficial to watch how Steve worked Jordan in. I’ve often sat at the edge of the collecting ring at driving trials and show driving events, but now, it’s different. Now I’m repeating what I’ve done at show jumping competitions for years; looking to see what the drivers are doing so I can use the same techniques when I drive.

After Jordan’s warm up, I jumped on Steve’s back step before heading off for a practise through an obstacle. Steve and Jordan have been to the world championships and won a team silver medal, so I was expecting to go a little faster than I had before. What I wasn’t expecting was the power of Jordan’s transitions. The muscles in my upper arms were working overtime and I was leaning this way and that to balance the carriage. It was both scary and thrilling at the same time, and it really made me appreciate just how much work a backstepper has to do and how much of a difference they can make.

Steve explained that trust in your backstepper dictates how fast you can go. I suppose the last thing you need to add to competition nerves is the worry that your backstepper may not be able to keep up with you, your horse and your vehicle.

After finishing in the obstacle, Steve steered Jordan down a dip in the field and then really let him stretch his legs and race up the hill on the other side. The force really was something. Afterwards, Steve asked me if I was ok and I explained that I thought my stomach was in my head!

Look out for Kerrys’ next instalment, coming soon

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Today was excellent, I felt like I’d really achieved something. We decided to drive out, rather than go in the school again. Jean suggested a quiet route where I could practice some of the things I’d been taught in the school.

After Dave had driven for a while, he handed over the reins to me. We approached a downhill stretch and Dave explained that by keeping Duke’s head carriage in a correct position I could help him get down the hill without falling forward on to his nose.

As the road levelled out at the bottom of the hill, Dave told me to put Duke into a steady trot and bingo, everything seemed to fall into place. I was sitting up, Duke was on the bit and working nicely. I could feel the difference through the reins and see him using his quarters, something you can’t see when riding.

Dave then told me to reduce the pace of the trot without losing the speed or impulsion we had established. I managed this too. I was most impressed with myself, although I am sure it may have looked very different from the ground.

Eventually, we came to a park with tracks and large areas of open access for cyclists, walkers, riders and carriage drivers. We halted and Dave stood at Duke’s head while I sorted out my reins into one hand. Eventually, I should be able to do this in one smooth movement, but, for safety’s sake at the moment, Dave is making sure that, while out in public, there’s no rein flapping or tangling going on.

After a quick catch up on our previous instruction, we set off. Hurrah! Again I seemed to be getting more of a tune out of Duke as we walked up a long straight road though the park. After a while we trotted, and I was feeling more confident.

Thanks to the unseasonable good weather, Dave asked me to pull over onto the grass, and attempt to drive a circle with the reins in one hand. After a few misjudgements, Dave showed me again where I should be holding the reins and how to make a turn one-handed. I finally managed to circle on both reins, and even to change the rein and complete a figure of eight.

As we left the park, Dave suggested I continue for a while on a straight, quiet road with one hand before switching back to two.

On the drive home, I really felt I was starting to get the hang of this and I’m eager to learn more. I just hope Dave and Jean realise how much they’ve given to me, it really is a fabulous way to enjoy horses.

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Read Kerry’s first training blog >>

I had my second carriage driving lesson in the school at the weekend. Considering it was a couple of weeks since my first session, I am amazed I managed to remember how to put all the harness on without anything being upside down or back to front. But I did.

To begin I jumped on the back step of the carriage while Dave drove. We set of across the fields to let Duke stretch his legs and warm up. This was an opportunity for Dave to go back over what I’ve already learned, how to hold the reins with one hand and what signals to give to Duke.

Dave makes it look so easy, but it’s not. It’s quite tricky not to try and “ride” with the reins rather than use them to drive; perhaps, in this respect, being a rider puts me at a disadvantage. Also, all the driving horses I’ve had the pleasure of driving have also been very responsive, so it’s hard not to oversteer, too.

After letting me take over for the last part of the warm up session, we headed to the school where Dave had set up some cones on and inside the track. Jean jumped on the back of the carriage so Dave could teach me from the floor.

To this point I’d been using two hands, and the first thing that happened when I put my reins into one hand was I tipped my torso forward. Dave had used reins with stops on them today to help me see if I was holding them evenly. As it turned out, I wasn’t.

Dave explained what I was doing wrong and how I should be holding the reins. I set off again at the walk following Dave’s advice to take the route through cones as instructed.

The cones are an excellent training aid, as well as being a vital part of three-phase driving trials. Dave had me using them to perform changes of reins and circles, and they certainly show if you get it wrong as you run them over! I did this quite a lot today, I am embarrassed to report.

However, once I had got a little more competent with coachman’s style, I was able to see how Duke was reacting to my signals. I also need to remember to lower my voice when asking Duke to walk or trot. He’s used to a man’s voice, not a squeaky Scouse girl’s voice!

Eventually, Dave told me to give my left arm a rest and use both hands again. It felt so much easier, but I am determined to master one-handed driving.

After the session in the school, Dave jumped on the backstep and we set of to one of the obstacles he has constructed in his field. After attempting some simple, straight routes through, I tackled a rather tight turn. Dave said it was going to be too tight, but I made it through; then Dave joked I was getting cocky! It was more sheer beginners’ luck I think.

Dave then directed me down a dip in the field. The highlight of the day was as we cantered up the other side of the dip. This was the first time I’ve cantered a horse in harness. It was very different to the scurry ponies I’d driven last year, and I can’t wait to do it again. After this we cooled Duke down and headed for the stables.

I’ve really rather got the bug, though I don’t think any of our gold medal winning single horse drivers need to worry too much just yet!

Don’t miss Kerry’s next training blog, coming soon

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As Horse & Hound driving editor, I’ve toyed with the idea of learning to drive for some time. I’ve ridden since the age of four, and even worked for a harness racing trainer, but never been taught to drive.

During the past five years, several drivers have kindly handed me the reins. I’ve taken control of Sally Mawer’s scurry ponies, instructor Chris Van Reen gave me a lesson, and private driver and breeder John Bulmer has trusted me to trot his Morgans in an exercise vehicle. But I never learned to drive “properly”.

I was even offered the use of one competitor’s horse for a season, which was very tempting in theory – including lessons with a four-in-hand driver – but my commitments wouldn’t allow me the time it required. Apart from working in the H&H offices in London five days a week, I also report on driving or show jumping at the weekend, as well as stewarding at BSJA competitions.

Back in May last year, local driver Dave Titmuss offered me a drive with his horse, Duke, whenever I had the time. Unfortunately, free days during the summer months are few and far between and, after getting lost in the whirlwind of qualifiers and championships, I’d all but forgotten the offer. Then, towards the end of last year, the offer was repeated and I promised myself that I would not to miss this opportunity again.

I got a taster at a BDS Beds, Bucks and Herts newcomer’s event at Shuttleworth College, which Dave and Duke attended. Dave talked me through driving some cones in the indoor school, and then later we went for a drive along the quiet lanes around Shuttleworth. Emily McPheat, who is also learning to drive, came along too.

The next day, I went to the Carriage Driving Fair at South of England Showground. I love this event because it’s a chance to catch up with people I haven’t seen all winter, find out what plans they have for the coming season, and, of course, do a bit of shopping; Watching the displays and talking to drivers and grooms whetted my appetite to learn even more.

The next weekend I arrived at Dave’s yard to be greeted by former paraequestrian team silver medal holder, Steven Manyweathers. He is currently stabling his horse, Jordan, at Dave and his wife Jean’s yard. Emily and Steve’s daughter Fleur were also there to great me. First of all, Dave showed Emily and me how to put the harness on and how to “put to” – the technical term for attaching horse to carriage. Then we all headed out for a drive. I went on Steve’s backstep with Fleur, while Emily and Jean accompanied Dave and Duke.

There is a lot that you can learn from the backstep, including very importantly how to keep the vehicle in balance. We enjoyed rather a fast canter along a local byway at one point, and I found myself hanging on for dear life as the muddy puddles gave my coat a fetching new design. This was in stark contrast to Steve’s tiny daughter, who might as well have been filing her nails she was so relaxed.

The following day, we went for another drive. This time I was on Dave’s backstep. At a quiet point, Dave handed me the reins for the drive home. He talked me through how Duke responds to various signals and what speed I should be going when tackling hills and turns, as well how to behave to other road users.

The next Friday I had my first proper lesson in the school. Until now I’d been using two hands and no whip, but Dave told me I was going to learn how to drive one-handed, coachman’s style.

When driving one-handed both reins are held in the left hand, with the nearside rein over the top of the index finger and through the palm of the hand, and the offside rein between the ring and middle finger. The thumb, ring and little fingers secure the reins in the palm of your hand. The whip is balanced in the right hand, and the right hand is also used to aid shortening the reins and to help with changes of direction.

The reins are much longer and heavier than their ridden cousins and my hands began to ache very quickly. After working on transitions and tackling some cones, Dave allowed me to use both hands again to give my left arm a break.

By the end of the lesson I could see Duke was working much better and I had adopted a more correct upright position in the carriage, rather than being hunched forward. Let’s hope I can remember all I have learnt in time for my next drive out.

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Two carriage horses brought traffic in Ipswich to a standstill, after bolting from a funeral cortege. The Dutch-bred horses were lucky to escape major injury as they charged down the A12 in Suffolk.

The two black carriage horses were being harnessed to lead the funeral procession of 75-year-old Charles Andrews from Sproughton, on Friday last week, when they were startled and took off.

Fortunately the coffin had not yet been loaded onto the carriage. “The horses were taking part in a traditional horse drawn funeral procession, pulling the hearse. They are experienced and well used to this type of work,” said Chris Bacon of Ipswich and Norwich Co-op Funeral Service. “What startled them is anybody’s guess. Unfortunately they collided with the motor hearse which was stationary at the time.”

At 1pm a witness informed police of two horses running down London Road in Ipswich, heading towards the busy Copdock interchange. Suffolk police confirm that the horses hit two cars before being caught by their owner on the A12 southbound, near Copdock Mill. “Sadly the horses were injured and the carriage sustained damage,” said a police spokesman.

Pegasus Horses and Carriages of Rollesby, Norfolk, which owns the horses, insists they escaped serious injury. “We drove them out the next day,” a spokesman told H&H.

“It was a very windy day and a rubbish bag blowing round frightened them,” he continued, adding that the motor hearse was used for the rest of the ceremony.

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