On Sunday the 22nd of November my daughter, her friend and I went to an
introduction to driving event at Bromyard Equestrian Centre in
Herefordshire.
It was organised by the Hereford District Driving Group with the purpose of
reaching out to people interested in finding out more about carriage
driving.
Several of their members turned out with their horses and various vehicles,
and ponies and horses of all breeds and sizes where on show in the arena.
Each turn-out was introduced individually by Kay Walton (BDS area
commissioner for Hereford) and driven around the arena for us to view.
One of the carriage drivers brought her Dalmation along, a breed of dog that
has traditionally been used to accompany and guard the vehicle running along
under the back end of the carriage.

The spectators where then invited to leave the gallery and join the whips,
grooms and horses/ponies to have a chat, ask questions, pat the animals and
even have a ride in their carriages.

Sarah Wildy, LHHI carriage driving instructor then explained to us how to
harness the horse and put to the cart, demonstrated hands on by one of the
members of the group on her horse.
Meanwhile Kay was busy putting cones all over the arena, as the next part of
the demonstration included weaving through cones at some speed.
When the drivers had all completed this task, we were once again invited to
get on the carriages and join in the fun.

A great deal of enjoyment was had by everybody and it was certainly an
informative event for horse lovers of all ages.

Countryside Blog carriage driving

Horse carriage driving

Carriage Driving

A very popular equestrian sport gaining rapid ground is horse carriage driving. The reason is that most people can learn the skill and the experience itself is a very exciting one. The feeling is one of immense exhilaration and control upon watching the horses pulling the carriage with the reins in your hand.

For those just starting out, the accent should be on finding an experienced horse well versed in pulling along the carriage. This will enable them to get to know the different nuances of horse carriage driving. In addition, the one starting out should take the assistance of an expert driving mentor who would be able to provide guidance to make a good start. This sport may be exciting but can be fraught with danger if the ropes are not picked up properly at the right stage. Some are of the opinion that they can get a horse to pull a carriage pretty easily within a week or so. Nothing can be more exaggerated and farther from reality.

So what exactly is this sport and how does it evoke such a following?

Cajoling and orienting a horse to pull the carriage is no mean task. It needs tremendous patience, planning and intuition to know how things are going along and take proactive steps to combat any problems that may crop up along the way. You need to build a trust quotient with the animal to get the best out of it and that is why there is a requirement of somebody experienced to stand by you during this process. There is no room for exuberance or experimentation of any sort.

Some of the common reasons for accidents occurring in this sport are as under:

* The driver lacking in skill and ability
* Some carelessness & a casual approach on the part of the driver
* The driver not understanding his horse and lacking the animal sense
* The horse or pony itself not being trained adequately
* Sudden bout of indiscretion or a temperamental outburst on the part of the animal
* The carriage itself malfunctioning
* Inadequate fitting of the harness

While you have a good choice of equines of various breeds and it is a purely a question of personal choice as to what you end up selecting, some of the time tested breeds such as Hackney, Morgan do have the edge over other breeds. In the ultimate analysis, it is the love for carriage driving that motivates people to select any breed and not many are very particular about it.

As a broad rule of thumb, it is advisable to keep away from horses that have the tendency to stomp or bolt as these suggest a problem with the temperament of the horse and may not be suitable for beginners. Generally, people always wish to only drive the horse they already have in their stable and have owned it for some years. But they need to evaluate whether their horse would be up to this task and should not take the chance of thrusting the animal into this sport without a proper evaluation of its capabilities and physical condition.

Country Sports carriage driving, countrysport, horsemanship