The equestrian sport of carriage driving with horses is called combined driving. It is a demanding sport that tests the skills of both the driver and the horses. The sport has three phases:
- Dressage: This phase is judged on the horse's obedience, gaits, and way of going.
- Marathon: This phase is a timed event that tests the horse's endurance and athleticism. Drivers must navigate a course that includes obstacles such as water jumps, hills, and bridges.
- Obstacle cones: This phase is a timed event that tests the driver's accuracy and the horse's responsiveness. Drivers must maneuver their carriage through a course of cones without knocking any of them over.
Combined driving is a challenging but rewarding sport. It is a great way to build a strong bond with your horse and to enjoy the outdoors.
Here are some other terms related to carriage driving:
- Single: A carriage driven by one horse.
- Pair: A carriage driven by two horses, one in front of the other.
- Tandem: A carriage driven by two horses, one behind the other.
- Four-in-hand: A carriage driven by four horses, two in front and two behind.
- Carriage: The vehicle that is pulled by the horses.
- Harness: The equipment that is used to attach the horses to the carriage.
- Driver: The person who sits in the carriage and controls the horses.
Associations - International
- Alberta Carriage Driving Association (ACDA), CAN
- Australian Carriage Driving Society (ACDS), AUS
- British Driving Society, Endersley, Church Street, Wingfield, Eye, Suffolk IP21 5QZ UK
- Driving & Para-Equestrian Driving, Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), HM King Hussein I Building, Chemin de la Joliette 8, 1006 Lausanne CHE
- East Anglian Carriage Driving Group, Flemings Farmhouse, Flemings Farm Road, Eastwood, Leigh On Sea, Essex SS9 5QT UK
- Equestrian Canada, CAN
- Hereford & District Driving Group, Whetroyd, Cusop, Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR3 5RD UK
- Indoor Carriage Driving UK (ICD UK), Parish Farm, Mill Lane, Hooe, Nr Battle, East Sussex TN33 9HS UK
- Midlands Carriage Driving, Jodders, Soudley, Market Drayton TF9 2SB UK
- Ontario Equestrian Federation, 1 West Pearce Street, Suite 201, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 3K3
- Scottish Carriage Driving Association, Woodfield, Balmullo, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 0AN UK
- The British Horse Driving Trials Association, The British Horse Driving Trials Association, East Overhill, Stewarton, Kilmarnock KA3 5JT UK
Associations - United States
- American Driving Society, 1837 Ludden Dr., Ste 120, P.O. Box 278, Cross Plains, WI 53528
- Arizona Carriage Driving Society, 2500 E. Hunter Dr., Gilbert, AZ 85298
- Barre Riding & Driving Club, P.O. Box 25, Barre, MA 01005
- Brandywine Valley Driving Club, 293 Diamond Spring Road, Denville, NJ 07834
- Brazos Valley Driving and Riding Club, P.O. Box 6801, Bryan, TX 77805
- Carriage Association of America, 3915 Jay Trump Road, Lexington, KY 40511
- Carriage Operators of North America, 1648 No. Hancock St., Philadelphia, PA 19122
- Cherry Valley Carriage Association, Cazenovia, NY
- Connecticut Valley Driving Club, 36 Hoadly Road, Amston, CT 06231
- Dairyland Driving Club, 106 Park, Westfield WI 53964
- Equestrians Institute, P.O. Box 1437, Bellevue, WA 98009-1437
- Florida Whips, 7220 NW 60th Street, Chiefland, FL 32626
- Genesee Valley Riding and Driving Club (GVRDC) P.O. Box 499, Geneseo, NY 14434
- Granite State Carriage Association, 162 Pickpocket Road, Brentwood NH 03833
- Houston Area Carriage Association, 3000 Pecan Mill Lane, Brenham, TX 77833
- Maine Driving Club, P.O. Box 36, Dixmont, ME 04932
- Michigan Horse Drawn Vehicle Assoc. (MHDVA), 1740 Wellington Unit 111, Lansing, MI 48910
- North Texas Whip Driving Club, 2501 Springfield Road, Springtown, TX 76082
- Northampton Driving Society, Inc., 234 Martin Road, Hamlin, NY 14464-9735
- Northern California Driving Club, 400 Constantine Ct, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
- Rocky Mountain Carriage Club, P.O. Box 771, Firestone, CO 80520
- Spokes and Spurs, Inc., 3013 Shirlee Ct., Lexington, KY 40502
- United States Equestrian Federation, 4047 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511
- United States Equestrian Team (USET) 1040 Pottersville Road, Gladstone, NJ 07934
- Vermont Riding and Driving Association (VERDA) 589 Cowshed Trail, West Windsor, VT 05089
- West Newbury Riding and Driving Club (WNRDC), 9 Kimball Road, West Newbury, MA 01985-1905
Competitor
Driving - Tack & Equipment
- Big Black Horse LLC, 1471 Langford Trail, New Prague, MN 56071
- Carriage Mart, CAN
- Chrysalis Acres,399 Pownal Rd.. Freeport, ME 04032
- IVC Carriage, E9432A South Avenue, Reedsburg, WI 53959
- National Bridle Shop, Inc., 603 Evans Street, Shelbyville, TN 37160
- Shipshewana Harness & Supplies, 815 N. Van Buren, Shipshewana, IN 46565
- Smucker Harness Co., 2016 Main Street (Route 23) Narvon, PA 17555
Driving Publications
- Carriage Driving Magazine, Jesses Farm, Snow Hill Dinton Nr Salisbury Wiltshire SP3 5HN UK
- Driving Digest, 567 Yadkin Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387
- Hippoevent
- Hoefnet
- Omnibus
Museums - Carriage Driving - International
- Lancut: The Carriage Museum, Zamkowa 1, 37-100 Łańcut, POL
- Red House Stables Working Carriage Museum, Old Road, Darley Dale, Matlock DE4 2ER, UK
- Remington Carriage Museum, 623 Main St, Cardston, AB T0K 0K0, CAN
Museums - Carriage Driving - United States
- Carriage Museum Of America, The Kentucky Horse Park,. 4089 Ironworks Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511
- Genesee Carriage, 1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford, NY 14511
- Lynden Pioneer Museum, 217 Front St, Lynden, WA 98264
- The Carriage Museum, Washington, KY 40047
- The Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum, 295 N. Main Street in Canandaigua, NY 14424
- The Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, 598 Green Street, Mifflinburg, PA 17844
- Wesley Jung Carriage Museum, W7965 State Highway 23, Greenbush, WI 53026
- Woodlawn Museum, 19 Black House Drive, Ellsworth, ME 04605
Therapeutic Driving
Training - International
- Beaverwood Farm, RR#1, Hillsburgh, ON N0B 1Z0 CAN
- Chariots of Fire Driving Centre, Boreland, Lockerie, Dumfriesshire DG11 2LL UK
- Dartmoor Driving, The Brookings, Michelcombe, Holne, Ashburton, Devon, TQ13 7SP UK
- Randy Bird Equine Education, 5200 White Road N., Harwood, ON K0K 2H0 CAN
Training - United States
- Big Little Shires, 4821 Rutters Drive, Laporte, CO 80535
- Chugiak Community Schools Carriage Driving Program, P.O. Box 671316, Chugiak, AK 99567
- Clay Station Horse Park, P.O. Box 528, End of Darr Lane, Wilton, CA 95693
- Coachman's Delight, Medway, MA 02053
- Dyer Buggy Works, 24478 Evaline Street, Brooksville, FL 34601
- Fraser School of Driving, 255 N Boulder Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722
- Green Meads Farm, Carriage Driving & Morgan Horses, 236 Perry's Peak Road, Richmond, MA 01254
- Harmon's Horse Drawn Hayrides and Carriages, Meadow Acres Farm, 14488 Weeping Willow Lane, Brandy Station, VA 22714-2344
Horse Carriage Driving Enthusiasts Compete on Brean Beach
Scores of horse-drawn carriages gathered for a regional competition on Brean Beach this week.
Horse driving enthusiasts from across the South West flocked to take part in the competition held on the sands.
Organised by the Somerset Area British Driving Society, the event attracted riders from Somerset, Devon and Dorset.
Organiser Kathleen Hill told Burnham-On-Sea.com the hard sand and calm weather provided ideal conditions.
"Brean beach is a lovely venue that's great for carriage driving. The event was a lot of fun and had a competition element and was well supported," she said.
This article originally appeared on Burnham On Sea and is published here with permission.
You can find more interesting articles in our section on Riding Disciplines.
