Carriage Driving competitions are modelled on the ridden Three Day Event. It is a triathlon which tests the overall versatility of the driven horse. Modern Horse Driving Trials came into existence in 1968 when HRH Prince Philip of Great Britain initiated the formulation of the rules for the new sport. Prince Philip is a past President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) for able-bodied people in all equestrian disciplines.

The competition consists of three phases, spread over three or four days.

Day 1 Dressage
Driven dressage consists of a sequence of set movements driven from memory and using mainly the voice for control. Dressage displays the schooling and obedience of the horse.

Day 2 The Cross Country Marathon with Obstacles. There are three timed sections plus up to six challenging 'obstacles' to be driven at speed. The stamina of the horses and the horsemanship of the drivers are stretched to the very limit. This section gets the adrenalin pumping and the mud-flying. Carriage Driving is definitely not for the faint hearted.

Day 3 Cone Driving Competition against the clock.
Cone driving equates to the Show jumping phase of a ridden event. With only centimetres to spare, cone driving requires extreme accuracy on a tricky course, a steady hand, nerves of steel and a well trained horse.

Each phase of the Driving Trials tests the skill and the nerve of the driver and the fitness, obedience and suppleness of the horse. But above all it tests the bond of complete trust between them both.

Most carriage drivers with disabilities have, for one reason or another, found that riding is not physically possible for them. Their love of horses and their determination to participate in equestrian sport has led them to explore new and equally demanding and exciting equestrian challenges.

Great attention is given to all aspects of safety for the horse and the driver. At all times the driver is accompanied by at least one competent able-bodied person. Traditional elegance is expected, horses, drivers, grooms and carriages are all immaculately turned out.

Organisation for this sport is very labour intensive requiring 30-40 volunteer Judges, Stewards, Time keepers, Scorers, Vets, Farriers and many others. However a carriage driving competition for disabled drivers can be easily integrated into a competition for able-bodied drivers. The first three World Championships have been held in conjunction with National Championships for able-bodied drivers in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1998 and in Stadl Paura, Austria in 2000, Greven, Germany in 2002 and also Hopetown, Scotland in 2004.

There are currently 15 +  countries widely practising the sport. This number is not yet enough to apply for the discipline to be included in Equestrian Paralympic Sport. With encouragement increasing from the FEI carriage driving organisation, it is hoped that it will not be long before many more countries are entering their disabled drivers in both national and international competitions.

For further information contact:

IPEC Chairman
Jonquil Solt This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

IPEC Carriage Driving Sub-committee
Herman Rutterkamp This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it