Carriage driving is an amateur equestrian sport in
which drivers, horses, and vehicles are judged for appearance and performance in multiple events. The
sport has no professional component and lacks
Olympic status, although local, national, and international competitions are held regularly.
History
Coach driving began as a purely commercial practice,
with professional coachmen paid to transport passengers and evolved into a sport of the affluent, the only
people who could afford the vehicles, horses, and personnel needed. The creation of breeds suitable for carriage sports was likewise slower than those for flat racing and polo. Cross-breeding eventually produced
carriage horses with the power of cold bloods and the
speed and competitiveness of hot bloods.
The precursors of modern carriage-driving competitions, driving clubs were first instituted in England.
Since 1958 there has been a British Driving Society, and
the Coaching Club has been in existence for over 125
years. The Ascot race meeting traditionally has an enclosure for coaching club members.
Two critical elements fused at the beginning of the
19th century to lay the foundation of coaching as a
sport in Europe and the United States. First, construction of roads became scientific and uniform, providing
a safe and stable surface for carriages. Second, suspension systems for carriages came into vogue, and carriage design and workmanship lessened the tenor of
carriage travel. Organized carriage driving competitions have existed in central Europe and Germany for a
hundred years.
Four-in-hand driving as a hobby contracted
sharply after World War I. Organized contests for carriage drivers did not develop until after World War II,
and multinational European contests were initiated in
the 1950s. Driving contests of the time generally included two phases: dressage and marathon. As a formally recognized international sport with uniform
rules, however, combined driving has only recently
passed the quarter-century mark.
Rules and Play
In 1969, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI)
drafted a set of standardized rules for carriage driving
competitions, based on ridden three-day tests. The first
test, dressage, includes two parts: presentation and the
driven dressage test. Presentation requires that horses,
equipment, driver, and grooms be cleanly turned out
and correctly outfitted. The rules for this competition
are based primarily on 19th-century driving standards. Opinion remains divided over whether such a
“beauty” contest ought to be included in a combined
driving event. Proponents suggest that it adds to the
appeal of the sport and underscores the need for attention to detail the sport requires. Critics decry presentation as outdated and elitist. Scoring is based on how
close a driver and team come to achieving perfection.
The second phase is known as the marathon, although the distance covered is usually about 17 miles
(27 kilometers). This phase tests the fitness and stamina of the team and the driver’s ability to maneuver
the team through obstacles and complete the distances
within a prescribed pace.
The greatest spectator appeal is during the final
phase of the marathon. Drivers, belted onto their carriage seats, must drive with enough speed not to incur
penalty points, as their grooms—acting as navigators—shout reminders from their posts on the backs
of the marathon vehicles. They prompt drivers when
needed to keep them on course through the confusing
maze of gates, and they often throw their weight to one
side or the other around a turn to shift the cart on the
track, freeing a wheel or avoiding its entrapment on a
gatepost or tree. As in dressage, penalties are scored
and the low score wins.
A veterinary check before the final competition, the
obstacles competition (colloquially known as the cones
competition), verifies the horses’ fitness to compete in
the concluding contest, which tests the driver’s ability to
negotiate a technical course, as well as the horse’s state
after a grueling cross-country test the previous day.
In Europe, driving is a sport enjoyed by all ages,
whereas in the United States it is primarily an adult
sport. Most of the top drivers traditionally have been
men, although the ranks of experienced women drivers
have grown.
Throughout the world, carriage driving is an amateur sport. Prize money is minimal, and there are virtually no sponsorships of drivers or horses. Despite its
amateur status, however, competitions, especially in
Europe, draw sizable numbers of spectators.
Eastern European countries, traditionally preeminent in driving competitions, have had difficulty maintaining their state-owned stud farms and training centers as their economies change. However, despite the
loss of state funding, carriage driving remains a popular sport throughout Europe and is gaining popularity
in North America and elsewhere around the world. During the 1995 World Pairs Driving Championship in Poznan, Poland, a record number of countries competed.
Like many equestrian sports, carriage driving requires an investment of time, money, and training that restricts its serious practice to the affluent, particularly
given its amateur status and lack of prize money.Its popular appeal seems likely to remain limited but secure.
—KATHERINE LINCOLN
Bibliography: The Duke of Edinburgh. (1982) Competition
Carriage Horse Driving. Macclesfield, UK: Horse Drawn
Carriages Limited. Pape, Max. (1982) The Art of Driving.
New York: J. A. Allen.