As he was leaving Sandringham Horse Driving Trials, one of the newest club drivers, Chris Patrick, said, “It’s taken me ten years to get here and now I’ve achieved my dream!”
East Anglian Carriage Driving Group holds its club event on the weekend of the three-day national competition, by kind permission of Her Majesty the Queen. Who knows, next year he could be driving at the national himself.
Where else can you see over 120 carriages and over 200 horses and ponies – singles, pairs, teams and tandems, from Shetlands to Gelderlanders? Drivers to spot included World Champion Boyd Exell, former national champions Georgina Hunt, Wilf Bowman-Ripley, Pippa and Karen Bassett, George Bowman, Anna Grayston, Alan Clarke and others rising through the ranks like locals Harriet Bradford, Charlotte Snow and Amy Last. This was a selection event for September’s World Combined Pony Championships in Slovenia so every point counted for the pony drivers involved and there were some exciting hair’s-breadth wins. Best harness and carriages sparkled for the dressage on Friday, while everyone drove a scenic cross-country route and whizzed round the eight obstacles in Saturday’s marathon. These “obstacles” are permanent post-and rails arrangements through which drivers are timed. Routes can be sweeping and easier or tight and technical, the drivers and their grooms/navigators having to memorise the “gates”, labelled A to F, and drive through them in the correct order and as fast as possible. Sunday’s cones driving competition followed which, as in a three-day ridden event, proves flexibility, obedience, speed and accuracy after the physical challenge of the marathon.
Driving his horses as if on silken reins, Boyd Exell was the overall national event champion with one of only two clear rounds in the cones, the other going to novice pony driver Kim Usher.
EACDG drivers performed their dressage and cones on Saturday and drove six obstacles on Sunday. Club drivers can test themselves against the national drivers in the obstacles: was I faster than Boyd? How quick was I compared with national drivers in my class? Sandringham’s a stepping stone for those wishing to move up to national level and is a satisfying experience, given favourable weather, for everyone involved.
It’s free for spectators. Put next year’s Sandringham event in your diary – 22-24 June 2012. Meanwhile visit the EACDG Championships at Ashfields, near Dunmow, 17-18 September 2011, and see our thrilling obstacle driving on Sunday. See www.eacdg.co.uk or call 01473 735732 to find out more.
A few of the drivers – and helpers
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