Carriage driving
Carriage driving is the discipline of a horse or team pulling a vehicle, controlled by a driver with reins and voice rather than a rider in the saddle.
At a glance
| Governing body | Federation Equestrian International (FEI) for combined driving. |
|---|---|
| Combined driving | A driving equivalent of eventing: dressage, a cross-country marathon, and cone obstacles. |
| Turnouts | Horses are put to single, pair, tandem or four-in-hand. |
| Vehicles | Purpose-built carriages, from elegant presentation vehicles to sprung marathon carriages. |
In driving the horse is harnessed to a vehicle and directed by the driver from the box seat. Competitive combined driving mirrors ridden eventing across three phases: a driven dressage test, a marathon over obstacles and water in the open, and a precision cones phase.
The sport ranges from a single pony in a light cart to a four-in-hand of horses answering to one driver's hands and voice. It keeps alive the harness skills that were once everyday transport.
Sources: Federation Equestrian International (FEI) ยท British Equestrian