Most people who play with horses do so by riding them... in horse shows, in rodeos, over jumps, on trails. A few people put harnesses on horses, hitch them to carts or carriages, sit behind them, and drive them for fun.
Driving a horse put to a carriage hearkens back to the olden days, when horsepower was the major means of transport. In the present day, however, there are many different ways to enjoy driving that are non-utilitarian.
The equine pastime of coaching features well-appointed rigs (coaches), elegant horses and harnesses (turnout), period-costumed driver (whip) and driver's assistant (groom), and costumed passengers, all pleasure driving in great style. Coaching folks, as did aristocrats of the past, typically have a sizeable investment in luxury equipment and animal upkeep.
But driving for pleasure need not be that elaborate; many people participate at a much more modest level, using all types of horses pulling all sorts of carts, carriages, and utility vehicles. Carriage driving associations, through pooling of resources, offer organized drives in various areas of New England. All that's needed are suitable dirt and/or woods roads, a field available for horse trailer parking or camping, and volunteer workers. Participants must of course transport their horses and rigs from here to there by using gasoline-fueled horsepower!
Many carriage drivers prefer competitive ways to play with their horses. Some horse shows offer judged driving classes; "pulling" contests at Fairs are strength and skill competitions for working draft horses; there are carriage-driving-only shows, also exhibition get-togethers for coaching on a grand scale; even horse-drawn sleighs can compete in rallies and judged events.
One of the most exciting and challenging of equine sports is the "Combined Driving Event." CDEs are held at local, regional, national, even international levels of competition. Also referred to as marathon driving, the CDE tests the horse and driver's correctness of presentation, precision control, and speed and courage, through judged trials in an arena plus running against the clock on an obstacle-studded cross-country course.
Few things involving human/animal cooperation are so impressive as a team of four horses pulling a small lightweight cart... weaving through mazes of narrow fence-like corridors... pounding across bridges and through water hazards galloping at such speeds that a skilled outrider (navigator) must hang onto the rear of the carriage to counterbalance it -- literally -- shifting his weight outboard to keep the carriage wheels on the ground and thus prevent its flipping over on the sharp high-speed turns!
Therefore, whether the horse enthusiast loves relaxing pleasure excursions on backwoods roads, or seeks the adrenaline-pumping thrill of bouncing overland at breakneck pace behind flying hooves-- being in a horse-drawn carriage with the reins in your hands offers both these extremes and a whole lot more besides!
Written by Connie Moses, horse blogger, petArtistWithPeaches
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