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DRIvING
Driving is booming in
Germany and, whether
it be as a hobby or
competitively, an increasingly
high number of horse
lovers have turned to this discipline
in recent years. Singles, pairs, fourin-hand,
tandem, random, horses or
ponies – anything goes. In the competitive
sport there are dressage
tests, cross-country marathons, obstacle
cone courses as well as the
combination of all three. The combined
classes are valid for both the
individual and the combined classification,
which differs from normal
eventing, where there is only one
‘overall’ placing. In dressage, the
gymnasticity of the horse and the
evaluation of the level of training
are the priorities. In the obstacle
course through a course of cones,
accuracy, speed, obedience and
submission are the key elements.
The showpiece of any driving competition
is the marathon with its
spectacular obstacles.
Dressage
In the dressage test, the gymnasticity
of the horse and the evaluation
of the level of training are the priorities.
Here, a specific dressage test
is carried out in a 40 x 100 arena.
The judges will be marking, in addition
to the actual execution of the
test, the correctness of the clothing
and of the traditionally-made carriage,
including its suitability to the
horse. The dressage test consists of
figures and movements which can
be found in ridden dressage tests,
including transitions and flying
changes. The dressage movements
are scored on a scale of 0 to 10,
including sub-divisions into tenths.
A score of 5.0 must be obtained to
qualify for the subsequent phases,
which are, usually, an obstacle cone
course and the cross country marathon.
Marathon
A course divided into five sections
which usually covers approximately
20 kilometres is driven. During
each section, a specific pace or a
time (with both a minimum and a
maximum time) is to be observed.
The final section has eight obstacles
which are to be negotiated as
quickly as possible. The obstacle
course can be covered in canter.
Sports clothing is worn and a marathon
carriage is usually attached.
The grooms, sitting at the rear of the
carriages, stabilise them through
corners by shifting their weight and
they will often tell the drivers which
line to follow and which way to pass
through the obstacles by calling loudly.
Obstacle cone driving
This phase is executed through
a course of pairs of cones, with
balls balanced on top of each cone.
Speed, accuracy, obedience and
submission of the horses are tested.
Depending on the difficulty of
the test, there can be up to 20 pairs
of cones, placed between 20 - 50 cm
wider than the wheels of the carriage.
The pairs of cones are to be
passed through as quickly as possible
without the cone being moved
or the ball, which is perched atop
each cone, being dislodged. The
pairs of cones are identifiable by a
number, with the right cone having a
red number and the left cone displaying
a white number. Anybody who
misses out a pair of cones or passes
through from the wrong side is disqualified.
The scoring follows two
different methods. The first begins
by counting first the faults and then
the time so the winner is the one
with the lowest number of penalty
points; if there is a draw, then the
quickest time determines the winner.
Each obstacle which is knocked
down counts as five penalty points.
The second method of scoring adds
five seconds to the eventual time for
each penalty and the quickest competitor
is declared the winner.
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