The diversity of driving

Driving is not as widespread as equestrian sports, but has experienced a steady upswing in recent decades. Driving is a form of equestrian sport in which horses pull a carriage or coach. Horses harnessed to carriages are not only seen in leisure driving and competition sport. Commercial carriage driving is also very popular for various occasions. You can find out more about the variety of driving sports below.

The history of driving

Horses were harnessed to carts a thousand years ago. They were used to transport loads, in agriculture and forestry or to pull chariots in war. But horses were also harnessed for chariot races to amuse the people in Greek and Roman times.

Motorization during the Industrial Revolution meant that horse-drawn carriages became less and less important. Instead, carriage driving shifted from a utility to a leisure activity and even a sport. The first driving test was held in 1925 at one of the most prestigious tournaments in Aachen. In 1969, driving was finally officially recognized by the FEI as a test in international equestrian sport. Just a few years later, in 1972, the first World Championships in four-in-hand driving took place.

The pioneer of the driving sport is Benno von Achenbach. The Achenbach driving system is still required by the FN at German competitions today. Anyone who does not drive according to Achenbach receives a point deduction of 0.5 points.

To this day, Achenbach is regarded as the foundation of European driving theory, on which the training of driving horses is also based. There are 7 principles of the Achenbach system:

1. Correct driving requires the Achenbach lines, a whip and a fixed bridle (no play scales).
2. Correct four- and multi-horse driving builds on equally correct single- and two-horse driving.
3. Driving is on the left. The driver must have his right hand free at all times for greeting, braking, whip assistance, etc.
4. Turns are initiated exclusively by yielding the outer lines, whereby the turn is preceded by a reduction in speed.
5. The vertical position of the fists alone makes it possible to turn by rotating the wrists.
6. As the driver sits on the right-hand side of the trestle, right and left turns are driven differently.
7. Letting the lines slide through your hands is dangerous and prohibited, as it prevents you from riding correctly.

Basic knowledge and equipment for driving

Driving involves a lot of material, money and effort. In contrast to equestrian sports, it doesn't just involve a horse with saddlery and bridle. Sometimes several horses are part of a team, and the harness and carriage also have to be accommodated. It is particularly important that the driving equipment is safe and roadworthy at all times in order to avoid accidents.

‍Equipmentfor driving - checklist:

• Carriage or wagon
• Driving bridle with throat lash, browband, removable flaps
• Bit or driving curb bit
• Harness consisting of breastplate, comb cover (and neck strap for multi-horse teams), belly strap, crupper, drawstrings
• Driving lines
• Bow whip
• First aid kit

For safety:

• Gloves
• Sturdy shoes
• Riding helmet (for off-road riding)
• Safety vest (for off-road driving)
• Wheel chocks
• Safety vest and triangle
• Angle trowel

‍Carriage types: What types of carriages are there?

Due to the development of carriages and wagons over the course of thousands of years, there are now many different types of carriage. The most important subdivision is into single-axle and double-axle carriages:

‍Single-axlecarriages:

• Sulky (trotting race): The driver sits directly behind the horse, there is room for only one driver
• Gig: Similar to the sulky, but with room for two people
• Quadriga: Roman chariot
• Dog Cart: Single carriage with canopy

‍Twin-axlecarriages:

• Dressage carriage: Traditional carriage with new techniques. There are various forms, e.g. hunting carriages, phaetons, wagonettes etc. for competition. Dressage carriages can be driven with one or two harnesses.
• Marathon carriage: For cross-country tests at driving competitions with fast turns, made of robust light metal. One or more accompanying persons stand at the back to keep the carriage in balance by shifting their weight.
• Viktoria: A historic, closed carriage or coach with a folding half-deck, can be driven by two to four horses.
• Landauer: Carriage body with two opposing benches and folding leather roof. Usually driven in two carriages for special occasions, e.g. weddings or to drive high-ranking personalities
• Kremser: A covered wagon pulled by two cold-blooded horses. There is room for 12 to 30 people. Kremser rides take place on larger occasions such as Ascension Day or tourist tours.

‍Fundamentalsof carriage driving: The leash position

According to Achenbach, correct reining is part of correct driving. The basics have to be right, because the more horses there are in the team, the more difficult it is to hold the lines. The driver must therefore know in his sleep how to hold the lines. There are three positions: The utility posture and dressage or working posture build on the basic posture. For the sake of simplicity, the following description of the line position concentrates on two lines, i.e. driving with one horse.

‍Basic attitude

In the basic position, both lines lie in the left hand: the left line lies over the index finger, the thumb is slightly open. The right leash is placed between the middle and ring fingers. The left hand is held vertically as a fist in front of the middle of the upper body. The whip is in the right hand. The end of the leash hangs outwards over the left thigh. This position must not be abandoned; it forms the basis for the working and dressage position.

‍Maintenance

It is used to relieve the left hand and to shorten or lengthen the lines, for example in turns or when changing pace.

The basic position of the left hand remains the same. The right hand now reaches in front of the left. The right line is taken with the three lower fingers and the right hand picks up the left line with the thumb and index finger.

It is important that the lines do not simply slip through the right hand. They must be gripped or released with the right hand as described. This is the only way to drive correctly.

‍Working postureor dressage posture

The right hand pulls the right leash out of the left hand from the position of use. Both hands are now standing upright next to each other.

What are the characteristics of the ideal driving horse?

In principle, any horse can be broken in, and any riding horse can be trained to become a carriage horse. However, as in riding horse breeding, there are also breeds that are bred to be suitable as driving horses. Popular and frequently used horse breeds for driving include Shetland ponies, Friesians, heavy warmbloods, Freiberger horses, Clydesdales and other cold-blooded breeds and trotters.

The conformation of the driving horse is ideally rectangular and strong. A sloping shoulder absorbs the driving harness well and enables expansive movements of the forehand. This makes the trot in front of the carriage look particularly impressive. The carriage horse should also have elastic, expressive gaits so that it can pull the carriage effortlessly and make a good impression, especially at competitions.

The interior and character of a driving horse are just as important: carriage horses must have strong nerves, be balanced and calm so that they are not frightened by their surroundings. At the same time, they should be willing to work and attentive, as well as having a controllable forward drive.

Some of these characteristics can be trained with systematic training. Nevertheless, it is generally helpful if the horses are naturally less skittish in order to avoid accidents.

In the course of training, the future driving horse develops more strength and balance, as well as the ability to react finely and precisely to aids.

‍Themost important elements in training a driving horse

Driving can be a dangerous sport if the horse has not been properly prepared for it. If it gets spooked, jumps to the side or goes off, this can have serious consequences for both horse and rider with the carriage in tow. In addition to sound training of horse and driver, clear communication between them is also crucial. Training a carriage horse should not be a crash course, but should take at least two to three months. A shorter training period should not be attempted, as this would lead to the horse being overtaxed. For young horses that have never been worked, either on the ground or under saddle, more time should be allowed for breaking in.

‍Bringing in thehorse

The scale of training applies not only to riding horses, but also to driving and draft horses. The individual elements of the training scale - rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection - serve as a guide. Groundwork and dressage therefore form an excellent basis for driving so that the driving horse remains healthy in the long term.

To break in, you must proceed gradually and at the horse's own pace. Each step builds on the previous one and thus consolidates progress in the long term.

We start with work on the double lunge. Here the horse gets used to its pulling position and learns the basic aids. Through the double lunge work and a lot of ground work, the horse is gymnasticized and physically prepared for the pulling work. From the ground, the basic commands are taught, changes of pace, transitions, turning away and stopping, as well as how to stand still.

Once the basics are in place, the next step is desensitization. The horse is familiarized with wearing the harness, with the strings that can slip between the legs and the surrounding noise. Desensitization is essential for the reliability of the future driving horse. In this step, the drag can be added, where the horse pulls a weight behind it. It must not only be accustomed to the pull on the chest and shoulders, but also to the sound of the drag behind it. This takes away the horse's fear of switching to escape mode.

The third step is the actual breaking in: Thanks to the intensive preparation, the horse should now have fewer problems with the first harnessing. It is important that this step is also prepared in detail so that no careless mistakes are made. If the horse is frightened and panics when half harnessed, this can become engraved in the horse's memory. And bad memories are difficult to erase or overwrite.

A drive-in trolley with small wheels but wider wheel spacing is usually used for driving in. This has a very stable position. Some trainers use a lightweight sulky. It is important to have a second person who can walk alongside the horse and calm it down if necessary. The support of an experienced second horse can also be helpful, providing the inexperienced horse with the necessary calm. However, other instructors prefer single-horse driving to two-horse driving, as the drawbar in the middle of a single-horse sulky could irritate the inexperienced horse.

‍Commandsand signals when driving a carriage

When driving a carriage, the weight and leg aids that are mainly used when riding are no longer required. Therefore, communication between the rider and the draught horse must be carried out using leads, whip and voice. Braking aids are also used. The aids must be given as precisely as possible so that only the horse that is meant is addressed, especially when driving multiple horses. First and foremost, you need to train yourself and internalize the aids.

• Leash aids: There is the accepting and yielding leash aid. The lines are never plucked or beaten.
• Whip aids to support the voice aids. There are forward driving, sideways driving, collecting, collecting and punishing whip aids. They are always given from the outside near the belly girth and imitate the rider's leg pressure. Punishing whip aids are only given at the shoulder when absolutely necessary. The whip is never cracked.
• Voice aids have an encouraging or calming effect. The disadvantage with two- or multi-horse teams is that all horses react to them. To avoid confusion among the horses, the same signal should always be given for a command.
• Braking aids take the strain off the horses when going downhill or when slowing down. It is important that braking aids are always initiated by parading the lines first. The brake also secures the carriage when parking.

‍Thesport of driving nationally and internationally

With the first World Championships for four-in-hand horses in 1972, driving became an established international equestrian sport. Driving competitions are divided into single, pair and four -in-hand classes. It does not matter whether pony, warmblood or cold-blood teams compete against each other in the respective class. This is the big difference to other equestrian disciplines, where horses are divided according to size, among other things. Driving competitions are also divided into levels of difficulty or classes from E and A to M and S. The L class is not used in driving.

‍Disciplinesin driving sport:

The different disciplines show the great diversity of the driving sport, which is just as colorful as the equestrian sport.

‍Dressage driving

In dressage driving, as in ridden dressage, a predefined task is performed in the driving arena. This consists of hoof beats, changes of pace and transitions. The horse's gymnastics and level of training are the main factors assessed. The clothing, equipment and the horse should also be in proper style.

‍Cross-country drivingor marathon test

The fastest and most spectacular driving test is off-road driving. Here, the teams have to cross various natural and artificial obstacles, such as bridges, streams and narrow, winding paths. The total distance of 15 to 18 km is divided into three to five sections. These must be completed within a specified time. The groom, the co-driver, who stands at the back of the lightweight marathon car and stabilizes it by shifting weight in the tight bends, is indispensable.

‍Obstacle drivingor cone driving

The teams are driven through a narrow course of cones with balls on them. They must stay within the prescribed time. Points are deducted for exceeding the time limit, refusing or touching the obstacles.

These three driving disciplines can be tackled individually or in combination.

‍Distance driving

In endurance driving, the entire route must be completed in a prescribed time. The teams drive 25 to 160 km per day. Multi-day rides are also possible. There is a break every 25 km where the horses can recover and be examined by a vet.

‍Famousnames in the sport of driving

Driving has become an integral part of the show circuit. The best drivers compete not only at regional level, but also at the German Driving Championships, the Federal Championships for German Driving Horses, the European Championships, World Championships and even the Olympic Games. The current national coach of the drivers is Karl-Heinz Geiger.

The top competition riders are divided into championship, perspective and junior squads.

In the German driving scene, names such as Michael and Steffen Brauchle, Mareike Harm, Anna and Christoph Sandmann, Georg von Stein and René Poensgen have established themselves at the top of the rankings in four-in-hand driving. Well-known names in the pairs are Max Berlage, Dennis Schneider and Carola Slater-Diener. Dieter Lauterbach, Anne Unzeitig and Jessica Wächter lead the rankings for single horses (as of 2022).

Internationally, competition drivers such as Boyd Exell, Bram Chardon and Chester Weber a household name. Chester Weber in an interview, how did he get into driving and what makes driving special for him?

‍Isa carriage driver's license compulsory?

All carriage drivers who wish to drive their carriages on public roads and paths require a carriage driving license. A distinction is made between the carriage driver's license A for private individuals and the carriage driver's license B for commercial coach drivers.

‍Why doesthe carriage driver's license exist?

As soon as the carriage is driven on public roads, the coachman becomes a road user. As with a car driver's license, the carriage driver's license ensures that the coachman is qualified and competent to drive on roads. A carriage driver's license therefore primarily serves to prevent accidents.

The whole thing goes back to an initiative, as the sport of driving is viewed critically, especially by animal welfare organizations. The aim was to create a standardized system in Germany that would guarantee the professional qualification of coach drivers. The German Equestrian Federation demands that every driver who drives a horse and carriage on the road must have the carriage driving license A private person. However, the carriage driving license is not enshrined in law nationwide. Nevertheless, it is essential as proof of expertise in the event of accidents or an insurance claim.

‍Who is the carriage driver's license aimed at?

The carriage driver's license is aimed at every coachman who drives his carriage on public roads. This applies to both private individuals (carriage driver's license A) and commercial carriage drivers (carriage driver's license B).

Private carriage drivers without competition ambitions must take the test for driving license A. Private carriage drivers with competition ambitions, on the other hand, require at least driving badge 5 for competition driving. As a lot of the content overlaps with the qualification for driving license A, there is the option of an additional safety module for FA5. This means that the examination for the certificate of competence does not have to be taken twice. The carriage driving license A is valid indefinitely.

Commercial carriage drivers include all those who charge a fee for rides and passenger transportation. They must pass the carriage driver's license B, whereby the driving license A is a prerequisite. The test differs in that it covers the topics of passenger transportation, load securing, driving with a heavy train and technical requirements. The carriage driver's license B is valid for 5 years. It can be extended through further training of 8 learning units.

Frequently asked questions about driving

When are you allowed to drive a horse?

The driving guidelines recommend that a horse should not be harnessed to a carriage until it is five years old. The horses used for the driving badge tests organized by the FN must be at least five years old, and at least four years old when taking the carriage driving test.

As with riding, the horse must be in both the physical and mental condition to pull a carriage. It is therefore advisable to start driving at the age of two at the earliest, or even better at the age of three. However, the age specification should not be applied across the board to all horses. This is because ponies in particular are late developers and therefore not as physically developed as a warmblood of the same age. 

If the driving horse is also a young horse, it should not be broken in at the same time as being broken in. This prevents the horse from confusing the new commands. If the horse is to be used primarily as a carriage horse, the breaking-in process should be started at the same time. The voice commands and getting used to the harness can be useful later when breaking in.

‍Howlong can a draft horse ride?

How long a draught horse may work at a stretch is suggested to the coachmen in the guidelines. There is no legal regulation here either. As carriage horses are working animals, they need both a break and a daily limit. A carriage horse may not work for more than nine hours a day. They also need a break of at least half an hour every four hours. In high temperatures, breaks must be taken every two hours in the shade. The coachman must also provide the horses with a place to drink. Roughage must be carried on longer journeys.

Commercial coach drivers record their driving and rest times in a logbook that they carry with them. This must then be presented in the event of any checks.

How long the individual horse is allowed to ride for depends on its level of training. They must not be tired beyond their endurance limit. The demands placed on young driving horses must be increased slowly in terms of duration and pulling weight.

‍Howcan I start driving - are there courses or training programs?

More and more young people are becoming enthusiastic about driving, it is no longer reserved for the "old men". As in equestrian sport, there is a good organization of driving sports by the FN and a large network of driving companies.

However, driving schools are still not as common as riding schools. In some cases, learner drivers have to travel several kilometers to get to their driving school. However, an internet search or information from the FN will reveal the network of coachmen, driving companies, driving schools and driving sports enthusiasts.

Many haulage companies offer courses and courses for different levels of driver and horse training. If you are just starting out with driving, you can learn from experienced draught horses at a driving school. And if you already have your own team, you can get help from a driving club.

‍Whatcosts are associated with driving?

Driving competitions can be an expensive and time-consuming business. This is because, unlike equestrian sports, the carriage must be transported and accommodated in addition to the horse and its harness. Several horses may have to be transported. Even the journey to the driving competition is therefore time-consuming and costly, especially if overnight stays are required.

The purchase costs of the carriage and harnesses can be daunting at first. If you want to buy a used carriage to keep the costs down, you should make absolutely sure that it is still roadworthy and roadworthy.

The cost of a carriage depends on the carriage in question. A used drive-in carriage can be purchased from €4,000, a small pony carriage or a gig/sulky can be cheaper at €3,000. The costs for new carriages are correspondingly higher.

The cost of harnesses varies greatly depending on the manufacturer and saddlery. In online equestrian stores, complete single horse harnesses can be purchased for as little as €300, while some saddleries charge €2,000 and more for custom-made single horse h arnesses.

‍Howmany people fit in a carriage?

How many people can be seated in the carriage depends on the type of carriage. The number of people intended for each type of carriage must therefore not be exceeded. Only one person fits in a sulky, while a covered wagon can accommodate up to 30 people, depending on its size.

It is important to note that the total weight of the carriage, including the coachman and all passengers, must not exceed twice the weight of the draft horse. The carriage alone can weigh between 600 and 1,000 kg. However, the resistance of the tires, the gradient and the surface quality of the terrain being driven on must be taken into account. The maneuverability of the carriage must also be taken into account. It goes without saying that a carriage that moves easily is easier to pull than one that has more resistance. For example, if the carriage travels over a smooth, even surface, the horse can pull three times as hard as itself. So you always have to keep the overall picture in mind.

‍Whatphysical and mental demands does driving place on the driver and the horse?

The coachman is responsible for road safety, starting with suitable, intact equipment, through sound training of the horse to a smooth carriage ride. He is familiar with the traffic regulations and local laws for driving on roads, country lanes and forest tracks. He should therefore be fit to drive and sane at all times, i.e. not under the influence of alcohol or other substances. In order to be able to prove his expertise, he needs a carriage driving license A or B.

The draft horse should be physically capable of pulling the weight of the carriage without damage. In addition to pulling the carriage, it needs regular free movement in order to be balanced. To avoid accidents, the horse should be characterized by strong nerves and a calm but willing character.

‍Wherecan you ride in a carriage?

Carriages can be driven almost anywhere where there are paved paths and roads. However, some paths, for example forest roads, are closed to horse-drawn carriages - marked accordingly by signs. Before setting off on a tour, you should familiarize yourself with the regional regulations and laws and know the route network in order to avoid conflicts.

‍Iscarriage driving cruelty to animals?

Like equestrian sport in general, driving is sometimes seen in a bad light by the public. When carried out correctly, driving is not cruelty to animals. Correct means that the equipment is suitable, horse and driver have undergone sound basic training, the draft horses are healthy and well cared for and the driver is sensible and sane. There are also guidelines as to how heavy the draft weight of the horses may be. The speed must be appropriate accordingly. Those who have trained their driving horses on the basis of the training scale have ensured that the horses have learned to use their bodies appropriately. This prevents them from being damaged by the pulling work. The horses should also be regularly checked by a vet and farrier.

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Author: Mirjam-Sophie Freigang