ARISS – It’s known as the world’s oldest equestrian sport, and a local driving instructor is offering people a chance to visit her farm and learn more about it.
“My goal has always been to encourage new drivers and to encourage young drivers,” said Laurie Bruder.
At her home, Windy Knoll Farm, Bruder teaches combined driving, a sport with three main components meant to showcase the talents of both the horse and the human sitting in the carriage and holding the reins.
Her daughter, Kelly, is currently the top-ranked driver in the world, and will compete in an international championship in France later this month.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 14, Bruder is holding a much smaller event focused on just one aspect of driving.
She’s called it Cones Palooza after the obstacles drivers must avoid, and it will run from 9:30am to 2pm at Windy Knoll Farm, 7218 Sideroad 14 in Ariss.
“The public is invited to come and watch and learn a bit about the sport,” she said.
Combined driving events typically feature dressage, marathon and cones driving. Drivers sit on a vehicle drawn by a pony of any breed or size. Often there is also an additional person who stands on the back of the carriage, helping to balance the vehicle, and to act as a navigator, said Bruder.
“With a young driver or an inexperienced driver, I always ask that they have someone on the back of the carriage,” she said, noting this is for safety.
Dressage is similar to the riding form of the sport, but the ring is larger to accommodate the carriage.
The marathon component is run over a course that varies in length depending on the level of competition. Bruder said it’s typically between six and 10 kilometres, but can go up to 15km for a world-class event. Drivers make their way through a course that consists of a series of obstacles, such as water features, and they are timed and assessed as they navigate them.
Bruder drives her horse and carriage between two cones set to the width of the carriage. The driver must attempt to navigate the obstacle without knocking the balls off the cones. Facebook photo
It’s the cones component Bruder will be showcasing this weekend.
“People like doing cones,” she said.
Horse and carriage must navigate an obstacle course on a grass field that features visual distractions, twists and turns, and cones between which they must pass without making contact. They are scored on how well they navigate each obstacle, Bruder explained.
“If you can go clear, without hitting any cones, and you go fastest, you win,” she said.
The competition can be close – with sometimes as little as one point separating the winner from the second-place finisher.
Bruder said the sport attracts all kinds of people, from those who know little about horses to those who once rode and are looking to reconnect to horses. Some take it up because they have a pony whose rider has outgrown it, but the pony can still pull a carriage.
“Here, I teach carriage driving to beginners, right up to more seasoned drivers,” she said.
Bruder said the sport is growing, and people might be surprised how challenging it is.
“You have to be very much an athlete,” she said.
