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Horses were driven long before they were ridden and, as such, Driving is the oldest competitive equestrian sport yet it continues to thrive in the 21st century. Drivers sit on a vehicle drawn by a single horse or pony, a pair or a team of four and they face three trials – dressage, marathon and obstacle driving.
Dressage involves performing a sequence of compulsory figures within a 100 x 40 metre rectangle. Movements – which must be executed from memory – include speed and gait transitions, circles of different sizes and halts.
The marathon is a spectacular time trial run over a course including natural hazards such as sharp turns, water and steep hills, and artificial ones such as labyrinths. It tests the horses’ fitness and stamina and the driver’s judgment of pace and horse control.
Obstacle driving – or cones – tests the fitness, obedience and suppleness of the horses after the marathon, as well as the skill and competence of the driver who must weave cleanly through a narrow track outlined by cones with balls balanced on top.
Driving came under the FEI umbrella in 1970 thanks to the efforts of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, then the FEI President, who organised the meeting in 1969 which produced the first rule book. One notable alteration to the rules followed a competition in Windsor, Great Britain, where a back wheel collapsed on a vehicle and the watching Queen Elizabeth allowed for a small tree to be tied to the axle to keep it off the ground. The rules stated subsequently that a "vehicle must have four wheels crossing the finishing line".
In 2006 Para Driving joined the ranks of the other 7 FEI disciplines with national and international competitions in Driving for individuals with a disability.
With the FEI Eventing and Driving World Championships 2022 ahead of us, we have recently published the FEI Doping & Medication Control Guide for the FEI World Championships 2022 to provide all concerned stakeholders with an overview of all the doping and medication control systems and processes in place for both Equine and Human Athletes.
To ensure we reach our target audience, we have sent targeted emailers to the Athletes on the Driving Nominated Entries list for Pratoni del Vivaro 2022 (see attached emailer).
As you can see in the attached, we have encouraged all nominated Athletes to familiarise themselves with the Guide and the Rules and Regulations in place, as well as ensuring their support personnel/teams are also fully up to date.
We also encourage all concerned National Federations to share this Guide with their teams attending/preparing for the World Championships such as Chefs d’équipe, Chefs de Mission, etc to ensure everyone has an accurate understanding of the Rules at play and avoid any anti-doping rule violations.
The Guide is available in 7 languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish) and we are available for any questions you may have.
By Sarah Dance
Host nation Hungary have clinched two of the individual titles on offer at the European Youth Championships while The Netherlands took the Junior class.
Leading from the front after sealing first place in the dressage, 17 year old Péter Juhász (Hun) took the P2 (pony pair) title, ending on 122.87, ahead of Germany’s Max Andrew on 131.55 and Lea Schröder on 135.44. Team GB’s Harvey Clegram-Brown, winner of Saturday’s marathon in slippery conditions, had left himself too much to do after the dressage and remained 4th.
Places flipped between the phases and margins were paper thin in the Children (12-14 years) and Junior (14-18 years) classes. Bertold Juhász (HUN) kept his cool to finish the cones on a double clear to become the FEI Driving European Children’s Champion on 97.63, which put him one point ahead of Spain’s Daniel Pineda Andic, who ended a blink behind on 98.63, pushing Bice Castelli (ITA) into third on 101.19, just ahead of Phoebe Matthews (GBR) on 101.73.
Renate Provoost (NED), who had finished second in the dressage, was consistent throughout and won the Youth category on 123.37, pushing Ireland’s Kris Rohrssen into second (125.36). Italy’s Francesca Consolini sealed her bronze medal place only a fraction behind on 125.46 and Larissa Jansma (NED) was within breathing distance of the podium with a final tally of 125.61.
A full sports report to follow…
Jack D. Pemberton, well-known and greatly respected member of the Driving community, sadly passed away on 16 August 2022, at the age of 99.
Throughout his career, Pemberton was an influential character who dedicated his time and energy to the development of equestrian sport in Canada, especially when it comes to Driving, where one of his first endeavours was the creation of the Carriage Association of America in 1960. Since 1968 he has been actively involved with of the FEI in various different roles such as Driving Judge and Chair of the FEI Driving Committee from 1995-2004. He was also a very much appreciated FEI Bureau member during the administration of former FEI President H.R.H. the Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbòn, and honorary member of the FEI Board since 2004.
Pemberton was awarded the prestigious Equine Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for his exceptional contribution and commitment to the Canadian Equestrian industry.
"The FEI Driving community lost a real Friend and horseman. Jack was an iconic person, not only for Driving, but for the whole equestrian sport. We will sadly miss him", Chair of the FEI Driving Committee Karoly Fugly said.
The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to Jack D. Pemberton’s family and friends, the Canadian Equestrian Federation (EC) and the global equestrian and driving communities.
Sébastien Mourier, well-known and greatly respected French Driving athlete, sadly passed away on 28 June 2022, at the age of 43.
Since childhood, Sébastien Mourier has been a member of the equestrian community, first taking part in Driving competitions at the age of 16 with a pony. In 2011, he became French Driving Champion in the Amateur category, a title that would open the doors to the international Driving scene.
His first participation at a major international event was the FEI Driving four-in hand European Championship in Izàk (HUN) in 2013. That was the first of two European Championship participations, while further career highlights would include, two FEI Driving World Cup™ Finals and the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Caen (FRA).
The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to Sébastien Mourier’s family and friends, the French Equestrian Federation (FFE) and the global equestrian and driving communities.
Please be informed that the FEI has published the new Dressage test for Children that will be applicable from 01.01.2023. The current Children dressage test remains applicable for the upcoming 2022 FEI Driving European Youth Championship.
The FEI has also updated the U25 CAI3* A HP1 – HP2 Dressage test in order to accommodate the 80x40m arena. The modifications are visible in red. This test will be applicable for the aforementioned Championship, as published in the qualification criteria.
All the dressage tests are published at this page.
Should you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us at Driving@fei.org
Please note that the FEI Driven Dressage Test 3*HP2-HP4 has been amended.
The modifications are indicated in red. The tests can be found at this page.
Please be informed that the FEI has decided to allow results in 2021 CAIY2* (CAI2* Young Drivers) events and the 2021 FEI Driving European Championship for Young Drivers to count for qualification as a 3* Athlete.
This decision reflects the newly implemented Rule in Art. 913, which allows CAI U25 2* and CH-EU-U25 results to count as qualifying result in order to achieve 3* Level as an Athlete.
The FEI Database has been updated to reflect this decision.
Dear FEI Driving Community,
Please be informed that a new version of the FEI Driving Guidelines on Use of Tack, Equipment and Dress, with updates highlighted in red, is available on the FEI website here.
A new version of the FEI Guidelines for Driving Events is also available at the same page.
Please be informed that modifications to the FEI Driving World Cup™ series rules have been approved by the FEI Board.
The FEI Driving World CupTM Rules for the 2022-2023 season can be consulted here.
Should you have any question, do not hesitate to contact Aude Barby (Aude.Barby@fei.org.)
In Memoriam: FEI Driving community mourns Gerhard Dittus (GER), 1942-2022
One of the oldest Official FEI Veterinarian passed away on 13th. February, 2022, MVDR Gerhard Dittus. His passion was treating horses, and working as an FEI Official Vet in Jumping, Driving and Eventing. He was appointed for many years at the CSIO St. Gallen, Budapest, and as delegate on several European Championships in Driving and Eventing. He was also Veterinarian on Palio Sienna in Italy. He liked to come on shows in Eastern-Europe, mostly Poland and Hungary, and with his enthusiasm he educated a new generation of official vets in these countries. His home was always open for his friends, where they would enjoy his and his wife’s hospitality.
We will miss his kind, humorous, open personality for a long time.
He was 79 years old.
The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to Gerhard Dittus’ family and friends, the German Equestrian Federation (GER) and the global equestrian community.
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