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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.
The FEI Education & Officials Department have recently published explainer videos for the major FEI Driving & Para Driving 2021 Rule changes.
These videos are mainly aimed at Officials and Athletes who are required to be up-to-date with the different rules. For the wider audience these videos will serve a rather informative purpose, providing a deeper understanding of our sport. The goal of these short videos is to highlight the most impactful rule changes and their rationale in each discipline, as well as more general regulations including the Equine Anti-Doping Controlled Medication Regulations and the Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes which underwent a full review in 2020.
You can access all the videos on FEI Campus by clicking on the relevant discipline pages as well as the Veterinary hub. Here are the direct links to:
• FEI Veterinary Regulations Changes 2021
• FEI General Regulations Changes 2021
• FEI Equine Anti-Doping Controlled Medication Regulations Changes 2021
• FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes Changes 2021
As per the FEI Periodical Rules Revision Policy, a number of FEI Rules and Regulations are reviewed every four years. For 2021, the following Rules – Jumping, Dressage, Para Dressage, Driving & Para Driving - were supposed to be fully reviewed.
However, due to Covid-19 mitigating factors, and with the agreement of the Dressage, Para Equestrian and Vaulting Technical Committees, the Board have agreed to:
• Postpone the full review of the Dressage and Para Dressage Rules to 2022 in order to:
o Accommodate the review process of the Championships competition format at the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in 2021.
o Allow for testing and insights on the new Code of Points for Dressage so that it can be introduced at the same time.
o And finally, accommodate for the postponed Para Forum which will now be taking place in January 2022 due to Covid-19.
• Bring forward the full review of the Vaulting Rules to 2021 (initially due to be fully reviewed in 2022) as a new concept that fulfils the needs of each class and level is ready to be presented and will benefit from being introduced in 2022 rather than 2023.
Based on this, the Rules to be reviewed as part of the FEI Periodical Rules Revision Policy in 2021 are:
• Jumping Rules
• Vaulting Rules
• Driving & Para Driving Rules
We would like to highlight the deadline of 1 March 2021 for National Federations and Stakeholders with whom the FEI has signed an MOU to propose Rules changes as per the FEI Statutes. You will find all the key dates, timelines and templates for the Rules Revision Process 2021 in the dedicated Rules Revision Hub on Inside.FEI.org
Dear FEI Driving Community,
We are happy to announce that the qualification criteria for the 2021 FEI Driving Championships are now uploaed on the FEI Website.
Please click on the below link to be redirected to each Championship page:
FEI Driving World Championship for Pairs
FEI Driving World Championships for Combined Ponies
FEI Driving World Championship for Young Horses
FEI Para Driving World Championship for Singles
FEI Driving European Championship for Four in Hand
FEI Driving European Championship for Young Drivers, Juniors & Children
In Memoriam: FEI Driving community mourns József Mondok (HUN), 1956-2020
József Mondok, a member of the Hungarian Equestrian Federation Board and Vice President until 2018, passed away on 31 December 2020. He was 64.
Mayor of the town of Izsák since 1998, József Mondok was elected as a member of the Hungarian Driving Committee, subsequently becoming its President for almost two decades. He was also central to the organisation of several FEI Driving Championships in Hungary, including the FEI Driving World Championship 2004 for Four-in-Hand Horses and FEI Driving World Championship 2009 for Pairs in Kecskemét, the FEI Driving European Championship 2013 for Four-in-Hand Horses in Izsák and, the following year, FEI World Driving Championship for Single Horses at the same venue.
He was also co-organiser of the FEI Driving World Cup™ indoor series in Budapest since 2007.
The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to József Mondok’s family and friends, the Hungarian Equestrian Federation (HUN) and the global equestrian community.
Dear FEI Driving Community,
Please be informed that the Notes for Guidance have been updated. You can find the document at this link, under "FEI Driving Rules 2020 - Notes for guidance".
Should you have any question, please contact Aude Barby.
The statistical report for FEI Driving is now available here.
In this presentation, you will be able to review the figures and evolution of the Driving discipline from 2014 until 2019.
Dear FEI Driving Community,
We are happy to announce that the qualification criteria for the 2020 FEI Driving Championships are now updated on the FEI Website.
Please click on the below link to be redirected to each Championship page:
FEI Driving World Championships for Four in Hand Horses
FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses
FEI Driving World Championship for Young Horses
FEI Driving European Championship for Young Drivers, Juniors & Children
The Driving department is pleased to announce the name of the Drivers that will attend the FEI Driving World CupTM Legs.
You can also find all the useful information for the current season here.
Qualified Drivers:
1. Boyd Exell
2. Koos de Ronde
3. Bram Chardon
4. Ijsbrand Chardon
5. Chester Weber
6. Benjamin Aillaud
7. Jérôme Voutaz
8. Mareike Harm
9. Glenn Geerts
10. József Dobrovitz
| LYON (FRA) | MAASTRICHT (NED) | STUTTGART (GER) | STOCKHOLM (SWE) | BUDAPEST (HUN) | GENEVA (SUI) | LONDON OLYMPIA (GBR) | MECHELEN (BEL) | LEIPZIG (GER) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 October - 03 November 2019 | 08-10 November 2019 | 13-17 November 2019 | 28 November - 01 December 2019 | 29 November - 01 December 2019 | 12-15 December 2019 | 16-22 December 2019 | 26-30 December 2019 | 16-19 January 2020 |
| Boyd Exell (AUS) | Boyd Exell (AUS) | Glenn GEERTS (BEL) | Boyd Exell (AUS) | Bram CHARDON (NED) | Glenn GEERTS (BEL) | Koos DE RONDE (NED) | Jérôme VOUTAZ (SUI) | Bram CHARDON (NED) |
| József DOBROVITZ (HUN) | Mareike HARM (GER) | Benjamin AILLAUD (FRA) | Koos DE RONDE (NED) | Ijsbrand CHARDON (NED) | Boyd Exell (AUS) | Mareike HARM (GER) | Koos DE RONDE (NED) | Ijsbrand CHARDON (NED) |
| Koos DE RONDE (NED) | Koos DE RONDE (NED) | Chester WEBER (USA) | Benjamin AILLAUD (FRA) | Chester WEBER (USA) | Bram CHARDON (NED) | Ijsbrand CHARDON (NED) | Bram CHARDON (NED) | Chester WEBER (USA) |
| Bram CHARDON (NED) | Ijsbrand CHARDON (NED) | József DOBROVITZ (HUN) | Mareike HARM (GER) | Jérôme VOUTAZ (SUI) | Benjamin AILLAUD (FRA) | Chester WEBER (USA) | Ijsbrand CHARDON (NED) | Benjamin AILLAUD (FRA) |
| Jérôme VOUTAZ (SUI) | Glenn GEERTS (BEL) | Boyd Exell (AUS) | Glenn GEERTS (BEL) | József DOBROVITZ (HUN) | Mareike HARM (GER) | József DOBROVITZ (HUN) | Chester WEBER (USA) | Jérôme VOUTAZ (SUI) |
Dear FEI Driving Community,
The Driven Dressage test YH 3 for 5 Years Old Horses (Final) has been changed. It is effective as of 01.10.2019, and therefore will be used during the 2020 Driving World Championship for Young Horses.You will find the updated document at the following link : https://inside.fei.org/fei/your-role/organisers/driving/dressage-tests
Should you have any question, please contact Aude Barby at aude.barby@fei.org
Dear FEI Driving Community,
We are pleased to inform you that a Guidelines for Shadow Judging has been created.
The assessment sheet has been revised too.
These new documents are available here.
Should you have any question, do not hesitate to contact Anna Orgeas.
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