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 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.
Dear FEI Driving Community,
Please be informed that modifications to the FEI Driving World Cup™ series rules were approved by the FEI Board during its In Person Meeting held on 19-21 June 2019 in Lausanne (SUI).
The FEI Driving World CupTM Rules for the 2019-2020 season are now viewable here.
Should you have any question, do not hesitate to contact Aude Barby at Aude.Barby@fei.org.
Over 70 participants representing 23 National Federations attended the FEI Para Equestrian Forum 2019 in Lamotte-Beuvron (FRA) from 25-26 May, where a number of key topics were presented, discussed and debated.
The Forum, which was hosted by the Fédération Francaise d’Equitation (FFE), was opened by their Secretary General Frédéric Bouix followed by Paralympic athlete Rodolpho Riskalla from Brazil, setting the scene and tone for productive discussions and meetings throughout the weekend.
Moderated by FEI Para Equestrian Committee Chair Amanda Bond, some of the key topics explored during the Forum were: Classification and the FEI’s Classification Research Project; Tokyo 2020 preparations and climate mitigation; Athlete Welfare and Safeguarding; Coaching from grass roots to International level; Compensating Aids; Para Driving; and an update on FEI Education for Officials. Interactive workshops on the FEI Competition structure, the development of the sport at all levels, in new nations and specifically for the youth demographic were also held.
For more information about the forum please click here.
Dear Driving Organisers, Dear Driving Officials,
Please be informed that the Driving Events Guidelines for Organisers and Officials have been updated.
The update includes information and requirements on Scoring Offices (SO) and on the requirements needed to organise additional competitions simultaneously with CAIs or CAIOs.
As you know, the Driving Events Guidelines for Organisers and Officials contains all the useful information and documents in order to help you organise a successful Driving Event.
You can find the above mentioned document at this link.
Dear Driving community,
The Driving department is happy to inform that a presentation on Driving Statistics is available here.
Through this presentation, you will learn useful information on the evolution of the discipline from 2012 to 2018.
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