During the USEF Annual Meeting, the Safety Committee voted to provide Driving Competition Accident Guidelines to all competitions with driving classes, affiliates, and any other interested parties. The USEF Legal Counsel has reviewed the guidelines and approved them for distribution. The Driving Competition Accident Guidelines represent a recommended approach to the special safety considerations inherent in driving activities and do not represent new procedural requirements or rule change...

United Professional Horsemen’s Association (UPHA) President Jim Taylor has informed American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) President Fred Sarver that the American Royal will host the 2007 ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge Finals, November 13-17, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Several qualifying shows are already scheduled; the current list is available online at www.saddlebred.com/files/drivingchallenge.pdf . Any horse show interested in becoming one of the qualifying stops along...

Lexington, KY – The inaugural meeting of the newly created Carriage Pleasure Driving Committee was held on March 7, 2006, at the USEF Lexington office. The focus of this committee is to develop more opportunities for growth with a broader range of competitions to attend; to monitor and support new rules brought forward from the discipline affiliate, the American Driving Society; and to promote and expand the Horse of the Year and high-point awards. There are 19 members of this new affiliate...

Lexington, KY – It wasn’t easy, but Chester Weber never wavered and netted his seventh straight USEF National Four-in-Hand Driving Championship at the Kentucky Cup and Lexington Driving Classic. Weber’s win also bodes well for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, as this event served as the test event for next year’s WEG also to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park. Weber beat long time teammate Tucker Johnson (and another driver going for a record seven wins) by 10 points, but the...

Rinaldo de Craen/decraen.com (Larry Poulin is competing in his final World Championships in Hungary.) Lexington, KY - Team USA is currently in fourth position after two days of dressage at the FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Kecskemet, Hungary. Larry Poulin, Keady Cadwell and Lisa Singer are just 0.1 point behind German drivers who are defending their Gold Team medal. Mieke van Tergouw, the 1995 World Champion lady driver from The Netherlands, won the dressage, ahead of Switzerland’s...

Far Hills, New Jersey - It wasn’t an Olympic stadium, but those in the stands and along the rails at the Garden State Horse Show were thrilled to see two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner, McLain Ward, being driven around by a miniature horse, not much larger than a Great Dane. Handling the reins was 16 year-old Gary Johnson, one of the four Driver-Survivors representing sharingVillage Groups. Gary projected confidence as he cruised around the imposing Grand Prix jumps with Sammy, a 13-year old...

The 3rd Annual Sport Horse National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (Sport Horse Nationals) returns to Lexington, VA, September 21-25, with the addition of a pleasure carriage driving division for Arabians, Half-Arabians and Anglo-Arabians. Classes include pleasure driving working, pleasure driving reinsmanship and “pick your route” obstacles. All driving competition will take place on Wednesday, September 21st. Show entries may consist of single or multi horse hitches. All...

In celebration of the American Morgan Horse Association's (AMHA) 100th year anniversary and in partnership with the American Driving Society, AMHA is pleased to announce the Mid-Atlantic Driving Challenge, sponsored by Driving Essential, Inc. Four Morgan shows are included in this series: Mason-Dixon, Mid-A, Old Dominion, and the New York Regional. Any exhibitor in a carriage driving class that has at least two entries at any of the participating shows is eligible for the year-end award. Shows...

The American Driving Society’s clinic for licensed pleasure driving judges, technical delegates and learner judges is open to any United States Equestrian Federation officials interested in continuing their education in the carriage pleasure driving division. The clinic will be held May 18, 2008, at the 26th Annual My Lady’s Manor Pleasure Driving Show, in York County, PA. Information and registration for the clinic can be found on the American Driving Society website at www....

Officials with the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games recently announced Richard Nicoll as the driving course designer. Nicoll began designing and building courses in 1976 and has been working with carriages and horses since 1970. He competed with pairs and singles, and is currently the director of the Coach & Livestock Department of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, VA. Nicoll became course designer and technical delegate for the International Equestrian Federation...