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Defender U.S. Driving Team

“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.” - Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI)

Since WEG began in 1990, the U.S. Driving Team was won X team medals and X individual medals. The U.S. team of James Fairclough, Tucker Johnson, and Chester Weber won team silver in 2002 (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain). The same U.S. team members won team silver in 2010 (Lexington, Kentucky), and Johnson claimed individual bronze. Four years later, Weber took home individual silver in 2014 (Normandy, France).

In 2018, the U.S. Driving Team of Chester Weber, James Fariclough, and Misdee Wrigley-Miller took home team gold at the Games in Tryon, North Carolina. USA Driving has also seen sustained success in Para Driving on the international stage with Tracy Bowman bringing home an individual gold medal at the 2021 FEI Para Driving World Championship for Singles. USA Para Driving followed up on that success with a team silver medal for Tracy Bowman, Bob Giles, and Diane Kastama in 2023 (Exloo, Netherlands) as well as a back-to-back individual gold medal for Tracy Bowman in the Grade I division. 

Defender U.S. Driving Team Set to Compete at 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Sep 18, 2024, 11:00 AM EST

Le Pin au Haras, France – Competition at the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses gets underway on Thursday, Sept. 19, and all three members of the Defender U.S. Driving Team are set to begin after all horses passed inspection on Wednesday morning. ©Melanie Guillamot Leslie Berndl (Lexington, Ky.) with Impressive, Taylor Bradish (Windsor, S.C.) with Katydid Duchess, and Raymond Helmuth (Cambridge, Iowa) with Kendro, will represent the U.S. in a field of 19 countries...

Chester Weber Wins Bronze at 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses

by Leslie Potter/US Equestrian | Sep 8, 2024, 2:00 PM EST

Szilvásvárad, Hungary – Chester Weber earned an individual podium finish for the Defender U.S. Driving Team at the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses this week, clinching the bronze medal. Chester Weber during the marathon phase of the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses. ©FEI/Martin Dokoupil The competition, held at Hungary’s State Stud Farm at Szilvásvárad Sept. 4-8, 2024, started out with a bang for...

NEWSFLASH - Chester Weber Takes Individual Bronze at 2024 FEI Driving World Championships for Four-in-Hand Horses

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Sep 8, 2024, 10:11 AM EST

Szilvásvárad, Hungary – Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) and his team secured the individual bronze medal at the 2024 FEI Driving World Championships for Four-in-Hand Horses, finishing three phases on a final score of 159.13. This is Chester's fifth individual World Championship medal in his storied career. ©FEI Chester and team broke the world record in dressage on Friday with their score of 31.06 and continued their successful week of competition with their overall...

Defender U.S. Driving Team Ready to Compete at the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Sep 4, 2024, 8:00 PM EST

Szilvásvárad, Hungary – All horses from the Defender U.S. Driving Team for the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses passed the first inspection on Wednesday morning, and the athletes are set to begin competition with the dressage phase on Thursday and Friday. The Defender U.S. Driving Team at the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand. ©Anna Brooks Thomas/US Equestrian Jim Fairclough (Newton, N.J.) and his team will drive their...

Amended Selection Procedures for 2025 FEI Para Driving World Championship for Singles Available Now

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Aug 29, 2024, 10:00 AM EST

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian has released amended selection procedures for the 2025 FEI Para Driving World Championship for Singles. The 2025 championship will be held in Läden, Germany, dates to be determined. The selection procedures outline applicant requirements from the FEI and US Equestrian as well as instructions for submitting an application. The amendments include updates to language regarding selection event requirements for drivers and horses/ponies. The application for...

Defender U.S. Driving Team Announced for 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Jul 12, 2024, 1:00 PM EST

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athletes who will represent the Defender U.S. Driving Team at the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses this September in Le Pin au Haras, France. The team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Jeff Legg and team leader Anna Brooks Thomas. The following athlete-and-horse combinations have been selected for the Defender U.S. Driving Team and are listed in alphabetical order: Leslie Berndl (Lexington, Ky.) with...

Defender U.S. Driving Team Announced for 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Jul 11, 2024, 4:00 PM EST

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athletes who will represent the Defender U.S. Driving Team at the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses this September in Szilvásvárad, Hungary. The team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Marcie Quist and team leader Anna Brooks Thomas. The following athlete-and-horse combinations have been selected for the Defender U.S. Driving Team and are listed in alphabetical order: Jim Fairclough (Newton,...

Chester Weber and Team Take First Place Overall in Dressage Phase of CAIO4* at CHIO Aachen

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Jul 4, 2024, 1:34 PM EST

Aachen, Germany – Veteran four-in-hand driver Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) and his team produced an excellent dressage test today at the Driving Stadium at CHIO Aachen to open the competition with a bang, topping the class of 25 entries with a score of 35.59. Weber and team finished ahead of Boyd Exell (AUS) and team, who scored a 38.79, and Mareike Harm (GER), who received a 40.99. Weber and the team have always found success in the dressage phase, but today’s result is one that is...

Deadline Reminder for 2024 FEI Driving World Championships for Single and Four-in-Hand Horses

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Jun 18, 2024, 11:00 AM EST

Lexington, Ky. – The deadline is approaching for athletes interested in applying to compete in the 2024 FEI Driving World Championships for Single and Four-in-Hand Horses. Applications must be completed and submitted to US Equestrian no later than June 30, 3034 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications can be found on the athlete dashboard at athletes.usef.org . The 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand Horses is scheduled for September 4-8, 2024, in Szilvasvarad, Hungary. The 2024...

Coaches Named for Defender U.S. Driving Team for the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Apr 30, 2024, 2:00 PM EST

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the coaching team for the Defender U.S. Driving Team for the 2024 FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses. Mieke van Tergouw will serve as team coach and Claudio Fumagalli will be the assistant coach for the U.S. team at the championships which will take place Sept. 19-22, 2024, at Le Pin au Haras, France. Mieke van Tergouw and Claudio Fumagalli. ©Krisztina Horváth/Hoefnet.com As team coaches, van Tergouw and...

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USA Driving Team History

USA Driving Teams & Athletes from 1980 - 2023