Pulling power

Carriage-driving horses have a very specific job, and with that can come specific injury risks. Rosie Mould MRCVS explains

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I USUALLY hear the driven competitor before I see them approach the obstacle, bringing a rush of adrenaline mixed with a dose of nervousness and excitement.

Being vet on duty at a carriage-driving event is, for me, massively more challenging than competitively driving in one, even though our horses and ponies competing at UK indoor, club and national levels of competition often have long athletic careers, which are relatively untroubled by accidents and major orthopaedic ailments.

Our equine athletes have a tough time. Unlike most equestrian sports, carriagedriving outdoor competitions include a 90-minute marathon section. This is split into a number of sections, each of which has a specific time limit, so requiring significant precision.

There is a 10-minute halt break after the first trot section, followed by the more testing obstacle section with up to eight obstacles, which are driven as fast as possible.

Seconds count as penalties on an overall score across three disciplines, namely dressage, cones and marathon.

Horses and competitors are challenged by the surface (usually grass), with deeper ground requiring more horse endurance effort than harder, faster ground. The choice of studs often depends on the terrain at the venue, as well as the conditions underfoot, which in turn depend on the weather. Some tracks have tarmac as well as off-road sections, so no one studding option is ideal.

Driven competitively, the marathon is a major athletic challenge. The maximum distance can be 18km or 19km, with short efforts of intervals of twisting and turning around obstacles. These are memorised by the driver and driven as quickly as possible to keep time penalties incurred to a minimum.

PROTECTIVE PREPARATION