Combined driving (also known as horse driving trials) is an equestrian sport involving carriage driving. In this discipline, the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. The sport has three phases: dressage, cross-country marathon and obstacle cone driving, and is most similar to the mounted equestrian sport of eventing. It is one of the ten international equestrian sport horse disciplines recognized by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI); combined driving became an FEI discipline in 1970.
Phase A is further sub-divided into two sections:
Phase A1: Presentation
The judge grades on the turnout, safety, cleanliness, general condition and impression of the horses, tack, and vehicle, the matching of the horses or ponies, and the dress of the driver and groom(s). The judging is done at the halt. Pre-novice and novice drivers are judged primarily on safety and fit of the harness and vehicle and a three-phase or marathon vehicle and harness is acceptable. Presentation is judged on the move during the dressage test for more advanced drivers. Presentation carries a maximum of ten penalties.
Phase A2: Dressage
The dressage test is somewhat similar to dressage under saddle. The test is performed in a 40 by 80 or 40 by 100 meter arena with letter markers, where transitions in speed and gait are to take place. The judge scores each movement on a scale of 0–10, with a 10 being the highest mark possible. The difficulty of the test increases with each subsequent level of competition. At the lower levels, only one judge will normally be positioned at C (the center of the short side of the arena) and the Test may have 16 movements. At higher levels, 3 judges may be used and at International competitions and World Championships there may be up to 5 judges, with the Championship Test having 25 movements. The judges' marks are averaged (added together and divided by the number of judges).
Dressage movements may include circles, figures of eight, and crossing the diagonal and all paces – walk, working trot, collected trot, extended trot, canter, a halt, and a rein back. Multiple horses are judged on ability to move in harmony and ideally will have similar conformation, action, and movement. Horses are to remain on the bit throughout the test, maintaining impulsion, elasticity, rhythm, and forward movement. The goal is to make the test look effortless, and an obedient and responsive horse is essential for a good dressage test.
Unlike a ridden dressage test, a driven test allows the use of the voice as an aid. At international level, dressage tests are prepared by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (F.E.I.) which is the governing body of competitive carriage driving.
The marathon is similar to the second phase of eventing, the speed and endurance. It tests the fitness and stamina of the horses, as well as the driver's knowledge of pace, over a 10–22 km course, divided into 3 or 5 sections. The marathon is the most thrilling phase to watch, and often draws the largest crowds.
Section "E" of the marathon is similar to the cross-country phase of eventing. It has obstacles or "hazards" throughout the course to test the speed and agility of the horses, and the driving ability of the whip. Obstacles may include water, tight twists through trees or man-made obstacles, steep hills, or fences and pens. Drivers are scored on how quickly they can negotiate the obstacle, and must find the fastest route through each. Penalty points are given if too much time is spent in an obstacle, or if the team comes in off the optimum time for the whole course.
The Marathon sections
The marathon phase has three sections in international competition. Sections A and B may be driven at any pace, but normally will be at a trot. The transfer section is designed to get the competitors from the end of A to the start of B and enough time is given to complete this section at a walking pace. There is a compulsory rest halt at the end of the Transfer section, which may include a veterinary check. The marathon is not a race for speed. Each section has a maximum AND a minimum time allowed, giving a 2 to 3 minute "window". If a competitor finishes outside this window (depending on which section is being driven), penalty points will be awarded. A competitor may also receive penalty points for not driving a section at the required pace.
Throughout the marathon and in the obstacles the groom can speak to the driver and assist using his or her weight and balance to keep the carriage upright or to bounce it off the obstacle uprights. The groom also helps to keep the correct pace by checking the kilometer markers on the course against calculated timings for each section, allowing for ground conditions and the horse's fitness.
Section B includes up to eight obstacles, to be driven in sequence. The last designated 300 to 500 m must be driven at walk or trot, with no stopping for any reason.
A time window – a minimum and a maximum time – is calculated for each section according to the length of the section, the average speed of the carriage and whether it is pulled by horses or ponies. After the walk section there is a ten-minute halt, where the horses can be cooled and watered. A veterinary check may follow the Transfer section to ensure that the horses are fit to continue.
At club events, the rules may often be relaxed somewhat with, for instance, a "short marathon" which usually means only section E and (some of) the obstacles are driven. This is usually a class designed to encourage drivers of small ponies and young ponies and horses or for inexperienced and junior drivers. It enables newcomers to gain experience and confidence.
Marathon Obstacles
The cones phase by ponies harnessed in tandem. Marathon obstacles, sometimes known as hazards, frequently take advantage of natural features, being sited around trees and on slopes, but are typically solidly-built sections of posts and rails. National events have decorated and/or brightly painted obstacles which are more exciting to the eye, however many clubs have venues where the obstacles are permanent and these are more likely to be imaginatively dressed than sites where the obstacles are built specially for each event.
Driving any horse or pony and carriage around an obstacle at speed requires practice and a rapport between driver, animal(s) and groom(s). Timing starts as the horse's nose crosses the start line and ends when his nose crosses the finish line, frequently the same markers.
The obstacle cone driving phase is a test of accuracy, speed and obedience, equivalent to the show jumping phase of eventing. Competitors walk the cones course before they drive it. The driver negotiates a course of up to 20 pairs of cones, each cone having a ball balanced on top. The cones are only a few centimeters wider than the wheels of the carriage, depending on the level of the class and the type of turnout (from 50 cm at the lower levels, to only 22 cm at the advanced singles level). Knocking over one or both of a pair of cones adds three penalties to the driver's score. The course may also include obstacles made of raised rails in a U or right angle, and a wooden bridge. The cones section is timed and going over the time set for the driver's class leads to penalties. Circling before an obstacle and refusals are also awarded penalty points.
Being a 3-phase competition, the scores from all phases are combined to give a final result. In all three phases, scores and times are converted into "penalty points", which are then added together. This means that the competitor with the lowest penalty score is the winner.
In the dressage phase, each movement is marked by the judges from 0 to 10 marks. There may be 25 movements in the test. The marks are all added together and, if there is more than one judge, they are divided by the number of judges to get an average. The total is then subtracted from the maximum possible mark to give a penalty score for the dressage. For example, if there are 16 movements, the total marks will be subtracted from 160 to get a penalty score.
In the marathon, time penalties will be awarded at the end of each section for the amount of time a competitor finishes either under or over the permitted times for that section. If he finishes within the allowed time "window" he will not receive any penalties. In addition, in each obstacle, penalties are awarded for the length of time the driver spends negotiating the obstacle (the time from crossing the start line to crossing the finish line). These penalties are added to any section time penalties. Further penalties may be given for infringements such as dislodging a part of the obstacle (a knock down), the groom dismounting the carriage or even for the carriage overturning.
In the obstacle cone driving, time penalties are awarded for exceeding the time allowed to complete the cones course, which is calculated by taking the measured distance of the course and dividing it by the speed allowed. Penalties are also awarded for knocking down a ball from any of the cones on the course.
In all phases of the competition, a number of other infringements may also incur penalties, for example the driver or groom dismounting the vehicle, breaking of pace where a certain pace is prescribed, not carrying a whip in the dressage or cones, errors of course in the dressage, marathon obstacles or cones. Some infringements, such as an uncorrected error of course will incur elimination.
All the possible penalties are described in the rule books, published by the FEI and National Federations. Calculation of results is complex. There are software programs available to record the data and output results.
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