My goal as editor of Driving Digest is to provide content that appeals to all drivers, but I need to k now from you if I’m achieving that goal. I’m so happy that we have so many talented contributors on board. If you have an idea for an article or an activity that you think our readers would like to have us cover, please let me know.  My email is: annpringle54@gmail.com .

An other goal is to post more frequently on this blog and on Facebook. 

May 2012 be the best driving year yet!

All passed with one exception. Wilson Groves UVM Worthy was deemed unfit to compete.  No doubt this is very disappointing for Wilson, and hopefully the issue is not serious. He took it in stride, saying “it happens.” 

The briefing was at 3:30 and was followed by an actual draw for starting order for the USEF Singles Championship class.  All the competitors stayed to watch as each driver was called up and asked to pick a special brass plaque and turn it over to see the number on the back which was their starting order for dressage. 

Dressage is now underway.  The mornings in Aiken are very chilly and it rained last night. It is still overcast, so we are hoping that the sun will come out later and warm things up.  It has started to drizzle, and the judges and scribes are very cold in their booths.

Since this is the USEF Singles Championship, the Advanced level will do eight obstacles.  The course was designed by Barry Hunter, FEI course designer who also designed the courses in Conty, France for the FEI World Pair Championship this summer. 

“Fabulously ready,” said Marcie Quist, who is one of the Advanced drivers hoping to earn the title of National Champion.   “The bags are fun,” she said of the gift each competitor receives.

Temperatures are cool, but the clear skies and little breeze mean that the sunshine is very warm and pleasant.  It is fun to sit in the chairs provided across the road where the clinic is being held and bask in the sunshine while listening to Freund and watching him coach the drivers. 

Two dressage rings will run simultaneously on Friday, and two cones courses will also be run simultaneously on Sunday.  With over 90 entered and 86 actually competing, and the days getting shorter (daylight savings time ends Sunday morning) two rings are essential so no one has to drive in the dark. 

The weather forecast is for temperatures in the high 60s, but nights in the 30s-40s.  But no rain is predicted, unlike last year. 

Section A is closed for inspection – it is so well marked  that anyone who is seen on Section A is in jeopardy of not having their entry accepted next year.  

The judges this year are:  Dr. Franz Vetter, Hardy Zantke, Amy McElroy, Martha Hanks-Nicoll, and Marie deRonde.  T.D. is Ed Young.

At the Kentucky Classic CDE, Preliminary and Intermediate competitors drove their dressage and cones. Several National Drive participants are doing double duty.  Mary Ruth Marks is competing with a single horse at the Advanced level and giving lessons in her free time.  Pat Belskie brought her pair of Polish Driving Ponies to the National Drive and is competing at the CDE as well. 

The marathon is underway.  Volunteers were here in the dark this morning awaiting their assignments and enjoying coffee and snacks before being deployed.  After several days of blue sky, abundant sunshine, and warm temperatures, today is overcast and cooler, which is perfect marathon weather.

Jose Hernandez

The voice of Nigel Casserly is once again being heard over the loud-speaker.  Peter Bonhof is the President of the Jury, with Marsoe LaRose and Larry Poulin serving on the jury.  Ian Moller is the T.D., Richard Pringle the scorer. 

The cones course was challenging.  I think that number 3 was knocked down by almost every competitor, and time penalties were accumulated by all but one or two competitors.  You can see the complete results at http://www.drivingnews.us  . Live scoring is also being done so you don’t have to wait to find out how your favorite driver did. 

Many National Drivers came to watch, at least until later in the afternoon when the lure of the Trace Pace took them back to the barn to hitch up and drive yet again. 

At 5 p.m. another wine and cheese reception started.  This one was even more elaborate with chicken, and other interesting items in addition to cubes of cheese and crackers.  A blue-grass band replaced the previous nights’ karaoke. 

Dressage and cones for Preliminary and a few more Intermediate drivers got underway at 8 a.m., while the National Drive people were having a much more civilized start to their day having coffee and donuts and listening to the morning briefing. Today’s activities include a parade through some of the public parts of the horse park, a long lining demonstration by Bill Lower, the Horse Whisper lady.  Michael Freund, many time World Combined Driving Champion, is conducting a hazard walk, organized by the CDE group for the benefit of the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation.

Having funLong lining by Bill Lower

National Drive organizer Mike Lyon decided that it was important that I drive myself, so he arranged for me to drive his Hackney horse, Patrick.  About noon, Patrick, along with Laura Nuess, picked me up and we went for a very leisurely walk and again, had a nice visit. 

After lunch a pleasure driving clinic was scheduled, and John Greenall who stopped off at the National Drive on his way to the Morgan Grand National in Oklahoma City, was drafted to explain to both audience and class participants about pleasure driving classes.  He talked about the difference between Working, Reinsmanship and Turnout classes and then explained what the judge looks for in each as the drivers were put through their paces. 

Probably the most fun activity of the day was the carriage dog class.  Two sets of seven were brought into the ring and judged by an AKC certified judge.  The variety of dogs was unusal, as were the turnouts they accompanied.  All were awarded blue ribbons and one overall champion was announced at the Wine and Cheese party in the evening. 

The champion of the carriage dog class

A briefing and course walk was held for the CDE competitors and was followed by a barbecue reception put on by the Carriage Association of America. 

The two groups seem to be mingling seemlessly – at least in my opinion.

Although drivers could move in on Monday, driving did not officially begin until Tuesday.  I arrived yesterday evening, but went straight to the hotel instead of coming out to the Horse Park.  I missed the ‘Chili Dump’ dinner, which I understand was a big and somewhat unexpected success.  People came bearing their own version of chili – some homemade, some out of a can.  It was all dumped into a big cooker – except for the white, chicken chili which was kept separate – and I understand it was delicious. 

As always, all drivers must stop at the central staging area for a safety check before being allowed to drive.  A colored sticker is affixed to their number to indicate that they passed.   The CDE drivers will be identified by bridle numbers.

Safety check

 Something new this year is the new trailer which doubles as an office for the wonderful and cheerful ‘staff’ – Kathy Blank, her daughter Christy and her granddaughter. A huge white tent covers the surface 17 and 18, and since the weather is supposed to be glorious and sunny, it will provide shade instead of shelter from rain.

Always helpful, always friendly office staff

As usual, the variety of equines is amazing.  From donkeys to drafts, ponies and Percherons, Morgans and minis. The miniature donkeys have attracted a crowd of admirers, especially the three-abreast. 

These donkeys are real crowd pleasers

Private lessons are ongoing throughout the week, as are CAA Proficiency Tests.

Most of the heavy precipitation came on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Those competitors who came Tuesday night were smart to stay parked on the hard surface surrounding the tent stabling and wait  until morning for a tractor to pull them into their final parking space.  Vendors also had to carry their wares a little bit farther, and porto-johns couldn’t be placed in as many locations as usual because of the soupy, soggy surface that sucked the boots off people and shoes off horses and ponies.

On Wednesday, show manager Jamie O’Rourke cancelled the Art Show scheduled for Friday night and the Competitors’ Party for Saturday.  The area just couldn’t handle hundreds of cars coming in to park in a grassy field.  Plans for a grand celebration for the 25^th Anniversary of The Laurels at Landhope were washed up.

Dressage was driven in three different rings hoping that the footing would hold up.  After several classes, judges moved en masse to the next ring, and then finally to the main ring for the FEI horse teams who were vying for the USET National Championship.

The course walk was cancelled, and the obstacle field was banned from any motorized traffic.  Even so, the foot traffic in the obstacles was enough to turn planned driving routes into quagmires. Sections A and D were rerouted onto a normally quiet country road and shortened to just a couple of kilometers, with the rest halt at a local farm.  Drivers went down one side for A and D and back along the other side to start on Section E.  The number of obstacles was shortened to six for all levels, and then on Saturday morning, the decision was made to eliminate one obstacle for the Preliminary level. 

While it never rained much after Wednesday, the humidity soared.  Even with the shortened Section A on a firm surface, temperatures were high.  At the end of Section E, temperatures were even higher. While no accidents involving competitors occurred during the event, busy bees sent several people who had allergic reactions to the hospital. The President of the Jury, Gerrit Kraai, was one bee-sting victim, but quick response by the paramedics had him back in his judging box not long after the attack.

The Laurels 25^th was also 9/11’s 10^th anniversary.  Bill Venditta  gave a brief but moving tribute to those who responded. The local fire department brought their ladder truck and raised the stars and stripes while the Star Spangled Banner played over the loudspeaker.

Jim Faircough, a double-digit runner-up to the USET National Championship, claimed the Vanderbilt Trophy for the third time in his long career.  Complete results are available at http://www.drivingnews.us

After 30 years living in our house in Lapeer, Michigan, it would appear that we have sold it.  Most of my energy has been spent packing up my office. Years worth of photos, stored in boxes, albums, binders with negatives -it is a daunting proposition.  And it’s very hard to keep focused on the packing process without stopping to read and look at everything.

We started heaving hundreds of old National Geographic magazines when one caught my eye: November 1980.  The cover was of Windsor Castle with Prince Philip in the forefront driving a four-in-hand toward the Long Walk on a snowy morning. I think it is the same photo that he used on his latest book (which of course I’ve already packed up so can’t check).  Naturally, I retrieved it and enjoyed reading the article and looking at the wonderful National Geographic quality photos of the castle, and even of Prince Philip driving through the water obstacle (with David Saunders on the back) at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Out of hundreds of yellow framed magazines, what were the odds that that particular issue would land on the top of the heap?

The course was open yesterday afternoon for competitors to walk, which was greatly appreciated.  It’s especially important to the Training level drivers who don’t have as much help, and often need extra time to walk the course, and with the vet check a hour before, it is really a problem. 

The course is set in one of the big new outdoor jumping arenas.  The announcer and judges are sitting upstairs in a large room with huge windows.  The building I’m in will be a permanent office for competition secretaries.  Real toilet facilities are on the outside, and there is a covered patio for spectators.  Yesterday during the marathon, spectators could sit there and watch the Intermediate and FEI drivers do the bridge obstacle.  A bar was set up selling soft drinks, beer and wine. 

During the competitors’ party, awards were given for best dressage, best marathon, and cash prizes were distributed to the FEI drivers. At a CAI-A, prize money is required.  $4000 will be split up. 

It really was no surprise that the Quebec drivers won the marathon.  They are incredibly fast and courageous.  In the Intermediate Pair Horse class, Jacques Lemieux would have won the marathon if he hadn’t turned over in an obstacle. He uprighted himself and continued on.

Now that cones is underway and things are quiet, I’m going to have breakfast!

Peter Harding -3rd place Intermediate Pair HorseBarbara Chapman - 1st Intermediate Pair Horse