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Posted: Monday 9 October, 2006

by Rosemary at 7:47pm in Equines Comments closed

Dan and I were down in the Lake District this weekend. While there, we took the opportunity to watch some horse driving trials at Holker Hall, near Cartmel, organised by the Scottish Carriage Driving Association. I've had a hankering to learn to drive and teach Smokey to drive and am now sort of progressing that, so I thought it would be good to see some folk in action.

Horse driving trials have three phases - like eventing. There's dressage, cones (the equivalent of show-jumping) and the marathon (the equivalent of the cross country phase). We watched the dressage and the cones on Saturday, but didn't have time to go on the Sunday.

Most of the entries were ponies. Naturally, I was looking out for any Highland ponies. I thought I spotted one! Dan said "it's a bl**dy big Highland. Look at the size of it compared to the height of the whip". According to one of the other spectators, it was a Highland cross Clydesdale. IMHO, it was a wonderful looking horse, full of presence.

Anyway, hope you like the photographs.

Black pony trotting 4-wheel carriage

Competitor 30 preparing to drive

Palamino Welsh Cob completing dressage test

Highland cross Clydesdale

Coloured Cob in cones test

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