There were plenty of thrills and, fortunately, no spills to speak of at the Fifth Annual Cariboo Trails Combined Driving Event on July 9-10 at Huber Farms & Equestrian Centre in 70 Mile House.
The competition drew 37 participants who came from as far away as Nelson in the south and Smithers in the north to compete in the three-part event, which included dressage and an obstacle cones course on Saturday and a marathon on Sunday.
Respected judge Muffy Seaton from South Carolina flew in to assess the competition and she also offered a two-day driving clinic that began on Monday.
Ken Huber, a key co-ordinator, says bringing in Seaton was expensive, but worth it.
“She is the best, and for people who drive so far to take part in this, you want to offer the best.”
A crowd of spectators took in the event, including a tour bus load of curious Japanese tourists who made it a stop on their trip.
On Friday, drivers enjoyed a meet-and-greet session, while horses were checked by a veterinarian.
Saturday’s events opened with dressage competition and then moved over to the obstacle cones course where judging was based on accuracy, speed and obedience. Sunday featured the marathon with hazards that included a silhouette ghost town newly built by horse enthusiasts, La Vern and Jerry Howard from Simon Lake.
“It was amazing how many horses didn’t like the white courthouse and it was fun to see their reaction,” Huber says, adding the entire event was a huge success.
Pritchard resident Ethnie Koshman, who is only in her early twenties, impressed Huber by how skillfully she handled a tandem set of fjord horses.
“It takes a couple of years of hard work to get your animals to that point. I had not seen that skill level in someone so young.”
He adds popularity in the sport of combined driving is growing steadily, and next year, he expects to see a 10 to 20 per cent increase in registration.
Results for Cariboo Trails are as follows, with the first and second place finishers in each event:
Training multiple hitch: Ethne Koshman, Pritchard; Audrey MacDonald, Maple Ridge.
Training donkey: Trudy Leishman, Mission; Pat Strang, Mission.
Training miniature horse: Dave Franklin, Aldergrove; Helen Howell, Mission.
Training pony: Carina Krahn, Lac la Hache, Rosalie Turcotte, Mission.
Training horse: Elisa Marocchi, Buffalo Creek; Sharyn Nixon, Winlaw.
Preliminary Pony: Leishman; Krahn.
Preliminary Multiple hitch, miniature: Charlie Veinotte, Maple Ridge; Shirley Bradbury, Langley.
Preliminary horse: Dennis Waller, Ladysmith; Kay Veinotte, Maple Ridge.
Overall awards
Best dressage training: Crahn, 40.54 penalty seconds (p.s.).
Best dressage preliminary: Crahn, 56.82 p.s.
Best dressage miniature horse: Franklin, 45.32 p.s.
Training overall: Franklin, 45.32 p.s.
Preliminary overall: C. Veinotte, 113.95 p.s.
Donkey overall: Leishman, 83.24 p.s.
