It used to be the way we all got around and the legacy endures as vehicular torque is still measured in horse power. Today, a horse-drawn carriage evokes something romantic, something nostalgic and, for a certain few, something competitive.

“Nobody from Canada has qualified for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in driving for over 20 years,” says Deb Laderoute, the first woman ever to qualify to compete as a driver at WEG.

Actually, Canada’s drivers were last represented at WEG in 1984 and Deb’s success in winning a spot, (together with an all female team) for the Canadian equestrian team at the world level of competition is making history beyond our country’s return to the spotlight in the discipline.

“Driving is predominately a male-dominated sport, and it’s my intent that with this exposure, it’ll bring more women in,” says Deb.

There are as many styles of driving as there are riding, with the term driving really referring to any activity in which a horse is hitched in harness to a wagon, carriage, cart or sleigh. Pleasure driving, harness racing, farm work, (or simulated competitions) and the internationally recognized combined driving competition are all forms of the discipline that loosely fall under the umbrella of driving. Combined driving, the FEI sanctioned driving competition is a three-day event encompassing dressage, a marathon endurance test and a cones obstacle course.

“It was a family friend that sparked my interest in driving,” explains 51 year-old Deb.

“I hadn’t ridden for 15 to 20 years, and driving was appealing because it called on my former dressage training, combining all of my knowledge as a former equestrian competitor in other disciplines. This is a challenging equestrian sport, labour intensive, rule intensive, steeped in tradition but still modern in competitive aspects.”

Combined driving is a captivating event to watch. Dressage day evokes a bygone era with drivers and grooms dressed in livery and top hats that would have traditionally been worn by drivers transporting the ruling classes to and from engagements. The carriages for this portion of the three-day event are designed after models from the 1800s. The second day endurance marathon — which has drivers negotiating some 20 km of terrain over hill and dale, through water, obstacles and gates — employs a more modern carriage complete with disc brakes and a fifth wheel. The third day’s cones course, back in traditional carriages, tests accuracy — with some cones obstacles having only a few centimetres of allowance — speed and agility.

Still, for recreational enthusiasts, driving is rather like the quiet cousin of equestrian sport.

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