An Early Morning Carriage Drive!

The Festival of Champions is host to Combined Driving, Show Jumping and the 50-Mile Endurance Ride, in addition to the Dressage division we cover.

Combined driving features Dressage, cross-country, where "Hazards" are negotiated with timing and speed, and Obstacles, which are cones with balls that fall if the cones are bumped by the vehicle. Sponsored by The Gladstone Equestrian Association, this event has Advanced divisions for Single Horse, Pairs and four-in-hand (Teams). The Advanced four-in-hand is the level that competes at The World Equestrian Games.

Thursday morning I was at Susie Buchanan's stall at 6:45, ready to join her and her 12 year old, Morgan Stallion, "Foxy" for her morning schooling session. Competing in the Advanced Single Horse Division, Funquest Firebox (Funquest Monarch-Funquest Barby Red) is a beautiful liver chestnut who began driving at the fairly late age of 7 years. Until then he had been mostly a Morgan breeding sire.

As we set of in Susie's cross-country vehicle, covering the exact route I had walked the day before, I stood on the back step of the vehicle, behind the driver's seat. In combined driving, it's the person on this step that helps to balance the vehicle when negotiating the "Hazards" on cross-country. We were just on a lovely morning drive, so I just held on and enjoyed the start of my day.

Susie Buchanan has competed successfully as an event and dressage rider. Also a large R Dressage judge, Susie gave all that up to pursue her passion for combined driving.

"For the first two years I was so uncomfortable not being able to control my horse with my seat and legs, but I have learned an entirely new level of communication with my horse. He knows what I am thinking." He also knows her voice commands. In an even low tone, Susie says, "trot trot" and Foxy obliges by moving out into a huge extended trot, covering ground through the woods.

We go past the jumper warm up, and there are actually other people up and working their horses. Into the front field Susie did her flat work, bending, changing diagonals, and performing perfect transitions from extended, to medium and collected trot.

Although she has placed in the top standings at most events she enters, Susie has yet to win the dressage portion of her competition.

When I checked the scoreboard Friday night, I was delighted to see she had done it at The Festival, she was first after dressage!

We past each other fleetingly on Saturday as I was schlepping through the woods after catching a bit of the driving action. Although she was no longer in the lead in spite of a super cross-country, she was glowing, and thrilled at Foxy's Dressage test the previous day. " You brought me luck, Mary1"

Gee thanks Susie, but let's give credit where credit is due. And thanks for starting my Festival week off right.

Phelps Photography & Video^* — the Official company for The Bayer/USET Dressage Festival of Champions.
^* We are doing videos for the riders only, no production.