Florida Horse Park Spring Fling Combined Driving Event

Driving Dates at the Florida Horse Park

George Dickerson drove to the USEF National Championship title with his contrasting pair: Nifty Shades of Grey, a stunning dapple gray 2014 American Dutch Harness Horse gelding, and the dark bay Falcon.

The Advanced Four-in-Hand Pony division saw another returning champion defend her title. Mary Phelps and her team of pinto American Shetland Ponies won both the marathon and the cones phases and won the division and the USEF National Champion title.

Suzanne Smith (Paradise, Texas) and her 2015 gelding, Branson, had three strong phases to top a deep Preliminary Single Pony division, highlighted by a double-clear cones round.

Topping the largest division of the show was Bettina Scherer and her 2017 Westphalian mare, SF Arendell. Scherer and “Wren” who pulled off the win as they finished first out of 16 in the division.

A talented class of eight ponies and their drivers competed for the championship in the FEI Advanced Single Pony division. In the end, it was Dana Diemer and her Welsh Pony gelding, Clarwood Mack the Knife, who came out on top.

Whaley and her perfectly matched set of chestnut ponies were the wire-to-wire winners in the Advanced Pair Pony division, leading the dressage, marathon, and cones en route to the overall National Championship.

Jacob Arnold teamed up with Steve Wilson’s 2015 KWPN geldings, Kenji V and Kenzo, along with Misdee Miller’s 2010 KWPN gelding, Frank, to defend his National Champion title in the Advanced Pair Horse division.

The 2023 FEI/USEF Florida Horse Park Spring Fling February 23-26 is the horse for the USEF National Championships for Preliminary, Advanced Pony, and Advance Pairs

The first USEF Combined Driving National Championships of the 2023 season are underway at Spring Fling CDE held at the Florida Horse Park. Seven National Champion titles are on the line this week in the following divisions: