OklahomaHorses Magazine July 2022

10 OklahomaHorses • July / August 2022 Such a Cool Thing Carriage Driving Is Alive and Well by Casie Bazay A lthough once commonplace as the main mode of transportation, horse-drawn carriages aren’t often seen in these modern times. Sure, we might find one in a parade or toting around guests at a special event, but for the most part, the horse and carriage are relics of the past. However, enthusiasts of the sport of car- riage driving hope more people will come to appreciate and maybe even participate in this age-old activity. In carriage-driving competitions, drivers use two-wheeled or four-wheeled carriages pulled by a single horse, a pair, or a four-in- hand team. The sport has been around for a while, but Prince Philip of England helped to expand and draw attention to carriage driving when he began to compete in the early 1970s. Although carriage-driving competitions are not as popular in Oklahoma as they are in some other places, they do still exist. In fact, the primary goals of the Oklahoma Harness Horse Association (OHHA) are to educate, motivate, and provide oppor- tunities for all levels of drivers to network and participate in the sports of pleasure driving, combined driving, and recreation- al driving. OHHA member-at-large Becky Benja- min has been driving carriages for more than 40 years. A former participant in dressage as well as other riding disciplines, Benjamin became interested in carriage driving after she saw a woman driving a pony down her road one day while living in Texas. “I was so intrigued that I followed that woman and even parked my car in the road to talk to her. She offered to take me for a ride, and from that point on, I was hooked,” said Benjamin. Benjamin bought and trained an Exmoor pony to be her first carriage horse, and her love of carriage driving blossomed from there. Lorri Wallis is another member of the Oklahoma Harness Horse Association. A former hunter-jumper who also dabbled with cutting horses, Wallis quickly became a fan of carriage driving after her husband became interested. “I was petrified at first but have since learned that carriage driving is so much fun and such a cool thing to do with your horse,” said Wallis. CARRIAGE-DRIVING COMPETITIONS Carriage-driving competitions have a variety of classes, but these three are perhaps the most popular: • Combined driving: This type of driving is modeled after three-day eventing and is designed to test a driver’s ability and the horse or horses’ obedience, speed, and Becky Benjamin and her navigator enjoy the cross-country phase of a combined drive in Colorado. Photo courtesy of Becky Benjamin.