When our daughters were children they had ponies and did all things “horsy” so we spent many of our weekends travelling to various show jumping events around and about. When they grew up and left school they did not have quite so much time so the ponies sort of gradually became ours. It was quite good at first,a nice roast dinner on Sunday’s took the place of sandwiches and a flask of coffee, followed by a nap in front of the T.V. However, an expanding waistline prompted us to join a driving club.

Brighton Driving Trials - 1990

We have three ponies which are mainly carriage driven. One is called Lucy, she is a black Dales pony, 13.2hh.   The other two ponies are Rosie and Elle and are both Welsh Section B ponies, they are both 12.2hh. Rosie is the one with a flaxen mane and tail.

Tatton Park, Cheshire - 1989

We broke the ponies to harness ourselves and competed in small club events. We found fellow members to be very helpful and friendly. As we improved we travelled further away competing in F.E.I events at Windsor, Brighton, Sandringham and Tatton Park in Cheshire, always accompanied by our two dogs Milly a rough coated Jack Russell and Fizz a Westie. We have shopping baskets fitted to the sides of one of our vehicles so that they can come with us when we go out on a casual drive around the lanes. As Ray is a Farrier by profession with his own forge where he makes all of his horse shoes by hand, we do not use  machine made shoes which most farrier’s use today. We build all our driving vehicles in our forge especially for competition, with hydraulic disc brakes which sounds very technical but are just scrap motor cycle brakes – very effective.

Tatton Park, Cheshire - 1989

Rosie and Lucy in the Caravan Field - 2000

Ellie Competing

Ellie and Rose in Cornwall

Ellie and Rosie,Chilham - 1989