Dumfries and Galloway carriage drivers were in action when they took part in the Indoor Driving National Championships at Keysoe, Bedfordshire from 7-9 April 2017.
The Scottish team comprised two drivers from the Chariots of Fire Equestrian Centre in Boreland near Lockerbie – Louise Kaiholm, and John Nisbet together with five disabled drivers, supported by the local charity Sports Driving Unlimited. All the drivers had qualified at regional south Scotland events held over the winter.
Louise Kaiholm who is currently British Carriagedriving national pony pairs champion competed in the tandem class driving her ponies Cordonford Joe and Rayne Sinatra. Louise, ably assisted by Stephie White as groom, finished as reserve champion tandem driver. John Nisbet, who had won the intermediate horse class here in 2014, competed at this event in the fiercely competitive ‘blue ribbon’ open pony class driving Rawhides Dash Dot Dash with Angela Hyslop as groom.
Once they had completed their competition, Louise, John and Stephie then took on the role of groom for the other drivers in the team. Charlotte Thomson from Eastriggs and Graham Smith from Annan took part in a huge novice pony class. Samuel Parker from Boreland, Finlay Macrae from Langholm and Matthew Powell from Dalbeattie gave a good showing in novice junior class. All the drivers said they enjoyed the experience and were thrilled to be able to demonstrate their skills to a wider audience. Although they didn’t win any prizes, the received a enthusiastic welcome and were cheered on by the knowledgeable and experienced crowd.
Indoor Carriage Driving UK organises the national championships; drivers qualify at regional events held around the UK and organised by local volunteers. Locally South Scotland held 5 regional events at which local drivers qualified – www.indoordriving.co.uk
Chariots of Fire Equestrian Centre CIC, Boreland near Lockerbie, teaches all ages and abilities the skills of riding and carriage driving – www.chariotscic.org.uk
Sports Driving Unlimited is a local charity that provides opportunities for disabled people to experience the thrills and excitement of carriage driving – www.sportsdrivingunlimited.org.uk
