Driving in the ‘80’s

A retrospective miscellaney

U. S. Carriage Driving History: Dates of note

• 1962 CAA Formed –

» Carriage Journal edited by Paul Downing (1898 – 1975)

• 1969 Combined Driving Rules Written by Sir Michael Ansell at suggestion of HRH

• 1970 First Competition in the US – Brunswick, N.J. –

• 1974 American Driving Society Formed – Phil Hoffmann, president

Victor Shone’s Driving Event, Millbrook, NY

Charlie Kellogg edits The Whip

1975 Myopia Driving Event – Massachusetts

Judges: T.A.G. Moore, D. Thackeray

1974 American Driving Society Formed Phil Hoffmann President

Victor Shone’s Driving Event, Millbrook, NY

1974 The Whip began Publishing

• Charlie Kellogg, editor

Some of the ADS Directors

Jack Weir

Bill Remley

Bill Radebaugh

Our teachers

Tom Ryder George Bowman

1975 First Myopia Driving Event Ipswich, MA

• Competitors included • Micki Bowen

• Spencer Brewster

• Macy Hill

• Charles Kellogg

• Jamie O’Rouke

• Deirdre Pirie

• Holly Pulsifer

• Barbara Weir

• Frolic Weymouth

• Jack Seabrook

• Kate Whaley

• Richard Nicoll

Hazards were simpler; carriages fragile!

1977

• Ledyard ’77 - Leading riders from Ireland, Great Britain, West Germany, Italy, Canada and Holland competed and watched a driving competition for four-in-hands (15 to 25 miles!). 16 started, only Jung, Pirie, Sirrenberg, Jenkel, and Kellogg finished.

• The 4th annual Carriage Show at No. Andover, New England Region of the CAA; first CDE at Gladstone

• At Myopia CDE – 49 competitors drove FEI Dressage Test #1 (elementary, incl. 6 pairs) or #3 (Intermediate, including 3 teams) and had from 30 cm, to 60 cm clearance in cones!

• The ADS met at the Mohonk Mountain House

• The Combined Driving Committee formed at the Union Club in NYC

1979 Exchange with North of England Driving Club

• Myopians competed at Lowther, Cumbria, England with horses belonging to George Bowman’s driving club.

8 English Drivers competed at Myopia

• Tommy Fawcett

• George Denny

• Clive Richardson

• Betty Fisher

• Barbara Stothert (here)

• Robert Bowman

• Betty Lambert

• Jennifer Harrison

Millbrook CDE -

• Richard Nicoll, Frank Kinsella, and Lois Cheston

1979

• The USET, led by Josh Barney, accepted our proposal to have Combined Driving as its 4th international discipline, with no funding

• Phil Hoffmann (ADS), Homer Easterwood (CAA), Col. Thackeray (AHSA), and Holly Pulsifer (ADS Combined Driving chair) instrumental in persuading the board.

• Fundraising commenced!

Phil Hoffmann and Don Thackeray were the

forces behind the USET Driving Program

1980’s – the “international decade”

• Training and funding of potential team members resulted in the selection of

• John Fairclough –with Tish Hewitt’s Hungarians

• Jim Fairclough - with Liz Tippett’s horses

• Jamie O’Rourke – with Tish Hewitt’s second team

• Clay Camp – with his own Gelderlanders

• Deirdre Pirie – with her own Hungarian horses

John Fairclough

John F. in the infamous Sand Pit Hazard at Windsor, 1980 John Fairclough with Tish Hewitt

Jimmy Fairclough

Jimmy with Liz Tippett & her horses at Windsor, 1980

Jamie O’Rourke

Jamie with Tish Hewitt Jamie in Dressage

Clay Camp

Clay in The Maze Clay – his wife Barbara, and Vance Coulthard

Deirdre Pirie

Closing Ceremony – with groom Marc Johnson; Chef d’Equipe Holly Pulsifer

The only American to finish the marathon in 1980

Clinics around the Country

• Deirdre Pirie teaching a clinic in California, about 1979.

• Not world class

yet!

1981

Bill Lower Won the National Team Championship – Vanderbilt Cup Tjerd Velstra, taught a clinic

And the Pairs began …..

• Fall 1980 – Pair Championship at Gladstone. The Top 5 – Jung, Fairclough, Cheston, Pirie, and Lower finished at Madison Square Garden

• Myopia hosted the USET National championship with Velstra judging. 1st Bill Lower, 2nd Bill Long, 3rd John Jenkel (California)

• Radnor, Millbrook, Chesterland, Genesee events

1982

• Jung & Pirie won a silver medal at Aachen – our first!

• World championships were held at Apeldoorn in Holland. US finished 7th

Jimmy Fairclough with Clay Camp’s Gelderlanders – 12th

Deirdre Pirie – with her Hungarians – 19th

Emil Jung with his Holsteiners - E

1983

• National championships at Myopia won by Emil Jung

• Tucker Johnson won Preliminary pair class

• Charlie Cheston competed at the trial world pair championship in Italy

1984

• Radnor, Chesterlands, Genesee, etc. no longer held

• Lower won pair class at Myopia, but Cheston won national pair championship at Gladstone proving the viability of small horses

• World Championship at Szilvasvarad, Hungary

• Bill Long 7th; Pirie 16th, Jung – E, Groenewoud 22nd. Very difficult course.

1985

• Larry Poulin with Morgans was 1st out of 16 pairs at Myopia

• Pair Championship at Sandringham – Larry finished 8th, Sharon Chesson, 35th (broken hand) and Charlie Cheston 21st which put the team in 6th place.

• Bill Long won the teams class at Windsor

• Gladstone Equestrian Association formed

• Chrysler sponsored Gladstone. Finn “imported” Juhasz (WDC 1984); Velstra (WDC 1982) and Nikki Pahlsson to compete

1986

• National championship held at Fair Hill was won by Emil Jung, Bill Long second

• Tucker Johnson won his 1st Advanced class

• World Championship at Ascot. The US finished 4th

– Groenewoud broke elbow on course walk

– Long finished 9th, Pirie 16th, Jung was Elim, again!!!

Deirdre Pirie driving in the Home Park, Ascot

1987

• Gladstone became a CAI – much publicity and exposure for the sport.

• Velstra finished 1st, Chardon 2nd, Juhasz 3rd, and Bill Long 4th – the same order as the 1986 World Championship. Finn paid to bring them to USA.

• Tucker went to Germany to work with Emil Jung

• The Pairs placed 8th at Reisenbeck. Team was Poulin, Cheston, Lower, Johnson as an individual

1988

• World Championship at Apeldoorn again

• US placed 7th with Long, Pirie, and Groenewoud. Camp was 34th; Jung Eliminated!

• Larry Poulin again won the USET Pair Championship.

• Gladstone facility was deeded to the USET as a permanent home.

Apeldoorn 1988

1989

• Masters Cup at Windsor – Team, Pair, and Single format tried out. Won by Bill Long, Lana Wright, and Randy McFarland.

• Tucker begins to drive a team in national events

• Pairs compete at Balaton-Fenyves: Poulin, Chesson, and Wright. Valdes is Alternate

• Chesson 1st in dressage, Lana 5th, Larry 8th – finally we are world class! Udo Hochgesurtz of Canada, who trained in US, won individual gold

• Team placed

The Queen of Dressage – Sharon Chesson, 1st in the World, 1989

US Team at Balaton-Fenyves 1989

1990

• Finn Casperson becomes President of the USET. He navigates for Bill Long at all competitions

1991 – A Gold Medal!