Meeting Northlake’s Gateway Hotel 1pm 24th September 2015
Present: Barry Hilditch
Ian Harford
George Bowman
Discussion of proposal for driving competitions to run together with Countryman Fair venues around
the country.
THIS PROPOSAL IS NOT TO REPLACE THREE DAY EVENT COMPETATIVE CARRIAGE DRIVING
BUT INSTEAD TO RUN ALONGSIDE AND HAND IN HAND WITH COUNTRYMAN FAIRS.
The new proposal and format will encourage new drivers to move upwards and compete in three
day carriage format, at the same time increase membership and showcase the sport to the new
drivers and sponsors and also acclimatise drivers and horses to compete in front of huge crowds, all
this at affordable prices.
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The format will be a two day event, three section Marathon and Cones (cones in world cup
format).
NO DRESSAGE.
Entry fee £99.00 – The aim would be to start with 100 competitors recognising that running
the marathon on both days would enable us to cope with up to 200 competitors.
No start fee, instead £2000.00 per event to be donated by Countryman Fairs to British
Carriage driving.
To make the sport of carriage diving as affordable as possible and encourage new members,
BC needs to implement a £49.00 membership fee for all new competitors.
Six classes:- Horse Team, Pony Team, Horse Pairs, Pony Pairs, Single Horse and single Pony.
No tandems (Tandem competitors we would be encouraged to compete single or put the 2
tandems horses together as a pair)
Dates and Venues for 2016
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Floors Castle, Roxburghshire* (18th & 19th June) Provisional Date
Belvoir Castle, Rutland 23rd & 24th July * Provisional Date
Lowther Cumbria 13th & 14th August*
Broadlands, Hampshire 28th & 29th August *
Weston Park Shropshire 16th & 18th September *
Points will be awarded 10 for 1st place, 9 for 2nd place ect.
Competitors will be able to take forward their 3 best scores from each event and throw
away their worst one.
Your 3 best scores are taken forward to the final competition at Western Park, because it is
the final, the points awarded will be doubled i.e. 20 to win 19 for second place 18 for third
ect.
TEAM WILD EXTREME CARRIAGE DRIVING
SERIES PRIZE MONEY
TEAMS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
PONY
4000
2000
1000
300
150
100
75
50
40
30
TOTAL
7745
PAIRS
HORSES PONY
8,000 1500
4000
750
2200
325
1250
150
500
100
400
70
300
60
200
50
150
40
100
30
17,100
3075
SINGLES
HORSES
4,000
2000
1000
500
300
200
90
70
60
50
PONY
2000
1000
500
200
150
100
80
70
60
50
HORSES
3,000
2000
1500
1000
600
500
400
300
200
100
8,270
4210
9,600
GRAND TOTAL
50,000
C.M.F would try to encourage the local clubs to help provide stewards and run each event.
Countryman Fairs will donate £1000.00 to each club that helps run the event, plus they would offer a
reduced entry fee for members of that particular club taking part in the competition.
Recognising the sensitive nature of some of the parks where the competition take place, C.M.F
would adopt the policy to build four permanent obstacles to a very high standard at each event. This
can be achieved with the sponsorship generated for each obstacle. The other four obstacles would
be portable and Countryman fairs would purchase a very large trailer to move the different
components to the appropriate venues. Because of the experienced back up team, and resources
available, C.M.F. can help make the events more achievable by taking on the work load and
responsibility of supplying showers, toilets and water Ect.
The cones course would be the same at each event, the 4 portable obstacles would be lettered the
same at each event, and where possible the 4 permanent individual obstacles at each event would
be lettered the same, this would relieve pressure from competitors who might not be able to find
the time to walk the obstacles umpteen times, especially if they arrive later on Friday night after
finishing a week’s work.
As a present day example, A possible new member views B.C. on TV, he attends a competition in an
empty field as a spectator, and he decides to take up the reins.
He gets the old hunter out the field, breaks it to harness, trots along the road, down to the local pub
(he’s mad keen never done anything like this) Galloping round a few trees and posts at home, it’s
great fun.
Then someone shows him a dressage sheet – END OF NEW CARRIAGE DRIVING MEMBER
The new format will encourage the drivers to move up to the three day event, human nature and
the ambition to improve will make new competitors realise that all basic training in any equestrian
disciplines will come from dressage. The new format will pull in indoor competitors, drivers from
grass roots and everyone who wants to be involved at some level who cannot afford a dressage
carriage, dressage harness or a competitor who cannot afford the extra time off work.
The five events could command crowds from 300 to 400 thousand over the summer, spectators at
this huge level would make B.C. very attractive to potential sponsors. B.C could very well find a
sponsor who will pay for the administration and insurance of our sport, allowing start fees to be
abolished and realistically lowering the membership fee to a mere £25 - £30.
The last part of the meeting was the realisation that came from Barry, if we don’t partner with
Countryman Fairs they are going to do it anyway and save themselves £10,000, which is exactly what
they have done with clay pigeon shooting and gun dog agility classes and made it a phenomenal
success.
With the collapse of CLA running country fairs, Mr Harford will be expanding his management and
Is aiming to run 10 country fairs in 2016.
THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS.
REGARDS
GEORGE BOWMAN IV