In carriage driving, you control a horse or pony not from the saddle but from a carriage, using long reins. It's a discipline recognized by the KNHS, alongside dressage and show jumping, for example, with its own learning curve: what you learn isn't so much sitting and steering, but harnessing up, communicating through the reins, and working together with the people around you on the box seat.
What Carriage Driving Actually Is
The driver steers the horse via reins from a carriage (also called the vehicle), standing or sitting on the box seat. The horse goes in front of the carriage in harness — the driving harness — which is built differently from a riding saddle: it distributes pulling force across the chest and shoulders instead of weight across the back. Carriage driving is practiced both recreationally and at competition level, and the basics you learn in the first lessons — getting a horse to move calmly and under control in front of a carriage — are the same for every hitch.
Hitches: Start With a Single
How many horses you put to the carriage determines the hitch:
| Hitch | Number of Horses | Suitable for Beginners |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 1 | Yes — the usual starting point |
| Pair | 2 (side by side) | After experience with a single |
| Team (Four-in-Hand) | 4 | Advanced, often competition drivers |
Less common variants also exist, such as a tandem (horses one behind the other). For anyone starting out, a single is the logical choice: one horse to keep track of, one set of reins to learn to feel, and a manageable carriage.
Harnessing Up: Getting the Horse Ready for the Carriage
Harnessing up is the process of putting the harness on a horse and then hitching it to the carriage. This happens in a fixed order — first fitting the harness, then positioning the horse between the shafts or at the pole, and only then actually attaching the carriage — so the horse never feels an unexpected pull.
A horse needs to get used to a carriage before it can go well in front of one: the sound of wheels, the presence of something behind it, the pressure of the harness. That habituation happens step by step and under the guidance of an experienced driver or instructor. This isn't something to try yourself without lessons — a horse that spooks at a carriage is harder to correct than a horse that spooks under saddle, precisely because the driver isn't on the horse.
The Role of the Groom
In carriage driving, the driver usually doesn't sit on the box seat alone. A groom (achterrijder in Dutch) helps balance the carriage, hops off to clear obstacles or walk a hazard, and keeps an eye on safety during phases like the marathon. With bigger hitches and at competition level, this role is standard practice; in single-horse lessons, an instructor can fill that function until you become more independent.
How a Driving Competition Is Structured
A combined driving competition classically has three phases:
- Dressage — a set or prescribed test with precise movements in the arena, judging the hitch's posture, obedience, and suppleness.
- Marathon — an outdoor course with compulsory hazards (often natural or built obstacles, such as water crossings), where pace and agility count.
- Cones — a course of cones with a ball resting loosely on top of each one; you drive precisely between them without knocking a ball off, which tests steering skill and precision.
This is the classic three-phase structure common in carriage driving; which phases and classes apply to a specific competition, and how they're judged, varies by level and category. For the exact rules and class structure, knhs.nl is the appropriate source.
Getting Started With Carriage Driving Yourself
Anyone who wants to start is best off looking for a riding school or driving club that offers driving lessons. There you learn under supervision: first the basics of harness and harnessing up, then your first steps on the box seat with an experienced instructor beside you, and only later steering a horse in front of the carriage on your own. As with other disciplines, you choose driving as your discipline when applying for your KNHS start permit, which you need as soon as you want to take part in organized competitions — the steps for that are in the guide on entering a competition.
In Short
- Carriage driving is controlling a horse in front of a carriage with long reins, instead of riding on its back.
- A single (one horse) is the usual starting point; pairs and teams follow with experience.
- Harnessing up — putting the horse in harness in front of the carriage — you learn step by step under guidance, with safety first.
- A groom helps out on the carriage with balance and safety.
- A driving competition classically consists of dressage, marathon, and cones; exact rules are on knhs.nl.
See also: Applying for a KNHS Start Permit · Entering a Competition · Level: First Competitions · Glossary