Horse riding takes many varied forms. Probably the most exotic style is driving which is a category of horse usage where you attach a vehicle with wheels such as a cart or wagon to a horse or pony or even donkeys and mules. Two of the main categories of driving that we find our customers are doing is Combined driving and Carriage Driving.
Combined driving which is also known as Horse Driving Trials is a competitive sport where you have one, two or four horses that pull carts or carriages. The teams must pull the carriage in a dressage event where control and precision are analysed and marked, then a cross country event which requires strategy and stamina and finally Obstacle Cone Driving. For dessage the driver and his team are assessed on their turnout and general appearance including the cart itself and the tack your are driving your horses in. Dressage movements required from the team includes circles, figures of eight, and crossing the diagonal. Also work at various paces i.e. working trot, collected trot and extended trot and canter.
The obstacle cone section of combined driving tests the team's accuracy, speed and obedience. It is somewhat similar to the show jumping section in standard eventing.
What sort of bits come under the category of driving bits ?
The most popular type of driving bit is the liverpool bit. Used for horses in harness, especially when working in teams, the Liverpool driving bit is a curb type bit that works primarily on leverage. The distinctive cheeks of the Liverpool bit are seen with 2 or 3 slots allowing the rider to attach the reins at different points to give different amounts of leverage. It is also possible to attach the reins to the bit to have it work as a simple snaffle. The cheeks of the Liverpool may be free to rotate although it is possible to purchase fixed cheek Liverpools which work well with horse pairs and reduce chances of pinching when coupling the reins.
There are other types of driving bit apart from the Liverpool. The Buxton Driving Bit most often used in Carriage Driving disciplines has a very distinctive and elaborate look and is similar in function to the Liverpool but the cheeks are significantly longer and offer a variety of rein options. The "slobber" bar at the bottom connects the cheeks and prevents snagging on the harness. Again similar to the Liverpool when the reins are attached to the top ring it can work like a snaffle.
The Wilson is commonly seen as a driving bit. It has four rings, two attach to the cheeks and two to the reins. The bit works via a squeezing action on the horse's cheeks so must be used with great care and skill. I
A bit popular for driving multiples is the Post Driving Bit. It has a hanging cheek so applies some poll pressure. The reins can be positioned at different levels with the different loop options and has a curb effect.
