Scurry Driving
Encyclopedia
Scurry Driving is a fast-paced equestrian
sport in which a pair of ponies pull a carriage around a course of cones in an attempt to get the fastest time. The full name of the sport is Double Harness Scurry Driving.
. Due to the small distance between the cones (170cm), accuracy is key. A course contains between 10 and 14 obstacles, such as a box and a slalom.
The ponies are normally given names of famous pairings, such as Tom & Jerry, Bonny & Clyde, Judge & Jury, and so on.
. They used four wheel wagons and barrels instead of cones. When it came to the United Kingdom
, single ponies were used. It later progressed into using pairs of ponies and red cones. It was mainly done at a trot
, with some canter
.
Scurry driving has become ever more popular over northern Europe during the first decade of the twenty first century. The very best scurry drivers from Great Britain, such as Philip Litchfield, Lucy Scott, Jenny Bean, Robert Lightwood, Ireland, Belgium, Holland and Germany regularly compete in the European Championships. The first European champion was British driver Lucy Scott in 2007. In 2008 the title was won by Belgian Pieter Van Den Broeck and in 2009 by Dutch driver Youri Otten. 'Carriage Driving Magazine', December 2009. The 2010 European Champion was again Pieter van den Broeck from Belgium with the UK's Philip Litchfield driving Thunder and Lightning in second place.
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
sport in which a pair of ponies pull a carriage around a course of cones in an attempt to get the fastest time. The full name of the sport is Double Harness Scurry Driving.
How it Works
The aim is to achieve the fastest time in getting around the track, without knocking any balls off the top of the cones that mark the course. For every ball that is knocked off, a time penalty in incurred. It is almost always done at a gallopGallop
Gallop is an asymmetrical gait used at high speeds by quadrupedal organisms such as the gait seen in the horse.Gallop may also refer to:*Conductor gallop, wind-induced low frequency oscillation of overhead transmission lines...
. Due to the small distance between the cones (170cm), accuracy is key. A course contains between 10 and 14 obstacles, such as a box and a slalom.
The ponies are normally given names of famous pairings, such as Tom & Jerry, Bonny & Clyde, Judge & Jury, and so on.
History
The first record of the event was in the 1950s in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They used four wheel wagons and barrels instead of cones. When it came to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, single ponies were used. It later progressed into using pairs of ponies and red cones. It was mainly done at a trot
Trot
A trot is a type of symmetrical gait in animals.Trot may also refer to:*Trot , the specifics of trotting in horses*Trot , a genre of Korean pop music*Trot , a character from the Oz books of L...
, with some canter
Canter
The canter is a controlled, three-beat gait performed by a horse. It is a natural gait possessed by all horses, faster than most horses' trot but slower than the gallop, and is used by all riders. The speed of the canter varies between 16-27 km/h , depending on the length of the stride of the horse...
.
Scurry driving has become ever more popular over northern Europe during the first decade of the twenty first century. The very best scurry drivers from Great Britain, such as Philip Litchfield, Lucy Scott, Jenny Bean, Robert Lightwood, Ireland, Belgium, Holland and Germany regularly compete in the European Championships. The first European champion was British driver Lucy Scott in 2007. In 2008 the title was won by Belgian Pieter Van Den Broeck and in 2009 by Dutch driver Youri Otten. 'Carriage Driving Magazine', December 2009. The 2010 European Champion was again Pieter van den Broeck from Belgium with the UK's Philip Litchfield driving Thunder and Lightning in second place.
Official Bodies
The sport was governed by the British Horse Driving Trials Association since the 1960s, but in 2001, the Scurry Drivers Association was formed. Scurry driving was then recognised as a sport in its own right. There are now 2 governing bodies of Double Harness Scurry, running under slightly different rules. These are the Scurry Driving Association, the 'premier league', and the Osborne Scurry Group, 'The home of the Elite Scurry Drivers.'Shows
Scurry driving takes place in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Northern Europe. In most countries scurry driving is a fun, end of show activity. In Great Britain and Northern Europe it is very skilled and competitive. Currently the high point of the season are the European Championships which take place in Holland. There are roughly 35 major shows in the UK, and 4 main championships. These are the Horse of the Year Show champion; the Living Heritage series Champion, The County Show series National Champion and the Premier League Points Champion.External links
- http://www.scurrydrivers.co.uk/
- http://www.scurryponies.org/
- http://www.osborne-ref.co.uk/osg/index.html
- http://www.orchard-scurry-team.co.uk
- http://www.scurrynz.co.nz
- http://www.scurrydriving.com