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The Fr·1 es1an· & COMBINED EVENTS By Ann Davis

Driving Event? with the American What is a Combined and active participant As a Friesian owner get this question: is a driving competition ving Society, I sometimes Driving Event (CDE) Dri The Combined versatility of the horse overall condition and I have heard which tests the a major force in driving but of Great Britain was Friesians make beautiful in sport. Prince Philip I 960s. As the to excel in Combined the COE in the late the endurance needed of the rules of in the that they lack the design Anne was involved the real story? his daughter Princess Driving Events. What's story goes, and so it was natural of Three Day . equestrian sport about developing to take the historical driver, would think it's helpful Prince, a d upon To answer this question, , and that the riding event. Base to have this reputation modeled after the of how Friesians came a driving event European drivers. perspective competition in present­ that of other prominent stack up against the his suggestion and drafted a set how they actually Internationale ( FEI) the Federation Equestrian day CDEs. continued .. .

the hazards Jerry Dunton navigates America with Friesians, of CDE's in North courtesy Jerry Dunton. An early pioneer Tuls' Dairy. Photo Hemet, CA, at the at the 1992 COE in

II .9ftc.Yr,C/1@1 -====------'=------= .. - la Marathon. Thi s i~ th 1: Combined Driving, cont. .fhc second rhase 1.s the cross-. country. f the t,orsl:'. as well as th 1: O d -iarn111a . 98 there Wt:rl' phase that tests the fitness an s . Up until 19 · .d b·1· fthednver. •ction In1 9n or international rules which standardized Combined Driving JU gment and capa 1 1ty o . r: st se · . . · · t ding a 18 Competitions. The ruks were approved by the FEI early in five sections to thi s phase, rnc u rnationa I Compct1t1on . lcs lnte · (A B [J 1970 for four in-hand driving. The first recognized international around the time or the first S,ng a 3 sec 11on . ' · . . went to . . urn tim n Cl)mpetition was held in Lucerne, or that year. A in Ebbs, Austria, most countries . and rn1n1m 1.: · I 111ax1rnurn · lk d World Pairs championship was added to competition for thi s phase wit 1 • B ,s a wa · an the roster or events in . e sec11on , · . 1985 and Singles in the late 90's. allowances. Section A 1s any pac ' · ·ng the na, ,gall on ne requ1n Th section E is th e last phase an d ° t the E course. c Major competitions are usually held over three days. Day one is of hazards placed at distances th roug~o~ portant, and I will tions ,s ,rn Driven , day two is a Cross Country Marathon, and day change from 5 sections to 3 sec three is Cones Driving. The Dressage phase is the perfonnance come back to it later. of a dressage test. similar to a ridden dressage test, consisting . . mping of Eventing. . . d th stadrumJU . of a prescribed sequence of movements that are judged against The Cones phase 1s lrkene to e Iy spaced pairs of a standard of absolute perfection. The object is to drive through nar~ow metimes multiples) cones, usually sets of twenty (alt~ough s~me allowed. Each within t e u ball placed on top. cone has a . d . . . lodge with nv111g easy to dis . . miscalculations. The p~1~~ is t drive "double clear" _w it m t e . ·mum and with no balls t1me max 1 his phase tests the fitness. down . T agility and obedience of t_he horse and the accuracy and skill of the driver.

Early COE Competition

It was only natural that drivers from Friesland would put together teams of Friesians to compete in this new sport. in The had been a

Above : Past FHANA Board mem­ ber, Leo Zylstra, competing in the dressage phase of Happs COE, Western WA, June 2009. His son, John, is the groom. Photo: Wendi Ross©

Right: Lora Martin driving the Marathon phase at Joshua Tree, Sweetheart ADT in Hesperia, CA, February 2009. Sonia Zinke is the navigator. The Friesian is Ozebella. Photo: Marc Dileo©

12 Sarah Johnson at H~pps COE, June 2008, doing the third phase of the COE - Cones. Photo: Wendi Ross©

of the National Equestrian ·r and a popular sport for many centuries. There were 70's. At that time, he was Director wayo f lue . h . In order to number of drivers w o were attemptmg to do this. Center in Deume a school for trainer certification. bl • proba Ya whether Friesians can add driving to th~ curriculum, he purchased Friesians for his ·n answering the quest10n. of However, 1 . this experience, in 1975 he put together do Combined Driving, I will ment10n only two of the most well students to drive. With at the World Championship ,.. Leo Kraayenbrink and Tjeerd Velstra. a team of Friesians to compete J\]J0\\'0. in Aachen, . Over the next three years he competed Hamburg and placed first in two of The first time that Leo Kraayenbrink saw Friesians in the early at Aachen, Windsor, and This early success was not to continue. I970s. it was a love affair for life. He eventually became the these competitions. poorly in a hot and hilly international dri ver for Elizabeth Korthagen Van-Ti! of Brueklen, known In 1979 he competed against teams. That was as ·rante Bets .' Through this partnership, Leo drove one competition in using Friesians. The next year he switched of the first teams of Friesians to compete in international his last competition . However, it is important to keep in Combined Driving competition. He reports that he ended up to driving Wannbloods had his successes, as well as his experience somewhere in the middle. The next year, 1973, he competed mind that Tjeerd the 5 sections rules. These required a length again in International Competition at the Windsor Horse in France, under or 17 miles, including a fast trot section of 19 Show. As reported by Leo, he ended again in the middle of of28 kilometers mph. Again, I will return to this information. the field . Although the results were not overly impressive, it kph or 12 was impressive enough to catch the eyes of Tom and Theresa Leo continued to drive Friesians and Tjeerd switched Hannon. FHANA members know what happened next. The Although both men came to appreciate the challenges of Hannons bought the team and other ofTante Bets' horses, and to , in the marathon phase of combined driving. they became the first Friesians imported into North America. driving Friesians are black and muscled, get too hot over the long However. I have digressed, as that is a different story best Friesians and have problems cooling off. Both these drivers ?escribed in the April/May 2009 issue and continued in this distances that their heart rates tend to be higher, and they are issue of The Friesian. It is an outstanding article written by also stated · · · as quick as other breeds in the hazards of the marathon. Laurie Menze I Kasperek on "The Early Years of Fnesians m not North America." At this point, some readers of this article may be saying that Back to the . • · L the experience of these two drivers does support the argument . question ofFriesians and Combined Dnvmg. eo acquired oth F . . . that Friesians cannot compete successfully and consistently in for th er nes1ans and was able to continue competmg enextJO · h Combined Driving. However, we still need to put the question the F · . years. Although he never placed, he stuck wit ev h f h in perspective by looking at a short history of the Friesian horse nes1ans en t ough he came to understand some o t e chall . . · h and some of the changes that were to be enges of ct · · . agamst t e in North American Warmbl nving this breed in compet1t1on competitions. 00 who · 0 f made in combined driving event. ds were more naturally built for this type

T'Jeerd Velst from The N rah, current National Coach for all Driving Teams . · · h ly continued .. . et erland s, aI so started driving Fnesians mt e ear

1:3 ______l.!!!!!!!1!111!!~- Y!.=::::::CA~ze~M~C ~llCJ.~·~'1, CU.::.:'I______s Fricsians in Ca lifornia . -,·an owner cont. ff r! C~ Combined Driving, . o·s. a number o irs. and dro\c . 8 Nonh During the late 197fl"s anJ . , nd s and pa II ,·er - ,· r111-1a1 . · 11 sa o s o l ou -. (onipet1t1 ° Friefrin Fricsian horse and Co mhincd Drh'ing Events come to put together team D · ,,ng f th ese , The • . 111an Y O b . d these horses 111 Pleasure fl\ known. ' · Corn 1ne No rth America - . · ·II 111 . . . Although not as we , 0 rnpete America. me 10 (; rnes1an s l: an drivers also ca . of whether . , breed and Combined Driving came to North owners and ts J w1 11 1ocus The Friesians . . . . tigauon g £ven · well in Laurie Dnvmg Eve nts In th e 111 vcs . ·n e onl \' Ameriean about th e sa me time. Outlined · . . b1'ncd Dnvi , s th in compete 111 Com. th at the state '' a - Kasperek ·s a11icle, the first Friesians came to the Midwest successfully 1 . This is not to imp Y the purchase of"Tante Bets'' horses by the Hannons. on Ca lifornia 1974 with . when Frank and Adrianna location where Friesians competed Friesians arrived in California in 1975 . d Dri vin g Event r imported horses from his native country. By the . . . t combine ~ Leyendekke Y . of Orange and th e up the west coast, Michigan, The first American Dnv111g Socie ea;ly so·s, Friesians had spread . 980 1·n the city was held m I and other North American locations. in California

. Aldana and the mare, Left: Antoniot in the Pleasure Days Inga, compe e h CA May 2008. Show, Te1on Rane ' , Photo: Marc Dileo©

Below: Will Bron, FHANA Board member, with navigator, Teresa Bron at the Happs Driving Trial, Septem­ ber 2008. Photo: Anne Buckler©

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Combined Driving Events came to the North America in the early I 970's. This was with the organization of three events, two in New York and the Myopia Combined Driving Event in Wenham, Massachusetts. The American Driving Society was incorporated in 1975, initially to create rules for competitions but soon also to regulate Combined Driving Competitions. By the early S0's combined driving rules, as regulated by the FEI, were printed in the American Driving Society handbook. The sport of combined driving, under the rules and regulations of the ADS, soon attracted an enthusiastic group of devotees, and it continued to grow. Again, it was natural that some in the growing population of Friesian horse owners would be attracted to this new type of driving sport.

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eveloped spo rt d ov. er the next decade with the additi·o f . n o those of many Friesian competitors in California and the \\'e o1her events. Friesian owners and dnvers whose names are st Coast, appears to add weight to the argument that Friesians recognizable to the FHANA community, people such as Frank have difficulty placing in Combined Driving Events because and Adrianna Leyendekker, Jerry and Joy Dunton, Fred and of the rigors of the marathon phase. Howeve r. there is a larger Jennie De Boer, John and Anita Mellott, Jack and Tillie Tuls, perspective. Despite everything that has been sa id so far about Clay Maier, Roel Hofstee, and Tony Aldana, came to compete the problems that drivers have had with their Friesian horses in in some of these Combined Driving Events. The results were the marathon. today Friesians are competing successfull v all mi xed. over North America in recognized American Dri\'ing Soc ietv events. How? In the Dressage phase of the competitions, the Friesians always made a bold statement and did very well. The Friesians also were very competitive in the cones phase of the competition. Changes in Combined Dri\'ing Rules and Regulations Simil ar to the early international competitions, the marathon phase of the events with challenging driving distances and The answer li es in the changes that have occurred in the rules hazards th at require quickness sometimes were a problem . and regulations of the sport over the last twenty yea rs that This was particularly an issue when the temperatures were prov ide opportunities for the Friesian, or other breeds. th at hi gh as was often the case in California. A number of Friesian are not naturall y built for endurance over many miles. There competitors continued over the next decades to compete and were three major changes that have helped Friesians be more oth ers we nt on to other uses for the Friesians. The late Anita competitive . First, when Leo Kraayenbrink and Tj eerd Velstra Me ll ott told me that it was just too difficult and consumed too began to compete in Combined Dri ving. and later the earl y much time to get their Friesians fit enough to be competitive competitions of the Ca lifornia owners and drivers, there were in th e marathon phase of the Combined Driving Events. five sections to the marathon phase. In the late 90's. most Jerry Dunton felt that the challenge he experienced in this countries, including the United States and Canada. went to a 3 phase was a problem of dedicating enough time to properl_y section marathon with distances no more than 18 Kilomete rs . nd 1 co 1t on hi s Friesians. In 1990, Clay Maier left California Further the fas t trot section ( 12 mph) was eliminated and the 3nd _began working for Judi Knapp in Sisters, Oregon. He and speeds were dropped down to 14-15 kph ( 8-9 mph ). Judi competed where they could find events. Similar to some of the oth F · · · Second, • er nes1an competitors Clay expenence d firus t ra 1·10 n when the first competitions began in North Ameri ca in not b · ' · d ~ . eing able to condition the geldings to the level requtre and up through most of the 80's, all competitors competed at or seri ous C b' · · d that the same level. Today, there are four levels d . om tned Driving Competition. Keep m mm of competition : unn g th SO' Training e 5 and the first part of the 90's the compettttons· · , Preliminary. Intermediate. and Adva nced . The time Were done u ' and distance requirem nd er the rules of 5 sections to the marathon. ents for the lowe r level are less th an Let 111 e return b · fl l d Le Kra . ne Yto our drivers from the Nether an s. . o ayenbnnk a d T' . l g with continued ... n Jeerd Velstra. Their experience, a on

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Combined Driving. cont.

the h1~hi:r k , l'b. ai:: a111 a dd1111ll' ,Id\ ant,l~l' f1,r thl' r nl·~i an~ wh1, Sl' nll'tinll'~ ~trllg!,!. kd \\ i1h lhl' di~1a1Kl' and ~J'l'l'd rl'q11ire11wnt~ . Thirdl y. Ill' " types (,f Combined Dri,ing. r- , cnts st11.:h as Dri,·ing Trial :- and Arena Dri\' ing Trial s haw bCl'n intrnduced in the b st fi !'teen years which further cut the di stance requirements.

Friesians can Compete in Combined Driving

The introduction of a 3 section marathon, different levels, and d member, dunng new Above: Marc Dileo competitions that have reduced cross , FHANA aoar country distance the Marathon phase requirements have created a of a COE. different environment for horses Photo: David Christinan© that are not built for endurance. This includes other breeds as well as Below: Roel hase of the Friesians. Looking at Combined Dri Hofstee in the Cone_s P A ving and the Ram Tap ADT Friesian horse with these new possibilities , November ZOOS in C · gives us a totally Photo: Ted Campbell© different outcome to the question whether Friesians can 7

compete successfully in Combined Driving. There Fri~~ian_s can may still be people who discredit Fri and do! Under the new rules, Friesians esians because they are competitive 1~ ~II do not do well consistently in internation Combined Driving Events. al and advanced leve ls In the new events, Arena Dnvmg of the compet_itions Trials w . !his may possibly be true, alth ith only 2 hazards and no marathon and ough the Driving Trials right horse(s) m th~ n~ht hands can be with a short E section, exceptional. Also. keep Fri esians can win. in mind that_up_until a tew y ears ago there were nay-sayers who sa id that Fnesians could not perfonn well in the upper levels

16 808rd Will Bron , FH ANAkl r© member, at th e Happs Driving Trial, September 2008. His navigator is Te.re~a Will's wife Photo: Anne 8uc e c , . of ridden dressage, a field also dominated by Warm bloods. Yet This is certainly a credit to the outstanding skills of both these today, Friesians are doing just that. This development does drivers, but also to the versatility and character of the Friesian. bring up the possibility of selectively breeding Friesians for If you are in a situation to purchase your Friesian driving horse, more stamina. However, I digress from the focus of this article the more "modem" type would be a good choice, best not taller on Fri es ians and Combined Driving today and will leave the than 16 hands. Most ofus do not have that luxury, however, and question of selective breeding to genetic experts. want to use the horse we presently own. With the willingness to spend time conditioning our Friesian to improve the respiratory If dri vin g in advanced and/or international competition is and cardiovascular systems and the muscular performance, your primary goal , Friesians may not be your best choice. all Friesians can compete successfully in American Driving Society Combined Tjeerd Vel stra made that choice and changed to Warmbloods. Driving Events. Leo Kraayenbrink did not and stayed with the Friesians. Getting Started However, exceptional skills time and finances are required D . ' ' or international and advanced competitions. The reality is Getting started is easy. Just visit the American Driving Society that most carriage drivers, no matter what the breed, are going to comp t web site: www.americandrivingsociety.com. Get the name and . e eat the lower levels of preliminary and trammg,· · or contact data for the ADS Regional Director and the dri ving in the sh0 rt I · · Th.1 s . er ess stamina types of combined dnvmg. schedule in includes A · · d A na your area. Or, visit the American Driving Society . . mencan Driving Society Driving Tnals an re booth at the FHANA 25th Anniversary 0 nvmg Trials. Convention, October 8-1 O, 2009, in Reno, Nevada. Either way, driving your Fri esian ~~- - . successfully in Combined Driving Events can be a reality .. . a s nse is not that Leo and TJ.eerd had problems competmg challenge that will be lots of fun! uccess ful! · . · d D iving Int . Y with their Friesians in Combine r ernati ona! E · f: t did so well All vents. The surprise is that they, m ac , Ann Davis has been a member of FHA NA since 1998. She is · acknow! d • Arabs are not natur . e ge that Friesians, unlike say .' d the past President ofthe Northwest Friesian Horse Club and a11 Ybuilt D h . competed or t e long distances. Bot h L eo and TJeer the present Secretary of the American Driving Society. when th ct · th n they today a d . e •stances were even longer a are ' n W1th F · . baroque 1YPes, not th rie 5ian horses that were of the more d '\fr e more" ·1 ble to modern" lighter Friesians avat a ay. I,