The inaugural Lexington Combined Driving Classic, held October 4–7, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, was a resounding success. Fifty-nine competitors braved unseasonably warm temperatures and a bit of rain on the first day of dressage to compete for top honors in 13 classes.

Three years from now, also at the Kentucky Horse Park, the world championships in four-in-hand driving and seven other disciplines will be contested at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010.

Each phase of combined driving offers something unique. On the first day, traditional carriages, top hats for the men and beautiful dressy hats for the ladies, and formally dressed grooms hold sway while the horses and ponies are put through their paces in the dressage test. The driving marathon on Saturday features thrilling speed and courage as the horses and drivers navigate the maze of each marathon obstacle. On the final day, precision matters most as each competitor must navigate an obstacle course with mere centimeters of clearance between each set of cones.

The following drivers won their respective classes at the 2007 Lexington Combined Driving Classic.

In the preliminary division:
Muffy Seaton (SC).......................single pony
Deborah Roberts (NC)....................single horse
Leslie Bebensee (KY)....................pony pair
Misdee Miller (KY)......................horse pair

In the intermediate division:
Debbi Schuster (OH)......................single pony
Bill Allen (SC)..........................single horse
Ray Mansur (SC)..........................pony pair
Gavin Robson (Australia and OH)..........four-in-hand of horses.

In the advanced (FEI) division:
Kylie MacGillivray (Canada)...........single pony
Courtney MacGillivray (Canada)........single horse
David Saunders (FL)...................horse pair
Elizabeth Keathley (TN)...............four-in-hand of ponies
Chester Weber (FL)....................four-in-hand of horses

The international panel of officials includes Klaus Christ (president of the jury) of Germany, Diana Brownlie (judge) of Great Britain, Martha Nicoll (judge) of the U.S., Philip Bateman (technical delegate) of Great Britain and Richard Nicoll (course designer) of the U.S.

Susan Gilliland, who will be organizing the driving portion of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010, was the event organizer, and Leslie Hernandez was in charge of organizing the event’s many volunteers.

Be sure to join us next year for the second annual Lexington Combined Driving Classic, October 2-5, 2008, at the Kentucky Horse Park.