Carriage Driving

RDA Carriage Driving Display at the 2014 South of England Show

Joanne McNicol is a double amputee and one of our Sussex Rehabilitation Centre users. She has been carriage driving with the RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) for just over a year and we have asked her to share her experiences of the sport, showing just how much she has achieved in a short period of time.

When I was little I pestered and pestered to go horse riding, no one in my family was horsey so they didn’t understand why. When I was 9 my pestering paid off and I started riding at a small RDA ( Riding for the Disabled Association) Group. This started my love affair with horses and I rode regularly and had my own horse for a few years, until I married and had children.

Now my children are older I felt I wanted to become involved in horses again and discovered Carriage Driving on the RDA Website. I contacted  Kipling County Carriage Driving Group and started driving with them in March 2013. I loved it from the 1st second!

I’ve taken part in a few RDA competitions at novice level and surprised myself by winning the novice class in the first competition I entered. This ignited my competitive spirit and I was lucky enough to qualify for the RDA National Championships held in Gloucestershire in July. Two other members in our group qualified and on 17th July in boiling weather we headed to Gloucester.

I drove a beautiful piebald pony called Blue. Blue and I have got to know each other fairly well as I drove him regularly in the build up to the Championships. I was also extremely lucky as I had a few lessons with Blue from a local carriage driver who has driven for the British team. This was made possible by a small bursary I received via the Sussex Rehab Centre from a legacy left to them by Sue Eckstein.

The RDA National Championships was a wonderful experience and I couldn’t believe it when I came third.

Joanne and Princess Anne

Carriage driving has given me many wonderful opportunities and in June this year Kipling County and Heron’s Ghyll Carriage Driving Groups were invited to give a display at the South of England Show. We performed a musical drive and did a demonstration of driving through cones and obstacles. To be at such a prestigious event in a huge arena was fantastic. The cones and obstacles demonstration was a mini competition and the fastest driver was presented with a cup by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. For this occasion I was paired with a wonderful chestnut pony called Alan. Alan may be fairly small, but boy can he fly around obstacles- we kept our cool and won! It was a great honour being presented with the cup by Princess Anne and I’ll never forget it. The highlight though was the musical drive which went extremely well and received a huge applause from the audience. The disabled drivers from both groups were amazing and did carriage driving for the disabled proud!

Carriage driving has enhanced my life and made me want to achieve as much I can. I’m still only a novice and have so much to learn, that is why I am very grateful for the bursary. I will be having a few more lessons this summer and will also have some in the winter to keep my hand in when Kipling County break up until the Spring.

If you have been inspired by Joanne’s success and want to try carriage driving for yourself then you can contact the Riding for the Disabled Association at Norfolk House, 1a Tournament Court, Edgehill Drive, Warwick CV34 6LG or phone them on 0845 658 1082. In addition to carriage driving they also organise other activities such as show jumping and riding. More details are available on their website.