Thursday, 27 January 2011

Horse Drawn Hearse Funeral

When a family member or close friend passes away, it is a difficult enough time for everyone who was close to them, without also having to fret about funeral costs. However, it is possible to ‘send them off in style’ without having to break the bank. Horse drawn funeral hearses are a traditional, reasonably priced, service which can provide a memorable and dignified send-off for any loved one.

Where can I find a provider of this service?

Karen Basset offers such a service in and around Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The team of experienced drivers, dressed in traditional Victorian livery, provide a competent, trustworthy and reliable service, reminiscent of a bygone era.

What will be provided?

Normally, she provides a pair of black Silesian or Hungarian horses, turned out to a high standard in English leather harnesses, pulling a black replica Victorian horse drawn hearse. She does, however, specialise in teams of four or six horses, either black or white.  A gun carriage is also available, as are silver or white hearses, for the funerals of young people or anyone who requires a less sombre ambience. For the white and silver hearses, Karen usually provides a pair of French Arab grey horses, a pair of dappled grey horses and a pair of Lipizzaner which, like the black horses, are trained to stand quietly and be extremely reliable in traffic.

The horses usually wear black, white, pink, blue or purple plumes made from ostrich feathers but other colours are available if desired. They can also wear black or white drapes if required.

Additional Services
There is also a range of additional services on offer in order to give each funeral a special, unique touch. These include using a team of four or six horses to pull the hearse, the provision of two liveried outriders and even providing carriages for the mourners to ride in. Each of these can be provided by special arrangement.

   

Sunday, 16 January 2011

Carriage Driving : Karen Bassett

If you are interested in taking lessons in carriage driving, you may experience difficulty in finding a qualified and experienced instructor, as it is quite an unusual sport. However, there are instructors and establishments able to give carriage driving lessons to individuals. Among them is Karen Bassett, a leading international horse team driver. She has been driving carriages from a very young age, and has won various awards. In 1995, she was the first woman ever to win an international four-in-hand carriage driving competition.
Many carriage drivers are  happy to offer lessons for complete beginners to advanced drivers for single, pair, team and tandem who  encompass every phase of driving trials, private driving and other showing classes, coaching and BDS pleasure driving.
As well as hourly lessons, Karen will undertake 1 or 2-day courses, day clinics for groups of between 4 and 8 and lecture demonstrations. All courses can be tailored to meet your individual needs.
To take lessons from a competent and inspiring instructor will certainly point you in the right direction towards becoming a skilful carriage driver yourself.
Once you are able to drive carriages with confidence, you can use your skill both for both leisure and competition. Many carriage drivers enjoy taking part in carriage driving trials and competitions. For those who are just carriage driving for fun, you can participate in amateur carriage driving trials, which are run by local horse driving clubs.
Many people wish to hire carriages for weddings, funerals, corporate functions and parties, as a horse drawn carriage adds a romantic, dignified, and elegant feel to any occasion. Re-enactment societies also require carriage drivers to work at open air museums. There are many other uses for the sport but overall it is a fun and interesting pursuit.
Natalie Eastaugh is the Internet Marketing Specialist for JDRWebsites.co.uk
If you wish to find out more on carriage driving as well as information about Karen Bassett, go to www.karenbassett.co.uk 

Sunday, 9 January 2011

Carriage driving

In the past, horse drawn carriages were used as part of everyday life in all societies. From simple carts used on farms, to expensive coaches in the city, drawn by many horses, carriages were a major form of transport. For this reason, many people would have learnt how to drive carriages.
Carriage driving is not such a necessary skill nowadays, and therefore, not as popular as a mode of transport. However, many people enjoy carriage driving as a sport and a leisure pursuit.  Horse driving trials are a fun and competitive way to use carriage driving skills. These are run from amateur level, by local horse driving clubs, through to national and international level, for those who take it more seriously. Carriage driving is also used for horse drawn carriages at weddings, funerals, open air museums, County Shows, Game Fairs and other functions.
Learning to drive a carriage requires some basic skill and patience. It is possible to take carriage driving lessons, a necessary procedure if one is to drive a carriage safely and correctly. There are several private teachers and establishments who offer lessons, including Karen Bassett.
Lessons are available for complete beginners to the more advanced drivers, for a single horse, a pair, team and tandem, where every phase of driving trials, private driving and other showing classes, coaching and pleasure driving are encompassed.
Lessons generally last for an hour and some establishments even undertake 1 or 2-day courses, day clinics for groups of between 4 and 8, and lecture demonstrations.
To drive a horse drawn carriage is a useful, entertaining and even money pursuing skill. You can take yourself and others back to a more simple and romantic era, take part in carriage driving trials and sports, use your skill to run a horse drawn carriage hire business, or to simply have fun.