Awi the Funeral Horse

Hi.  I'm a carriage horse and I work for Karen Bassett pulling her horse drawn hearse with my partner Kora.    I'm a 10 year old black,16.2 hh Silesian horse and have lived with Karen since I was 5.  She found me in Poland when she was looking for horses for a client.  It was a very windy day when Kora and I came into the farmyard and we just stood right next to some flapping polythene without batting an eyelid.  Karen instantly decided we would make wonderful funeral horses and bought us.  My one weakness is that I need Kora as my security blanket and cannot go anywhere without her.  I also like to canter all the hills we go up, even if The Boss says there is no need, as it is just a slope!  For more photos of me, check out Karen's website http://www.karenbassett.co.uk/.

Horse Drawn Funeral and Carriage Driving - YouTube Video

See our latest video on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayXCOLmrypE

Gun Carriage

The gun carriage was recently used for a horse drawn funeral.  This really is something special as a last tribute to a loved one.  For more photos, see the Gallery on our web site.  http://karenbassett.co.uk/

Silver Horse Drawn Hearse

If you require something less sombre for a horse drawn funeral, or something a little different, take a look at our Silver horse drawn hearse.  http://www.karenbassett.co.uk/

Carriage Driving in the UK

 The typical picture in one’s mind when thinking of carriage driving is usually either one of a rag and bone man with his horse and cart or of a Victorian era horse drawn carriage. However, International Carriage Driving is sanctioned by the Federation Equestrian International (FEI) as since they state that ‘horses were driven long before they were ridden’, and Carriage Driving became an equestrian discipline in 1970 and as a result it is one of the oldest competitive equestrian sports that is still practised today.  

 It must be admitted that carriage driving is not one of the nation’s most popular sports and even if someone decides that they would like to participate in carriage driving, it can also prove extremely difficult to know where to start and they are left asking several questions: where do I go to learn? What equipment do I need? How much will it cost? Is this even the right sport for me?

Basic Information

 In Carriage Driving, the traditional ‘rider’ is replaced with a ‘driver’ who is seated on the carriage behind the team of horses (which can be made up of either two or four horses).

 In modern horse driving competitions, there are three parts: Dressage, Marathon and Obstacle Driving. Dressage is made up of a sequence of compulsory figures performed inside an arena measuring 100x40m. Competitors are judged on the smoothness of the exercises, the obedience of the horse, positioning and impulsion. The Marathon on the other hand is conducted outside and consists of an 18km route including natural obstructions and sharp turning points and the final phase, the Obstacle Driving (or ‘Cones’) phase is designed to test the fitness and suppleness of the horses by requiring the driver to negotiate a narrow track marked with cones with balls balancing on top.

 

Horse Drawn Carriage - YouTube video

See our latest YouTube presentation video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTznd_F8MA

Carriage Driving

Horse drawn carriages are nowadays used for leisure rather than necessity. In days gone by, a horse drawn carriage was the main form of transport used by people from every walk of life. Horse drawn vehicles were used in cities, on highways, on country lanes on farms, in fact, everywhere. There were many different types of carriages, from simple carts and wagons to city coaches, fashionable barouches and horse drawn cabs.

Nowadays carriage driving is something which people do as a sport, for leisure of for use in carriage hire companies. Horse drawn carriages are seen as something romantic and traditional. Horse drawn carriages are quite popular for weddings, and white, silver or even pink carriages are becoming quite a popular option. A horse drawn carriage gives something of a fairy princess feel to a wedding, or any other kind of event. Carriage drivers also can compete in carriage driving events. These can be both professional and amateur. Many people enjoy carriage driving as a leisurely activity and take part in country fairs and show at game fairs. Another use for carriage driving is at open air museums where people from re enactment groups use their horse drawn carriages as part of their show.

As you can see there are many reasons why carriage driving is still a fairly popular sport. However in order to be able to drive your carriage competently, it is often necessary to take a few lessons. Carriage driving takes some effort and it is essential that you feel confident and in control. Make sure you find a good teacher with plenty of experience in teaching. A good carriage driving teacher will be able to help you drive to the best of your ability and enable you to take your carriage out in public, with safety and confidence.

www.karenbassett.co.uk