North of Scotland indoor driving trials' drivers qualify for the championships

kirstenmbinnie
Mar 30
5 min read

By Kirsten Binnie

SET UP 25 years ago, the North of Scotland Indoor Driving Trials are still going strong and were held at Strathorn Farm RDA, Pitcaple last weekend. The competition is run by the Bosanquet family and an enthusiastic group of knowledgeable voluteers.

March 22nd saw the second indoor competion to be held this year, which kick started the 2026 season for Indoor Carriage Driving North East, who run the affiliated event which qualifies drivers with a high enough score for the Indoor Carriage Driving Championships at Arena UK.

Organiser Victoria Moore, whose late father Campbell Bosanquet started the trials in this area, and whose mum, Carole, is still invoved with the organisation, said: "Our outdoor season starts in April when the weather gets better but we hold two indoor competitions in March under the banner of the Clothie Indoor Driving Trials set up by my dad, and we also held two in October last year.

"We have to run four competitions to be able to qualify for Arena UK and competitors need to compete in three and their score has to top 70%," said Victoria.

"On the 31st of May we have our grass roots outdoor competion at Clothie Stud on land at Cothal my dad bought, it is a one-day event and suitable for all levels and we are able to do a shortened marathon there."

The indoor event at Strathorn consists of three phases - dressage, cones and obstacles, which simulates what would happen in a marathon in a smaller area. Each carriage has a driver and a back stepper behind to help with balance, unless a single small pony and light carriage is used.

The dressage is in a 50m by 20m arena and has two judges. One judge, this time it was Joyce Simpson, is the head judge at C and trained to judge driving dressage looking at the positioning of the horse and the accuracy at the letters - where the horse's nose has to be level with the marker, as opposed to the rider's body in ordinary dressage.

A dressage judge, normally BD trained, on this occasion Linda Walker, is then positioned at E and judges the paces. Scores are awarded from 0 to 10 and both judges have a writer. The dressage test follows a set pattern and all of the competitors drive the same test in walk and trot.

The second phase is the cones where the drivers follow a set pattern through cones laid out in the school. There are 10 pairs of cones and enough room for the carriage to get though - the wheels measure 125cms and 20cms is allowed either side of each wheel. An optimum time means drivers are penalised if they are too fast or too slow.

Every second too fast or too slow is penalised by one penalty point and five points are added if a ball is knocked from the top of the cones if a carriage wheel hits the cones. There is a judge and a timer in the arena and the timing is started and finished as the horse's nose goes through the markers.

The judge is checking the correct course is taken and if there is an error of course the driver is eliminated.

For the obstacle phase, which is simulating the (usually outdoor) marathon, barrels are used to drive around. The course is decorated and these obstacles also have a dislodgeable ball which, if knocked, results in penalties.

Again a judge checks they are taking the correct course and a timer is timing the driver. But in this phase there is no elimination, competitors can make a mistake and still carry on, they will just have wasted time.

At this competition there were 14 turnouts of varying kinds, from single pony or horse outfits to pairs and a 'unicorn' of three ponies, where two ponies are side by side nearest the carriage and one is in front of them.

Drivers of all ages and abilities take part, from novices to the Open Horse and Open Pony and multiples. Often an outgrown pony can be re-trained to use as a driving pony.

"We use all types of horse, from Welsh Cobs to Shetlands or Clydesdales, coloured cobs and those that are a mix of breeds," says driver Elinor Bosanquet, who runs the Clothie Shetland Pony Stud and breeds and trains Shetlands to drive.

She also rides and drives Welsh Cobs and her chestnut gelding Danaway Matty has just been awarded the Welsh Pony and Cob Society performance sashes for 2025 for driving, senior showjumping, Section D, best gelding and Supreme Performance Champion.

At the trials at Strathorn she drove a unicorn of Shetland ponies and Matty as a single, qualifying for the British National Indoor Driving Trials in the open horse and pony teams sections. Matty was also overall league champion for the North East.

There are classes for young drivers, those under 18, and for RDA drivers. Gordon Walker, competing in the indoor trials with a Shetland lent by Elinor, also qualified in the young driver class.

If there are any disabled drivers competing and they have an adapted carriage then the cones can be altered to accommodate their vehicles, so it is sport where everyone can take part regardless of age or mobility.

Vicky Largue, Assistant Area Commissioner for Grampian area British Driving Society, said: "We don't always get the support for driving, it can be difficult to get into it unless you have contacts, and we can help with this.

"People need to just get in touch and come to spectate, there are ways to do it cheaper, as it can be expensive.

"But as an example, if you want to learn to ride you can book a lesson at a lot of places that teach riding but there is not the same available for driving. But we are a

Gordon Walker.

small group of people who are very friendly and we would make everyone welcome who wanted to get into it."

The trials at Strathorn are run over a day and everyone mucks in and helps out, there are whole families there for the day assisting and setting up courses. The organisers even lay on a decent spread of lunch for all the helpers and competitors.

Member Faye Walker, whose son, Gordon, drives his outgrown coloured cob and Shetlands owned by Elinor, said: "It is very much a group effort, everybody here will encourage people to learn, there is no holding back on information. It is a very friendly group of people with a stack of helpers."

Upcoming carriage driving events in Scotland are:

5th April - SCDA (Scottish Carriage Driving Association) at Stanmore Equestrian, Lanark.
5th April - SCDA at Breconbeds Equestrian, Annan.
19th April - SCDA at the Ian Stark Centre, Selkirk.
19th April - SCDA at Breconbeds Equesgtrian, Annan.
2nd and 3rd May - Blackrock Park, Wigtown.
9th and 10th Cardross, Stirling.
16th and 17 - SCDA at Dalmaker, Thornhill.
24th - SCDA at Breconbeds Equestrian, Annan.
22nd to 24th - Hopetoun Nationals.
31st May - Grass Roots outdoor one day event at Clothie Shetland Pony Stud, Cothal.