Scoot Boots a Success in Combined Driving!
Imagine an equine sport where you attach a carriage to your horse, and navigate a series of maze-like configurations only inches wider than your cart, and by the way, you are also being timed. The fact that simply driving a horse and carriage down a straight road is the subject of many "epic fail" videos on YouTube, makes this sport, called Combined Driving, all the more impressive.
What is a Combined Driving Event (CDE)?
Modeled after three-day eventing, Combined Driving consists of three phases of horse and carriage events: Dressage, Marathon and Cones. Competitors can drive a single horse, a pair of horses, or a team of four horses. CDE is a test of the driver's ability to accurately navigate patterns and obstacles, a test of the horse's obedience, agility, speed and endurance, and a perhaps most importantly, a test of teamwork between horse and driver.
Emily Langer and Huckleberry Express compete at the 2020 Tryon CDE
Photo Credit: picsofyou.com
Focus Forward Driving Center
Timberline Tack has been working with Emily Langer, owner of Focus Forward Driving Center, to outfit her driving horses with Scoot Boots. FFDC was founded 2 years ago in central Virginia. Available services include lessons, evaluations, training and competition coaching.
Driving lessons with Focus Forward Driving Center
Glenarvon Farms
The driving center is located at the beautiful historic Glenarvon Farms. This 1300 acre property offers a covered arena specifically designed for carriage driving, a full size grass dressage arena, a 60 foot round pen, a smaller fenced grass arena used for cone courses and obstacles, multiple options for trail driving, and access to the Glenarvon Showgrounds - all making for the perfect Scoot Boot proving ground!
Driving paths at Glenarvon Farms
About Emily Langer
Emily started out driving draft horses doing farm work & logging, and quickly expanded to "dressing up" the draft horses and going to pleasure shows. She has now been involved in the competitive driving industry for over 10 years and has been an FEI driving groom and manager for 6 years. She has competed with various equines, from minis to drafts, and singles through 4-in-hand teams, in a variety of venues including competitive driving events, pleasure shows, recreational drives, parades, draft-power presentations, coaching events, sleigh rallies and more. Emily loves training horses and introducing new people to the sport of carriage driving.
Emily Langer and Huckleberry Express compete at the 2020 Tryon CDE
Photo Credit: Mark Jump Photography
The 2020 Tryon CDE
Recently Emily competed at the 2020 Tryon CDE in Mill Spring, North Carolina, in the Preliminary Single Pony division. The horse, Arabian gelding Huckleberry Express (“Huck”), is owned by Kim Harrell. Huck is one of a number of client horses Emily has transitioned successfully from shoes to Scoot Boots. Huck was previously a 50 mile endurance horse, and had been in driving training with Emily for exactly a year at the time of this competition. Huck trains and competes in Scoot Boots and loves them!
Emily Langer and Huckleberry Express compete at the 2020 Tryon CDE
Photo Credit: picsofyou.com
Scoot Boots Tackle the Marathon
Huck was the first horse ever to compete at this event in Scoot Boots. He was outfitted in sizes Slim 2 and 1 regular, with Endurance Gaiters and Mud Straps. The Marathon course takes the horse across rolling fields, down gravel roads, over bridges, through water, and between fences set up in patterns through which the horse has to make very tight turns pulling a cart. The horse must be very quick to respond to commands to get around the course without any mishaps.
All these tight turns put a lot of torque on hoofwear, and wet ground adds to the challenge, but Huck and Emily negotiated all the fences successfully with no boot issues. Says Emily, “The boots were fantastic! We ran the Marathon event two days after Hurricane Sally which brought six inches of rain. We had plenty of traction, no twisting boots, no rubs. Scoots performed perfectly when we really needed them to. I had a sound happy horse the next day for cones!”
Scoot Boots doing their job at the 2020 Tryon CDE Marathon.
Photo Credit: Mark Jump Photography.
Knowing how much time, effort, and heart it takes to prepare for competitive events, and despite knowing how well Scoot Boots work even in tough conditions, I couldn't help being a little nervous - this was a high profile event under challenging conditions and I didn't want Emily having any problems with boots. Competitive Driving is mostly uncharted territory for hoof boots of any kind. Emily was nervous too, but had no issues. She reported "With the gaiters and mud straps everything worked great. Given the ground conditions I didn't push him really hard, but we finished in the middle of our division with minimal effort, so I was very pleased."
Emily Langer and Huckleberry Express compete at the 2020 Tryon CDE
Photo Credit: picsofyou.com
Here is the full video of Emily and Huck's Marathon competition. Check out the tight turns they need to make to negotiate through multiple sets of gates! They are an amazing team!
Cones and Dressage - Barefoot
The Cones and Dressage events took place in an arena. For these events Huck went barefoot. The cones event involved negotiating a timed course that consisted of many tight turns, bending lines, and serpentines, as well as "oxers" - a double set of cones to test the horse and driver's straightness. In this event, knocking down cones, refusing an obstacle, or exceeding the time limit would result in penalties.
Emily and Huck Express compete in the Cones event at the 2020 Tryon CDE.
Photo Credit: picsofyou.com
The driven dressage event, similar to regular dressage, involves driving a pre-determined pattern at certain gaits. Emily and Huck performed an ADS (American Driving Society) preliminary dressage test. They completed both cones and dressage successfully.
Emily and Huck compete in the Cones event at the 2020 Tryon CDE.
Photo Credit: picsofyou.com
Interested in Scoot Boots?
Whether you are entering competitive events, tackling the toughest trails, or are a casual rider, the simple high-performance design of Scoot Boots will take you where you want to go. At Timberline Tack we keep a full stock of boots and accessories. We walk you through the fitting process to help you get the correct size for your horse. Our trial program ensures your Scoot Boots will help you accomplish whatever goals you set. For details on our fitting and trial program, check out our website at link below. We are always happy to answer questions!
https://timberlinetack.com/blogs/news/scoot-boot-adventures-fitting-and-trial-program
Links
More info on Emily Langer and Focus Forward Driving Center can be found at the FFDC website: https://www.focusforwarddriving.com/
Photographers:
Pics of You http://picsofyou.com/
Mark Jump Photography: https://markjumpphotography.com/