In Pictures: Equestrian World Marvel as National Championship Lights Up the Arena

Equestrian sports have kept evolving, according to the needs of the times. The sport has competitions for every category. Apart from racing and jumping, there is a combined driving event, which was the brainchild of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The event got accepted around the world, with competitions held every year. In the United States, the US Equestrian organizes national championships for various divisions and classes. This year, the equestrian governing body announced they will be holding six combined driving national championships of different categories over the course of the year. The last competition, the Advanced Single Horse Combined Driving National Championship, is underway, and its updates were shared on social media.

The equestrian world witnesses the national championship

The USEF Advanced Single Horse Combined Driving National Championship is being held at Horse Park, New Jersey. The event will be held from the 5th of October to the 8th of October. It will include a dressage event, a marathon, and a cone driving event.

In dressage, horse obedience and athleticism are tested in a pre-determined move. In the marathon, the horse’s speed and endurance are tested on a cross-country course with obstacles in between. In the cone driving event, the driver’s skills are tested when they navigate the horse between the cones without touching them. In a recent social media post by the US Equestrian, the action from the event was shared.

In the caption, it said, “Bringing the energy on marathon day“. It posted pictures of the marathon event from the second day of the competition and described the environment as electric.

In the photos, athletes can be seen riding their carriages, navigating along with their partners standing behind them. They can be seen moving through the fields, navigating cones and crossing ponds while their partners direct them. This event was held after the successful completion of the Intermediate Combined Driving National Championships at Mill Spring last month.

An exciting conclusion to the equestrian event at Mill Spring

The USEF Intermediate Combined Driving National Championships had a fantastic ending with the cones event. The competition’s highlight was Louise Fox riding Hidden Hollow William to win in the Intermediate Very Small Equine division with 153.55 points. Sarah Reitz, riding Fferm Gwenffrwd Onyx Star, won in the Intermediate Single Pony division, scoring 117.59 in total. She had an excellent dressage score of 49.33 and a clear marathon phase. Meanwhile, she completed the cone event with three penalties.

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The USEF Advanced Single-Horse Combined Driving National Championship is an opportunity for athletes from across the country to show their talent and skills. The last national championship of the year witnessed amazing skills and maneuvers with more to come on the final day.

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