On 8th January 2022 we hosted a lovely open day for Hampshire BDS, below is the write up from Hampshires AC, Sam Searle.

Joanne & Michael Hartland from Hartland Carriages, kindly offered the Hampshire BDS to run a training/open day at Great Steeds Farm. So on the 8th January 2022, nearly fifty people turned out in absolutely appalling weather for what turned out to be a very fun and informative day, mainly aimed at the beginner/novice driver. Hampshires AC Sam Searle (who also runs Grayswood Carriage Driving Centre) started the day by demonstrating the correct BDS way to harness up and put to a single horse. This was followed by a carriage maintenance talk from Michael Hartland. Using two of Joannes Friesians, Sam then demonstrated how to harness up a pair of horses and put to safely and correctly in a BDS approved way.

We then stopped for lunch – kindly provided by the Hampshire area, this gave everyone the opportunity to meet new carriage driving friends and ask questions. After lunch, Joanne went through her traditional carriages, telling the history to each one. We moved onto showing the different types of modern vehicles available, from Shetland to a Full size horse pair vehicle, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The day finished going through everyday carriage driving accessories, from whips; aprons; gloves; fluorescent vehicle signs; paddles and martingales etc – Sam explaining the different types and their uses.

A big thank you must go to Hartland carriages for their time and use of the facilities for the day and we hope to hold more of these as the year goes on.