coaching


… and Canadian cowboys in “Olde England.”

Earlier this year, the Bowman family (father and sons, FEI competitors for England and coachmen) agreed to do a bit of a life swap with the Sutherland family, who race chuckwagons.

First, the Bowmans traveled to western Canada to participate in a rather wild-looking demonstration at the Calgary Stampede, and then in September the Sutherlands participated in a proper English coaching run, from Newcastle to Carlisle.

Here’s a short recap of everyone’s journey:

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If the embedded video won’t play on your computer, click here to go directly to YouTube.

Today, I decided to search for some new driving videos … well, new to me/us.

I have no doubt that these are of Andreas Nemitz and his Coaching in Bavaria horses on their “Lindau Messenger” trip across the Alps, from Germany to Italy, but the videos themselves don’t actually offer any proof.

First, heading down through of couple of hairpin turns on a mountain pass:

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Next, a drive along a narrow, wooded road:

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… and another clip from the drive along the same road, and over a small bridge:

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Enjoy!

CAA members Sue & Roger Murray are frequent world travelers and huge fans of Andreas Nemitz’s “Coaching in Bavaria” trips. Their most recent trip horse-drawn trip with Mr. Nemitz and his crew was a two-week ramble through Tuscany.

Sue sent the video I’ve posted below, and she said, “I was on the box seat of the Shooting Break when we had to cross a dry stream bed through a stand of bamboo. We proceeded very slowly (“langsam”) because the Break was carrying six other passengers, as well as the horses’ hay for lunch. The steep hills and eroded Roman roads were challenging even for the very fit Kladruber and Oldenburg horses.”

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As always, if the embedded video won’t work on your computer, you can get directly to the video on YouTube here.

We were sent this lovely photo of CAA member Ken Ruthven, driving a team of horses and coach owned by CAA member Ian Smith. They were the winners of the Road Coach division in the coaching marathon at this year’s Royal Windsor Horse Show:

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Here’s the rest of the Rider & Driver news bit (from the March 19, 1898 issue) on coaching, continued from yesterday’s post:

Out Grafton way, near Worcester, Mass., the members of the Country Club are joining George Inches in a plan to run a coach this summer from the clubhouse along the glorious rolling roads of that district and into Worcester daily. If this becomes a fact, it will do much to revive interest in the sport of coaching throughout that region, the residents of which won’t need much encouraging to bring out their teams and make the hillsides ring with the sound of the tootling throughout the entire season. Beverley Farms, of course, is to have its coaching parties as of yore, and so will Dedham and Myopia, so that not counting other routes already being laid out, Massachusetts will be well taken care of by those who delight in “tooling” four horses to a smart drag. — Commercial Advertiser

The Rider & Driver is inclined to believe the foregoing rather speculative and premature. We should be most pleased, however, to hear of its realization.

Mr. Guy Ward, formerly of Troop A, now Squadron A, one of the best of all-around horsemen, will put a coach on the road between the South Side Club and Babylon, L.I., beginning the first day of May. The distance will be about 15 miles. Residents near the Club and along the route will be picked up in time for the morning express train for town and met and set down again on their return in the evening. Mr. Ward says: “The coach will run rain or shine, hail or blizzard, and anybody who has the fare will be welcome to ride. And I’m going to have on the placards,” continued he, with characteristic good humor, “a notice to passengers not to forget to tip the coachman. I’ll take anything they gim’me.” Mr. Ward stands about six feet one, in his stockings, tips the scales at 220 pounds, has a back as broad as a barn, a hand like the Hand of Providence, and being young and agile, might well tackle a bull and come out the victor. Although not exactly pertinent to coaching, it may be of interest to mention that when Attila, the professional strong man, was giving one of his exhibitions at Bay Shore last summer, Mr. Ward, on a wager made by a friend, not only lifted Attila’s heaviest two-hand dumbbell, weighing 320 pounds, but elevated it above his head four times in succession.

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