Soers Sunday offered a very special attraction: the first international traditional driving demonstration at the CHIO in Aachen . The conclusion after the premiere: More, please!
22 teams of horses, 13 different breeds, unusual carriages, exquisite costumes: the first international traditional driving competition at the CHIO in Aachen had much to offer. While in previous years the world's best drivers vied for a place on the coveted CHIO Winners' Board, although time and skill were also key on Soers Sunday, yesterday the priority was the best possible presentation.
There were no free seats or empty stands. Everyone wanted to see the magnificent carriages. Attendees were able to admire some spectacular horse breeds, such as the Norwegian Fjord and the North African Barb, alongside traditional carriage horses like Friesians, Dutch draft horses, and, of course, the heavy German Warmbloods.
They were presented in different types of harnesses and compositions, such as one horse, two horse and four horse teams with different carriages, in some cases real rarities – Phaetons, Landauers, Dogcarts.
The carriages had to navigate a series of obstacles without hitting the balls. But many other tasks were also required: ringing a bell with a whip, driving a circle with one hand, etc. All of this had to be done in the shortest possible time.
Marie Tischer reached the finish line in the fastest time, 212,94 seconds, with her Brandenburg gelding, Fortino. Alexander Berghof came in second with his gelding, Silvio Skjoeldson (230,64), followed by a team of two horses: Vanaro P and Gesira P, ridden by Bernhard Rudolph (236,26).
