Combined Driving - Competitors

Competitors

• Driver: The person who controls the horses and carriage through the use of the reins, whip and voice. The driver may speak to the horses at any time without penalty.

• Groom: The groom is indispensable to the driver who, for reasons of safety, must stay on the carriage to hold the reins and control the horses while they are hitched or put to the carriage. The groom sits on the carriage either beside or behind the driver for the dressage and cones phases and may stand on the back of the carriage for the marathon (and may stand in all phases in indoor driving trials). The groom, who must be able-bodied, helps the driver to hitch or put the horse to the carriage – and helps unhitch – can jump off the carriage to adjust the harness or to correct a problem if required to do so by the driver (although doing this while actually in the competition arena or in an obstacle is penalized). When the competitor is performing dressage and in the obstacle cones driving phases, the groom may not speak or assist the driver except in very specific circumstances. Normally all types of turnout carry one groom except four-in-hands which have two.

• Navigator: Navigating the course and obstacle routes on the marathon phase is an important part of the groom's job and usually, on a four-in-hand carriage, the navigator stands on the carriage immediately behind the driver and a second groom stands behind the navigator and has the task of keeping the carriage upright. The navigator reminds the driver where to go and usually keeps the time with a stopwatch or two: during the marathon phase and in the obstacles the grooms can speak and signal to the driver. A single groom combines navigating routes with timing and keeping the carriage balanced. The step or steps on the carriage behind the driver are called the backstep and the grooms are also called backsteppers.

Although there is a seat next to the driver on some marathon carriages – called the suicide seat – this is not generally used except in training or to thrill a sponsor.