Latest News - Traditional Driving

The Chateau of Rambouillet, near Paris, was the stunning backdrop for a first CIAT to be organized there. Under the auspices of the

National Stud (and particularly Maud Dupuy d'Aby) with the the help of Bernard Puteaux, AFA's technical delegate, the brand new competition attracted 55 participants.

The organization was almost perfect except for a small parking problem.

Presentation, a sumptuous road course, and the cone design (with its nearby practice zone)...all this lit by the Indian Summer sun, combined to make the weekend unforgettable.

Everyone is to be congratulated...competitors for their impressive turnouts, volunteers for their energetic attentiveness, and the public for its enthusiasm.  To all, bravo.

I suspect that this may be the first of the many, and that everyone will anticipate the next...with impatience.

                                                                                           Christian de Langlade

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2nd CIAT CELLE (D)

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The Second International Traditional Driving Competition, organized by Count Schulenburg, in the heart of Hanover, was a great success from beginning to end..

45 participants, half of whom were German, and the remainder Belgian and Dutch , were warmly welcomed  by Dr. Axel Brockmann, director of the National Stud, and his expert team, at the magnificent setting of Landgestut Celle. In the absence of the stallions, usually installed in the their handsome stables, the competing horses could occupy, exceptionally, their  superb lodging.

Saturday, all day, the presentation took place.  And Sunday…Cross-Country and Cone Driving.  But, starting Thursday, competitors began to arrive in this picturesque town, trying to escape the broiling heat during the last days of August.

After getting installed, there was a pleasant dinner in a nearby pizzeria.  Friday was a day of comparative leisure and light training…in spite of the persistent heat.

In the evening, the “Diner des Nations” was relaxed and delicious, with each of us contributing specialties from home

Saturday, things got serious and, happily, the weather was cooler.

 Presentation took place in front of the chateau, and, despite occasional showers, many spectators turned up to watch.

The turnouts were of high quality, a great improvement over the previous year.  It was with a certain satisfaction that we could witness that Traditional Attelage contributes so highly to the appreciation of historic carriages. And also that competitions like this one encourage public admiration even  more than museum exhibits.

A candle-lit dinner took place in the Indoor Ring, yet, the following morning at daybreak, the agreeable Cross-Coutry began…terminating in the triangular “square” in Celle.

Cone Driving in the courtyard of the stud was the theater of a unique spectacle…featuring the apotheosis of equestrian art.

Hugo Livens, (B) took first prize for the ponies.

Susanne Heuberger (G) ,for the category, one horse.

Urbain van de Voorde (B),followed, as always by his dog, pairs.

Andrzej Szewczyk (G), driving Comte Schulenburg’s tandem after a brilliant cone driving performance

Toni Bauer (G) won the teams

A huge « bravo » for the organization of this fantastic event and the strong participation of German drivers. Many thanks to all those who contributed to its stunning success.!

AdL

Translation Sue de Brantes

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From 1891 to 1914 : Horse drawn carriages and the first automobiles shared
a common history and even a common industry,

according to Jean-Louis
Libourel

During the Second Empire and the last thirty years of the  XIXth Century, the French hippomobile industry thrived thrillingly. Surpassing even its English rival, it was the uncontested world leader in the construction ofcarriages "de luxe".  Paris is THE  capital of carriage building.

When the automobile appeared, the industry was at its zenith. Its inventors obviously sought to replace traction by animals by another source of energy...horseless carriages.And so the moteur was discovered and adapted to existing carriages.

The first motors were mounted on the frames (chassis) of hippomobiles, and naturally the original enthusiasts were horsemen and collectors of superb carriages. To wit, Baron Emmanuel van zuylen de Nyevelt de Haar, who, with the Baron de Dion, founded the Automobile Club of France.  In 1896, in his stables in Neuilly, van Zuylen kept 50 driving and riding horses of the best possible breeding....English, French, Russian plus 30 carriages and, already, 4 automobiles that he drove himself just as he drove his own Mail Coach (and four) for elegant meetings of the "Societé des Guides".

By Jean Louis Libourel (translation Sue de Brantes)

Saturday afternoon at 5PM, after this pleasant excercize, the carriages and
cars will be presented at the Chateau....and Sunday October 9th, from 4 to
5:30 PM at the Hippodrome.

Saturday  8th  october

11AM   Château de Compiègne : Départures Autos

2PM     Hippodrome de Compiègne : Départure Carriages via le Puits du Roi towards le Vivier Corax  (15 km)

3PM     Rendez-vous : Carriages and Autos at the Vivier Corax in the forest

5PM     General presentation at the Château de Compiègne

Sunday  9th october

  9AM   Château de Compiègne : Departure Autos

10AM   Hippodrome de Compiègne : Departure Carriages direction les Beaux-Monts, Vieux-Moulin and lakes of Batigny (16 km)

Noon    Arrival at the Thermes de Pierrefonds

1.30PM Carriages move on across the forest by La Muette and La Faisanderie towards Compiègne (16 km)

2.30PM Autos come back towards Compiègne

4.30 - 5.30 PM  Grande Manifestation with commentaries and animations by specialists concerning the evolution of carriages and   automobiles....and bicycles!.

6PM    Closing ceremony with prizes for all the participants, sponsors,parteners and organizers.


The 8th and 9th October, 2011 , members of the association "1900: de l'Attelage à l'Automobile" (from carriages to automobiles) organize  their second grand meeting at Compiegne for pre-1910 models under the aegis of AFA and the Club des Teuf-Teuf.
These autos and carriages with many similarities (phaeton, dog-cart,breaks,coupé, vis-à-vis) will criss-cross the forest and one-another according to their different itineraries.

 

With  the participation of the Automobile Club de France, the Association Française d'Attelage, the Fédération Française des Véhicules d'Epoque and the Club des Teuf-Teuf.

www.attelage-a-automobile.fr

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Once again a great triumph for Wingene (B).

The Depaepe family and their friends, having established an extraordinary organization and thirty superb carriages from six countries, one of which including an American, M. Gary L. Wasserman.

The presentation which took place in the afternoon, judge par Madame Fancony (F), Nicklaas Conijn (NL), and Raimundo Coral Rubiales (E) and deservedly won by Mrs Elizabeth Cartwright-Highnett (GB).

The dinner was excellent and fun, and as usual made a happy occasion to find each other again. The next morning everybody was ready for the departure of the “Routier” through woods and countryside, sometimes slippery as one discovers in Flanders.

Cone driving, in the afternoon took place on a great lawn spotted with beechwood and one by Guy Wagner (LUX). Anne Storme (B) was the overall winner of the compettition.

We must remark the performance of Valère Standaert (B) who drove the family Van den Heuvel with a marvelous ease. Also there was Maricke van den Heuvel (NL), young and enthusiastic who we were happy to see amoung the participants.

Hurray for the organizing committee  for a well deserved success.

Wingene 2011>>...

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Trish Lebus
Trish and her 23-year-old Section D were on the front cover of the last issue of Carriage Driving and for good reason – they won the largest class at the event this year, single horse which had close on to 20 competitors. Together with her husband Peter as groom, Trish first competed at Cuts in 2003 brought to it by an advertisement in this magazine and a love of France.
“We thought it looked great fun, although we were a bit nervous,” says Trish. “We really didn’t know what we were doing, however Christian and Antoinette de Langlades [who run the event] were very welcoming and nowadays everything is translated into English which is a great help.”
That first year, driving a pair, Trish was ‘way last’ in the presentation section. “We have learnt what they are looking for over the years,” she smiled. “It is not so different from private driving at home, but there are just little things that are different.”
In fact when Trish first came she had not done private driving in the UK which she acknowledges was a bit of a drawback. She had, however, been driving for some years having broken her daughter’s old riding pony to drive.
“I got fed up with riding my hunter and leading the pony to exercise it,” she laughs. “I met Peter Munt who taught me to drive and after a year or so I thought I would like to try some competition.”
She went to Windsor Park and competed in novice pony, before having a go with a pair. “I did the national circuit for a few years in the late ’80s with a pair of horses,” she remarks. “We went to the events locally but we had a busy family life which meant it was just a small part of what we did.”
Cuts represents almost the extent of Trish’s competitive driving life these days although she will still go to Windsor Park for a bit of a practice beforehand. “I feel we are a very minor part of the driving scene and yet
we can do this event and thoroughly enjoy it,” she says. “There is nothing difficult and it is only as competitive as you want to make it. There is a wonderful atmosphere here and somehow a different attitude to anything you find in the UK. It is a super event – well
organised and very social. For people in the south of England it is no more than about five hours on the road. If there are drivers there with a bit of private driving or driving trial’s experience who know they have a safe pony or horse, I would encourage them to have a go at this. At least come across and see – it’s a great weekend.” Margaret Andrews Margaret is one who did just that – she tried to get here last year to compete but, having crossed the channel the lorry broke down in France.
“We were towed and then parked up overnight before limping home,” she said. “We were determined to get here this year.” Just how determined can be seen when you learn that her ponies’ passports – she owns Shetlands – were stolen at the London Harness
Horse Parade this year.
“It was a true nightmare, in fact until the day before coming we didn’t know if we would be able to make it,” she says. “The BDS couriered our passports, which arrived with us at nine in the morning, the vet said he could do the necessary and we got straight on the road.”
A music teacher, Margaret names her ponies Staccato Shetlands and she competed with a pair – Brandy and Lager – here. Her vehicle – a round-back phaeton made especially for them by Hartland Carriages – had only arrived three weeks previously and one of the ponies had only been in it the previous day. And Margaret did find some of the ‘difficulties’, which included stopping between drawn lines, a threemetre reinback through cones and driving with the right wheel in a tram line, a tad testing.

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CIAT - Concours International d‘ Attelage de Tradition de Celle

Saturday 27th and Sunday 28 th August 2011

Dear Whip, dear Guest, We warmly welcome you to our 2nd CIAT in Celle which will take place on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th August 2011.

Entry Form and Description of the carriage on request

Program

The event will take place at the Niedersächsisches Landgestüt Celle (Lower Saxonian National State Stud Celle) and includes three tests:

A. Saturday 01.00 p.m.: Standing Presentation
B. Sunday 08.00 a.m.: Road track (15 km)
C. Sunday 01.00 p.m.: Cone driving (approx. 20 obstacles)

Free entry
For Whip

To get further information http://www.ciat-celle.com

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" 15TH  CONCOURS  INTERNATIONAL D’ATTELAGE DE TRADITION"

CUTS (FRANCE)

Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of May 2011

The CUTS 15th International Traditional Driving Competition will take place in the park of the Château and in the beautiful surrounding countryside. This well-known event attracts numerous competitors and public – between 10 000 to 15 000 spectators each year – coming from all over Europe.

The aim of the organizers of this amicable competition is to provide an enjoyable week-end for drivers from near and far as well as a memorable show with a unique simple, family and very elegant atmosphere altogether !

The public is very keen of this form of competition mixing tradition, beauty and elegance with performance as the turnouts must cover a 16 km track.

The competition is open to drivers of horses, ponies and heavy horses with their original carriages and presentation harness.


It consists of three phases :

A.    Standing Presentation : Saturday 21st of May : 1st part (1 pm – 5 pm) Sunday 22nd of May : 2nd part (9 am – 1 pm)
B.    Road track (16km) incorporating five simple controlled passages in the park
C.    Cone driving

More than sixty competitors from all Europe take part to the event, driving beautifully kept carriages – mostly over 100 years old !

They are called buggy, phaeton, cocking cart, road coach, berline, hunting break … They come out of more than ten nations : Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Swiss, Spain, Portugal and France.

It is a living memory and an unique show !

INFORMATION :     Antoinette de Langlade –  La Vallée    F. 60400 CUTS
Tél : +33 (0)3 44 09 71 23    Fax : +33 (0)3 44 09 77 79  Email : adelanglade@free.fr
www.afa-attelage.net       www.attelage-cuts.com       www.aiat-driving.net

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