The Piedmont Driving Club hosts a
Traditional Day of Driving

After 3 decades of hard work organizing one of the best 2-day driving shows in the Mid-Atlantic region, our volunteers are being given a long overdue and well deserved vacation as we put the show in hiatus in order to host a "Traditional Day of Driving" in May to celebrate national recognition for classical carriage driving.

The purpose of a Sporting Day of Traditional Driving is to preserve and celebrate the carriage-driving style of bygone days, which encompasses horsemanship, driving acumen, care and preservation of carriage and harness, and the intangible qualities of good sportsmanship. The Sporting Day focuses on traditional driving and includes three phases: a Turnout Inspection, a Country Drive, and the Cones Course. Traditional driving, as we define it, makes use of one of the recognized styles of driving--English Classical (or its German modification, known as Achenbach), Hungarian, or American--whichever is appropriate for the type of carriage, horse, and harness being used. All types of carriages are accepted, but antique vehicles or traditional reproductions of the same are preferred. In the same vein, traditional leather harness that is appropriate to the vehicle is preferred over synthetic harness.

Although intended more as a celebration of traditional driving than a competition, the Sporting Day of Traditional Driving does contain competitive elements. Each turnout, however, is competing against an ideal, rather than against the other turnouts in attendance. The optimum score of 100 is broken down among the three phases as follows: a possible 50 points for the Turnout Inspection, 25 for the Country Drive, and 25 for the Cones Course. The organizers may choose to present any number of awards; one winner per class is the standard.

We hope to see you come out and enjoy the fun, relaxed atmosphere of this event. Details and location will be posted here by April.