The International Carriage Driving came to a conclusion at Royal Windsor Horse Show on Sunday with Competition C – Obstacle Driving for the CAIO4* World Cup™ Qualifier (Horse Four-in-Hand). A technically demanding cones course saw no clear rounds, but two of the world’s top drivers – World No. 3 Dries Degrieck and reigning World No. 1 Boyd Exell – managed to complete the course within the time, each incurring just one cone penalty. The long-time rivals produced near-identical performances, but it was Degrieck who edged ahead by the narrowest of margins to take the win in the cones phase. Radek Nesvacil of the Czech Republic completed the top three.
Dressage and marathon dominance secures the win
Although narrowly beaten in the cones, Exell’s dominance in the earlier phases meant his lead was unbeatable. Winning the dressage phase on 31.53, he was then a very close second in the marathon on 97.71; consistency throughout all three phases paid off.
And so Exell claimed an extraordinary 15th Royal Windsor Horse Show victory, finishing on a total score of 132.24 – almost 20 points clear of Belgium’s Glenn Geerts in second, with Degrieck taking third overall. The two Belgians’ strong performances helped them secure the win in the Nations Cup, alongside teammate Tom Stokmans.
International Carriage Driving results from Royal Windsor can be found here.
