The Supreme Champion of the British Indoor Carriage Driving Championships 2026, open pony driver Georgina Hunt, kept a cool head and jumped from third position going into the decisive obstacle driving phase. Her daughter Sophie, 16, the highest placed and only junior in the class, gave her a pep talk beforehand and this, said Georgina, helped her deliver four consistently faultless times. Lucy Scott lay in second place overnight and led after the first two obstacles but an unlucky knockdown gave her the Reserve Champion spot. Nick Hammond’s fastest overall obstacle times rocketed him from fifth overnight to third.
Harriet Bradford’s sparkling 13.5 Precision and Paces – the best overall – and low cones score made her the overnight leader but others’
scorching obstacle times dropped her to fourth. Sara Howe, who won the South region’s points league over Georgina, was a close fifth and Charlotte Adams-Lane took sixth in the spectacularly close finale.
Georgina has been driving Tim Bailey’s mare, Bow, for over a year and Tim is equally delighted with their success.
Inclusivity is the key to the growing success of indoor driving throughout the UK as 131 drivers from all over the UK showed enthusiastically at Arena UK, Grantham, 10-12 April.
Drivers from 8 to 76 years old, ponies and horses from 5 to 26 years old and from 75cms up to 168cms took part with singles, pairs, tandems and four-in-hands to decide 17 championship titles. Among those taking part were several parent/child combinations and three generations of the Taylor/Hyde-Chambers family, Ilaria Taylor, 14, and Henry Hyde-Chambers, 12, plus Henry’s brother Percy, 10, in the Children’s Challenge. Claire and Robin Hyde-Chambers and grandfather David Taylor being active backsteppers.
Thirteen novice juniors, “terrifyingly fast” drivers, under 18, shook up their placings until Evie Rockall, 12, prevailed, with overnight leader Ilaria Taylor, grandfather David Taylor backstepping, securing second place only 0.38 behind. Siblings Nellie, Tiggi and Ernie Lock took third, fifth and sixth place, Molly Turner in fourth. Showing that the veteran drivers, 65+, remain a serious force, Lynn Riley stormed the obstacles with 24-year-old Joe, taking the veteran title.
Small ponies are found everywhere indoor driving and from the 18 in the singles classes, titles went to Amy Harvey, novice, Catherine Tyler, intermediate, and Jessica Downham, open, with some exciting close finishes. Claire Bourne’s spotted small pair retained their title. The Supreme Small Pony Champion was Jessica Downham.
The bigger pony pairs were dominated by Peter Edwards who held on to the lead throughout from a determined Charlie Parker-King hotly pursued by Charlotte Adams-Lane. Tandem is the class closest to founder Dick Carey’s heart and Tina Ray took her fourth Tandem Champion title with a new leader, Domino, kindly loaned by Alison Bones. Norfolk’s Deirdre Luff was Reserve.
The teams always deliver excitement and Julie Wedgbury’s ‘flying hamster’ Shetland-dominated ponies returned to form with her fifteenth win. Luis Mira’s smooth handling of Jane Robinson’s much larger Fells dealt him second place ahead of Angela Smith and Claire Bourne.
Sixteen novice pony drivers sorted themselves in the first two phases then John Fuller took the lead and kept it thanks to speedy obstacle driving. Maggie Hick popped up from third to seize the novice horse lead from Kathryn Marsden, Maggie also taking the overall Novice Championship.
Another class juggling placings was intermediate horse, where Lily French, 14, rose unstoppably from fourth place overnight to take the title from Abby Swaine, Jackie Robinson third and Fiona Gordon-Clarke happy with fourth. Abbie Fuller’s astonishing obstacle driving took her to the top of the intermediate pony class, with juniors Jamie Hordern, 15, second and Henry-Hyde-Chambers, the overnight leader, third. The overall Intermediate Champion’s crown went to Abbie.
Despite Wendy Wyatt and her 16.2hh KWPN Zara dancing speedily round the obstacles, smooth-driving Leslee Wilkinson and Cruze rose from third and took the open horse title – by only two penalties. Overnight leader Harriet Bradford and Maestro’s floating paces – 16 in Precision and Paces – and smooth driving lacked the speed she needed, dropping them to fourth when Jon White’s swift times lifted him from sixth place to third.
The six drivers with disabilities produced a novice winner, Vicky Nurcombe, and an open champion, Emily Ham: Jeni Longley, second, delivered one of the best P&P scores, 22.5.
Eight young drivers enjoyed Friday’s Children’s challenge, a course of cones and two simplified obstacles, stepping towards joining the novice junior class, Layla-Mae Bruce and Rose Turner taking the under 11 and the 12-14 titles.
Throughout the event commentators Dick Lane and Bev Huntington kept the audience engaged and informed and, of course, a large crew of officials and helpers in all aspects ensured things ran smoothly.
The thriving competition in every class drives up the standard of indoor driving year on year and it continues to be the most popular route for attracting people of all ages and backgrounds into the sport in the UK with over 2000 starters from October to April. The much-appreciated interest of sponsors, a fitting selection of tradestands and the chance to meet friends and to socialise through the weekend also contributed to the success of these nationally important Championships.
Results and more information: CLICK HERE!
Thank you to ATG Photography and Robin Hyde-Chambers for these wonderful photographs:
