Combined Driving-An Explanation

Combined Driving (An Explanation) Page 4 by: Maureen Harkcom of Happ's, Inc. ~ Ethel, WA
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Dressage • Marathon • Cones
Bar

One more time……….What are the three phases of a CDE?

Dressage judges the freedom, regularity of paces, harmony, impulsion, suppleness, lightness, ease of movement, and correct bending of the equine on the move. The competitor is judged on style, accuracy, and general control of the equine, as well as on dress, condition of harness and vehicle, and presentation of the entire turnout.

You MUST present yourself at the Dressage arena ready to perform the correct test on time. If you miss your assigned Dressage time, you may not participate in the following phases. Remember, for this phase of competition, you must carry a whip, wear a driving apron, hat and gloves. Depending on the event, you may have a “Standing Presentation” at Training and Preliminary levels shortly before your Dressage time. Happ’s CDE does require Standing Presentation, whereas Happ’s Driving Trial-Twice! does not.
Presentation is where your turnout is evaluated. This is when you want to be sure turnout is neat and clean so that you create an attractive overall appearance. You also want to be sure your harness is the appropriate style and color for the vehicle and equine(s) you are driving. Presentation for Intermediate and Advanced levels is always done “on the move”, as it is for the lower levels at some events.
The Dressage test must be driven from memory. When the competitor before you has completed his/her test, you may (at most events) drive around the outside of the arena to familiarize your equine with the environment. The judge will signal when ready and you then have 90 seconds in which to enter the arena and start your test. If you make an error, the judge may signal you to stop, give you some direction, and then allow you to finish your test. You will receive the Dressage score sheet at the end of the event so that you can study the judge’s comments and strive for future improvement.

Marathon tests the stamina, fitness and training of the equine(s) and the general horsemanship, driving skill and judgment of paces of the driver (whip). Marathon seems to be where most of the confusion comes from at a CDE. Distance, speed and time allowed for each section will be posted. ADS sets maximums allowed, but organizers, course designers and officials may set lower speeds and distances to fit the terrain and weather conditions of the particular event.
Walking the course allows you to familiarize yourself with start and finish gates as well as the km markers and mandatory gates along the course. The gates must be driven in correct order. Course gates and gates within the hazards are always driven with “red on the right” and white on your left. Familiarize yourself with the rules of the event site. We allow competitors to use electric vehicles to preview the course, but they may not be taken into the hazards—you must walk the hazards. Accommodations can be made for handicapped drivers—be sure to contact the Organizer ahead of time and note your needs on your entry form.
Marathon for ADS events consists of three sections: A (free pace), D (walk) and E (free pace). For FEI events, section B (walk) and C (trot) are added. It is the responsibility of the competitor to know the details of the particular event and have an equine(s) that is fit both mentally and physically for the challenges it will meet. The competitor needs to know the rules specific to the level entered and arrive at the event with proper equipment, needed grooms and navigators, etc.
You will complete the Safety Check and then proceed to the Start Line and let the starter know you are in the area. You will be given a “2-minute warning”, “one minute warning” and a 10-second countdown to start. You start from a standstill—not a running start. If your equine’s nose crosses the start line before “Go”, you will be eliminated. It is OK to stand back a little way from the start line to avoid a costly mistake. You will take your equine(s) through Vet Check after the second section and at the end of Marathon, so it is a good idea to have a bucket, water, and sponges near the Vet Check for cooling and watering your equine(s). This cross-country phase is to be driven at a trot. You and your navigator will have figured your windows of time for each of your km markers so that you will know if you are pacing your equine(s) correctly. Once inside the hazards you may walk, trot, canter (Training level may not canter), stop—whatever you wish.
Section A is considered “any pace” but is timed to be driven at a working trot. It allows a 2-minute window—coming in too fast or too slow (outside the window) results in penalty points. Section D is a walk section and has only a maximum time allowed. You are penalized for being too slow, but there is no minimum time so you may walk as fast as you want to, but you may not break pace. With the first two sections completed, you take your equine(s) through Vet Check and have a 10-minute opportunity to cool your equine(s) before continuing the last section—
	Section E that contains the Hazards. Section E has a 3-minute window of time allowed, so being too fast or too slow is again penalized. You have a maximum of 5 minutes allowed in each Hazard. Training level turnouts are not timed (for penalty purposes) in the hazards. Turnouts competing at Preliminary and above are timed (for penalty purposes) in each hazard. For them, each second in a Hazard adds penalty points, so the object is to drive the Hazards as quickly as possible. That is why you will see drivers and their navigators “walking hazards” trying to determine the best route for their turnout. You must drive the “In” gate, then the lettered gates in the correct order and direction, then the “Out” gate. If you make a mistake in a Hazard, you can correct it before exiting and going on.
You will incur penalty points for the correction, but will not “get the BIG E” (be eliminated). Penalty points for the Hazards are added to any course penalties for levels above Training.

Cones (Obstacles) tests the obedience, fitness and suppleness of the equine(s) after completing the marathon, and the skill and competence of the driver. You should have walked the course to familiarize yourself with it. The time allowed for Cones is a maximum time. Any time less than the time allowed is not penalized. Each gate that is disturbed (ball knocked down, multiple dislodged) will result in penalty points. The goal is to go “double clean” with no time penalties and no course (balls down) penalties. As with Marathon, “red on the right” is the rule and you must drive the gates in the correct order. Failure to do so means elimination—there is no correcting of course in Cones. Any gait is allowed, but strive for accuracy rather than speed.

You will have a couple practice cones available to expose your equine to before entering the Cones course. Present yourself to the steward and wait for your turn—there is no set time as there is for Dressage and Marathon, but you are expected to be there when it is your turn in the Order of Go. You will present yourself to the judge and salute and then wait for the judge to signal for you to start. You have 60 seconds to pass through the Start gate.

What do all those numbers and letters on the score sheet mean?
Score sheets are really not that hard to understand once you see one. Your Dressage score is converted to penalty points, each section of the Marathon has the possibility of earning penalties, Hazards will each accrue penalties (except for Training level), and Cones may earn penalties. All are added together, and the lower your score the better!

It is your responsibility to check the posted scores for accuracy. If you think your score does not make sense, bring it to the attention of the TD and explain your reasoning. My experience is that officials try to be fair and consistent and if in doubt, rule in favor of the competitor where they can. Mistakes do happen occasionally, we are all human, so if the outcome is not to your liking, accept the final decision and go on—life is too short to let something little take the fun out of such a wonderful sport.

There are a couple of other terminologies that seem to cause some confusion from time-to-time, and it is important you understand them as a competitor so that you make correct decisions while competing. If you are Disqualified (D) for contravening any rule, you will be prohibited from taking further part in the Event and may subsequently have disciplinary action taken against you. Elimination (E) for contravening a rule in any phase of the Event, means you may still complete the other phases of the CDE, you just will not be placed in the final standing. Retire (R) means for some reason you decide to retire after having started a phase of the competition. You may compete in another phase, but will not be placed in final standings. Withdrawn (W) is the designation for any competitor who fails to start in any of the phases of the competition. Once you withdraw you may not take part in any further phases of the Event. Again, with W on the score sheet, you may not be placed.

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