FJORDS MAKE IT BIG TIME AT THE CANADIAN CARRIAGE DRIVING CLASSIC

For three years I have driven in The Classic. Last year, 1995, 1 was the Reserve Pairs Champion with Haakon and Garth. My pair has changed over the past year with the untimely death of Garth from throat cancer. With the new pair of Haakon and BDF Donder I was hoping for a similarly good show. This year I was competing against 134 turnouts with 125 drivers. In the Best Gentleman Driver class I was to be one of 65.

For me the show begins about five days before the first show day. This year I entered single pony and pair pony classes. This means two sets of show single harness, two sets of pair harness (one for ring classes and one for cross country) plus one single working harness. Vehicles used were two Meadowbrook carts and my pair show carriage. All of this equipment had to be cleaned. This is when you wish for a lot of friends with free time on their hands.

The list of things that I have to get ready and take to the show seems endless. I pack harness cleaning kit, which includes brasso, harness soap, Jay cloths, clear saddle soap for the lines and rags; carriage cleaning kit of pledge, rubber cleaning fluid, black touchup paint and varnish; grooming kit of shampoo, show sheen, brushes, hoof pick, sweat scrapper and hoof black; seven boxes of harness, with two neck ropes, two lead shanks, horse blankets, leg wraps and cottons, and three whips (single, pair and working); one tackbox; broom fork, garden hose; sponge; large manure bucket; four water pails; spare kit; tarps for the carriages at night; medical kit; strap s and ropes to tie the carriages in the truck; hay; grain; shavings; water containers filled with familiar water from home to last for two days; electrolytes; rainwear; sunscreen; driving clothes; and finally squeezed into the last few inches of the trailer, four chairs and a collapsible table.

The show starts on a Thursday. I like to leave the farm early Tuesday morning. I have a six hour drive and it is nice to arrive early in the afternoon. I find it much easier on the horses and on me if I don't have to rush. After unpacking and setting up, I had time for visiting and supper.

You are allowed to work your horses on the cross country course until 3:00 PM on the Wednesday afternoon.  I led the boys, Donder and Haakon, through or around the obstacles on Tuesday evening after supper and then drove them as a pair and then singly on Wednesday morning. They were really awful at the beginning but settled down near the end of the training session.

Wednesday afternoon I spent cleaning carriages, putting the final touch to the brass on the harness and washing the horses. This extra day really gives the horses and me a chance to settle in and be prepared for the big show. I'm lucky. My friends who groom for me have a motor home and we stay right on the grounds.

Thursday, July 11th, first day of the show, I was up very early. Our first class was Single Pony Progressive Obstacle. I drove Donder and I blew the last set of cones, coming in fourth place. In the afternoon I drove Donder and Haakon in the Pair

Pleasure Turnout Class and placed again a disappointing fourth. This was especially frustrating because with my carriage I thought that I had a perfect run out. The judge's favorite horses weren't Fjords and my horses were about a foot too far ahead of the carriage; the pole was too long.

The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning harness and the carriages. In a big show like this, it's a must to have all harness and carriages perfectly cleaned for each class.

On Friday, July 12th, our first class was at 8:15 am so that meant I had to be up and going at 6:00. 1 had to feed, water, muck out, have breakfast, groom, harness, hitch and be in the warm-up ring by 8:00 am. Our first class in the morning was Pairs, Fault and Out Obstacles. I had walked the course before the class and had it figured out perfectly. Unfortunately, I cut one corner a little too tight and knocked a ball down on the fourth set of cones and came in again at fourth place. I wan't a happy camper. The horses were doing well; maybe they needed a new driver?

The next class of the morning was the Pair, Working class. Here things started to turn around. The boys worked not too badly and we came in third place.

The afternoon started off with Gentleman To Drive - Single Pony Reinsmanship Class. I drove Haakon to another third place. The workout was a 40 meter circle with a rein back. My second class that afternoon was the Scurry Obstacle. Things were definitely looking up and I drove Donder to a second place finish just missing first by one second. The rest of Friday was spent cleaning harness and carriages.

Saturday was going to be a big day for me. This was Cross Country Obstacle Day, Pairs in the morning and Singles in the afternoon. This is also my favorite class. Last year I won the Pairs and came in second in the Singles.

The Pairs Class was the last class in the morning so it gave me a good chance to walk the course several times and to warm up the boys. The first obstacle was over a little wooden bridge, the second was a cross, the third was park benches, the fourth was simulated barn with a barnyard with gates, the fifth was an inverted Y and the sixth was the water crossing. The boys worked really well with no problems at all and came in first place, at last, a full 38 seconds ahead of the second place pair.

This was the end of the fourth class for the pairs and it put me in third place for the championship. A good friend from Ottawa, Joe Nuth, with a pair of Welsh thoroughbred cross ponies was tied for first place. I was four points behind him. The last class in the afternoon was the Single Cross Country Obstacles. The obstacles were the same as in the Pairs but you came at them from a different direction. The one to beat, a Morgan mare from New York, had been first place for four years. The pressure was on. 

I walked the course several times looking for the shortest route possible. There was one spot that might make a big difference and that was a rough, shallow ditch, twenty feet long. Going through that ditch could make the course about thirty feet shorter. I knew if I was going to do well I would have to cut all corners as tight as possible. But if I didn't make the ditch I would blow everything. I had a big decision to make and I didn't make it until I actually came to the ditch. At that time I told my groom, my daughter Janeva, "Hold on; we are going through!" Spectators said we both left the seat. And I came in with a time of 2:25.
I was in the lead and the Morgan mare was the last one in the class. She went around the ditch and came in with a time of 2:26 putting me and Donder in first place. That is the most exciting cross country class I have ever competed in. Dale Fiddler, professional trainer and driver of the Morgan mare, bought me a drink that night.

Sunday, July 14th was the final day of the show. My Pair Reinsmanship Class was in the afternoon. I was signed up for a Single Working Class and Sporting Carriage Class in the morning, but decided to cancel out because the ring was wet and heavy going. My main interest is Pairs so I didn't mind missing a Singles event to further my chance at Pairs. I wanted to save the boys for the afternoon. That turned out to be a very smart move.

I was in third place overall entering the class. The boys went very well on the rail. I was first in line to do the workout. We had to drive down the rail at a working trot, and do a 20 meter circle at the end of the arena. At the completion of the circle we changed to a slow trot for about 50 meters then a halt, rein back, salute and then return to the line up. The boys did very well, I had a good circle, a definite transition and a good rein back. The pair of Welsh-thoroughbred ponies were next and my competition from Ottawa blew his circle and had a poor rein back. The pair that was tied for first place also had a poor rein back. When the placings were given, the Welsh-thoroughbreds placed fifth, the pair tied for first overall came fourth and I was second.

Amazingly, the second place finish in Pair Reinsmanship Class put me tied for Reserve Pony Pairs championship with the Ottawa pair. The show chairman came over and gave us the choice of a flip of a coin or a drive off using the pleasure working class rules. Naturally we chose the drive off.

So out in the ring we went. Donder and Haakon went well on the rail. They had very good transitions. When it came to the rein back, they were perfectly in step. One of the Welsh-thoroughbreds hesitated a split second before backing up. The results? "PAT WOLFE, CANADIAN RESERVE PONY PAIRS CHAMPION" over the loudspeaker.

I thought my show was over and happily went back to the stable to pack for the trip home. I just nicely got back and was unhitching when the show manager arrived with news.

I had tied for the Gentleman Championship and also tied for the Reserve Grand Championship of the entire show - there would be another drive off! The winner of the drive off would take both championships. The drive off would be in about 45 minutes.

I decided to unhitch the horses and put them into their stalls with a flake of hay. My competitor's groom took his horses out for a training session on backing up. While my horses were eating, I polished brass, cleaned the carriage and bit my nails. Tense time or what!

The time came for this last class of the show and we were off. There was a big crowd watching. I was first into the ring with my competition close behind. We were evaluated by two judges and neither was partial to Fjords. We were doing the regular working trot, slow trot and trot-on routine when all of a sudden from a working trot we were asked for a WHOA. The boys stopped immediately and my opponent's horses took one extra step. The judges sent us off again on a slow trot, then asked us to change reins at the slow trot and as soon as we were both on the rail they called another WHOA.

Again the boys came to a perfect halt and the competition took that extra step. Next we were asked to line up. My rein back was perfect. One of the Welsh-thoroughbreds fanned out and was a little slow walking up. The results over the loudspeaker, "PAT WOLFE, CANADIAN MEN'S CHAMPION and RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION.

There is a misconception held by many that Fjords can't compete for speed and agility against other breeds. This show certainly laid waste that theory. Donder and Haakon won against Haflingers, Welsh Cobs, Welsh Crosses, Hackneys, Morgans, and an Arab Cross. All the preparation and work getting ready for the show certainly paid off. Donder and Haakon showed well, went fast, were supple and finally won down to the wire on manners. They are a fantastic pair of Fjords to work with and Fjords are a breed that can compete anywhere.