Passion keeps hackney drivers rolling

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This article was published 10/04/2022 (1313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Considering the flamboyant showmanship of hackney pony driving, one would think the sport would have a guaranteed place in the equine competition ring.

However, growing expenses, dwindling breeders and fewer drivers are putting its future in jeopardy.

A few dedicated practitioners are working to pass it on to the next generation and have hope it will continue for the foreseeable future, with equestrians from other sports taking it up as a slightly safer equine sport.

Brandon has been home to one of the few hackney pony barns in western Canada, with the Gilbert family keeping it alive. Their influence has reached across the country with drivers climbing into the iconic buggy with their guidance.

Even then, Fred Gilbert said costs are keeping people away from the sport. When he started hackney as a young man in 1957, participating in the sport was not as expensive.

Over time, fuel, feed, entry fees, taxes and the cost of tack and other specialized gear has become almost prohibitive.

“We were lucky because we bought it all when it was affordable,” he said. “Now, buggies are $10,000 and harnesses $4,000 to $5,000.”

Showing also carries a heavy price tag. For the Gilbert Farm to have its alley for the week at the 2022 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, it cost the team $1,700.

Another barrier is the declining number of hackney breeders, making the hackney pony rare in North America. According to the American Hackney Horse Association, the breed and sport originated in 18th-century England. There are two distinctions, a hackney horse (taller than 58 inches at the withers) and the hackney pony (58 inches or slightly less at the withers) is a cross between the Norfolk trotter and thoroughbred breeds and was developed to have a light, flashy, high-stepping trot. While they are utilized in several sports, they were considered an ideal carriage horse, and the driving sports specifically catering to hackney horses and ponies were developed.

Gilbert considers his family fortunate, as they have several means of income to fund their hackney pursuits, including a farm, construction company and racehorses that bring in good prize money.

He does have hope for the sport and breed and encourages more people to try out the sport. Hackney often appeals to existing equestrians, Gilbert said, because of the acquired skills needed. While at the Winter Fair, he had a riding instructior based in Brandon work with his team, and he said she is interested in learning to drive.

The appeal, especially for older riders, is it is generally less risky than other equine sports, but still presents a challenge and excitement.

“There is a risk of bucking, or falling out of the buggy, but overall, it’s a safer, more leisurely sport, not as demanding on the body as other riding sports,” he said. “I’m sure we can get more riders to come drive in the future. There is a good base that is still driving in shows and they are reaching out to mentor other drivers.”

One such hackney team that has been brought up is Sanche Performance Horses out of Ardrossan, Alta. The team was at the 2022 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair competing in several hackney pony divisions throughout the week.

The fair alone is one of the best venues for equestrian sports, Sandra Fenstad-Sanche said. But it is also the furthest west that hackney competitions are held.

“This is great to come to because we can compete without having to travel really far,” she said. “The next nearest is Toronto, or further east. The one western pocket for hackney is right here in southern Manitoba.”

It is more appreciated in eastern Canada and the United States, she said, with driving and hackney classes often commanding huge cash prizes. She was at the fair with a client’s pony and the prize money is just enough to offset the costs of bringing him out to competition and to show him to the public.

Fenstad-Sanche is originally from Winnipeg and would come to the Winter Fair and watch the Gilberts compete in hackney pony driving. She competed in many other equine sports, specializing in Arabians, Morgans and American saddlebreds, but she was inspired by what the Gilberts were doing and bought a couple hackney ponies from them.

Hackney driving isn’t for everyone, she said. It is a sport for equine-minded people. Most people think equine sports are all about jumping, or driving livestock. Once someone has been riding for a while, Fenstad-Sanche said they come to appreciate the beauty of driving.

However, like other equine sports, getting in the show ring and driving is the easy part. What many don’t see is the minimum six months of training, travel, hours of cleaning gear, frustrations, shaving and clipping the horse and long hours preparing.

It’s passion that drives them.

“We were up until midnight the other day in the big ring for our allotted time [to train] because that was when we could be out there,” she said. “It’s the little things people don’t see, when we are curtained off. But we absolutely love everyone we work with.

“It’s good competition, but we are all friends in the end, and we really appreciate the applause we hear from the public.”

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com

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