Driving trials class structure in the UK

The class structure was revised at the start of the 2007 driving season.

The structure caters for different people’s diverse aims; for example to compete at club level or national level, single or multiple, and so provides multiple paths through the classes. As well as that, it caters for people dropping down in levels when they start with a novice horse or pony, or an animal less experienced than their ‘advanced’ horse.

There is no pressure on anyone to move through the levels; good competition can be had at all levels, save only that the progression will move you up from a level when you get ’too good’ for it, to be fair on others in that class.

See detailed specification for each class - CLICK HERE

A consistent route to the National Championships

We rationalised the rules for qualifying for the championships so these are consistent across classes and bearing in mind that more classes may mean smaller entries.

Novice Qualifiers – now National Novice (Level 2)

Many people found the Novice Qualifier standing presentation too demanding for the level and felt it favoured buying presentation equipment inappropriate for this level.

To deal with this, Novice standing presentation judges will now judge marathon harness or 3-phase vehicles on an equal basis with presentation harness or equipment. In addition, the judges will not insist that a novice competitor reach the same standard as competitors at the higher levels.

Also to make this level less daunting to people progressing in the sport, these National Novice events will be held at club events, the cones speed is reduced, and the number of marathon obstacles and gates restricted.

Open class

Many drivers found the transition to National Open meant they were in the lower part of a very large class with little chance of competing for the top few places which were taken by international standard drivers. Even some experienced drivers in the lower half of the open class did not feel they had a competitive chance, perhaps because of the time they wish to spend training or the nature of their horse. Top drivers in open class wanted more challenge; to use advanced dressage tests and compete at the highest level to prepare for international competitions.

To meet the needs of these three groups we have three classes:

• Intermediate (level 3) – introduces newly qualified novices to National events
• Open (level 4) – provides good competition for national drivers
• Advanced (level 5) – provides high level competition for the premier drivers.

We made provision for a driver with an inexperienced horse to compete in a lower group.

The details

The accompanying tables describe the different classes, the rules for moving between them and the three phases of competition for each level. To support the levels, we updated all the dressage tests and these can be seen on the web site.

See detailed specification for each class - CLICK HERE