Barry started driving with a single pony in 1989. He started competing in Horse Pairs in 1990 at local club and then on national level. Represented Great Britain in 1991 at the World Horse Pairs Championships at Zwettl in Austria.

In 1993 he gave up the family glazing business in Lancashire and moved down to Sydney Smith’s yard in Gloucestershire, to become a full-time professional.

In 1993, he won the National Championships with a horse pair and was the non-travelling reserve for the World Championships in Gladstone. In 1994, he was third at Royal Windsor Horse Show and National Champion for the second year-running.

In 1996, Barry made his Horse Teams debut. In 1999 Barry was Reserve Champion behind George Bowman in the Horse Teams National Championships and was selected to represent Great Britain in the World Four-in-Hand Horse Team Driving Championships at Wolfsburg in 2000.

Barry rounded the season off by becoming British National Championship at Cirencester in September 2000. Barry is married to Christine, they have two children: Pippa and Tom. Barry is sponsored by Dodson & Horrel.

In November 2003, Capstick has claimed the Irish nationality in order to forward his international driving career: ‘The Irish Equestrian Federation has offered me this opportunity and I receive a tremendous amount of help from them. Driving in Ireland is not so big yet, but I hope to contribute to the growth of the sport by promoting the sport and helping the drivers. I have already given several driving training sessions in Ireland and I will expand this even more,’ he said.

He will keep living in Great Britain, where he prepares his team of German and Dutch warmblood geldings at the Unicorn Driving Centre in Gloucestershire, where he is based.