WEST CHESTER, Ohio — Just where do retired racehorses, dressage horses and rodeo horses go after their days in the competition ring are finished? Some horse enthusiasts’ four-legged friends become members of the Ohio Valley Carriage Club (OVCC).

The OVCC was founded in 1968 as a collector’s club called the Ohio Valley Carriage and Harness Shop. The original membership was primarily interested in collecting and restoring carriages, and the name came from the fact they met in a member’s harness shop.

Over the years, interests of the group changed to include carriage driving. In 1993, the name was revised to the OVCC to reflect this change. And in the past few years any type of horse has been permitted in this club, so long as it can pull a carriage.

“The purpose of our club is to have fun safely driving our horses and carriages in great places, and to learn more about the sport and traditions of carriage driving,” said 28-year club member Victoria Clevenger.

“Our group welcomes anyone with any type of driving, from draft horses to minis. We’ve had Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds in our club. Any discipline of driving is welcome with this club.”

With its 100 members (roughly 50 families) the OVCC hosts drives throughout the spring, summer and fall. The drives are often on members’ farms, local parks or in conjunction with existing events, such as the annual Lebanon Christmas Parade in Lebanon.

The members also participate in the Carriage Roundup, an annual invitation-only weekend at the Kentucky Horse Park, as well as The National Drive week at the same locale.

“Our club also offers a variety of clinics, including driving skills, turnout, hat creation, carriage maintenance and others,” Clevenger said.

The 2013 schedule is a busy one, beginning with the OVCC Meet and Drive at Cross Creek Equestrian Center in Hamilton, Ohio, April 14. Next the group will be at the Lebanon Valley Expo Center in Lebanon, Pa., on April 27 for the 42nd annual Martin Auctioneers’ Spring Auction.

Just a day later the group will be at the Red Bricks & Roses Spring Flowers horse-drawn carriage parade in Oxford, Ohio. “This one-hour parade will have elegant horses and beautiful flower-decorated carriages working their way down the cobblestones of Oxford, among the red brick buildings of Miami University,” Clevenger said.

On May 19 the OVCC will hold its Spring Grove Cemetery Drive in Cincinnati. On May 25 the group will attend the Burlington Spring Horse Show at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Burlington, Ky.

On May 17-19 many in the group will participate in the Gayla Bluegrass Combined Driving Event in Lexington, Ky. On June 6 the OVCC will participate in the Brown County Charity Horse Show in Georgetown, Ohio.

Also on the club’s agenda is the Northern Kentucky Horse Network Show in Alexandria, Ky., Aug. 3 and the National Drive to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on Oct. 8-13.

Monthly meetings are throughout the year, usually at members’ homes in the southwestern Ohio area. At these meetings members share a meal, discuss driving and plan upcoming activities.

For more information about the OVCC, visit www.ohiovalleycarriageclub.com or contact club President Nancy Jackson at ohiovalleycarriageclub@gmail.com