By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

HAMILTON, Ohio — Because as she explained, “I had to open my mouth,” Kari Harmon will be part of Gavin Robson’s Buckeye Team Four in the Combined Driving Event at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, Sept. 25-Oct. 10 in Lexington, Ky.

Her duties include standing on the back of the carriage to help keep all four wheels on the ground so the carriage doesn’t flip as the horses are going cross-country at a fast clip.

Harmon met Robson at a carriage-driving horse show. He had amazing horses, nice equipment and their performance was breathtaking, she said. The horses and equipment are owned by Robson’s team sponsor, Marilyn and Larry Denny, Spring Lake Farm in Lebanon, Ohio, near Harmon’s home.

“So, I had to open my mouth,” she said. She told Robson if he ever needed a groom, she would be interested. Robson took her up on the offer.

Buckeye Team Four is comprised of Robson, the driver, two grooms and six horses – four to pull the carriage and two extras in case of accident or illness. Since January Harmon has been commuting between her home and the Carriage Museum, Resort and Training Center near Ocala, Fla., to train for the games.

Combined driving is becoming popular in this country, but is more well known in Europe. It’s based on the riding sport of three-day eventing, Harmon said: There are three phases and all are a test of the driver’s judgment and memory.

“Driven dressage is the first phase; the second phase is the marathon or cross-country. Instead of jumping over obstacles, you go around hazards,” Harmon said. “The last phase is like stadium jumping, but it’s called ‘cones’ and you drive between cones. They have a ball on top and if you knock a ball off, you are penalized. If you barely touch a cone, the ball falls off.”

The marathon phase is the one that gets Harmon’s adrenaline up. It is usually divided into three timed sections. In the first, drivers and horses cover a distance at any pace but not going over or under the time allowance.
“If you trot too fast, you can walk; if you’re not trotting fast enough you can canter to make up your time,” Harmon said. “It is a really brisk trot – you’re moving. It’s a two-minute window, if you’re early you get penalized (and) if you’re late you get penalized.”

Next is a walk section. “And it’s a fast walk, as fast as your horses can walk,” Harmon said.
Horses are then vet-checked to ensure they are fit for the final, most exciting section. The driver has to navigate through marked “gates” or hazards in alphabetical order.

“You’ll go through the woods or the field and a hazard pops up,” Harmon said. “You have to navigate through that hazard. Most are fences – there is always a water hazard – you just go through it. There’s a red A and a white A. You always keep the red A on your right hand side so you’re going the right direction.

“In the marathon the grooms are really important,” Harmon said. “I ride on the back of the carriage and I help the driver know where to go, and I also help keep all of the carriage wheels on the ground because they’ll flip.

“You’re going fast and you’re making really tight turns. If you catch an edge on a post or uneven ground, the carriages can flip over. It doesn’t happen a lot but it does happen.”

 In the dressage and cones phase, the two grooms must be silent.
“I must not say a word or we could get eliminated,” Harmon said. “The grooms cannot speak because we could help the driver and that’s not allowed. I am there for safety; should something happen, I would fix it, and to head the horses if we stop.”

The horses on Robson’s team are Dutch Harness, a registered breed which is a mix of Dutch warm blood and Hackney horses, Harmon said. They’re tall chestnuts,16-17 hands, and high spirited. The team uses two carriages; the carriage used for the marathon is made from steel.

For the dressage and cones phases the Robson’s team dresses formally – top hats, white stock ties, stock jackets and black boots with a brown top. In the marathon teams must wear a helmet and body protector.

Soon the team will load the horses, carriages, harness and other gear into two semi trucks and head north from Florida for the Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio, on April 8-11. They will take part in the Pfizer Fantasia and Robson will be sharing his knowledge in training clinics.

Team Buckeye Four is looking for sponsors for the World Equestrian Games. For information or to see more photos and videos, visit www.gavinrobson.com