WINDSOR — Andrew Stetson lives in Southern Pines, North Carolina, but he spends quite a bit of time in the Aiken area.
“I come down several times a month to train with Janelle Marshall, who keeps my horse at her farm,” said Stetson on Sunday before competing on the fourth and final day of the Windsor Trace Combined Driving Event and Combined Test.
In the preliminary single horse class, Stetson guided a Dutch Warmblood/Haflinger cross named Gee Whiz to a combined driving victory.
Stetson, 41, also won the Turnout Award, which is based on appearance instead of athletic ability, and another award from the Aiken Driving Club.
In combined driving there are three phases of competition – dressage, marathon and cones.
On Sunday, Stetson and Gee Whiz, along with their rivals, tackled the cones course.
“Smooth and steady wins the race in cones, typically,” Stetson said.
There were pairs of precisely spaced cones on the course, and each cone had a ball on top.
The goal was to complete the course within the allowed time without knocking down any balls.
“Speed throughout is definitely important,” Stetson said, “and so is a centered entrance into each pair of cones to prevent the balls from falling.”
Stetson and Gee Whiz were the leaders heading into the cones phase. Even though they didn’t enjoy a perfect trip, it was good enough to keep them on top.
Stetson began driving horses when he was only 7 years old.
“My father raised Belgian draft horses,” he said. “We would take them to parades and we would also take them to collect sap from maple trees. We would go around on the back roads in Vermont and pick up all the sap. Then we would take it back to our sugar house and make maple syrup.”
When not preparing for or participating in carriage driving competitions, Stetson works for Merck Animal Health.
“I am the equine sales territory manager for the East Coast,” he said. “Janelle keeps my horse in training every day throughout the week, and that allows be to be able to do my job and travel and also to come enjoy my horse at horse shows.”
Lisa Singer, a former standout driver of two-horse teams, was the organizer of the Windsor Trace Combined Driving Event and Combined Test.
There were two venues, Singer’s Chateau Log Farm on Curb Chain Lane and a neighboring farm owned by Clara Hendin.
More than 40 drivers competed, and Singer said they included residents of Canada, Delaware, Massachusetts, Indiana, Maryland, Maine and Florida.
Singer was the first female driver to capture the National Pairs Championship, and she earned that title nine times in all.
In addition, Singer won the Triple Crown of Driving for pairs three times.
“I went to World Championships in Europe eight times, but now I’m basically retired,” she said.
