The first-ever horse-drawn hearse championship organised by the Co-operative will celebrate the required skills and professionalism. Speed merchants need not apply
It might not yet feature in horse lovers' diaries alongside the Grand National and the Badminton Horse Trials, but this summer the UK will host another top-class equine event: the national horse-drawn hearse driving championship.
Organised by the Co-operative Funeralcare service to celebrate the skills and professionalism required to ensure a dignified journey by the deceased to their last resting place, speed will be last on a list of factors judges look for when the competition takes place at the Bakewell Show in Derbyshire on 4 August.
The funeral director already sponsors a number of horse driving competitions at many large agricultural and county shows, but this unique combination of four legs and four wheels has been notable by its absence and the Co-operative claims it is the first competition of its kind.
George Tinning, managing director of the Co-operative Funeralcare, said: "Horse-drawn hearses are an increasingly common sight at funerals in this country. Creating this unique competition underscores our connection and affinity with these magnificent animals, and at the same time gives the drivers of horse-drawn hearses the opportunity to demonstrate their considerable skills."
The company reported a 4% rise in the use of horse-driven hearses over the past five years, but their dangers were recently highlighted at a funeral in Lambeth cemetery in Tooting, south London: the horses bolted, dragging a coffin 75 metres leaving mourners horrified as the coffin tipped over. The hearse's groom suffered a broken arm when she was thrown to the ground during the incident.
Entrants to the horse-drawn hearse driving championship will be judged on the overall turnout of their hearse and horses as well as their driving skills. The competition is expected to draw entries from across the UK.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/may/09/horse-drawn-hearse-championship
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