Towards the end of February, Storm Dennis may have caused a few last minute changes, but the organisational skills of GB Chairman Richard James meant that AIAT delegates from across the world enjoyed a seamless flow of events.
Equestrians are well versed with dealing with the art of unpredictability in a calm, relaxed manner, and Richard James, Chair of AIAT GB proved his credentials when organising the annual general meeting of the AIAT in Somerset to great critical acclaim. The event is held in a different international location each year, and this year’s host was the UK. The purpose is for the various international affiliates to the AIAT programme to meet up, review the Attelage de Tradition competitions, consolidate knowledge and educate judges in traditional turnouts ensuring a consistency of standards throughout the nations.
This year’s event was organised by Richard with efficient military precision and a team of eager volunteer helpers. The bar of expectation was raised high to hold the event in the UK as standards around Europe are so impressive. The difference with the event in the UK is that much of driving history is borne in the UK and consequently, our European and American guests were intrigued to visit the birthplace of carriage driving. With 85 guests from 14 different nations, the response was overwhelming and proved the importance of the heritage of our traditions.
For full details and information, check out the main GB Attelage website: www.attelagedetradition.co.uk or Facebook for details
You can discover more about the event and AIAT in the current issue of Carriage Driving - to purchase a copy call our Subscriptions team on: 01722 716997 or email: subscriptions@markallengroup.com. During the Covid-19 our team is working from home but they will return your call or email as soon as possible.