Sélestat. An international carriage driving competition will be held from April 22 to 26 at Grubfeld.

The international driving competition will take place in Selestat from April 22 to 26. It is organized by the Central-Alsace Driving Association (AACA) presided over by Jean-Claude Mériot. The competition will unfold in three stages: dressage, marathon, and maneuvering. This prestigious sporting driving event will bring together 95 teams engaged in single harness, pairs, or four ponies and one or two horse teams, representing 11 nations.

Three events are scheduled for this competition. The competition will start with dressage events on April 23 and 24, where elegance and precision will be shared among competitors.

The marathon on April 25 will cover a 7-kilometer course. This most spectacular event tests the endurance, strength of the horses, skills, harmony, and bond between the driver and the horse in various terrain obstacles, as well as consistency and speed.

The third discipline of this competition will take place on Sunday, April 26 in the morning and will see competitors show their skills in maneuvering, where precision and control will be key as the course will be lined with about twenty numbered gates, marked by colored cones with a ball that must not fall, otherwise penalties will be incurred.

Prominent figures in driving will participate in the Selestat competition, such as Swiss Mario Gandolfo (current world champion with a horse), French Marie Verna who has competed in several world championships with a pony, Didier Mathis, driver and member of AACA, who participated in the last world championship with a horse and is currently being selected for the next world championship in Munich, and Perlane Fassel (AACA member), who has participated in the last two European championships, with ongoing selection for young drivers in Osorthei, Romania.

The convivial part will be marked by the Nations’ Evening on April 23, a culinary exchange during which each delegation will offer a delicious specialty from their home country for tasting.