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The whole exercise required immense planning; there were months of preparation, including a strict training and feeding programme for the horses (sponsored by Spillers), and setting up the vital support team.

Their first problem arose even before leaving England, thanks to a broken down horsebox. The SCHHA Chairman, Brian Withers, saved the situation by responding to an urgent cry for help! Two horses went lame at the last minute, causing changes to the pairings. The British arrived in time for the parade at Le Touquet - just! - but with no spare horses for emergencies, which from a competitive point of view was to cost them dearly. All the teams had to pass a veterinary check at Le Touquet; their height and weight ratios were also assessed and times for each stage subsequently calculated for each horse. Thus the more lightly built (and therefore faster) horses had a 'handicap' requiring them to go quickly to meet their times.

A pair of Comtois horses

Regular British team supporter Mike Stamp commented: "since my first visit in 1993 the general trend has been to use lighter types of horse - even within the draught breeds - and there were certainly some that might be considered driving types." Perhaps for the event to grow this may be somewhat inevitable. The Swiss team, for example, have only light draught horses at their disposal.

The boat pull up the beach

After the parade the event really got underway on the Friday evening with the boat pull. Each team was required to pull a boat (weighted with sand) up the floodlit beach - and virtually all succeeded. Richard Branscombe's pair of Ardennes successfully did the honours for Britain. By the time all sixteen teams had competed the participants had little time left for sleep, and were up at 4 a.m. preparing for the first leg.

The entire route is broken down into sections of approximately fifteen kilometres, mostly across country. Each team comprises ten pairs that perform a maximum of three stages/events each.

A Swiss entry of lighter type draught horses

In addition to the stages of the route, there were additional events that counted for points. One of these was a ridden test, performed for Britain by Devonshire based Jonathan Watener and one of his Shires: it included riding over a wooden see-saw and walking through a curtain of plastic - not very traditional duties for draught horses! Another involved an obstacle driving course. David Barker's smart pair of black Percherons did the honours here. Hitched to an omnibus, they had to complete a course that included a wooden bridge and required them to reverse. This took place at night under floodlights at Amiens in front of a packed grandstand.

Once again, Mike Stamp reflected "there was a significant change from the tests of working horse skills in previous years. In '93, for example, the tasks included a barge pull and timber snigging of 30 ft logs and were generally more draught orientated." While it is inevitable that the event will continue evolving to reflect the nature of the contestants available to support it, the challenge of the actual 'route' remains just as demanding - as the British team was about to discover.

Daniel & Chris set off at Boulogne

A crowd of approximately 10,000 people gathered in Boulogne to cheer the contestants on their way. The first British pair to take to the road were Daniel Brown's Suffolk, Titan and Chris Zeuner with the Weald & Downland Museum's Shire, Gym. This was a mixed pairing owing to a scratched horse and, unfortunately, Daniel's team of Suffolks (the only representatives of their breed) had to be split up. Loaded with the prerequisite box of fish and faithfully following their lead vehicle, driven by Stephen Jeffries, they were off.

The lead vehicle driver has a tough task, having to drive for up to 27 hours at a speed of approximately 8 mph, adjusting speed when necessary to suit the team. At night the vehicle helps to light the way for the driver. As soon as the teams had set off, the band of helpers, including those required to change the teams, set off by road to the next point in order to arrive in advance of the team, who made their way across country. This procedure was repeated all along the route. Not only that, but horseboxes were required to pick up teams and take them to their next starting point. It required a masterpiece of organisation - especially when things did not all go according to plan!

A quick change of teams

The first leg completed, Daniel and Chris were met at Samer, the first stage, by the team who unhitched their horses and hitched the cart to Andy Musgrave's pair of Percherons as quickly as they could. He then set off with his Union Jack flying! Titan and Gym had to pass a veterinary inspection and were checked for heart rate and temperature. The team had only one failure at these post-stage inspections - a horse that had been substituted at the last moment.

Once more the whole entourage took off for the second stage at Beussent and the leap-frogging process began all over again, continuing all day and through the night. The changeover points were in towns and villages and celebrations were in full swing all along the way. The crowds gathered to cheer and clap; there were bars, buffets and bands in the streets - even a mayoral reception!

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