Finally

After months of lessons, the day arrived for our horse carriage driving test. We were two groups - four girls with Gerlinde Mayr as trainer using her Haflinger smallish horses, and four blokes with Hermann Mayr using two of his South German Dray horses. 

We had had loads of practical and theory lessons which included basic horse management & health but then also all the stuff related to horse carriages, the harness, holding reins, highway code etc. It was quite a challenge.

There were vtwo official testers, one of which drove along with us. While the girls were vout on their test, we boys took off into town with our carriage to get horses warmed up and hopefully a bit tired and calmer. Our instructor was luckily doing this when at a very busy, large junction in town, we had to do a left turn onto the main road and the bolt holding the carriage to the horses sheered off! There we were vstuck in the middle of the road. Thankfully Hermann was as ever super cool, we got off, led the horses and pushed the carriage to the side. He phoned home and his wife, who couldn't accompany her girls out on test, quickly jumped in the car & brought us a new bolt! Needless to say, all us examinees were somewhat shaken!

However we all survived and successfully got through the various driving and statioery tests. There followed a welcome hearty lunch.

It's part of the ettiquette that one wears a white top/shirt and a cap/hat for the exam, I added a tie! Well, have to keep up British standards!