The 12th Driving European Championship for Four in Hand will be staged as an accompanying event of the One with Nature World of Hunting and Nature Exhibition between 2 and 5 September 2021 at Kincsem Park. The continental contest is also marking a special anniversary as the first European Championship was held exactly fifty years ago, in 1971, in Budapest.
Driving consists of three phases. In the dressage test, the harmony between the driver and the horse, the regularity and timing of the gaits, the coordination and vigorousness of the movement of the horses, and the style and accuracy of the driving is marked. In the marathon, the drivers have to negotiate a course with three sections and eight obstacles built in varied terrain, such as hill, bridge and water obstacles. The final phase is the obstacle cones, in which the drivers have to navigate a course of special pylons as fast as possible within a fixed time while incurring as few penalty points as possible. The dressage and obstacle cone courses will be built in the rugby stadium, and the marathon course will be built in the centre of the race track enabling the most spectacular event to be watched from the covered grandstand, which is unique in the world.
Carriage, or chariot, driving featured among the sports of the ancient Greek Olympic Games and was popular in the age of Roman emperors. However, its history as a modern organised equestrian sport dates back not much more than a hundred years.
The main elements of the special stamp, the first day cover, and the postmark are the logo of the European Championship and a composition referring to the golden jubilee, which is completed by an image of a four in hand on the first day cover.
