About Us
The Shifford Carriage Driving Group was founded during the 1970s. The group originally operated from a yard at Shifford Manor and drove the ponies in two-wheel carriages.
The group currently has three ponies, Lady, Freddy and Tommy Zoom.
We are currently based in Charney Bassett at the premises of our chairman, who joined us in 2017.
History of the Group
We Need Volunteers
We always welcome new volunteers and can’t run this wonderful organisation without their help. Please consider giving a few hours a week to keep our group running.
Our Ponies
At present we have three ponies in harness.
Lady
Lady was born in 2005. She is a 14hh Welsh/cross grey mare. Lady was purchased by the group when she was 4 years old and trained to harness. She pulls a 2 wheeled carriage and has worked for the group ever since. Lady is the group’s stalwart and longest serving equine. She is very enthusiastic about her work and has shown herself willing to face new challenges since the group’s driving venue moved from Shifford/Cote to Charney Bassett. Her preferred command is “Trot”.
In 2025 Lady was selected as the RDA Equine of the Year. We collected her award at the RDA National Championships in July 2025.
Freddy
Freddy belongs to our group chairman and is loaned to the group on driving days. He is a 15hh black Dales type ride and drive gelding and was born in 2001. In his younger days Freddy was a Cavalier adventurer, taking part in Civil War re-enactments and is familiar with the sound of cannon and musket fire. He has also trekked across the country from Cornwall to Oxfordshire. He joined the Shifford group in 2019. Freddy now pulls our 4 wheeled carriage. His preferred command, now that he is the group’s elder statesman, is “Walk”.
Tommy Zoom
Tommy is the baby of the group. He also belongs to our chairman and joined the equine trio in 2023. Tommy was born in 2009. He is a 15.2hh bay American Standard Bred/Pacer gelding. We do not know much about his background but do not think that he has ever been raced. His relaxed trot is swift but he has cleverly understood that we prefer him to saunter along. Tommy is very keen to please. He passed his RDA assessment in June 2025. He also pulls the 4 wheeled carriage. We hope that Tommy’s preferred pace will become “leisurely strolling” in both walk and trot, so that Lady can keep up with him.
RDA Carriage Driving offers much needed outdoor health and wellbeing therapeutic benefits for individuals whose conditions often preclude them from taking part in ridden therapy.
Shifford is a small independent charity group affiliated with the Riding for the Disabled Association. We are run entirely by volunteers and financially reliant upon our own fundraising, donations and legacies left direct to our charity.
Our funds are applied directly to the care of our ponies to cover the costs of feed, vet and farriers’ bills and to the costs of insurance. We also have to purchase and maintain equipment such as carriages, harness, bicycles and trailers. Our current annual running costs are in the region of £9–10K.
Please consider making a donation large or small to help keep our group going. Click the button to visit the donation page.
Thank you so much!