The $65,000 Ride and Drive kicked off the evening’s entertainment, with riders jumping a course, dismounting, and driving through an obstacle course with the clock running all the while.
Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat steered Hermes Rouge to a fast and clear round, then dismounted and took over the steering wheel. Despite knocking over one cone on the driving course to incur a two-second penalty, Guerdat still managed to stop the clock at 73.49 seconds to score victory. For his efforts, Guerdat takes a new Dodge Charger back to his training base in the Netherlands.
“I am not used to riding in this type of class, but I did it for the show and the great prize money,” said Guerdat, a 23-year-old talent who is following in his father’s footsteps by representing Switzerland in international competition. “The course was good and it was fun, but I was not crazy about the driving. I was really fast with the horse, and then just tried to do well with the car. Overall, it is a fantastic show and it’s great to be here!”
Although accustomed to having the steering wheel on the opposite of the car and driving a stick shift, two British riders took second and third positions. Robert Smith and Gerry Maguire placed second with a time at 74.77 seconds while Michael Whitaker and Iqbal des Hayettes slid into third place with a time of 74.87 seconds.
