History of the Nashoba Carriage Classic

Please see the link to download Prize List below!

Nashoba Carriage Classic
& Driving Derby

with Sidesaddle

October 20-22, 2023

Germantown Charity Horse Show Grounds
7745 Poplar Pike
Germantown, TN 38138

The seventh Nashoba Driving Derby in conjunction with the 23rd Nashoba Carriage Classic will be held Friday, October 20, 2023. Join us for Juleps in Germantown as our drivers and their ponies and horses take on the challenge of the Nashoba Driving Derby!

The Pleasure Show will be held on Saturday, October 21, and that evening we will welcome our Sidesaddle Division.

The Magnolia Drive will take place on Sunday morning, October 22, and will include carriage drivers as well as sidesaddle riders accompanied by outriders. We welcome competitors, spectators, and volunteers. Join us for this elegant drive and enjoy a trip back in time!

The Pleasure Show at the Nashoba Carriage Classic is recognized by the American Driving Society. The show also includes classes which we designate as Nashoba Favorites. The Nashoba Favorites and Driving Derby are not ADS-recognized classes.

To download the 2023 Prize List, tap here: 2023 Nashoba Carriage Classic Prize List

The Story of the Nashoba Carriage Classic

The Nashoba Carriage Association was founded in 1997 by a group of Memphis, Germantown, and Collierville horse enthusiasts who wanted to take their sport a step further. Several of the founders, including Lib Whitmore, Melissa Jones, Sonny and Mary Liz Foster, George and Jean Holmes, and Imogene Erb had already hitched up and were enjoying driving for pleasure, but they wanted to start a group and learn the more competitive aspects of driving.

After visiting and competing in several pleasure driving shows, the group decided to host its own show. The first Nashoba Carriage Classic appeared on the American Driving Society (ADS) calendar in the fall of 1999. The show was sanctioned by the ADS and drew competitors from five surrounding states. It has continued to grow and has become a favorite in the Southeast not only for its competition, but also for its hospitality.

The first shows were held at the historic Schilling Farms in Collierville. In 2003, the Nashoba Carriage Classic was moved to the Germantown Charity Horse Show Grounds, a landmark of Germantown’s equestrian past and future. In earlier years, the pleasure show was accompanied by an Arena Driving Trial on Friday evening, and in 2016, we replaced the ADT with the popular format, the Driving Derby. In 2017, we also added a sidesaddle division.

Held in October, the three-day show begins on Friday with the Driving Derby, continues on Saturday with the pleasure show and sidesaddle classes, and ends on Sunday with the Magnolia Drive & Ride, held in the lovely McFadden Woods adjacent to the show grounds. Participants in the Magnolia Drive are treated to finger sandwiches and refreshments on the lawn of a beautiful home midway along the route.

Spectators are welcome and encouraged to come out and enjoy our sport! Friday evening hosts our “Thrill on the Hill,” when Driving Derby participants show off their speed and dexterity through a course of hazards. Volunteers at the Nashoba Carriage Classic enjoy having a front-row seat as “spotters” on the Magnolia Drive, where beautifully appointed horses and carriages make their way through a wooded course that will take you back in time.

To follow the Nashoba Carriage Classic on Facebook, click here.

Schooling Shows

Middle Tennessee Carriage Club

MTCC hosts a variety of events throughout the year. For more information on their upcoming events, please visit their Facebook page:

Middle Tennessee Carriage Club Facebook Page

Nashoba Fun Shows and Clinics

In 2016, Nashoba member and clinician Joanna Wilburn introduced a series of Driving Derby clinics in order to familiarize our local drivers with the popular Driving Derby concept that is spreading enthusiastically throughout the national and international driving community. In conjunction with these clinics, Joanna also set up a derby competition. The first clinic and competition was so popular that we had three more before year’s end! We have included a Driving Derby as part of our Nashoba Carriage Classic ever since, and in the spring and fall we have at least one Driving Derby competition. Our upcoming Driving Derby will be held at Kimberlin Farms in Olive Branch, MS, on September 25.

Please follow our Nashoba Carriage Classic Facebook page and join our Nashoba Carriage Association Facebook group for updates on clinics and pleasure drives.

Nashoba Carriage Classic Facebook Page

Nashoba Carriage Association Facebook Group

The 72nd

Germantown Charity Horse Show

June 7-11, 2022

Join us for the Opportunity Carriage Pleasure Driving Division at the 73rd Annual Germantown Charity Horse Show!

Classes include: Single Horse, Single Pony, Junior Drivers, Multiples, Carriage Dog, Carriage Scurry Races, Carriage Obstacles, Carriage Barrel Racing, Novice Driver, and Adult and Junior Championships.

Germantown Charity Horse Show Grounds
7745 Poplar Pike
Germantown, TN 38138

http://www.gchs.org

High Point Award

The Middle Tennessee Carriage Club and the Nashoba Carriage Association have partnered together to sponsor a High Point Award for four competitions held in a calendar year. For more information, please contact us.