Horse power v horsepower as carriage and Defender go head to head at Royal Windsor

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Yesterday 12:13

Horse And Hound

Carriage driving at Royal Windsor.

Two types of horsepower are to go head to head at Royal Windsor Horse Show 2026, in a “test of speed, control and accuracy”.

The Defender Drive & Drive display, which will run in the main Castle Arena each day, will set carriage driver and stunt man Dan Naprous, with a four in-hand team, against a Defender Octa, both tackling the same course in a timed challenge.

“Each 30-minute session will combine expert insight with high-energy action, the four-in-hand team going wheel-to-wheel with the Defender in a test of speed, control and accuracy,” a spokesperson for the show said.

“The course has been carefully designed and will begin with a short opening run into a series of wide cone obstacles, before sweeping around the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Castle Arena to highlight the performance and handling of both carriage and vehicle.

Picture by RWHS/Defender

“The challenge then tightens through a sequence of technical gates requiring precision and control, culminating in a high-speed run to the finish. As both competitors race against the clock on identical tracks, the display offers a compelling comparison between horsepower and horse power.”

As well as the Defender Drive & Drive, displays on offer this year include the King’s Troop musical ride; the troop is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year and the ride is an established feature of the show programme. Spectators will also be able to see the Azerbaijan equestrian federations’s “Azerbaijan – land of fire” display, featuring 23 horses, 24 dancers, a 60-piece orchestra and two opera singers, the Shetland Pony Grand National and Pony Club mounted games, as well as a full programme of showing and CSI5* showjumping competition.

“Displays are at the heart of Royal Windsor Horse Show and we are thrilled to be introducing the Defender Drive & Drive,” said show chairman Simon Brooks-Ward. “They bring together tradition, international talent and family favourites in a way that’s unique to this show, and we’re looking forward to sharing another fantastic line-up in 2026.”