Main Menu Randem Days I was blessed by driving donkeys from a very early age. Sue Stirling my mentor, allowed me to drive any combination I could around her field in Ashley Heath near my home in Cheshire. It was not long before I had acquired the English Driving hand whilst driving tandems, unicorns and teams. Each donkey has two reins, which have to be negotiated into the left hand so that each can be located by the right hand to fold in order to turn, or stoke in order to slow to a stop. The whole combination has to be driven from the back, the wheeler setting off first as he has to pull the weight. The leader and springer then must move off together. I am incredibly blessed by Rosencrantz my wheeler, he understands that he has to lead from the back and completes his work effortlessly, leaving everyone admiring the leader and springer who can move more freely on the front. When you first drive Randem it is very difficult to separate the wheelers' reins out from the springer's, so I taught myself in a special way. I put a pair in the wheeler's position, driving a springer and leader on the front. This way the wheeler's reins spread wide and encouraged good contact with the right hand, differentiating themselves from the ever elusive springer reins. Once I had completed several obstacle courses at home in this manner I returned to the driving of Randem. Once I could complete a Novice Dressage test with the Randem at home, I considered myself and my team ready for a show. At sixteen, in Tatton Park the Randem went very slowly. Nerves got the better of me and I reverted to driving the leader as though she was a tandem leader. I held her reins too short as a consequence and limited her trot. So at Romiley this year I was very conscious of the need to let the leader out, and maintain a tandem contact with the springer. Turns are best taken as inclines wherever possible, completed by a flexing of the left hand from the left to the right of the body. Tighter turns are completed by the folding and releasing of reins. The fold is made by the lower three fingers on the right hand. It is held between the thumb and first finger of the left hand if it if the leader's rein, the turn of opposition being made by the wheeler and springer, (or just the wheeler) under the first finger as it presses into the second. All this must be accompanied by rounded wrists and hands that complement the folding by moving together and forward and back, as necessary. The releasing of the reins allows the donkeys to move straight, so they must be held correctly in the left hand. When the right hand is removed all the reins need to keep an elastic contact with both sides of the donkeys' mouths whilst allowing them to travel forwards. Each donkey in my Randem team has been awarded the honour of The British Supreme Donkey Driving Champion. Rosencrantz and Hapgood as tandem in 2006, Guildenstern and Hapgood in 2008. So they were extremely experienced at tandem before moving on to Randem. Now I wish to encourage more donkey owners to take up donkey driving. I would love to train experienced donkey owners how to drive donkeys in tandems and pairs. They are far more economical to keep than horses, and although they are harder to train initially you will find that they are extremely loyal once experienced because they learn through a good relationship with their trainer. When in a scrape, a donkey will think for you and help you out of trouble. When a donkey thinks, it tends to slow down making life a lot easier for the driver when they find themselves in a challenging situation. So come on - all you Donkey Driving Champions of the future - give your donkey a go! The Pleasure Driving Class at Romiley Show 2008 Arranging the length of the extra traces. Video of Randem Driving at Home Come on you budding Champions - take up the challenge!
So the step up to Randem was quite natural. The Victorians often joked that you had to be mad to drive tandem, and suicidal to drive randem. I was only what could be said to be mad keen. At sixteen years of age I found myself sitting in a Rally Car in Tatton Park at the Cheshire show with Zoe, Hannah, and Bumble: as Randem.
Many years later, and with a sense of wonder, I drove my current competition donkeys as Randem in the Horse Pleasure Driving Class at Romiley Show. Hapgood was the leader, Guildenstern the springer, and Rosencrantz my ever faithful wheeler. 
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