Bennington News - Bennington Carriages

Established for over 50 years, Bennington Carriages is Britain’s foremost
Carriage Manufacturer - designing, building and maintaining the very finest
carriages for pleasure and competitive use.
By Appointment to
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Carriage Builder
Artistic Iron Products
Combining innovative design and materials, the very finest craftsmanship and
our renowned customer service, plus an extensive range of carriage driving
accessories, Bennington Carriages offers a wealth of products and advice for all
carriage driving enthusiasts.
Bennington News
Moor Lane
Long Bennington
Nr. Newark
Nottinghamshire
NG23 5GA
Tel: 01400 281 280
Fax: 01400 282 243
CARRIAGES@BENNINGTON.CO.UK
Summer 2013
The newsletter for all
things Bennington...
E&OE. Prices are subject to change without notice
Zilco ‘Oscar’ Helmet
Kicking Strap
Body Protectors
Lightweight, stylish
and adjustable
helmet.
Small: 51 - 54cm
Medium: 55 - 58cm
Large: 59-61cm
Suitable for four
wheeled vehicles that
have low or very wide
shafts. Extra long with
plenty of adjustment.
Minimum length 49”
maximum length 74”
Bennington has worked
closely with Airowear to
develop the Carriage
Driving Body Protector.
Full details are on
our website.
Price £85.00
Price £65.00
Prices from £175.00
Driving Bits
Number Bib
Clincher Browband
We stock an
extensive range of
bits from leading
manufacturers including
Abbey, Sprenger and
Neue Schule
Worn by driver or
backstepper to
display competitor
number for the
marathon phase..
The Silver clincher browband is
available in 4 sizes, from Pony
(14.5”) to Extra Full (20”).
Prices from £28.50
Price £19.95
Prices from £15.50
Marathon Times Wallet
Zilco Gel-Lite Pads
Stopwatch & Bracket
The essential
accessory for any back
stepper, this waterproof wallet will keep
marathon timing sheets
dry in even the worst
weather.
Ideal for use under saddles
and breastcollars, they have
a shock absorbing gel foam
lined with a textured
breathable weave.
Sizes XS - XL
Stopwatch available
without bracket: £35.00
Price £35.00
Prices from £26.00
Price £65.00
Driving Cones
Bennington Cap
Harness Rack
British made, solid plastic
FEI Driving Cone - ideal for
training at home.
Navy Blue with silver
embroidered
Bennington logo.
Stackable for easy
storage.
Suede peak and
adjustable strap.
Prices from £18.00
Price £10.00
The essential item for
the backstepper!
Strong metal bracket
enables secure fitment to
all carriages.
The perfect
accessory for
keeping any tack
room tidy
Powder coated
for longevity. In
black.
Price £25.00
Carriage Number Holder
Driving Books
Quick Release - Curly Hooks
Attaches to the
carriage for
holding the
competitors number
for dressage and
cone driving phases.
A wide range of
driving books are
available.
For further
information, visit our
website.
An excellent safety
feature that enables
quick release from
curly hook
swingle trees.
One Size.
Price £13.50
Prices from £5.99
Price £55.00 per pair
WWW.BENNINGTONCARRIAGES.CO.UK
Bennington Carriages is Britain’s foremost
Carriage manufacturer - with over 50 years
experience. Combining a family passion for
carriage driving with exceptional craftsmanship
and advanced engineering, Bennington
Carriages designs, manufactures and supports
the very finest carriages.
Welcome to our
summer newsletter...
After a wet and miserable May, it finally
feels as if the sunshine might be here to
stay! At the time of writing, the sun is
shining and we’re finding it hard to sit at
the laptop rather than getting behind the
reins!
carriage ever. More on the Stealth is
featured later in this newsletter - but we’re
very excited and very proud that we’ve
continued to push the boundaries and
develop more ground breaking, innovative
features - reinforcing our position as
Britain’s foremost carriage manufacturer.
2013 has been a very busy year so far. Team
Bennington has been busy competing,
enjoying training enthusiastic newcomers
at both our academy and at junior pony
camp - and let’s not forget that we’ve got
our famous carriages to build and maintain!
In early summer, we launched the
Bennington Stealth - our most advanced
Sue Mart teaching an enthusiastic
newcomer at Junior Pony Camp
Innovation +
Technology =
Results...
accuracy and agility. The Stealth also
introduces independent braking and a
groom operated turntable brake which
enables drivers to maintain the maximum
possible level of momentum through
obstacles.
The Bennington Stealth is the most
advanced carriage ever made by
Bennington. Truly ground breaking, the
Stealth transforms the level of performance
available to the competition driver.
Taking inspiration from a range
of sources, including slow
motion footage of Team
Bennington and motorsport,
designer Michael Mart has
created a blueprint for the
21st century high performance
carriage.
Combining revolutionary design and
deep technological innovation, the Stealth
has been developed with an absolute
commitment to delivering maximum
possible performance.
Unique to the Stealth is its independent
rear suspension system which, when
combined with its rear wheel steering,
provides exceptional levels of steering
Team Bennington has been competing
hard and was delighted to win the first
selection event at Ashfields. We’ve also
been getting our new pony, Fudge, into the
competitive spirit and entering him into a
number of local and national competitions.
Our Try Driving events are proving to be
more popular then ever and we’re really
enjoying helping newcomers get behind
the reins for the first time. Our Fun Bug
carriage, which we use for Try Driving,
is the safe and fun way to introduce
newcomers to our wonderful sport. Our
students - aged from 8 to 80+ love getting
behind the reins and learning more about
our sport.
Wishing you all a great driving season!
service, the Bennington Stealth is the
ultimate carriage for the discerning
competition driver who wants to realise
their potential and achieve
their carriage driving
goals.
When combined with
Bennington’s legendary quality
and commitment to customer
The New, Ground Breaking
WWW.BENNINGTONCARRIAGES.CO.UK
Nomad - our coolest new product...
We wouldn’t normally get excited about
a coolbox - but when they are as good as
these, we simply can’t help ourselves...
the occasional Team Bennington G&T!
We trialled a Nomad cooler recently and
have never been without them since. So
why are we so excited about them - as
most of us have already got coolbags and
coolboxes cluttering up our garages anyway?
Secondly, they’re incredibly tough and
made to the highest standards. They
utilise the highest quality moulded bodies,
stainless steel fittings and extremely efficient
insulation. Available in a wide range of sizes
and colours, Nomad coolers are designed
and built to last.
Firstly, they’re incredibly good at doing
what others fail to do - i.e. keeping things
(very) cold. We first tried ours with ice
to cool our pony Steppers Viceroy - and
were amazed to find that even after three
days, ice was still ice - not slush or water!
Needless to say, a few cubes escaped to chill
With prices from just £45.50 and a wide
range of accessories also available - from
seats to wire baskets
and cooling packs,
why not invest in
the ultimate cooler
this summer?
Free Tedex Harness with Fun Bug Starter Kit!
Just add helmet
& horse!
Showroom &
Factory Tour
Bennington has the largest selection
of British made carriages and an
extensive range of quality carriage
driving accessories on display in our
new, purpose built showroom.
With pleasure driving and
our Try Carriage Driving
days becoming increasingly
popular, Bennington has
developed the Fun Bug
Starter Kit. Offering the
newcomer a complete
turnout in a simple package,
the Starter Kit also offers
exceptional savings...
Comprising our famous
?
did you
know
Fun Bug carriage. in Pony
or Cob size, quality driving
bit, Dobert whip and spares
bag, plus for the cob size, an
access step, the starter kit also
offers, for a limited time, a
complete set of Tedex harness
and a 1 hour fitting session
absolutely free!
Starting from as little as
£2350, for a brand new
Bennington Fun Bug, made
to your order, plus a selection
of quality accessories and
a complete set of Tedex
harness, there’s never been
a better time to invest in a
Bennington.
For further details, please
visit our website or contact
Sue Mart at Bennington
Carriages on 01400 218280.
Brembo brakes are used on sports cars
such as Ferraris and Porsche s - but did
you know that many of our carriages also
use Brembo brakes to deliver exceptional
performance?
A focus on
safety...
At Bennington, we know that there’s nothing more important than safe
driving. Over the years, the range of accessories that provide drivers and
backsteppers with the peace of mind that allows driving - for both pleasure and
at competition level - to be both safe and fun, has grown significantly. Fiona
Bonney from Zilco Europe expands on some of the best safety accessories available.
Miscellaneous Snaps
Quick Release Tugs
Quick release tugs are nowadays quite
commonly used on all harnesses. Their
function is partly for convenience when
putting the horse in or out of the carriage,
but also facilitates quick un-harnessing in an
emergency situation.
They are particularly useful for vehicles with
independent shafts, because it makes the
process of harnessing much easier with each
shaft being lowered into place and the tug
closed around it.
Gullet Straps
Gullet straps connect the throatlash to the
noseband, underneath the horse’s head. This
helps to prevent the bridle being pulled offer
accidentally. This is more likely to happen
with pairs and teams, especially when the
horses are stationary and rubbing their heads
against each other or the pole or bars.
Why not Try Carriage Driving?
Our ‘Try Carriage Driving’ days are the
perfect way to gain a safe, fun introduction
to Carriage Driving.
Why not combine your trip with a tour
of our factory to learn a little more about
how we make our carriages?
Held at our Carriage Driving Academy
and under the watchful eye of our Level
3 Coach Sue Mart, each session provides
newcomers with the opportunity to
experience the fun of carriage driving,
including harnessing-up, driving
(including watersplash and cones) and
long reining. No experience is needed just an enthusiasm to get behind the reins!
Release Snaps and Pull Tabs
Perfect as a gift, we also offer bespoke
events - ideal for clubs and corporate days.
These fittings have a spring mechanism
within them, which needs checking and
oiling from time to time. Otherwise they
can get sand and grit into the mechanism
which can impede smooth operation. They
are available in different sizes and weights to
suit different applications It is important to
have a suitable pull tab on the release ring to
ensure it can be grasped easily.
For further information, please contact
Sue Mart on 01400 281280.
There are various
means of making
harnessing quicker
and easier, for both
convenience, and
to get drivers out of
accident situations in
a hurry. Some drivers like to have a small
snap fitting on the crupper, so that the whole
breeching assembly can be jettisoned in an
emergency. A snap fitting can also be useful
on the breeching straps, between the ring
of the breeching and the breeching straps
themselves.
Commonly used as the connection between
carriage and traces. Some vehicles have quickrelease snaps integrated onto the swingle
trees. The fitting was first used in the marine
sector, but they are very useful in harness, as
it means the trace can be disconnected with
a quick pull on the release ring.
It can happen to singles too; for example a
hot horse coming into the halt and rubbing
its head on the shaft or its own legs. A
moments loss of concentration from the
handler can result in the bridle being pulled
off and a subsequent complete loss of control.
This is one of the most potentially dangerous
scenarios imaginable.
Safety Belt
A driver’s safety belt is first and foremost
NOT a means to strap someone into a
carriage. To do so would be very dangerous.
A carriage driver’s safety belt is a strap that
helps the driver to stay in their seat; for
example, during a rough marathon drive
where the driver is being bounced around in
their seat. One end is fastened to the carriage
and the other end must be held at all times
by the backstepper or passenger. This gives
the driver more security, and enables them
to concentrate on driving while the person
holding the strap ensures that the driver stays
in their seat.
It is very important that a driver or passenger
cannot be trapped into a vehicle in the event
of a turnover, and this is the reason for the
end of the safety belt to remain free to release
in an emergency. The strap pictured here has
a rubberised holding strap so the passenger
or backstepper can easily grip the strap in all
weather conditions.
t
Britain’s largest selection
of Zilco Harness
Rein Retainer
This item is a means of preventing a dropped
rein falling outside of the carriage where it
cannot be retrieved. It is normally a simple
elastic strap which is buckled to the rein ends
and one end and attached to the carriage at
the other.
Bennington Carriages offers
exceptional choice, a free swapout
service, fast delivery and of course,
our unrivalled, expert advice and the
very best customer service.
This article was originally published in the April 2013
edition of Carriage Driving Magazine.