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Carriage Classic brings dramatic equine driving to Prairie du Chien

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Sharon Makurat of Whitewater, won the antique turnout class with a beautiful wicker phaeton vehicle pulled by a Welsh pony, Cynthia of Oxford, Mich.

On Sept. 11-13, many people from throughout the region are sure to attend the Midwest’s most elegant and lavishly appointed equine sport driving event, the Villa Louis Carriage Classic.

This year will mark the 35th anniversary of the Carriage Classic, which is held on the Villa Louis Historic Site on St. Feriole Island, 521 N. Villa Louis Road.

Some of the region’s finest horses and more than 100 new and restored carriages compete in a variety of arena and cross country events.

The Carriage Classic recalls the Villa Louis estate’s heyday as a farm for the breeding of horses for harness racing.

The Villa Louis—with much of the interior restored to its 1890s splendor—never looks better than during the late-summer equine classic.

More than 100 drivers, their stable hands and groomsmen will compete in a variety of divisions that include horse and ponies, driven as singles, pairs, tandems, or in teams of four. Highlights of the event include the popular Picnic Class, held at noon on Saturday. This class dramatizes the Victorian Leisure Era on the lawn of the Villa Louis.

On Sunday, canines fall under the judges’ eyes in the Carriage Dog Class at noon. Traditionally, the last class of the event is the Concours d’ Elegance, where the most elegantly appointed competitors return to the area to vie for the championship.

The Carriage Classic recalls a brief chapter in the history of the Villa Louis, which estate founder H. Louis Dousman established in 1884 as the Artesian Stock Farm. Dousman, in characteristic Victorian form, embraced the lifestyle of a country gentleman and began raising fine-blooded Standardbred trotting horses on the farm, developing one of the finest stables in the Midwest.

Admission for the full weekend includes tours of the Villa Louis. Daily grounds-only passes for the Carriage Classic are also available.

The Villa Louis Carriage Classic began in 1980 with a group of local drivers gathering at the Villa Louis for a very informal driving competition. The show has advanced over the years to become one of the premier pleasure driving events in the United States.

Since 1985, the American Driving Society has sanctioned the show, providing the rules and judges that officiate the events.

For more information, contact the Villa Louis Historic Site at 326-2721, visit the Villa Louis website at www.wisconsinhistory.org/sites/villa or visit the Carriage Classic website at www.carriageclassic.com.

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