Heves megyei aprónyomtatványok 14/A
of the Deurne riding school has become world-wide famous as a four-in-hand driver. The international field first saw him — as excellent dressage driver — driving ank- lehairy, East Frisian black horses. Later, in 1977 he hit the international lead: he won a silver medal at the European Championship at Donaueschingen. In 1978, at the World Chamiponsihip in Kecskemét, he came first in dressage but his heavy horses faced a severe trial because of the deep sand so he finally finished fourth overtaken by three Hungarian drivers. Even less good luck accompanied him in Normandy in 1979 when his horses got so very tired in the Marathon of the European Championship that he had to give up just a couple of hundred yards away from the finish. The unfortunate event made Velst- ra draw the necessary conclusions: he changed his horses. He did very well at Windsor with his new four- in-hand in 1980: he first won the international competition in May, then got a bronze is September at the World Championships. Finally, in 1982 Velstra came first at the World Championships in Apeldoorn (Netherlands) and won two golds at a time. George Bowman (Great Britain) Born in 1935, George Bowman, the most successful British driver, had an eventful career indeed: he started as a rodeo rider in Canada but had to get off the saddle because of a serious illness; his cherished horses, however, he would not leave for all. He tried the driver’s seat, he came to like carriage driving more and more, and learned the not easy job of steering the four horses in front. Bowman, who started in 1972, had his first international success at the Championship in Frauenfeld in 1974, where he won an individual bronze; his team, in which John Miller alto competed, came first to win a gold medal. Following year, he came eighth at the European Championship in Sopot, and 1976 saw him near the rostrum: however, he only came fourth in Apeldoorn. In 1978 another medal completed his collection, this time a bronze at the World Championship in Kecskemét, where he finished ninth in the individual events. His best perfomance at Kecskemét 6
