Felix Brasseur from Belgium claimed the individual gold medal with a brilliant double-clear in the cone-driving competition after the overnight leader, Ysbrand Chardon of the Netherlands knocked a single cone down on the final day of the 2006 World Four-in-Hand Driving Championships held at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
Brasseur, 54, from Marchin in Belgium, secured a well-deserved second world four-in-hand title — he won the championship for the first time ten years ago on home-soil at the 1996 World Championships in Waregem in Belgium — with his superb grey and bay Lusitano horses. “I knew I had to put a lot of pressure on Chardon and by going clear he knew he could only be three seconds over the time allowed and no more,” said the new World Champion. ”My Lusitanos are wonderful horses.
Traditionally the Lusitanos are only thought of as dressage or bullfighting horses but I think we have proved that they are excellent driving horses. In fact they are good for all equestrian disciplines – or just for fun!”
Brasseur, a former Cadre Noire riding instructor who now teaches carriage driving at his Marchin equestrian centre, was second after a superb marathon and was less than a point behind Chardon going into the dramatic final day.
Brasseur's championship-winning double-clear helped the Belgian team overtake the Netherlands and claim the team silver medal.
Hosts Germany led by former world champion, Michael Freund — who finished fifth &mdash and individual bronze medallist Christoph Sandmann, claimed the team gold medal to the delight of the thousands of German driving fans filling the grandstands around Aachen's driving stadium.