OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Ocala’s own Chester Weber captured his 23rd United States Equestrian Federation National Four-in-Hand Combined Driving Championship March 15, 2026, by winning the Federation Equestre International three-star horse team combined driving event at Live Oak International.
The sport of combined driving is composed of three phases: dressage, cross country marathon and cones.
“I think this shows that the horses are in form, that cross country (the marathon phase) still has room for improvement,” said Weber. “We spent the whole winter concentrating hard on the cones. I made a mistake on the course, but it shows that we’re in form for the cones. I’m really pleased with the team and how that’s all coming together. I couldn’t be more pleased. This group of horses will likely go to Windsor (in the U.K) for that competition. They seem like they’re ready.”
Jimmy Fairclough finished second in the class and played an early role in Weber’s development as an evolving athlete. The two have remained close, although they’re competing against one another at the elite level. The rivals will be part of the U.S. roster during the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, this summer, sharing a bond that is only strengthened by representing the nation against global competition. When competing in the cones phase, Weber looks at it much the way a golfer does when he’s on the links, playing against the course.
“It is great, I see him more as a teammate, I think now about what we can achieve together in Aachen this coming summer,” said Weber. “We were really pleased to have him (Fairclough). He spent five weeks before the show. He stayed at the farm. It was a pleasure to have him. We trained in the cones a lot together these last weeks. I also think that Jimmy had a fantastic marathon. He has a really good group of horses together at the moment, really good on Saturday (marathon phase) and Sunday (cones phase). He had a little bit of a hiccup in the second to last obstacle (in the marathon), but besides that he was kind of on track to be thereabouts in the marathon. I was pleased for him as well. It’s always nice to see Americans do well.”
Fairclough and Tommy Ouelett, who finished third, made the division a bit more challenging, with both of those drivers pushing Weber to perform at his optimal best.
“Tommy can be really, really fast,” said Weber. “He’s a guy that can pop up on occasion and win a marathon. I knew when Tommy went out there and he was going to do what he always does, go for it. Some things really played in his favor, but it’s a really technical and difficult course. I think he has a newer group of horses that he’s putting it all together with. Tommy will be here in short order as someone who pushes hard on us.”
The lead horses on the team seem to always draw the crowd’s attention, however, the wheel horses play an important role in a four-in-hand driver’s success.
“The wheel horses in the cross-country part are more important,” said Weber. “If you have harmony with them, and they’re trying to help you at every turn, they can make it or break it for you. It’s just much easier to drive when you have a lot of power.”
The opportunity to win his 23rd national title at home was incredibly satisfying for Weber, but as one of the world’s elite athletes, his focused and serious approach has allowed him to excel throughout his career, taking each combined driving tournament as seriously as the previous one.
“Staying humble and sharp are important to me,” said Weber. “‘This morning (Sunday), I thought about it, let’s try to get this done and secure number 23. We got it done and I feel very proud, not only me, I feel very proud of the horses, the team of people, the farrier, the vets, in the stable who work tirelessly to make these horses life as good as it could be, so they can perform at the top level.”
