GREENBUSH, Wis. – Experience the elegance, skill and pageantry of horse-drawn carriage driving July 10-12 at the annual Wade House Carriage Driving Days. Set on the grounds of the historic Wade House, this three-day event invites visitors to watch drivers and their horses compete in a variety of carriage-driving competitions while enjoying a memorable day in the countryside.

“Wade House Carriage Driving Days offers a rare opportunity to watch a sport that puts skills from a bygone era into practice,” said Bridgitt Zielke, site director, Wade House. “Drivers, dressed in traditional hats and gloves, guide their carriages through a series of competitions that test their skill and teamwork with their horses.  As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, this event offers a unique opportunity to experience a tradition rooted in history while visiting one of Wisconsin’s treasured historic sites.”

The event begins in the visitors’ center, where guests board a horse-drawn wagon for a ride to the arena. Throughout the day, elegantly dressed drivers skillfully guide their horses and carriages, both modern and antique, through a variety of competitive classes.  Arena, Obstacle and non-divisional events test precision, control and horsemanship as competitors vie for the coveted blue ribbon.

The Arena competitions include “Turnout” where drivers are judged on how well the horse and carriage function together and the cleanliness of the driver’s outfit; “Reinsmanship”, where judges rate drivers by their ability to control the horses and drive the carriage and “Working”, where the performance and manner of the horse are judged.

The Obstacle competitions include a timed cones course, where teams navigate a series of obstacles as quickly and accurately as possible. Competitors also participate in a pleasure drive pace, traveling a marked outdoor course though trails, fields or wooded areas and aiming to finish as close as possible to a predetermined “pleasure time” rather than achieving the fastest time.

Non-divisional classes provide additional entertainment for spectators and include a Gentlemen’s Driving Class, Drive and Ride competition, Carriage Dog Class, Ladies’ Driving Class and Concours d ’Elegance, which recognizes the most elegant turnout of the show.  

Certified judges from the American Driving Society award the coveted blue ribbon to the carriage team that excels in each competition.

Additionally, guests can tour the 27-room Wade House, an original 1850s Stagecoach Inn along with visiting the Dockstader Blacksmith shop, Herrling Sawmill and Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, which houses Wisconsin’s largest collection of carriages and wagons.

Wade House Carriage Driving Days will be held rain or shine. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 12. Concessions will be available for purchase.

Single-day tickets are $17 for adults and teens, $15 for senior citizens, $8.50 for children ages 5 to 12, and free for children under five. Weekend passes are $27 for adults and teens, $25 for senior citizens, $12.50 for children ages 5 to 12, and free for children under five.

For those who are interested in learning more about carriage driving, Wade House is offering carriage driving clinics featuring clinician Joe Yoder.  The clinics include a variety of educational opportunities for drivers: Wade House Driving Clinic: Individual Lessons for drivers with their equine partners on July 7 and 8, Wade House Driving Clinic: Learning Audit on July 7, 8 and 9 and Wade House Driving Clinic: Lunch & Learn on July 7, 8 and 9.  

For further information or to purchase tickets, visit wadehouse.org.

About Wade House

Wade House is one of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s 12 historic sites and museums. Located in Greenbush, the site includes an 1850s stagecoach inn that was built to serve traffic along a plank road connecting Fond du Lac and Sheboygan. The site tells the story of frontier entrepreneur Sylvanus Wade and his family during the 1850s and 1860s. In addition to the inn, the historic site includes the Dockstader blacksmith shop and Herrling sawmill, one of the few working, water-powered sawmills of its kind in the nation. Wade House is also home to the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, which houses the state’s largest collection of antique carriages and working wagons. For more information and a list of upcoming events call (920) 526-3271 or visit wadehouse.org. Wisconsin Historical Society members receive free admission to this site during regular operating hours. 

About the Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.