Highlights Archives
Carriage Classic Recalls Heyday of the Villa Louis
Some of the Midwest's best horses and finest restored carriages will converge in Prairie du Chien on Saturday and Sunday, September 11-12, for the 24th running of the annual Villa Louis Carriage Classic. This popular event, the largest sport-driving show in the Midwest, also recalls the Victorian country estate's own heyday as a farm for the breeding of horses for harness racing.
The Villa Louis — with most of its interior rooms recently restored to their 1890s British Arts and Crafts splendor — never looks better than during the late-summer equine classic. Perched atop a mound overlooking the Mississippi River, the cream-brick mansion and grounds provide an elegant setting for the largest and most stylish horse-and-carriage event in the region. More than 80 drivers, their stable hands and groomsmen will compete in a variety of classes, including obstacle courses and a cross-country event featuring simulated hazards ranging from open water to corkscrew turns. At the end of the event, the top drivers and teams take home honors for best reinsman (driver), best working horse (animal's ability to perform), and best turnout (overall appearance of the horse, driver and carriage).
Another event, the Victorian Picnic Class, judges entrants on the overall elegance of a country picnic outing, including the appearance of teams and their rigs, the picnic lunch presentation, and the smartly dressed picnickers' period costuming. The picnic class, reminiscent of Victorian leisure-class pursuits, takes place at noon Saturday. Cross-country events take place Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with the concluding Concours d'Elegance — a parade of all the competitors — beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Arena competition continues throughout both days.
The Carriage Classic recalls a brief chapter in the history of 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.
:: Posted September 1, 2004
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