Daniel López Rodriguez - Horse Driving

As he tells us, the discipline he is in love with is driving, although he recognises that each has its own charm. Of course, the one he enjoys the most is the competitive spirit of driving and previous wins are amongst his greatest treasures.

He began competing in driving competitions in 2003. First in single-horse driving, with a horse called “Frijolito”, with who, he won the Silver medal at the 2005 Andalucia Championship.

In 2006, he won the ANCE cup at SICAB, again in single-horse driving. In 2007 he made the move to pairs, the same year he got his two black mares, with which he is still competing.

Since then he has achieved much success, both individually and in teams, such as at the Spanish Championships. He has also won awards in both marathon and obstacle cone phases in the King’s Cup (La Copa del Rey) and the Andalucia driving cup.

These are his impressions of his experience with our glue-on competition model.

On the question of harsh and demanding conditions, what difference have you noticed in comparison with horsehoe?

I think the biggest difference is in the comfort for the horse without pressure from shoes or nails.

What can you tell us about the traction of the boots?

Traction has been more than satisfactory, my mares haven’t slipped in testing and their movement demonstrates increased mobility with the boots. 

So, do you think the quality of the horses’ movement has been better?

Yes, much better…

Could you take the curves in a more balanced way? Did they slip less?

Yes, since using the boots, they take the curves in a more balanced way with practically no slipping, in fact, in my last competition, they didn’t slip at all.

Do you think the horses are more comfortable working with boots?

Yes, I think they have gained a lot in confort.

Do you think they contribute to improving extension in pairs?

Yes, without a doubt, this is one of the things I have noticed most with my mares, before the boots when their trot was shorter I couldn’t see the front hooves and now, thanks to Floating I can see boots on the end of extended legs.

We greatly appreciate Daniel’s kindness in sending us his impressions and in responding so favourably to our questions. We wish him continued success and above all, continued enjoyment in his sport, which he is so clearly passionate about.

Surely from now on, we will be following the world of horse driving much more closely.