THE first ever National Horse Driving Trail to be held in Wales will take place at Erddig, Wrexham, on July 25 to 27.

It is one of only eight held in the UK each year joining such prestigious venues as Windsor, Sandringham and Lowther.

Up to 70 teams of competitors from across the UK will compete for 16 classes of trophies covering dressage (Friday), marathon (Saturday) and cones/agility (Sunday). Many of the teams compete internationally and some entrants are part of the British team.

Dressage is regarded by many as the most glamorous of the equestrian disciplines while the cross-country marathon will be adrenalin pumping mud-flying action.

Steve Griffiths, head warden at Erddig said: “Following on from last year’s regional event held at Erddig I am absolutely thrilled to host the first ever national.

“My team have worked extremely hard over the past few months to build a course that will be a serious challenge for the competitors. This is a great opportunity to show off the Erddig Country Park.”

Times for the competition are:

Friday 25, dressage - 9am- 4pm,

Saturday 26, marathon - 9am- 4.30pm, Sunday 27, cones - 9am- 4pm.