If you were driving down Route 11 on Sunday August 18th, and looked over to the Potter Place parking lot, you would have seen about a dozen horse trailers and as many riders and carriages as the Granite State Carriage Association held their annual Andover Driving Event.

The weather was lovely as about 8 to 10 riders and 6 to 8 carriages and carts shared the Northern Rail trail with hikers and bicyclists on the route up to Danbury and down into Andover. Rick and Connie Moses, members of the Carriage Association, obtain the permits and keys from New Hampshire DES in order to open the gates, since carriages cannot pass around them if they are locked. This year there were three carts pulled by mini horses as well as several pulled by full size horses including a pair, and a number that were ridden. Members came from New Hampshire and Vermont to participate.

The Granite State Carriage Association is a recreational horse driving and riding Club, founded in 1978, , and holds many drives throughout the summer and fall in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. Many of the events are day outings and some are overnight adventures, including horse camping. More can be found at   granitestatecarriage.org