Hugh Scott-Barrett (left) on the carriage with Boyd Exell. Image: FEI /Lukasz Kowalski.
Hugh Scott-Barrett retires as Boyd Exell’s backstepper
By Equestrian Life
Hugh Scott-Barrett is retiring as backstepper for Australian driving legend Boyd Exell.
“After many years involved in international carriage driving competitions, Hugh is turning his focus to the support and promotion of carriage driving as a candidate for FEI Driving Chairman,” said Team XL via a social media post on Monday.
Hugh has been an integral part of Team XL since 2012. The opportunity arose when Ed Simonet, who had been backstepping for several years, left Boyd’s yard to begin his driving career. Boyd had been teaching Hugh’s wife Karen, a horse pairs driver at the time, and offered Hugh the chance to backstep at the UK National Championships at Windsor. The rest is history.
Hugh (right) has been an integral part of Exell’s team since 2012. Image: FEI /Richard Juilliart.
“Hugh has a rich history in driving sport. He has been a longtime supporter of British carriage driving both at grass roots level as well as at the London International Horse Show and at Royal Windsor,” continued Team XL.
“Founder, Chairman and committee member of DVI Driving Valkenswaard International, he has stepped into the Chef D’Equipe role when required, not to mention his support for Karen his wife, who is a single horse driver representing Britain.”
In four-in-hand driving, each team has a navigator and a backstepper positioned behind the driver. The backstepper at the rear of the carriage has multiple tasks.
“I think of myself as crewman alongside the skipper and navigator,” said Hugh Scott-Barrett to the FEI for a feature on backsteppers prior to the 2019 FEI Driving World Cup Final in Bordeaux.
“Correctly positioned over the inside rear wheel with a low centre of gravity, the backstepper can help maximise speed in the turn in the same way a crewman, on a sailing boat, can lean out over the water to help balance and optimise the boat speed.”
The backstepper can help maximise speed in the turn in the same way as a crewman on a sailing boat. Image: FEI/Richard Juilliart.
The backstepper is also responsible for making sure no cones are hit on the obstacle course, in addition to keeping an eye on the clock and letting the driver know if they need to speed up or can slow down.
Watching the cones. Image: FEI/Massimo Argenziano.
What a fantastic career on the carriage for Hugh Scott-Barrett, and no doubt there are competition highlights to numerous to mention as a backstepper for Team XL!
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