Navigator Gary Yeager balances the cart as driver Kami Landy goes into a turn during the Combined Driving at TerraNova marathon event Jan. 24.
Photo by Jay Heater
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Besides drawing 111 entries in the Combined Driving at TerraNova event on Jan. 23-25, the TerraNova Equestrian Center also attracted a celebrity driver.
Chester Weber, the Four-in-Hand combined driving world champion, came to Myakka and won his division of the competition.
Last year, Lakewood Ranch's Misdee Miller won that division, but she decided not to defend her title in 2026 and has decided to retire from competitive driving.
The event drew drivers from the United States (20 states represented), Canada and Australia. The competitors ranged in age from 22 to 83-year-old Robert Koopman.
Sarasota's Robert Koopman was the only local driver in the event.
The event was free to the public, but the TerraNova Equestrian Center also offered a lavish buffet for anyone who wanted the VIP treatment.
Ruby Tevis, the director of marketing at TerraNova, said she expects the event to continue to grow in the future.
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Navigator Melissa Auen and driver Janet Crumpton make it through a water obstacle at the Combined Driving at TerraNova competition Jan. 24.
Photo by Jay Heater
Madeline Kurtz holds on tight into a sharp turn as driver Leslie Bernd handles the reins during the marathon of Combined Driving at TerraNova on Jan. 24.
Photo by Jay Heater
William Burkett and his wife and navigator Jennifer Burkett look like they are going out for a Sunday stroll during the Combined Driving at TerraNova marathon day of competition Jan. 24.
Photo by Jay Heater
Driver Linda Poulin might not have been the fastest through the obstacles, but she certainly was driving one of the prettiest carts.
Photo by Jay Heater
Navigator Jann Normington has a firm grip as driver Barbara Chapman urges Jory Blue through a hazard. The team finished first in Prelim Single Pony.
Photo by Jay Heater
Patricia Mann and her horse Korenda head toward an obstacle.
Photo by Jay Heater
Combining Driving at TerraNova is a family affair for Anna Koopman and her 83-year-old dad, Robert Koopman.
Photo by Jay Heater
Driver Michelle Du Bois gets a little directional help from her navigator during the Combined Driving at TerraNova competition Jan. 24 in Myakka.
Photo by Jay Heater
Driver Sara Schmitt eases into an obstacle.
Photo by Jay Heater
Sarasota's Scott Adcox is the only local driver competing in the Combined Driving at TerraNova event at TerraNova Equestrian Center. His navigator is Merle Harms Megahan
Photo by Jay Heater
The TerraNova Equestrian Center set up a tented area for visitors to watch the marathon portion of the Combined Driving event Jan. 24.
Photo by Jay Heater
Driver Patricia Mann was just one of 111 entries into the 2026 Combined Driving at TerraNova event in Myakka.
Photo by Jay Heater
Megan Fullgraf leads her team through the obstacles in the arena during the Combined Driving at TerraNova marathon.
Photo by Jay Heater
World champion four-in-hand driver Chester Weber of Ocala won his division of the Combined Driving at TerraNova event Jan. 23-25 in Myakka.
Jay Heater is the managing editor of the East County Observer. Overall, he has been in the business more than 41 years, 26 spent at the Contra Costa Times in the San Francisco Bay area as a sportswriter covering college football and basketball, boxing and horse racing.
