Chester’s main team: Rolex, Jamaica, Grumus and Parava
By Amber Heintzberger T
he magic of combined driving is a team of driver, navigator and athletic, talented horses working in harmony. A four-in-hand team is the epitome of this challenging and daring sport. Chester Weber is at the top of his game, known around the world as one of the best drivers with one of the best teams. It is not a situation that devel-
oped through luck or coincidence, but one that has taken years of hard work, training and careful planning to select and train the ultimate team of horses.
Based in his hometown of Ocala, Florida, where his family owns Live Oak Stud, his group of talented assistants and trainers works with his equally talented group of Dutch Warmblood horses.
Chester’s family has always been involved in horses, and his wife Elisabeth is also involved in jumpers and equine photography.
“I’ve been driving since 6th or 7th grade, and I’m 33 now,” Chester comments. “My dad and I drove some draft horses together for fun. It was a natural progression – I was driving six to eight draft horses and by age 16 I had won a lot of big championships, with encouragement from my folks. From 1989 to 1999 I was driving pairs, and by 1999 I started driving four-in-hands. In four-in-hand driving there are a lot of things going on at one time, but if you have the privilege to sit behind a good team there’s no better feeling than four horses working together.”
Chester’s current team of horses includes Jamaica, Senate, Boy W, Grumus, Rolex W, and Parava. His barn manager Olof Larsson, from Sweden, and head groom Taren Lester, from England, are also integral members of the team, caring for the horses and navigating from the carriage during competitions.
A Successful Career
At 18 years of age, Chester was the youngest driver to be named to the United States Equestrian Team (USET) and to qualify for the World Pairs Driving Championship. By 1999 he had won 12 consecutive Advanced combined driving events and then transitioned to Four-in-Hand driving, where he has not only made a name for himself internationally, but he has earned an unprecedented streak of six National Championships in a row in the United States.
He has also earned a Team Silver Medal and individual fifth place at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games, in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and eighth place at the WEG in 2006 in Aachen.
2008 was a banner year for Weber. His summer in Europe culminated with an Individual Silver Medal in the Four-in-Hand 14
Photos courtesy of Angelica Gruber & Elisabeth Weber
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