CLUTCHING the reins of a trotting pony while it catapults across the bumpy course of Greenmeadow Community Farm, Cwmbran, was not quite what I expected when invited to join a disabled carriage driving group for the evening.

But it turns out the Ceffyl Du Carriage Driving for the Disabled Group, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary, is not for the faint-hearted.

The 14 drivers meet every Monday evening to spend time with horses Lucy and Tinker and learn to drive the purpose-built carriage that accommodates wheelchairs.

Mark Gibbons, 47, lives in Cwmbran, has cerebral palsy and has been coming to the group for 16 years.

He said: “I think it’s great. It’s therapeutic and gives me a real sense of achievement.

“I’ve made a great deal of friends here, socially we’re like one big family.”

Nervously watching the drivers race around the track, I’m given a helmet and ask Mark if he has any advice. “Don’t fall out,” he says laughing.

The disabled drivers sit alongside a trained carriage driver known as a whip who has hold of the reins ready to take up contact if necessary - like the dual-controls of a driving instructor’s car.

My whip Phillipa Coals hands me the reins and explains how they are modified to suit each driver, with knots or loops to allow them to control the horse - but as I have no disabilities I’ll have to drive with both reins in one hand.

“Walk on Lucy!” I shout and we’re off, taking the corners and trotting through the field. The first thing I notice is how you can feel every movement of the horse and I can only imagine how liberating it must feel for a driver spending their life in a wheelchair.

I complete the course of cones in the field, knocking one over for good measure, and am back on stable ground when volunteer Rachael Miles explains: “Most people who come here learn to drive independently and it’s the one time they feel totally in control.”

Making my way around the friendly faces of the group I come accross 61-year-old Rex Codd from Cwmbran who has been driving carriages with the group for 22 years despite his cerebral palsy.

He said: “I love the horses but Tinker is my favourite, we’ve only had her a year and I was the first disabled driver to drive her.”

Group organiser Holly Williams said: “It’s about the driver and the horse, the relationship between them - the horse can feel if you’re nervous or shy.”

To load a wheelchair on to the carriage takes five people - not including the whip - and the group is always looking for new volunteers.

For more information contact the group’s secretary Holly Williams on 08452414318.