Dot Willcoxson and Spanish judge Joachim Medina at a recent event in Slovenia.
AUSTRALIAN carriage driving judge Dot Willcoxson from Braidwood has been promoted to the ground jury for this year's world championships for combined pony driving.
This is the first time an Australian will officiate as a member of the ground jury in the championships.
They will be held in Pau, France, from October 31 to November 3.
Dot is highly qualified for the job, with experience in the sport from a club level right up to judging at major world events.
As a regular competitor in Australia, Dot is a well-known and liked member of the carriage driving community in Australia and in countries such as France, England and Austria through her official duties.
She has been involved in carriage driving for 34 years, officiating for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Speaking after her appointment to the championships, she said that she was "excited and honoured and I look forward to representing Australia and AE (Equestrian Australia) in yet another role for carriage driving".
"This is a great honour for me and Australian carriage driving," she said.