Friday 22 August 2008

Establishment

I have been trying for some time to split the Saddlechariot website in half, so those interested in what it does, and how, can look at that, and those interested in the history and philosophy can look at that, but I cannot get the division to make sense. I have finally realised that it needs a third section, to describe the extraordinary behaviour of the British Equestrian Establishment who for 8 years have pretended I don't exist, while allowing their minions to trash my business, and my life.
Click here to find out what they have done, and why. Otherwise the total lack of expert opinions, official demonstrations and media coverage looks very odd indeed. The fact that I have a brilliant vehicle for the disabled and no UK based horse or disability organisation will even look at it, is an awful lot odder.


So back to the Saddlechariot. First what it isn't. It isn't a Carriage or a Gig and I can prove it isn't a Trap because both the driver and the pony can get out of a Saddlechariot and you can't get out of a trap. Here is a video of getting off a moving Saddlechariot and removing the Saddlechariot at the same time, and not a servant in sight.

The saddlechariot is a SAFE, one person, pony (donkey, horse, mule, zebra) drawn vehicle, built to modern safety standards, built to modern animal welfare standards and quite specifically designed by me and not intended to look as though it was designed by somebody's great, great, grandfather.

It is fun, fun for ponies, fun for people.

It doesn't look impressive because I didn't build it so I could go out and impress people. It doesn't have huge, wooden spoked, solid tyred wheels so I can sit up high and look down on the common herd. It was designed between 2,000AD and 2,008AD and to a modern designer, big spoked wheels are big blunt scissors, just waiting to mangle limbs where children, dogs, ponies are present.

It is a chariot, not because it has been dressed up to look like Hollywood's idea of a chariot, but because it performs the functions of a chariot, a high speed, one person, unsprung, all terrain vehicle, which allows small ponies to pull adults at speed.

It doesn't need a groom because I don't have servants and I would look pretty silly carefully designing a vehicle, and then having to go down to the job centre to hire a groom to help me. If you have servants, there are hundreds of vehicles designed for people just like you.



And combined with Natural Horsemanship, it makes driving ponies and horses SAFE and EASY. I can put a green animal in a Saddlechariot in under two hours, without pressure, without cruelty and without any risk. I've done it a lot quicker but I like some leeway.








As a working class revolutionary, I have many failings. The wrong accent and an inherent dislike of hard work don't help, but the whole Saddlechariot website makes no sense without an explanation of why I am a (very bad) working class revolutionary.
Luckily Landrover have produced a viral advert which perfectly demonstrates the way the British Horse establishment trest those they don't like.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

May I direct Derek Mooney from RTE Radio One to your site? I'd love it if he sent himself or one of his reporters over to you or got you over here. (I'd love it even more if they got me a saddlechariot to try out!!! I can but dream). He used to do a wildlife programme, but now has a daily show on animals, environment & social issues. They tried to get people cycling rather than driving & ran a competition to give out bicycles 2 years ago.