Renewable Horsepower

Renewable energy enthusiasts are harnessing traditional energy sources with cutting edge technology.

Modern wind farms look nothing like romantic Amsterdam windmills, tidal energy has gone way past Thorrington tide mill's timber framed, breast shot waterwheel technology of 1831, sailing cargo ships have scrapped all the masts and ratlines, booms, spankers and other nautical type words for one huge computer controlled cutting edge kite .
The Saddlechariot harnesses a 5,000 year old power source, the original horsepower, actually ponypower, but with a 21st century approach to safety , animal welfare, ergonomics and ecology.

Working with Lancaster University Engineering department gives me a huge adventure playground of knowledge of the materials, techniques and concepts of modern engineering, and allows them to study a mad, obsessive inventor at close quarters.

So lets look at the power source, the horse power.

The horse unites more cultures than music, or dance or religion. The horse unites cultures that didn't have horses with those that did, and those that didn't have produced some of the greatest horsemen and women in the world. Western civilisation (I agree, it would be a good idea) took the horse, syphilis, the Bible, alcohol and gunpowder to the New World, and the horse, alone amongst those gifts, unites all those who love them, ie most of humanity.

But the horse is only the junior member of the race Equus, the senior branch of the family are ponies, since horse history, historically is pony history . If there had been rideable horses, the chariot would have been unnecessary, but since the chariot clearly was necessary, etc etc.

So go back as far as you like in any of the myriad pedigrees, and you can argue about the accuracy, just like you can with any family tree, but go back far enough and the foundation of every horse line, anywhere in the world, is a pony.

And the saddlechariot, like the horse, owes its existence to a pony, in the case of the Saddlechariot, Henry .

The Saddlechariot gives Henry something to do, and if you don't think that is important, find a field and stand in it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Henry, just like anyone else, likes a little variety in his life, and with the saddlechariot he gets it.

The Saddlechariot is a chariot because it was built round a pony. It is a saddlechariot because I am scared of horses and lack the athletic skill, balance and courage to drive a real chariot, and lack the carriage driving skills and courage to drive a carriage, so as an unskilled coward, I built the saddlechariot for people who weren't very brave, and weren't very athletic and weren't very good carriage drivers and who had small ponies.

But above all it is modern. My car is the most modern I can afford, ditto my computer, my camera, my waterproof clothing, my reflective jacket. Vets are trained in the very latest techniques, feed manufacturers are responding to the latest advice on Laminitis, new training methods are appearing on a daily basis. The saddlechariot embraces modern materials, modern engineering, modern safety attitudes and modern animal welfare attitudes.

And although it was designed around a small pony to be safe, it fits anything and is pure fun. The Country Land and Business Association featured the Saddlechariot in their Northwest newsletter recently. This shows the remarkable wheelchair friendly version in prototype and the experience of a complete non horseman driving the saddlechariot.
Horsetalk NZ, a surprisingly informative web based magazine from the other side of the world ran a feature on the Saddlechariot which I am bound to say is brilliant, but I have also read their articles on haylage, barefoot trimming, laminitis research, horse dentistry and find they are a consistent source of good well balanced articles on all matters equestrian.

This is the new front page of the Saddlechariot website, but I intend to keep the old version running in parrallel to confuse you.
In theory all the new stuff will be at the top of the navigation bar and the rest at the bottom, but since I will be crosslinking new with old, you could find yourself almost anywhere. But feel free to give me a ring on 01768 351380 The problem isn't getting information from me on Saddlechariots , it's shutting me up.
Good luck and I hope the links aren't too confusing.