Cowardice as a Design tool.

I lost my nerve around horses after years and years of falling progressively further as my mother put me on larger and larger, and less and less predictable animals. I was never very good at staying on anyway, but I started to hurt on landing, which means you tense up and hurt more. Stopping riding was the sensible solution.

Many years later my mother gave my daughters Henry, and small (10.1hh) pony. Since riding him, at 17 stone and 6'3"  would have been brutal, I decided I needed a SAFE, one man, pony powered vehicle.

In 2,000, in the UK, one man vehicles didn't exist. The assumption was that you would carry a "groom" (a horsey servant) when you drive, but after looking all round the house I still seemed to be servant free, I thought it was time for a modern pony powered vehicle.

The Saddlechariot was the result. It was an amazing vehicle, and the safest vehicle around when compared to horse drawn vehicles, but that is not a high bar.

A really painful accident with a small horse bolting round an outdoor school, showed me the answer. I could step safely off the Saddlechariot, even at high speed, but I felt guilty leaving the horse to cope on its own.  As I flew throught the air towards a very solid fence I realised that an Instant Pony release Ssytem would be cheaper than psychoanalysis, and would sort out the guilt problem rather better.

Luckily I hit the first fence post with my hip, so I remembered the idea on impact.

I don't drive without the Instant Pony Release System. Cowardice still rules.

The Obamobile 3 is an all terrain, wheelchair accessible, pony powered vehicle.

It was built round Obama, modified, rebuilt, remodified etc etc and it finally does what I want, and will do it for anyone.

addition I build the Obamobile 2, a slammed egyptian chariot originally designed around a couple of amputee friends. But it is just awesome fun so I hoon around on it pretending I am working.