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(Photo top left) Ann McClure, Arroyo Grande, leads her horse Rodger during a Carriage Dressage exhibition at the Nine Oaks Ranch in Santa Paula. Rodger is a 2008 World Champion. Marlies Luetz (top right), one of the horse and carriage trainers at Nine Oaks Ranch, demonstrates riding sidesaddle on her horse Rambo. Frank Luetz (bottom left), trainer at Nine Oaks Ranch leads his four horse team of Calero, Davino. Rambo, and Asco, during an demonstration of the carriage and horses. Grooms are Geoff Gee, (Nine Oaks owner), and Mario Santana (Frazier Moorpark Ranch). (Bottom right) Various carriages were on display during an open house of Nine Oaks Ranch in Santa Paula. Nine Oaks Ranch held demonstrations of carriages and horses. The barns and stalls were also open to visit all the horses. |
Nine Oaks Ranch home to unique sport of competitive carriage driving
April 09, 2010
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Santa Paula’s Nine Oaks Ranch, overlooking the Santa Clara River Valley, is 33 acres devoted to a unique sport made famous by a prince, and a contest of rising popularity in the United States, competitive carriage driving, also known as horse driving trails. Most akin to mounted equestrian events, Nine Oaks Ranch is serious about the sport that promotes camaraderie and a love of horses who relish being put through exacting paces.
Nine Oaks Ranch owners Sharon and Geoff Gee are so serious about the sport, they brought acclaimed trainer/competitors Frank Luetz and his wife Marlies - and their five horses - from Germany to oversee the equestrian center for those with “A Passion for Horses” noted on the ranch’s custom polo shirts. “We wanted a place to drive this sport” that Geoff said in Europe can draw 100,000 spectators to competitions.
Nine Oaks Ranch, a rare such facility in Southern California, is perfect for small competitions, as well as the training it offers both horses and drivers. And the venue is a “beautiful location; we like Santa Paula, it’s neat and we have a great view.”
The Gees met the Luetzes through the man who helped the former locate their two carriage horses in Germany, famous for the warmblood breeds preferred for sporting. “He recommended Frank,” and Geoff said the Gees “felt if we were serious about this,” the only way to do it was with the best. And Frank, he added, is the best, and “really does a great job of training.”
The sport involves a carriage driver whose vehicle is drawn by a single horse, a pair, or a team of four. The sport has three phases: Dressage, Cross-country Marathon and Obstacle Cone Driving. It is one of the 10 international equestrian sport horse disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), included in 1970.
An early and high-profile disciple was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who still competes in carriage driving, a sport which he helped expand and for which he wrote the early rule book. The prince took up the sport in 1971 after retiring from polo, and is the author of “30 Years On and Off the Box Seat” detailing his love of carriage competition, which is included in world equestrian competitions also known as Horse Driving Trials.
“I see it as really growing,” said Frank, who noted a Southern California driving club, the Whippersnappers, has a membership of more than 100, and the American Driving Society and the Carriage Association of America are also thriving. Those interested in the sport want to be professional and “have a lot of fun; people want the fun.”
And the excitement: later this year Kentucky will host the World Equestrian Games, including carriage competition. Geoff said, “It’s supposed to be a gentleman’s sport,” competition for its own sake and not for cash prizes.
Carriages can be drawn by a single horse, a pair or four-in-hand, and multiples are selected with an eye toward like size and coloring as well as their skills in harness, including gait and ride-ability so the animals can be used in various competitions. “We can ride or drive them,” and Frank said they are trained to “carry any rider,” whether mounted sidesaddle, English or anything in between. Horses and sport, he added, are “a virus... hearing the horses trot with your eyes closed” just one symptom of the horse-loving bug.
Geoff said the teams are put through a minimum of three judging phases - Dressage, Cross-country Marathon and Obstacle Cone Driving - and the latter can be the most challenging, with horses put through their paces tackling courses that can include gates, cones and water hazards.
Nine Oaks Ranch has a spacious barn and 18 stalls on the property, a tack room that smells of leather, and plenty of property for all phases of competition. The carriage house holds many fine models, including those manufactured in Holland and Germany that Frank said are the most successful.
One of the horses on the property is a 2008 world champion known by his bar name of Roger. It also hosts on occasion Sharon’s four miniature horses and miniature mule, which have proven to be highly popular entries in local parades where they are known as the South Mountain Marvelous Minis. Most of the time the miniatures reside at the Gees’ Malibu home.
Frank and Marlies, their horses and friendly dog moved to Nine Oaks Ranch in June 2009. Frank said, “We like California very much,” a remark that brought a laugh from Geoff, who noted that when checking the computer in the ranch house it’s easy to see at least one reason why.
“The temperature between here and Bunn, Germany,” said Geoff, “is a big difference.” The Luetzes also appreciate Santa Paula, a “very special place” that, Frank said, “we like very much.”
Without the Gees the Luetzes might not have made the trip, but without friends involved in competitions the Gees themselves might not have become involved in the sport.
Although active in carriage competition for about three years now, Geoff said his and Sharon’s passion for the sport initially started 19 years ago with a pair of driving mules, a wedding present from his wife. Sharon said she found the mules, carriage and tack, “Everything!” in Bishop and videotaped each move of the intricate hookup melding animal, conveyor and human as one.
Then the couple took their new possessions and headed back to Malibu. “And when we got home,” said Sharon, reenacting the moment of realization that included a self-delivered head-slap, “I thought ‘What did I do?!?’”
