Our goal is to promote workshops and clinics on carriage driving - to provide and support carriage driving throughout the state - to promote safety in the sport. AWWCC - Alabama Whips and Wheels Carriage Club
Wade Boelter AWWCC Secretary and Treasurer
Carriage Driving: The Sport with Spirit!
..Hello and Welcome to our Newly Born Carriage Driving Club. I hope you find us friendly and accommod
ating to your individual needs and that we serve your purpose well as a educational resource with links, videos, clinicians and an exciting venue of sport for you and your horses.
..When I moved to Alabama from my home country of MN I was in awe of the beauty of the rock and pine. The selling point for me was also the fact that a Alabama Morgan Horse Club existed. I think I'm approaching 5 years residency now in Alabama. What can a person accomplish in that time one might Ask? ..Well my partner Jon and I have developed a nice piece of property as his Skill is construction, landscaping, horticulture, orchard, heating and air conditioning and plumbing. So what have I brought to the table. My interests and skills have always been a combination of technical, psychology, training, horse sport and husbandry. Throw in a show groom,farrier and a manager also. ..So by now you must be wondering how the chance to engage, drive and work a grass roots half happening not happening club from the ground up to a platform of organization, education, business and management came to be?..It's simple, I have no place to show my Morgan horses in the State of Alabama! LOL.. Its the honest truth. I just can not live like that, there had to be a way somehow?
..For those of you that know me and follow me on FaceBook Im sure you have heard me talk about the "Heart of Dixie Driving Club" (which rather quickly evolved into "Alabama Driving Challenge" to be politically correct and more precise). Well the club just could not get off the ground by myself as I could not find strong people with Vision and Muster to make it happen. I would not let that stop me. (At that time Jon's Father was in our care as he had been struggling with Alzheimer's disease for many years)...In the meanwhile I canvased the entire state of Alabama. I had phone conversations many people and found Sandra Norriss who was knocking around with pony people and carried a strong voice with presence for Carriage Driving. Though that just wasn't what i was looking for with my Morgans. I want to play man! ..Fortunately I was introduced to the BDCTA-Birmingham Dressage Combined Training Association. Ok now were getting somewhere, they are a working show with manpower and they sponsor carriage driving in addition to cross-sport and dressage. They even have western dressage classes...So after having met a lot of people and feeling somewhat stagnant My good friend Kris Rame asked if I was looking for some winter work? So I hopped on down to Ocala Florida and show groomed the full Winter curcuit at Hits' for Mark and Kim Jungherr. Talk about work ethic and still managing to sit in on the Alabama Horse Council for Fair planning and council meetings between my occasional home visits to Alabama. That job truly was what i needed. For anyone who loves the Horse Sport atmosphere you know I had a blast. ..After the winter Circuit was over I was invited by Tricia Harbin Pierce to Judge a Obstacle challenge show and meet her crew. I loved it and later was asked to join her Board of Directors with the AOCS-Alabama Obstacle Challenge Series. Tricia Harbin and her crew Jessica Jones, Val and Clay Cox, Lauren Henny and Me. If there is a group of people that are a good example of united forces of vision for the common good of all makes things happen... the AOCS is a Best Example! Extra for me is that i now have AOCS as a venue to show my Morgans (well its not politically correct to do so if your judging shows Lol :). I kind of realized i'd have to step out for a bit if I wanted the venue. Good experience though and met a lot fun people.
..Well through this time Jon's father was taken by his Alzheimers more than his body could support and surrounded by family and friends he succumbed to the disease and passed on. I suppose its faith and hope that holds us all together with some goal to live for. Did I mention that somehow Jon managed to build a house, small orchard with greenhouses gardens and 200 blueberry shrubs while i built an obstacle course, outdoor arena and fenced in pastures for my stallion, mares and horses.
..Now the insight to AWWCC Born date. As Life goes on, we adapt and evolve with change.
..Sitting on my phone sometimes literally and cruising thru my Facebook feeds I find that Anna Shaw from Aiken South Carolina was holding a Clinic in Auburn AL on introductory harness, pony to carriage and general discussion. I thought id check it out showing my support to the then "Alabama Whips and Wheels" plus a general refresher and the hopes of meeting some people who could possibly get things moving in the right direction. Sandra Norriss was an acquaintance, I knew she would be there and I had been messaging Anna Shaw thru Facebook as she posts photos of her catching snakes out of her chicken coup with her bare hands Lol.
..I tell you what? I'm so glad I made the scenic drive to Auburn because I met some very nice people in a comfortable surrounding. Little did they know the Tiger was out and that is where I met Miss Linda Lowe.
..I chuckle when I think about our first meeting as we had an awkward moment talking about Morgan horses and Dressage. No worries though as Morgan people are use to the awkwardness around Morgans in the realm of hunter warmbloods and Grand Prix Dressage world. Big valley in there and honestly the two worlds are a mile apart.
..Linda Lowe and I conversed after Anna's clinic by phone. Linda rode Eventer's and Showed Dressage throughout her life. She has high standards for quality with doing things correctly and knows how to design and manage a Horse show. Linda can best tell the story of her credentials not only as an Equestrian but also as a retired Nurse.
..Long Story Short... November 20, 2016 Linda organized and planned a club organization meeting with a day of fun Mini Derby at the Beautiful Hillock Dressage Horses facility owned by Lisa T. Smith. Linda designed the course. I drove down to work with her on set up. ALL I Can say... Linda Lowe is my speed and has high standards for quality. I Totally Knew Then this club could get off the ground. Linda also gave me a tour of Miss Linda D's farm with over 70 acres for future Derby and CDE development. This also makes the Montevallo and Calera Alabama area an ideal location for development. Miss Sandra Norriss also lives in Montevallo.
..The club elected officers with Linda Lowe as President, Sandra Norriss as Vice President and (Me) Wade Boelter as Sec/Treasurer.
..Miss Linda Lowe: Event planning, Public Relations, Course Design, Obstacle and Hazrd design, Show and Business Management, News Letter. Website updates.
..Miss Sandra Norriss: Managing the "Whips and Wheels Page", Support
..Wade Boelter: Information Technology, Accounting, Processing Membership and Fee's, Business Management, sales and Marketing. Secretarial. Today the club "Alabama Whips and Wheels" is now known as the "AWWCC - Alabama Whips and Wheels Carriage Club" and is branding itself so through Correct sound business platform, Marketing and Accounting. The AWWCC-Alabama Whips and Wheels Carriage Club is registered with the state of Alabama as a Not For Profit/Nonprofit with a Tax I.D. number. The AWWCC is NOT a 501c3
..The AWWCC is Now capable of processing all major credit cards online or at the registration desk.
..Members and Patrons will be able to complete all registration forms (with the exception of signing a waiver) online from the comfort of there home through the www.AWWCC.org website. I will be able to send Members and Patrons a emailed invoice of there show bill that they can pay from the comfort of there home online through SQUARE Register with total confidentiality and privacy rights.
..Facebook and Instagram are two very inexpensive Advertising and Marketing platforms to reach new Members. The AWWCC now has a Business account with FaceBook established to manage Pages.
..Miss Sandra Norriss refuses to release her "Whip Wheels" page into the AWWCC FaceBook Business account because she does not understand Information Technology or organization.
..I opened a FREE FaceBook Business Account because its a business separate from (me). And THAT my friends is why we are starting out with 2 AWWCC pages under the Business Account... and a third one that Sandra Norriss is holding onto.of her own. She resisted and refused to turn it over so she may as well keep it. Although hers is not in the AWWCC Business Account where it should be. Honestly if you create any business page you want it in a Business Account unless there is no liability and your just vending at the farmers market.
.. Marketing and advertising benefits we have now with two effective pages joined is that you can cross-post ad's through them. Everyone will find there way.
