Michael Kerr and his horse BJ.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
If you’re driving around Coomboona on a weekend, you might come across BJ the Clydesdale brumby cross and his owner, Michael Kerr, passing down the art of cart driving to the next generation of horse lovers.
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The pair moved to Coomboona in July of 2020, having been a well-known sight where they used to live in the Yarra Valley.
Mr Kerr has loved horses all his life and was introduced to cart driving by a friend; however, his connection to horse driving stretches back to his grandfather, who built carriages in Echuca.
A horse that stands at 17.2 hands high could be an imposing figure, but BJ has a quiet and sweet presence.
Mr Kerr said BJ needed only four weeks of training to get him under saddle and in harness, when most horses would take at least six.
BJ turns heads wherever he goes, including when Mr Kerr has driven him to the pub.
Mr Kerr often finds people gathered around taking photos, and BJ enjoying being the centre of attention.
BJ mostly captures the attention of children, but others are also charmed by him.
“The bikies, they love him,” Mr Kerr said.
More than once, the pair have come across kids who have tried to follow them, and Mr Kerr has told them to find their parents so they could go on a ride together.
Mr Kerr recalled giving a ride to a man who had been working abroad for five years and his family.
At the end of the ride, the man told him, “This is the best day I’ve had.”
Mr Kerr has found a number of people through local Facebook groups who want to pick up the reins themselves.
“It’s a great art, people are wanting to learn to drive,” he said.
“I’ve met some lovely people.”
The pair have had extra company most weekends, which is something that has come in handy for Mr Kerr in recent months.
Mr Kerr fell ill last year. He visited doctors numerous times, and eventually received a cancer diagnosis in December.
“I couldn’t work out why I had no energy, I was absolutely flat,” Mr Kerr said.
Although he has taken learners for rides for years, Mr Kerr now needs help tacking up BJ and hitching him to the cart.
In return for his knowledge, some of his learners have stepped up to give him a hand with other things, such as mowing his lawn.
Mr Kerr said that after one ride he found one of his learners “cleaning all my tack and harnesses and putting it back”.
“Horse people are great,” he said.
Michael Kerr and his horse BJ.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
