The
day he made his decision between campouts or mucking stalls was the day he
received a riding hat, crop and tack as a birthday gift from his father.
“He
knew I would pick horses, and so he had the gift waiting for me in the back of
his car,” Sarri remembers.
With
his new gear, the young Sarri daydreamed of lazy
summer afternoons playing cowboys and Indians on horseback. But his father had
different ideas. Namely, Army Training School and anything-but-lazy summer
vacations in the prestigious Cadre Noir de Saumur, an elite French riding
school on a par with some of the most famous in the world.
As
a young man, with years of choice horse training under his belt, and fresh out
the Army, Sarri’s path diverged and diverged again,
taking him from a position as gala organizer at the Cannes Film Festival, to a
honeymoon in California that would change the direction of his life.
“I
came to San Diego on a honeymoon with my first wife. America was nothing like
the French had portrayed – terrible food, guns, gangs, nothing but skyscrapers.
It was friendly, clean and beautiful. I couldn’t believe it,” Sarri said.
Without
turning back, Sarri moved to San Diego and then to
Santa Barbara, where he worked construction for Chuck Cunningham, quickly
becoming known as the guy who would and could do just about anything.
It
was on a rare day off, in search of Red Rock, that Sarri
got lost and subsequently found his way to Santa Ynez. The valley reminded him
of the rolling hills behind the beach town where he grew up. Instantly enamored
and drawn to reïmmerse himself in an equestrian
community, Sarri moved to a house on Alamo Pintado and landed a job driving a tractor at Firestone
Vineyards.
“I
didn’t have a car back then, and hardly spoke English, so I just ran to odd
jobs.
“One
day Dean East, manager of Firestone, stopped to give me a ride and he asked if
I could drive a tractor. I wanted a real job so I told him I could,” Sarri remembers.
For
the years following, Sarri road his horse, Fury, to
work the fields, planting and sulfuring vines for Firestone and Carey Cellar
Vineyards, until the pull to be with horses became too strong. A friendship
with valley resident Susan Davidge, founder of the
California Dressage Society, launched his career as one of the valley’s premier
horse trainers, and landed him in the hearts of a community that knows him
simply as “Frenchie.”
Now
an expert in horse rehabilitation, Sarri is gifted in
taking troubled, injured or poorly trained horses and nurturing them to their
best potential, mentally and physically.
With
the help of daughter Ariane, Sarri
currently has 28 privately owned horses under his care, some at Cherokee Ranch
on Calzada Road.
“The
first step is earning the horse’s trust; once you have their trust, then they
can learn. We teach them balance, suppleness, and the ability to use their body
with grace. Many horses have been asked too much too fast, so a lot of my job
is to rehabilitate them mentally so I can start to rehabilitate them
physically,” Sarri said.
Sarri goes on to explain that everyone wants
the perfect horse in Competition Dressage.
It
is a must — nothing but the most expensive, naturally talented animal. In
Classical Dressage the emphasis is on discovering a horse’s talent and
nurturing it — a concept that speaks to the heart of why Sarri
has enjoyed a life with horses here in the valley for nearly 30 years.
In
addition to rehabilitation, Sarri also trains horses
in the discipline of carriage, jumping and Western styles.
He
spends most of his time at the stables with the horses, and giving private or
semi-private lessons to the horse owners themselves.
“We
rehabilitate horses, but we also help people. Some of my clients have been in
accidents or have simply lost confidence, which makes for an uncomfortable
relationship with their animal.
“We
teach them how to care for their horses emotionally and physically, and in the
process build back confidence in their own ability as the owner,” Sarri said.
It
is this sort of comprehensive care that makes Sarri
sought after time and again, and it is the relationship he builds with the
owners and the horses that give him an edge as an effective trainer.
“You
must first love what you do. That is why I want to thank the community for
supporting me in what I love doing. After 28 years, I was able to fulfill the
American Dream — I bought a house with Gina in Santa Ynez,” Sarri
said.
Gina
Crippa, owner of Bella Fiori,
and Sarri have been together for 10 years, supporting
each other in their respective businesses and reveling in the beauty of a place
Sarri calls “God’s Pocket.”
“Santa
Ynez Valley is God’s Pocket,” Sarri said.
“Certain
kinds of people don’t last here; it’s like they get spit out. The people who
live here are blessed.”
For training information contact Jean Charles Sarri at 805-588-3971.