News

October 17th, 2022

Every once in a while, I have the opportunity to meet really amazing people who inspire and teach! Last month I attended a company meeting included a presenter who topped the list of all the motivational speakers I’ve ever heard. Jackie Kecskes is the Equestrian Manager at an authentic 37,000 acre working cattle ranch in Western Montana. She spoke to our group and I was so impressed by what she had to say, I’d love to share some of it with you.

To start with, Jackie gave us a hands-on demonstration of how she ‘educates’ horses. In front of a group of 50-plus people, she worked with a mustang that had never been handled prior to this. Now mustangs are not a breed of horse, rather they are a wild horse. According to Jackie, these animals see humans as predators so they have no natural affection for us.

In the typical western-themed movie, there would inevitably be a scene where a rider would ‘break’ the horse. What was actually happening was a depiction of breaking their spirit and using domination to get the animal to bend to the will of the human. Jackie’s approach is to work with the horse so they make decisions that build trust, and both animal and human thrive. I should also mention that the horses Jackie educates are working horses on the ranch.

The actual educating looked like this: Jackie laid down a rope in the ring that created a defined area that she wanted the horse to stay within. It would be a ‘zone of safety’ for the animal allowing it to relax. When the horse was not in that area, Jackie would wave her hands and make a lot of noise. But when the horse was inside the rope, she was very calm and worked to connect with the horse and get him to release his tension.

Here’s a quote from an interview with Jackie:

“Well, to start I don’t consider it training, but educating. Training a dog to roll over, for example, is a trick—cute, but what’s the practical application? To me, educating a horse means giving it tools and teaching it how and when to use those tools. The goal of that education being that it can think its way safely through a situation that might ordinarily panic a horse, triggering its fear/flight response. This also allows the horse to be a great teammate for me in the jobs I need to get done. And that education is a two-way street—I learn every day!”

This is such a great life lesson! As a leader of the Tuscano organization, I want to provide our customers with resources and tools so they can think their way safely through any situation. Think of Tuscano Agency as your Insurance Solution hotline!

Along these lines, I can’t help but give a shout-out to the team of Property underwriters here at Tuscano. They take the angst out of E&S! Every day they work with customers to navigate the challenges of this crazy property market. The team works on accounts both large and small, with all types of coverage needs and occupancies. I know the property market is tight, especially after the damage Hurricane Ian left behind. If you are faced with having to remarket accounts, be sure to pick up the phone and talk to one of the team or shoot them an email.

Before I go, I want to remind you that we also have great tools for you on our website. I think you will especially appreciate the E2Value Cost Estimator. This resource will help you avoid potential coverage shortfalls, coinsurance penalties, and E&O claims. Building values may need to increase to adjust for rising costs of inflation, supply chain demands, and labor shortages. Remember, very few E&S markets will include an inflation guard endorsement. But with the E2Value cost estimator tool, it is easy to review existing coverage and determine if values need to be updated before renewal. It's important to check your client's building values.

Give Tuscano a call and let us help you help your client.

Have an epic day!

I'd love to receive feedback on how we are doing; call or drop me an email.

Rob

Rob@tuscano.com