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Poeme D’Amour and Misti Cassar
3June/July 2013
JUNE/JULY 2013
16 HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL
by Rebekah Savage
22 HILDA GURNEY
Q&A with Dressage Olympian
28 WINGS & SPRINGS
A modern day Pegasus
34 WARREN PARK STUD
by Dick Warren
46 BRUSALLY RANCH
The Sport Horse Legacy
54 BACK TO WORK
by Cindy Tobeck
60 KEEPING THE FAITH
by Katie Keim
72 ONE IN A MILLION
A tribute to Cal Dorado
82 DRESSAGE AND THE HUNTER & JUMPER
The Base for Equestrian Disciplines by Sue Kolstad
9 Bits & Pieces
12 Profiles in Courage
24 Inspection Prep
38 Trainer Close Up
40 Life with Horses
58 In-Hand Training
62 Reading Reflections
64 A Tale of Two Sisters
67 From Roses to Rehab
76 The Comeback Queen
80 Biomechanics
86 Back to Basics
92 Classifieds
93 Service Listings
4 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Century Club: Amie Phoenix+A series featuring Arabian members of The Dressage Foundation’s exclusive horse & rider teams whose combined ages meet or exceed 100 years
My grandmother, Marie Welch,
got her first Arabian in 1949,
so Arabians are in my blood.
In 1974, when I was just five years old,
my family moved back to Colorado from
Pennsylvania, to live on her farm and
help her out. My dad was an extension
agent and my mom stayed at home with
my brother and me when we were young-
er, then later returned to teaching. My
parents also bred Arabians; they still do,
although they aren’t as active about it as
they used to be. I’ve been riding Arabians
ever since I was five, and I grew up show-
ing them with my grandmother.
Amie Phoenix+ (AKA “Phoenix” and
“Mr. Bean”) was born in 1983 to a mare
my brother and I co-owned. We were go-
ing to start our own breeding farm and
call it “Amie Arabians” (Amie = “friend”
in French). Phoenix was sired by Moniet’s
Echo, an Ibn Moniet El Nefous son that
my grandmother had leased for one year.
His dam was NBD Prudence, a mare my
parents had bred who was out of my first
dressage horse, NBD Peace by The Phoe-
nician+++. Prudence’s sire was Mt. Vu
Zaabafar, a *Mustafar son that my grand-
mother bred.
Since we were teenagers, Phoe-
nix was our pet. We’d catch him out of
the field—and take him away from his
mom—to play with him. She didn’t care
and neither did he! We taught him tricks
If all goes accord-
ing to plan, he
will do his third
Century Club ride
in June...the day
before his 30th
birthday.
by Trisha Swift
Norm Brown and family after his Century
Club ride with Amie Phoenix.
5June/July 2013
and taught him to ground drive when he
was a baby.
I started training him to ride when
he was 4, but I didn’t get serious about
his training until he was about 12. I had
spent two years after college in the north-
east U.S. being a working student at dres-
sage stables, so I was ready to get serious.
Phoenix and I had many show successes,
including two regional Championships in
dressage. I also competed him in the first
two Sport Horse Nationals. All of his win-
nings in dressage contributed to his Le-
gion of Honor.
I taught him to jump when he was 19,
and though it took him a couple of years
to warm up to it, he finally started enjoy-
ing himself. He even won a couple of
schooling two-phases. As he got older, it
was clear that he still wanted to be ridden,
even though he could no longer advance
through the levels. He truly gets depressed
when he’s not worked. I started teaching
lessons, so I used him as a lesson horse,
and he was much happier. I still bareback
ride him around some if no one rides him
that week; otherwise, he’s not happy.
Because we played with him so much
when he was a foal and when he was
growing up, I think he thinks he’s a person.
He loves people, and loves being messed
with. He has a sense of humor; if you laugh
at something he does, he will do it again.
He has a playful streak in him. I have one
boy who rides him now, and Phoenix likes
to throw in a little playful jump sometimes
when he goes to trot. The boy thinks it’s
hilarious, and so does Phoenix.
Phoenix’s first Century Club rider was
my dad, Norm Brown. Although my dad
has always been involved with horses and
showed them, most of his involvement
was on the ground. He rarely rode. When
I signed on to help revitalize the Estes
Park Arabian Show, I got a bee in my bon-
net that my dad should do a Century Club
ride. He was reluctant at first, especially
after the horse he was supposed to ride
passed away, but I offered Phoenix for the
ride (Phoenix’s trot is a little bouncy; that’s
why he wasn’t the first choice). My dad
had to learn to post the trot at 79 years
old! It just shows that you can do anything
you put your mind to.
The second rider was my dad’s friend,
Jim Snook. Jim has trained many horses,
but he had mostly ridden western and
done ranch work. The world of dressage
was completely new for him. However, he
wanted to give it a go because my dad kept
talking about how great it was (as well as
showing off his ribbon, plaque, and photos
of the ride). Again, Jim rode at the Estes
Park Arabian Show, and once he figured
out the test, he did a great job.
After Jim’s ride that day, I had a little
fun with my then 29-year-old gelding. I
entered him in pole bending and barrel
racing… with my dressage saddle that Jim
used for his test. Neither one of us had
ever done either event! We got last place
in both, but it was hilarious fun, especially
when Phoenix jumped the chalk line at the
start of the pole bending race. He does
know how to jump!
If all goes according to plan, he will do
his third Century Club ride with my mom,
Amie at 2003 Sport Horse Nationals
Donna Brown, at the Estes Park Arabian
Show. That will be the day before his 30th
birthday, so I plan on having a birthday
bash for him at the show. That way eve-
ryone can celebrate with him! Although
he’s had some health issues in the past
(he had pneumonia when he was two, and
has had several bouts of laminitis during
his 20s—this has been under control ever
since we figured out he has Cushing’s dis-
ease, and he’s on medication for that), he
is doing well right now, so I expect he’ll be
celebrating his birthday in style.
Phoenix is a lot of fun, but he’s also a
trustworthy guy - I can put just about any-
one on him. He has gone to both coasts
to compete at Nationals, and just like his
grandma (Peace), he gave me his all when
I showed him. He can be stubborn, but
he might just get that from me! He has
taught countless people how to ride and
will hopefully continue to for many more
years. Phoenix is just amazing!
6 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
continued on next page
Game On!A cute little bay Arabian named Game On and his junior
owner/rider, Kaitlin Miller-Roberts, so impressed the
judges at both the 2010 and 2011 USEF National Pony
Jumper Championships that they unanimously voted them as
winner of the “Short Stop Pony Jumper Style Award.” This award
is reserved for the one rider they feel exemplifies the best classi-
cal jumper horsemanship. No one rider has ever won it twice.
Add to that the Team Gold Medal in 2011 and Team Silver
Medal in 2010 for Kaitlin and her Zone 7 teammates, and you can
clearly see that this pair’s talent is world class.
This winning partnership started off in 2009 when Kaitlin’s
trainer, Tracey Badley, got him as a trade from his previous owner
who had out-
grown him. “I’ve
always been par-
tial to Arabians,
as I grew up with
a hunter pony
that was half-
Arab, and Tiger
reminded me of
that pony,” says
Tracey. They de-
cided on a career
in jumpers for
him as he had a
tendency to cross
canter, which
would not work
for hunters.
Tracey says
she wouldn’t
trade her Arabian
jumpers for the world. “ I love Arabians, they have so much try
and so much heart. They shouldn’t be able to do what they do,”
she says. Nicknamed “Tiger” for his fierce determination, Tracey’s
admiration for him comes through in her voice. “He is so charis-
matic, he loves to run and jump. It’s like he’s built on springs - he
doesn’t know or care how big the jumps are, he just goes over. We
even jump him 1.20m (4’) at home!”
Kaitlin had ridden a 7/8 Arabian in 2007 in the local pony
hunters, but at the time would have never thought she would
later be looking at buying an Arabian pony jumper. When she got
on him for the first time she recalls that, ” It was an instant con-
nection and I fell in love. When I jumped him, I knew he had the
heart to be a jumper, because every ride he gave 110%. “
Kaitlin had shown hunters up to 2’9”, but had never done
jumpers more than a few times, and Tiger was the perfect confi-
dence builder. In 2009 they did the local circuit puddle jumpers
2’6”-2’9”, won Reserve at their second show and she subsequent-
ly bought half-interest in him.
Then in 2010 they started competing in the “A” show pony
jumpers 3’3”-3’7”, with their sights set on Pony Finals in August.
Kaitlin and Tiger were winning in both pony and low children’s
jumpers, easily
qualifying for the
USEF National
Pony Jumper
Championships at
Pony Finals. The
Zone 7 team, of
which she was a
member, finished
in 2nd place
overall, earning
a Silver Medal. In
addition, Kaitlin
won the coveted
Style Award.
This bold
pair finished the
2010 season with
a USEF Reserve
Champion in Zone
7 and a National
5th place in Pony Jumpers, a 5th in Childrens Jumpers and a year
end Reserve Champion in Pony Jumpers at the Texas H/J Associa-
tion. Kaitlin then bought Tiger outright - he was now a part of the
family and she wanted to take him to Pony Finals again in 2011.
Their 2011 season was even better than 2010, with Tiger plac-
ing 1st or 2nd almost every class. Again they headed to Kentucky
for the Championships, but this time, Zone 7 won the Team Gold
Medal! “That was our greatest accomplishment, winning Gold at
8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
GAME ON continued from page ??
Photos courtesy Kaitlin Miller-Roberts
the Championships, in addition to finish-
ing 8th individually after a very technical
1.10 meter course,” says Kaitlin. Addition-
ally, she was again selected for the Style
Award!
They were also Zone 7 Champion in
Pony and Childrens Jumpers, Champion
in Pony Jumpers and Reserve in Childrens
Jumpers in Texas H/J Association.
2012 was a transitional year for Kaitlin
as she prepared to head off to college, and
therefore didn’t show much. This year, he
is leased out to 10-year-old Alissa Brandt,
who is learning the ropes.
“I learned so much from Tiger, I am still
learning from him,” says Kaitlin. “I think
the most important thing he taught me
was to not let someone tell you that you
don’t stand a chance. No one would have
thought the Arabian pony that cross-can-
ters would be able to do the pony jump-
ers, but he showed everyone that he could
the exact same thing as the big expensive
horses, only even better. “
“Arabians have the best personalities,
Tiger is very funny to be around and al-
ways makes me laugh. I also admire their
athleticism, I never knew how athletic they
were before I got Tiger. But my favorite
thing about him is his heart, I haven’t ever
felt a horse want to win as much as Tiger.
He loves to jump and go fast, and half the
time I think he could read my mind about
what turns and what spots I wanted to do.
If I was nervous, he would prance into the
ring, or do a little playful ‘jump’ before the
buzzer and it always made me laugh and
relax. He is just a great teammate!”
9June/July 2013
HUNTER & JUMPER NEWS Half-Arabian mare Ability+/(MHR Nobility x Nikita {KWPN})
with Kristin Hardin on placed 2nd in both the 1.10m & 1.15m
Jumpers out of 20+ entries at the Memorial Day Classic at LAEC.
Ability is owned by Gregg & Nancy Shafer.
Arabian PA Sebastion (Oh Canada x Crystal Vision) and owner
Sarah Ingram on winning a 1.0m jumper class (of 46 entries) at an
open show in May. They were named Reserve Champion.
Photo below is by cwillsphotography.com
BITS and pieces
DRESSAGE NEWS Ashleigh Flores-Simmons and Anglo mare Athena+++// (LS
Zane Grey+// x Little Badger Baby) made their debut together at
the CDI*** Golden State Dressage Festival and earned a 69.7% in
FEI Grade 2 Para Equestrian test.
They also earned a 67.2% on First Level Test 1 and a 62.4% on
First Level Test 2 at the AHANC show Saturday. This was their first
time at First Level and just their second show together. . Athena is
owned by Rita Mason. Photo above is by Grey Horse Photography.
The newest members of The Dressage Foundation’s Century
Club: 89 year old Sy Budofsky and Arabian gelding Romeos Krys-
talbay (Romeo VF+/ x Krystal Charm {AAF Kaset+}), who have a
combined age of 105. They performed their required dressage
test yesterday at the Palm Beach County Mounted Posse Dressage
Show. The horse is owned by the Livecchis of Desert Rose Ranch.
We will have their story in our next issue.
Carla Scarmazzi and her Half-Arabian RS Royal Edition (Bal-
liance V x Rosa Linda {KWPN}) won the High Score Adult Amateur
Award at the VA Dressage Assn. Central Chapter Open USDF Show
with a score of 68.973% in First Level.
Coming in a close 2nd was Carla and her purebred Arabian
CR Ice Storm (My El Sahib x JA S Hannah) with a 67.069% in First
Level.
After a 2 year break from serious competition, Arabian gelding
Comandr-N-Chief+// (Rio De Janiero x Shilo Liberation) and owner
Stacey Burdick-Taul won their Prix St. Georges test at the KY Dres-
sage Assn Spring open show. The judge was a British FEI 4* judge.
Stacey & Chief were our April/May cover story.
Half-Arabian Arosenthyme MA+++/ (Rosenthal {Hann} x Alu
Minchah) cleaned up in First Level at Whidbey Eq. Ctr. Open Dres-
sage Show with scores up to 71.6%. She is owned and bred by
Arabian H/J rider and trainer Michael Desiderio was hand cho-
sen by George Morris to participate in Morris’ USET Show Jumping
Program in May at the USET headquarters.
Only 10 riders were chosen from hundreds of applicants. Cri-
teria were 18+ years old, competing successfully at 1.45m or high-
er and ability to represent the US in international competition. The
application included videos and a written essay.
10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
BITS and pieces (continued)
EVENTING NEWS The 2013 Eventing season continues to be a great one for
Arabian horses!
The big tune-up event before Rolex for many at The Fork. Will
Faudree & Anglo Riesling De Buissy were tied for 7th after dres-
sage in the CIC** and Houston and Daniel Clasing were in 44th in
the CCI*** out of 56 entries.
Final results were: Will and Riesling De Buissy finished 7th
in the CIC**. Daniel Clasing and HOUSTON jumped up to 25th in
the CIC***. Both horses went double clear in a VERY tough cross
country!
At the Ocala International 3 Day Event, the dynamite British-
bred Half Arabian Erodium, ridden by Olympian Jessica Phoenix,
were in 5th place after Dressage in the CCI**, held that place with
a double clear Cross Country. They went double clear in Stadium
to finish in 5th place.
Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event ended very well for Anglo Arabian
Houston and Daniel Clasing, they went double clear on that mas-
sive cross country course and finished after stadium in 21st out
of 50 entries.
The Maryland Combined Training Assoc. Horse Trials is a popu-
lar fixture on the spring eventing schedule. Held at Shawan Downs
in Baltimore, this year was well attended by riders and horses with
big names and not-so-big names.
Lauren Kieffer had a string of horses there, including her
young Anglo-Arabian Vermiculus. This writer was present to watch
them do their stadium round and go right out onto cross coun-
try. Unfortunately, a miscommunication in a combination caused
them to have to circle, counting as a refusal. They finished 15th in
Preliminary.
Phot
o by
Liz
Hal
l
Shawna Macauley and trained/ridden by Nicol Hinde. Alu Minchah
was the top dam of Half-Arabians at the 2012 SHNs. She also pro-
duced Imnaha+//.
Michele Judd and her homebred Half Arabian mare Rite From
he Start (Routinier {Old} x Rahsema Jewell) earned the overall
High Score award at the Va. Dressage Assoc./N. Va. Chapter show
with a 74.107%! It was their first rated show. Photo above by Kara
Hite/Pics of You.
Half-Arabian PL Lucky Tammy (Its The Luck Of The Irish {RID} x
PL Shirley) with owner/trainer Glenda Player earned a 69% their
first time in Third Level Test 3 at the PVDA Spring Open Dressage
Show. Tammy & Glenda performed a dressage demonstration at
the 2010 World Equestrian Games. She was bred by the Player
family of Playland Farm.
Half-Arabian ONLY A DREAM (Nico {AWS} x Nisrs Navianna)
competed in May in Prix St. Georges at the Lexington Spring Dres-
sage Show, earning a 60%. She is ridden by Sarah Doyle, owned
by Janet Lewis and bred by Susan McAdoo. Photo by Pics of You.a
Congratulations to Half-Arabian KB Kalila Fahim+++/ (by KB
Omega Fahim) who earned a 73% in Fourth Level to win at an
open dressage show at just her 2nd show at that level. She is
owned by Chrissie Bailey and trained/ridden by Chelsea Sibley.
Arabian stallion Bonne Vivant++++// (Monogramm x Bonne
Cherie) and rider Kassandra Barteau earned a 63.29% in Prix St
Georges and a winning score of 63.684% in I-1 at the Chatta-
hoochee Hills Open Dressage show. Kassandra had only recently
gotten the ride. Bonne Vivant is owned by Cheryl Showah.
Oz Poof of Purchase
Rite From The Start
Pics
of Y
ou
11June/July 2013
BITS and pieces (continued)
Denise Nader and Anglo Zurick competed in Open Novice,
finishing 8th. Denise donated a perpetual trophy named for her
Arabian Octavius to be awarded to the winning Senior Beginner
Novice team.
Half-Arabian PL Irish Thunder (PL Diamond Hill {ID} x PL Elad-
dinns Lite) and owner Rose Lehnig placed 2nd at the Redland
Hunt Horse Trials in Training last month. PL Irish Thunder was bred
by Playland Farm, who have been breeding Arabians & HAs since
the 1970s.
Oz Poof Of Purchase, homebred Anglo ridden & owned by
Katy Groesbeck, won the CCI2* at Twin Rivers Spring 3-Day after
double clears in XC & Stadium. Their next outing will be Rebecca
Farm in July along with Poof’s brother, Oz The Tin Man, who was
laid up with an injury since fall. Katy is fundraising for the trip -
donate by visiting www.kgeventing.com.
Katy and her awesome horses will be featured in the August/
September issue.
Mid-May was the very popular Jersey Fresh event. Half-Ara-
bian ERODIUM and Olympian Jessica Phoenix finished dressage
in 5th place in the CCI3* with a 55.4. Anglo Arabian Riesling De
Buissy and Will Faudree were in in 3rd place in the CCI2* after
dressage with a 49.8.
After an exciting cross country on day 2, Riesling De Buissy
wound up in 2nd place in the CCI** with a double clear while Ero-
dium jumped clear, but had time penalties and was sitting in 7th
place in the CCI***. There were only 2 double clears on this tough
3* course, which 6 horses didn’t even complete.
Showjumping concluded in the CCI** with Riesling De Buissy
and Will finishing in 2nd place after a double clear course. Ero-
Jenn
i Aut
ry/E
vent
ing
Nat
ion
Riesling De Buissy
dium and Jessica finished the CCI** in 8th place.
Tami Pacho and her Half-Arabian mare WALL STREET STATUS
(Back Street x Sea Symbol RF {ASB}) placed 4th at Galway Downs
Spring Horse Trials in Sr. Beg. Novice after a 3 year hiatus from
competition.
Anglo Arabians Tatchou and Hito CP finished Badminton Horse
Trials in 60th and 64th places respectively out of 84 entries. One
of the toughest tests of horse and rider on the planet!
Saumur in France had 5 Anglos in the 3* and 15 in the 2* as
is to be expected in the birthplace of this breed. The final results
of the CCI3* for the Anglo Arabs: Olympe d’Eos - 12th; Junco CP
- 15th; Iberon CP - 19th; Piano Star - 20th and Neo De Breuil -
22nd.
Arabian BF Amigo (NV Congo x Tema Amira) who competes as
“Figjam” was recently sold to a young rider, Hayley Miller, and they
placed 2nd & 3rd in Novice Rider on their first two outings. Figjam
was previously competed at Prelim by Elisa Wallace. Best of luck
to this new pair!
The 26 year old Arabian mare Black Moons Molly (Nahr Ra-
ban x Mistanny El Aswad) and her junior rider Melissa Morris, who
placed 16th at the Mill Creek Pony Club Horse Trials. Molly stands
just 13.3 hands.
Melissa & Molly have qualified for the USEA Area IV Champi-
onships the last 2 years! Molly is owned by Cassie Phelps.
Vermiculus and Lauren Kieffer finished the Preliminary divi-
sion in 4th place at the Virginia Horse Trials. The pair moved up
from 7th after dressage, thanks to a double clear cross country
and just 4 jump faults in Stadium.
Erodium
Jenn
i Aut
ry/E
vent
ing
Nat
ion
12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Profiles in Courage
Walking in the Shadow
of a Rainbow
by Karin Foley
Mary Jo Hoepner &
Made In The Shade+/Kathleen Bryan Photo
13June/July 2013
Very few Arabian-bred horses compete in the Open Dres-
sage world. Even fewer compete at the FEI (internation-
al) level. But only one is doing all of this with an Amateur
rider, and that is Mary Jo Hoepner and her Half-Arabian/
Percheron gelding “Made In The Shade+/” by the late Arabian stal-
lion Ravenswood Flag.
There is a concept in Native American thinking called “Walk-
ing in the Shadow of a Rainbow.” The concept is
two-fold. The first part being that relation-
ships develop not from some monumen-
tal happening but from the constancy of
day to day things…sharing. So for instance,
humans develop meaningful realtionships by
simply doing simple things together such as
taking walks, planting a garden together, or
sharing meals.
The second part of concept has to do
with experiencing something “wonderous.”
We have walked in the shadow of a rainbow
when something “wonderous” is seen or expe-
rienced. Now at the basis of part two is part one.
The “wonderous” is always there in everyday
things for us. We have to open our eyes to see
it.
This Native American concept is deeply
rooted in the belief that all humans have ani-
mal spirit guides and teachers. Furthermore, we
journey with our guides and teachers through our different life
times since Indians believe we are souls with a body and not bod-
ies with a soul.
The moment our beloved horse makes us his or hers is the mo-
ment at which we Walk in the Shadow of a Rainbow. It is those
day-to-day moments of riding, feeding, grooming, and visiting
that make that particular “wonderous” moment possible. Such is
the experience of Mary Jo and her boy, “Shade.”
There is a reason this column is called “Profiles in Courage”
and not “Profiles in Check Writing.” To bring along a horse on your
own takes not only total commitment it requires the courage of
your convictions and a level of emotional toughness that few of
us can rally. Yes, it does cost money but it also cost time and
fortitude. There is a big difference between paying a pro to
train a horse and bringing a horse along yourself.
According to the United States Dressage Federation,
Dressage is a French term meaning “training” and its
purpose is to develop the horse’s natural athletic
ability and willingness to work making him calm,
supple and attentive to his rider. Currently, com-
petitive dressage involves nine progressive levels
incorporating multiple tests within each level. Special tests are
also written for musical freestyle. To the untrained eye, dressage
at its best appears as though the horse is without cues from its
rider, further testament to the cooperative partnership necessary
between them. The time and effort it takes to arrive at that place
is akin to the time and effort it takes to achieve the “wonderous,”
part two of Walking in the Shadow of a Rainbow.
Several years ago when I first heard about Shade and his Perch-
eron heritage it made me smile. Going back probably a dozen
years ago now I stopped at a friend’s place mid trip to layover with
my Percheron driving horse “Wild at Heart.” By coincidence that
same weekend Thomas Ritter was conducting a dressage clinic at
my friend’s farm. Wild at Heart was turned out in a paddock and
Ritter, glancing out the window, commented with his most Ger-
man attitude that he (Wild at Heart) was not any good for anything
except plowing. Almost instantly Wild at Heart began doing canter
pirouettes in the field and Ritter’s lower lip hit his chest. I could
not control my laughter.
Percherons are one of the few breeds of draft horses capable
of doing mid level or higher dressage. They often cannot do FEI
levels only because their size, as a matter of physics, makes it im-
possible. Many Percherons have the structure and brain to do the
work. So while I thought MJ’s choice a bold one, it made perfect
sense.
Mary Jo told me she searched for Shade for two years before
finding him as a green four year old. He needed to be “the one,”
meaning the right fit personality wise he needed to be capable
of doing FEI level dressage. In addition, to meet MJ’s needs he
needed to have size, be athletic, sound, and he had to fit within
a certain price range. Mary Jo told me, “I had a fantastic Anglo
Arab bred by Dr. John Aldred. I was not going to settle for anything
less.”
While it is an indisputable fact that it takes steady, consist-
ent, grueling work to bring a horse up through the levels it is
the relationship with the horse that makes all things possible. To
achieve greatness with a horse you must first Walk in the Shadow
of a Rainbow. Like many of the most successful horse and rider
combos, Shade and Mary Jo utilize other disciplines in Shade’s
training, such as Working Western, jumping and trail riding. It is
a well-known fact that the FEI horses under Steffen Peters care
take regular trail rides as part of training and reward for a job well
done. I hear Weltino’s Magic loves to trial ride because he loves
to look at things.
At an AHA show about five years ago I visited with Carter Bass
during a break between judging dressage tests and asked Carter, if
in her experience most dressage riders in the open world trained
and rode their own horses or had pros do the work for them. She
kind of snickered (as only Carter can do) and replied, “At the upper
levels either the pro rides the horse or the owner does. A combi-
nation of the pro schooling the horse and the owner hopping on
for shows is ridiculous and does not work.” MJ trains with Grant
Schneidman and relayed a similar comment from Grant. “You can-
not fake the upper level movements by having someone else train
continued on next page
Kathleen Bryan Photo
14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
and school and then hop on.” So for the
eight years Shade was at Grant Schnei-
dman’s, he was ridden by MJ 99% of the
time.
One imperative when an amateur
works with a pro is to find the pro that
works with you and your horse. Mary Jo
says about Grant, “He figured out right
away that Shade tried so hard. He even
admonished me that I needed to be more
sensitive with my sensitive horse.“ From
riding many, many mares through the
years, I learned that there are some hors-
es you have to ask and some horses you
have to tell. Additionally, you have to real-
ize that some horses will just try too hard
and those horses without a kind hand will
get disheartened. So for those like Mary Jo
with a sensitive boy like Shade it is imper-
ative to work with someone who sees and
understands a sensitive horse…not all do.
My first dressage trainer announced
to me that “anyone who thinks their horse
loves them is crazy.” I filed that one away.
My first dressage horse, Lilly, DID love me
and I her. Lilly has long since retired from
the dressage arena, is happier as a fox
hunter, and she remains a constant horse
love in my life. That unloving trainer was
quickly replaced.
I could not miss in my conversations
with Mary Jo about Shade how much she
loves Shade and how in tune she is with
him. Those of us who have had the privi-
lege of interacting with Mary Jo over the
years know the tough Mary Jo. That is the
Mary Jo who represents her region with
USDF, the Mary Jo who works towards im-
provements for dressage riders with AHA,
the Mary Jo who is not afraid to say what
she thinks based on her experience. The
Mary Jo who has the courage of her con-
victions. You might not always agree with
Mary Jo yet you have to respect her right to
voice an opinion because she has EARNED
the right to voice it. So the Mary Jo who
brought along Shade…the soft, quiet Mary
Jo who loves Shade was quite a surprise
to me. You cannot miss Mary Jo’s love for
him.
How much of success has to do with
intangibles by definition cannot be quan-
tified. It is impossible to think that any
horse could be brought along year after
year by an owner if the relationship was
not harmonious. I asked FEI 4* judge Janet
Foy if when she is watching a horse and
rider pair if she can see the special bond
between them. Janet said, “Yes, think of
Brentina and Debbie MacDonald or Ed-
ward Gal and Totilas. Not every rider gets
that perfect partner.” I could not help but
ask Janet how that affected a test score
and her response was perfect. “In the USEF
test, ‘harmony’ is the last score in collec-
tives and is a great place for a ‘10.’ In the
FEI tests, the submission and rider score
would be the place to do it.” It was not un-
til near the end of my conversation with
COURAGE continued from page 13
Karin Foley has written for numerous equine publications including The Blood Horse, Middleburg Today, Equus Magazine, and Modern Arabian Horse. She currently lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York with her husband Willis. Together, they breed Arab and Welsh bred sport ponies for adult dressage, eventing, and foxhunting riders. They also raise English Labrador Retrievers to be PTSD service dogs, therapy dogs for autistic children, and great family dogs.
Karin has studied riding and horse-manship with many wonderful instructors including Sally O’Connor , Thomas Ritter, and Conrad Schumacher . She attributes her sticking seat to a year of lunge line lessons with the fabulous Kayla DeArmis, a student of Conrad Schumacher’s and the encouragement of her long term friend, Sue Fanelli.
Karin’s interests include sport horse breeding, the biomechanics of riding and unusual horse adventures. Karin also en-joys writing about courageous horses and their riders and individual experiences with great teachers. If you have a unique story contact Karin at [email protected].
Janet when I mentioned that the horse
and rider pair I was writing about was Mary
Jo and Shade from Janet’s home state of
Colorado. With great glee Janet said, “MJ is
a GREAT gal. She often takes lessons from
me. I love her to death!” Mary Jo and Shade have won both
Bronze and Silver Medals in the USDF and Horse of the Year honors in All-Breed Awards and USEF rankings. They have earned high-er median scores than many professionals they compete against.
They were selected as demo horse and rider for the Intermediare II / Grand Prix group for “Through The Levels” Symposium with Olympic rider Steffen Peters and judge Janet Foy. This accomplished pair have been recognized for their achievements by Foy. There were over 80 applicants for this honored position!
Throughout their career together, Mary Jo has promoted Shade’s Arabian heritage to judges, trainers and spectators alike. They participate in clinics, educational demon-strations, training sessions, etc. Each time, the comments from spectators and partici-pants illustrate a change in their perception of the capabilities of Arabian-breds in the
elite upper levels of dressage.
About Karin
Kath
leen
Bry
an P
hoto
15June/July 2013
16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
by Rebekah Savage
17June/July 2013
A leap of faith, a skilled trainer and a gifted mare combine to make
a winning partnership in both the Arabian and open jumper cir-
cuits. Hope Springs Eternal+/, a 2000 bay purebred mare by
multi-National Champion Park Horse stallion Allience+// and out of the
mare Pajarito Esprit, has proven herself time and again in the jumper
division.
In 2005, Hope was bought by trainer Kristin Hardin of Kristin Hardin
Stables in New Cuyama, Calif. Hardin was returning from Sport Horse
Nationals and had just lost her horse, DDA Springtime, to colic. With an
empty spot in her trailer, Hardin stopped to look at Hope and decided
to buy the mare and take her home. Hope was unpapered and unproven
as a show horse but Hardin recognized the potential of the mare and,
wanting to show her on the Arabian circuit, had her DNA tested in order
to have her registered.
Hardin was pregnant at the time Hope was being started, so she had
a friend help her. Once Hope was well broke, they created a sale video.
In 2006, Lynn McAlister of Shadow Acres Farm in Mountain Home, Ar-
kansas, was looking for a horse for her two daughters. McAlister saw
the video and although she hadn’t seen Hope in person, she made the
decision to buy her. “I never laid eyes on her and I never talked with my
husband,” said McAlister. “I had bought an unpapered horse. It was a big
leap of faith.”
McAlister finally met Hope in person in Scottsdale where Hardin
showed her what the horse was capable of. The original plan was after
the show, McAlister would trailer Hope to her new home. Hardin, after
starting and showing Hope, knew how talented the mare was and given
her somewhat hot-headed temperament, McAlister decided to let Hope
return to California and continue training with Hardin. McAlister ended
up also buying Hope’s sister, a quieter horse, for her daughters.
Under Hardin’s guidance, Hope blossomed into a fierce competitor
in the jumper ring. Together, the pair have won numerous awards in the
Arabian and Open jumper circuit. Her first year at Sport Horse Nationals,
they won the Arabian Open Jumper class. Since then, they have won
the class three more times and finished second once. They also won the
Mini-Prix twice and the Speed Class once.
On the open circuit, Hope dominated the 1.00m Jumpers and the
1.07m True Green Jumpers in 2009 at the Santa Barbara National II. In
Hope
SpringsEternal
continued on next page
Photos courtesy Kristin Hardin
18 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
HOPE continued from page 17
2012, at the Memorial Day Classic, she won
in the 1.05m Jumpers and 1.00M multiple
times. At the Camelot Classic, she won the
$1500 .95m Speed Stake and .95m
Speed Stake Championship. Also in
2012, Hope showed at Showpark
June Jamboree Festival, Santa Bar-
bara National II and Pebble Beach
Equestrian Classic II, where she once
again dominated the 1.05m Jump-
ers.
The unique partnership between
Hope and Hardin was proven when
Hope jumped an ATV as part of a
demonstration. “She is so trusting of
me, if she feels I want her to jump it,
she will,” said Hardin.
In between her competitions, Hope
earned a sponsorship with Platinum Plus.
“She has been on it since she came to my
barn,” said Hardin. “She has never had any
health issues. She is a poster child for Plat-
inum.” Despite her lack of health issues,
McAlister had a concern. “If something
happens to Hope, we don’t have some-
thing of her,” said McAlister. So, the
decision was made to pull Hope
from competition to breed her. Af-
ter several attempts to breed her,
a foal was not produced. After dis-
cussion amongst Hope’s vet, trainer
and owner, the decision to switch
stallions was made. Hope then was
bred to Cortez, a Holsteiner Grand
Prix jumper, owned by Hardin.
In 2011, Hope gave birth to
a filly named Hope and Dreams,
whom they call Harmony. Harmony
is now 2 years old and “looks like a
tiny version of her Mom,” said Hardin. Har-
mony, who is still growing, is slowly being
handled and started. “Hopefully she’ll be
as good of a jumper as her Mom,” said Har-
din.
After two years away from jumping
and competing, Hope’s owner and trainer
questioned whether she would still en-
joy showing. They needn’t have worried,
Hope quashed their doubts even win-
ning the 2012 Arabian Horse Association
Open Competition award. The Open Com-
petition Award is given to a Purebred or
half-Arabian or Anglo Arabian in areas of
outstanding achievement in representing
the Arabian breed in Open Competition.
“Hope is the most competitive horse I’ve
ridden,” said Hardin. “I’m glad she won it,
she deserved it.”
Since her big return, Hardin cannot
help but notice Hope’s love for competi-
tion and jumping. “She loves to jump and
work. She loves to show, she gets quite an
attitude at a show. Getting on her is like
sitting on loaded dynamite.”
McAlister is tossing around the idea of
breeding Hope again, but for now, Hope
will continue to blast her way through the
jumper ring.
Not bad for a leap of faith purchase
on an unpapered, unproven and unseen
mare.
Hope and Harmony
Chocolate, Black and Yellow puppies ready to go home with you July 2013!
Blind Squirrel Labradors
English Labs for Sport, Service, Therapy & Love
Karin Foley • 716-244-8659 • Email
19June/July 2013
Photos courtesy Kristin Hardin
20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
MA Winds of Magic was born in West Virginia on April 11, 1996. His sire was Half-
Arabian Moment of Magic, sired by Saddlebred Harlequin Magic Maker. His dam
RAS Wind Dancer was an Ivanhoe Tsultan granddaughter.
Purchased as a two-year-old by a man on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, he made his
way to eventer Betsy Brawner of Humphrey’s Point Farm in Rock Hall, Maryland. Betsy
recounts the story, “Magic came to me as a trainee, meaning his owner did not know what
to do with him. He was no use to her as he made all the students cry, such was his ‘fun
loving’ temperament. One girl was able to ride him, she would jump him over the fences
and that was all she did with him, but she moved away and nobody could or would ride
him until he found his way to my farm.
“I put him in the round pen and he ran around with his nose straight up in the air, tail
high, prancing on air it seemed. I thought ‘what a beautiful animal!’ Magic and I bonded,
I was a very daring rider and had a deep admiration and respect for him, plus I adored his
personality. After over a year, I decided to purchase him, taught him some dressage and
off to the horse trials we went. He managed to gather many blues at the novice level and
became quite well known in the area.“
He was also a bit of an escape artist. “I found it nearly impossible to keep him in the
fields, every morning I found him grazing
in my front yard. We put rails on top of the
posts but nothing worked.”
When Betsy acquired some green Thor-
oughbreds, she realized it was time to find
Magic a new home. Many potential buyers
came and went after he took them across
the arena his way until a young girl, Chris-
tine Lonsdale, and her mother showed up.
Christine was looking for an event-
ing pony, she had shown a little bit in the
jumpers both locally and rated, was active
in pony club and fox hunted. She had even
ridden a few Arabs for other people from
time to time.
“Christine rode him beautifully, she
had a perfect position and Magic some-
how knew she was worthy. They came
back with her trainer and the trainer saw
the potential and a deal was struck,” re-
calls Betsy. “ The rest is like a fairytale.”
It was June of 2008, and Magic was
Christine’s 14th birthday present. They
bonded quickly, as the perfect horse and
rider partnerships do. Christine describes
him, “Magic is incredibly intelligent, al-
most human like. He’s the sweetest, most
lovable animal I’ve ever encountered. He
will sleep in his stall or field and I can just
lie next to him and relax. Magic is very at-
tached to me, and he’ll watch me when I
go walk the course when my mom holds
him, she says he never takes his eyes off
me. Magic is a once in a lifetime pony, he’s
Arabian Pony Blows Away the
Competition
Parker/The Book LLC Photo
Winds of Magic
21June/July 2013
massively talented and athletic, and he’s my best friend.”
Christine and Magic started out in eventing, until they both real-
ized that dressage was not a favorite for either of them. So in 2011,
they decided to give jumper shows a shot. They enlisted the help of
trainer Kenny Krome, who immediately saw the potential in Magic.
Christine admits that it took her a little longer to polish her skills.
By their fourth show, Magic and Christine were winning every
class they would enter at the 1m level, even winning the Champion-
ship at the Maryland National Hunter/Jumper Show. The new kids
on the block were definitely the ones to beat!
In 2012, they set their sights on qualifying for Devon, hoping to
compete in the $2,500 North American League Pony Jumper Cham-
pionship. The pair did very well leading up to the Championship
class, earning firsts and seconds in the other classes. Their strategy
during the championship jump off was to go cautiously as no rid-
er ahead of them had gone clear. Christine and Magic had already
jumped 5 clear rounds that day, and she knew he could give them
another. Christine rode the course conservatively, and they left up
all the jumps. Although they incurred three time faults, it was still
good enough to give them the win and the Championship.
Their next outing was the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in
Harrisburg where they would compete in the $4,000 North Ameri-
can League Pony Jumper Finals. After jumping a clean round their
first trip, they pulled one rail in the jump off but still earned Reserve
Championship.
“Winning Devon was the best moment of my life and was my
biggest accomplishment. But Reserve Champion at Harrisburg was
cool too!” Christine says.
In 2013, they haven’t shown except for an outing in January
where they placed second in the NAL/WIHS/M&S Children/Adult
Jumper Classic at 1.10m. Because of Christine’s school schedule,
they weren’t able to qualify for Devon this year but have plans to go
up north to compete over the summer.
About her special pony, Christine says, “Magic has taught me so
much! He’s so talented that he’s been able to easily transfer into the
various stages of my riding as I’ve progressed. I was not nearly as
smart on course as I am now, because of Magic. Magic has gone from
babysitting me around the courses to becoming my greatest partner
in winning the big classics. Magic has also taught me a lot outside
the ring. He’s taught me the value of hard work and patience.”
Christine is planning a professional career in horses, but states,
“I will own Magic forever, no matter where the future takes me, he
will stay by my side.“
Christine and Magic in the Winner’s Circle at Devon.
Christine’s Senior Prom photo with her pony.
Phot
o co
urte
sy C
hris
tine
Lon
sdal
ePh
oto
cour
tesy
Chr
isti
ne L
onsd
ale
Winds of Magic
22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Q & A withHilda GurneyThe Olympic rider and trainer answers readers’ questions about Arabians and dressage
You have to have
a horse with three
good gaits, and the
ability to really
have power to be a
sport horse.
What do you think Arabians can bring to
the table as sporthorses?
Arabians are wonderful animals, full of
vim and vigor, they like to work, and they
are beautiful. They bring energy, lightness
off the ground, which is what we want in
the sport horse type, and buoyancy and
beauty. They are tough horses so they
bring resiliency, they’re long-lived plus
most of them stay pretty sound.
What are the weakest aspects of Arabi-
ans?
The conformation of their hindquar-
ters.
How do you compensate for this?
Well I think now Arabian breeders are
breeding for different types. Some breed
for Western, some breed for show hack,
some breed for Park horse type. I think
now that people are starting to breed Ara-
bians for sport horse, they need to pay at-
tention to the hindquarters.
When I judge the sport horse halter
classes, which are really popular, usually
I’m giving nine on the head and eight for
the shoulders and saddle position and
eight on the legs. Hindquarters I go down
to a six. It’s the articulation of the hind-
quarters, especially in the Egyptian Ara-
bian, it is wrong for sport horse. The Polish
Arabian is the best line and more suitable.
You have to have a horse with three
good gaits, and the ability to really have
power to be a sport horse. Whether you
are jumping, doing dressage or eventing,
you need power. They need to be able to
articulate the hind leg under them to cre-
ate that power. So you want the longer,
more sloping croup and the forward slop-
ing femur.
Do you do anything different when rid-
ing/training Arabians?
No, nothing different. I probably have
10 different breeds and I train each horse
as an individual, not as a breed, because
they are an individual.
Do you see Arabians, Half or Anglo Ara-
bians as being competitive in open com-
petition at a regional, national & interna-
tional level?
Not regular Arabians, but Half-Arabians
absolutely. I taught a clinic with a horse
by Aul Magic (Laine Sklar’s Paladin SF} that
was really, really tops. That was in Arizona.
And I judged the Young Show Horse Series
Finals at Spy Coast Farm in Florida with
$25,000 prize money and a Half-Arabian
{Samantha Werner’s Uphoria} was Cham-
pion in the halter. They didn’t say he was
Half-Arab, but he was really fabulous, by
far the most outstanding horse that day.
Half-Arabians have been competitive
on the international level, just not pure-
breds. One, they’re too small generally;
and two, the articulation of the hind end.
As far as Anglos, probably the other cross-
es would do better, the Thoroughbreds are
no longer competitive in the sport horse
23June/July 2013
world. Sometimes in eventing but pretty
much in dressage and jumping you don’t
see Thoroughbreds anymore.
Do you think there is breed prejudice
among dressage judges?
Maybe a little. But I’m a dressage judge
and I’m about to bring my Arabian up to
I-1 and Grand Prix very shortly and I’ve
done well with him. It’s not that they are
breed prejudiced, it is that the horse has
to perform in a suitable manner. It is the
horse not the breed. I mean purebred Ar-
abs aren’t bred to move across their backs,
which is really important in dressage. Most
Arabs tend to move hollow in their backs.
All dressage judges want to see a horse
using his back and most purebred Arabs
aren’t bred to move that way. But some
of the crosses tend to move that way as
they get positive characteristics from both
sides. And then you have exceptions. The
Arab stallion I ride has very good move-
ment. He certainly could carry more en-
gagement in the gaits, but he is capable
of very good engagement. His piaffe and
passage are as good as it gets.
Hilary Clayton’s stallion carries very,
very good engagement and he’s competi-
tive in the open world too. But they’re not
going to make it to the Olympics, they’re
too small and they don’t want small horses
in the Olympics. There shouldn’t be that
prejudice but there is.
What observations do you have about
horses that ‘think too much’ or ‘think
they know better than the rider’ and do
you have some insight into how to handle
these personality types?
First, no horse knows better than I do,
we don’t go there.
So many of my horses are registered
Oldenburg but they’re at least half Trakeh-
ner and they are hot. They have similar
dispositions as the Arabians. So we work
mostly on relaxation, same with our young
horses. And we have a lot of Half-Arabians
too, but they are part Trakehner so they are
more than half Arabian. In fact, most of my
stock is more than half Arabian but they
are called Oldenburg or whatever.
They are so willing and you don’t have
to be so tough. We spend more time on re-
laxation and just waiting, it’s a nicer train
frankly. I love horses and I don’t like get-
ting after them. But you teach them to wait
and you do it in a patient way. You know I
don’t spend a lot of time, I ride 15 horses
in five hours. And in half an hour I can do
a lot of training on a horse. But it doesn’t
have to be tough or repetitive, you know.
You don’t get impatient with them. They
try so hard to please you.
The biggest thing is usually getting
them used to competition. I always school
at a show before I show. The first time in
a show ring is never in a test. I usually
take the day before to school the horses
in the ring. With young horses,
we take them to shows and just
hang out. We school the day be-
fore the show or school the day
of the show when it’s allowed,
just to get them where they’re
confident and you don’t over
face them. You just have to be
really aware that you can’t over
face them, let them build con-
fidence. It’s the same way you
do with a child, it’s something
you build. You don’t take a child
and throw them into a swim-
ming pool; you introduce them
gradually.
What is your first impression
when you see an Arab come
down the centerline?
I usually think, “How pretty!”
I like seeing non-Warmbloods.
Hilda with purebred stallion Cal Dorado, National Champions in Prix St. Georges in 1997. Rob Hess photo.
24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Prepare Your Marefor an InspectionConditiioning and training tips before your Arabian mare gets inspected
They are not looking
at pedigrees...
They are looking for
Arabians with
correct
conformation and
good gaits...
For us breeders of Arabian bred sport
horses, it’s that time of year when
we start to think about which mares
to take to an inspection. The regis-
try that you choose will ultimately decide
the breeding direction you choose, but
getting your mare ready is the same for all
of them. Arabians are beginning to make
their mark in sport horse breeding with
more and more Arabians making their way
to Warmblood registry inspections.
How we prepare our mares for this
process can make a world of difference
the day of the Inspection. I’m writing this
from my personal experience of taking my
mare, Caraechstrodinair, to her AHS In-
spection, where she received scores that
placed her as the highest scoring Arabian
mare in the AHS Breed Books. Carli re-
ceived an extremely rare “10” and scored
“8’s” for elasticity and impulsion.
The following is my training routine for
preparing my mares for Inspections. My
hope is that I can share what worked for
me to help others who want to take their
Arabian mare to an Inspection and get
good results.
Beginning 8 to 12 weeks before the
inspection, following this very easy con-
ditioning routine will have your mare well
prepared and looking her best for the in-
spection process:
1. Hand walk for a pre-warm up to lung-
ing.
2. Lunge in a relaxed forward fashion.
3. Lunge in long/low contact with side
reins.
4. Lunge with quiet transitions, while
staying forward into the contact.
5. Lunge over ground poles.
For Riding Mares:
1. The above process as a warm up for
your ride. (2-3 days a week)
2. Riding over ground poles/cavalettis
3. Trail Riding (Hills and Galloping)
Finding out the date of your chosen
inspection location is the first step. Let’s
say for the sake of this article that our tar-
get inspection is in late August, so I would
begin in early May. All you need to get
started is a decent place to lunge, a bridle
Story & Photos by Tamara Torti
25June/July 2013
with a simple smooth snaffle, surcingle,
side reins and ground poles. Relaxation,
suppleness and impulsion along with very
good conformation are key to having a
good inspection.
I like to begin with working on the
lunge with side reins. I do this 3 times a
week for about 20 minutes each session.
Always begin with walking first. I actu-
ally like to hand walk my mare around the
arena a few times before and after each
session. This gets your horse loose before
your begin and helps the cooling process
after.
On the lunge, I like them to be forward,
walking with a purpose, while stretching
down into the contact of the side reins. If I
can paint a visual, you want to see big over
stride while the horse rounds over its top-
line and all the moving parts should look
freshly oiled and loose. Many Arabians
find this to be the most difficult, but they
will learn if you stay with it. If I’m working
with a green horse I will take my time and
walk quite a bit, hand walking and lunging.
When I get relaxation with contact I will
proceed to trot.
The trot work should also be forward
with stretch over the topline in the contact.
If the horse stays in the contact I then start
adding transitions walk to trot and back
to walk, always looking to keep the horse
forward into the contact while maintaining
relaxation. I will also begin doing transi-
tions within the gait, working to medium
back to working, really keeping the hind
end engaged.
Moving onto the canter, I like them to
be forward, but not running. The canter
needs cadence and balance. Many of our
Arabians that have been trained for other
disciplines tend to “run” around in circles
very quickly; if you have one of these,
do not worry, it can and will change with
some work. Always keeping relaxation in
mind, let your mare find her comfort zone
and encourage her to relax by bending her
to the inside then letting her back out; re-
peating until she starts to slow down and
find her rhythm. This may take some pa-
tience and a couple of sessions, but it will
get better. Even though the “canter” is not
scored at an inspection, during the Liberty
part they will see the canter and you want
it to be a good impression. It should be
cadenced and well balanced and these ex-
ercises will help get good results.
During the lunging sessions you can
and should mix it up a bit by adding ground
poles. Start with a single ground pole on
the circle, when you have walk, trot and
canter in a forward and relaxed manner
add a couple more poles and set them for
a working trot stride. I usually have any-
where from 3 to 5 set for the trot. This will
help muscling through the neck, shoulders
and over their topline while teaching them
rhythm, impulsion and reach. Ground
poles should be added after a good warm
up, so you get the most out of the exer-
cise.
If your mare is a riding horse, you have
a huge advantage in conditioning options
for the Inspection. Warmblood Registries
are looking to accept mares that will im-
prove their gene pool and create better
riding horses, so if the mare is rideable
that is a plus. If you are already compet-
ing within a sport like Dressage, Hunters,
Jumpers and even Endurance, you are
ahead of the class. Use the lunging exer-
cises as a warm up to your ride, or as a light
day of work within your weekly routine.
You too will see improvement in muscling
over the topline. During your rides add
some ground poles and cavalettis to your
routine. Really ask your mare to reach and
stretch over her back when going through
the grid.
Getting out of the arena and out on the
trails can also be very beneficial, especially
continued on page 94
26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
www.tranquillityhorsefarm.com
27June/July 2013
28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
A modern day Pegasus takes the West Coast by a storm
As the old adage goes, you don’t
know what you are capable of
until you try. If you ask Poeme
D’Amour, he’ll tell you nothing is impossi-
ble. The 10-year-old Anglo-Arabian geld-
ing has a “cheeky, I can do anything” atti-
tude, according to his owner Misti Cassar.
And so far, he’s been right!
Born and bred in the Limousin area
of France, a region considered the cradle
of Anglo-Arabian horse breeding, at the
well-respected Elevage De Buissy, Poeme
came to the United States in 2009. He is a
a son of Ryon d’Anzex, who competed in
the World Championships, and Jacinthe
Du Maury (by Fol Avril), both products of
over 100 years of Anglo-Arabian breed-
ing. Jacinthe had previously produced
the National stallion Fusain du Defey.
Previously, Cendrine Dutrait and her
partner Jean Bernard Anizan had bred
Ryon to their mare by embryo transfer
and gotten the colt Nid d’Amour de Buis-
sy, who now stands at the French Nation-
al Stud. They had really wanted a filly, so
they tried again and Poeme was born.
He was an impressive big colt, gray
like his mother. He was selected for the
famous elite sale, “FENCES,” and sold to
the National Stud., although he stayed at
home until he was three, when his educa-
tion began.
From 4 to 6 years of age, he was com-
peting in France under Cedric Hurel, one
of the country’s top jumper riders. His
6-year-old season ended with an ISO
(show jumping index) of 131, having
qualified for the final in Fontainebleau,
and competing twice with no faults at
the Championships at the Lion d’Angers.
Shortly thereafter, he was sold to Belgium
where his breeders lost touch with him.
Misti Cassar, an experienced jumper
rider based in California, had competed
on an international level for several years
and was looking for a new horse in 2010
when a friend in France told her about
Poeme. “How does a horse who has
continued on next page
ON THE COVER
Wings and Springs! N
ancy
Ros
en n
ancy
shoo
ts.c
om
29June/July 2013
had only one jump down in 29 classes
sound?” he asked Misti. She had no idea
what an Anglo Arabian was, but his record
spoke for itself.
Misti flew to Italy to try him, although
she was about to go through a much-
needed knee replacement after having
fractured her knee in eleven places. She
had been living in a lot of pain, although
riding was much more comfortable than
walking. Poeme was one of two horses
she tried that day and there was no doubt
in Misti’s mind that she wanted him. She
sealed the deal from her hospital room
the day of her surgery, despite knowing
she wouldn’t be allowed to ride for an-
other 9 months. She left him in Europe
for 2 months before bringing him home.
So while Misti busted her butt in re-
hab – her physical therapist said she and
a 3-time Iraqi veteran were his superstars
- Poeme was being shown a little by John
French in some 7 & 8 year old jumper
classes, even winning a few.
In the spring of 2010, Misti took over
the ride and had success in some high
jumper classes and a few Grands Prix.
Then she took Poeme back to Europe to
show him there. “It is so much less expen-
sive to show there. You only spend about
300 euros per week compared to $3,000
per week in the U.S.,” she explains.
It was back to California after a few
months for family reasons, and into the
jumper arena there with some prestig-
ious placings in 1.3 and 1.4 meter classes
for the pair.
But it was in the summer of 2012
when Misti and “Mister,” as she calls him
(since everyone thinks he’s a mare) set
the world on fire. They placed 10th in the
$30,000 Pebble Beach Grand Prix. In Sep-
tember, the crowd cheered wildly when
they won the $30,000 LA International
Welcome Stake class and placed 3rd in
the hotly contested $50,000 LA Interna-
tional Grand Prix!
A couple of weeks later, they were 3rd
in the $35,000 Sacramento International
Welcome Grand Prix (1.5 meters). Misti
and Mister followed that up three weeks
later at the National Preview Horse Show
with two wins in the $30,000 Grand Prix
and the $30,000 Grand Prix Champion-
ship!
They’ve been to a few shows so far
this year, placing 5th in the $33,000 HITS
Desert Classic, garnering a win in a 1.4
meter class and an 8th in the $15,000
HITS Desert Circuit Level 8 class.
“He is so brave, but sensible and re-
ally game. He would go through fire if I
asked him,” says Misti of their connec-
tion. “He can just walk around these big
courses and win as long as I don’t mess
him up. He hates to touch a rail!” Their
routine each day, after ring work con-
sists of a 3 or 4 mile hack down the road.
“There is no substitute for the time we
spend together, we have a true bond.
When he sees my car pull in each day, he
whinnies more and more insistently the
This horse is my
first Arabian,
but I can tell you,
he won’t be my last!
Poeme with his dam, Jacinthe Du Maury, at the
FENCES auction. Photo courtesy Cendrine Dutrait.
continued on next page
continued on next page
ON THE COVER
30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
longer I take to get to him.”
That isn’t to say Mister is an easy ride.
“Not everyone can get along with him, al-
though he’s quiet enough for my daughter
to ride. George Morris just loves him, I can’t
get him off the horse!” Misti explains. She
says that she’s always ridden the French
horses with a lot of blood very well, which
may explain the almost telepathic commu-
nication she has with Mister.
“We have a warm up routine at the
shows; we hack for about 25 minutes until
he takes a deep breath and relaxes. Then
he’s ready. Once on course, it is a very
technical 90 second ride. The way he kicks
up his hind end over the jumps comes
naturally to him, but it also means I have
to keep my eyes up on the backside of the
jumps or else!”
Misti says she’s still learning about her
boy, having just found a new bridle that
gives her a “connection with impulsion,
plus a meaningful half-halt. I can’t wait to
try it again.”
Their long range plan includes the pos-
sibility of attending the 2014 World Eques-
trian Games in Normandy with syndication
a probability to make that happen. Misti is
also looking at a brother of Mister’s as a
new mount.
“This horse is my first Arabian, but I can
tell you he won’t be my last!”
WINGS continued from page 29
31June/July 2013
The Elevage de Buissy is settled in
an historical Anglo-Arabian breeding re-
gion, near Pompadour, in the south west
of France. It was created a decade ago by
Cendrine Dutrait and Jean Bernard Anizan.
Without any doubt there is no breeding
operation in Europe with such a collec-
tion of quality Anglo-Arabian mares. The
success of this stud is the result of a very
selective breeding process. The quality of
pedigrees and especially damelines is the
key of any successful breeding, whether
you breed thoroughbreds for flat races,
chasers, sports horses or dairy cattle…
In addition the education, mating skills,
feeding and preparation of young horses
are very important and these elements are
also mastered by the Elevage de Buissy
crew.
Fleur d’Anis (born out of two parents
that won at the Nations Cup level) pro-
duced Olala de Buissy (Cook du Midour
AA x Laudanum TB x Arlequin AA) that won
at the Nation Cup and 1m60 Grand Prix
level last year with the French Equestrian
Team. He’s an amazing jumper, with a lot of
blood, very careful and a fantastic canter.
The first offspring of this dark brown stal-
lion are 3 years old now and they already
have shown a lot of quality.
Jacinthe du Maury, from the famous
dameline of Yasmine (mother or grand
mother of a lot of Grand Prix Showjumpers
in France), is really the foundation mare
of the stud. Her first foal Fusain du Defey
(co-bred by Jean Bernard Anizan) was born
and raised at the Elevage de Buissy. He is
now the father of international eventers
and showjumpers after long sport career.
Ridden by Michel Faumont he was really
hard to beat at the 1m45/1m50 level and
won prizes up to the 1m55 Grand Prix Lev-
el. Jacinthe du Maury also produced two
other international showjumpers: Poeme-
damour de Buissy and Illusion d’Amour.
Nid d’Amour de Buissy, the full brother
of Poemedamour de Buissy, is at stud in
France as a stallion and his offspring is
very promising. The Yasmine dam line also
produced Printemps de Buissy (successful
at the 1m30 level in Spain) and Shamdala
de Buissy (winner at the 1m30 level in
France).
Out of other mares (all selected in the
best damelines of the French Stud-book),
the Elevage de Buissy produced Quotkijet
de Buissy (that was one of the best young
eventers of France at 6 and 7 years old in
France before being injured), Olympe de
Buissy CCI2* in France, Riesling de Buissy
CCI in the USA, and the amazing Looping
de Buissy that is already competitive at
the CCI3* level and considered as one of
the most promising eventers in France for
the top level competitions. Fillies sold by
the Elevage de Buissy to other breeders
have already produced top jumpers like
Quenelle du Py (competitive at the 1m50
level in France) or Rock’N Roll Animal (one
the best French horse at 5 and 6 years old
in showjumping).
The Elevage de Buissy is without any
doubt one of the best Anglo-Arabian
breeding operation in Europe. Competitive
horse for showjumping and eventing are
born there. They give a lot of satisfaction
to their owners, even at the amateur level.
A place where competitive and beautiful
Anglo-Arabians have found their best pro-
moter.
About the Breeder - Elevage de Buissy by Adrien Cugnasse
DRO
M p
hoto
PART 2
32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
In February 1982, an acquisition and breeding took place
that would have profound effects on our breeding program
and prospects even thirty years later. And like everything
else that Sandy did, while there was a plan and a vision,
there was no guarantee of success. We bought Daurita (Daufin x
Tamarita) in foal to Ibn Awad++/ from Ken and Laura West, and
bred Shawzi (Pepe x Miidj) to Ibn as well. At this time, Daurita was
only the third horse Sandy had ever bought. Their stories will show
how by mere chance but guided by intuitive knowledge and “gut
feeling,” results were achieved that probably have a lesser chance
of happening than winning the lottery.
The next year, we met Owen and Roz Wagstaff at the Crabbet
Convention in Denver along with Beatrice Paine from England. We
mentioned Aur Vanity and the three of them came soon after to
see him and the other horses. The Wagstaffs bought Aur Vanity
and he went to Australia where he won championships right and
left and for a time was considered the fifth winningest imported
Arabian in Australia. The sad part is that he died way too early, just
about like Aulrab.
We also met David Ward in Denver. Sandy had heard of him
through a magazine article and when he saw Aulrab, he wanted
him of course. This meeting started a great friendship and associa-
tion that has benefitted both of us over the years.
Aulrab bred Scimitar Leniah, a Binis daughter out of Bint Leb-
naniah of Pico out of the desert-bred mare Lebnaniah and on May
15, 1982, she delivered Aur Samari. Sandy’s sister, Donna and her
husband Geoff Barton formed the Aur Samari Partnership to show
and breed him and he sired 23 foals. His daughter, Aur Magic Ali,
born in 1987, is one of our most important mares. After being sold
and then rescued, Aur Samari was lovingly cared for by Marci de la
Torre until his death.
In 1983, El Shama was born out of Aurieha. (El Shama sired
22 foals; 18 purebred and 4 half Arabs.) That same year, Shawzi
gave us Shawmai and Daurita presented Seranetta, all by Aulrab.
Of course, both mares are gone, but their daughters Shawzina and
Aur Alexandria respectively have produced some of the finest
Aur Vanity
Excerpted from “It Only Took 50 Years,” by Dick Warren, a manuscript he plans to publish one day.Photos courtesy Warren Park Stud
PART 2
33June/July 2013
horses in our herd.
Aurniaha (Aulrab x Scimitar Leniah) was also foaled in 1983.
Her 1988 colt, Star Magic Jeriel, by Lewisfield Magic+/, sired 5
purebreds, including Aur Magic Mustafa and Dawn Jones-Low’s
FCF Robin Goodfellow.
Georgia Cheer, GF Silver Mystery’s owner, was born in Eng-
land; the daughter of a Chinese father and English mother. She
was aware of the Arabians that were bred there and had an ap-
preciation for them. When she and Sandy began talking horses
and Sandy told her what she knew of the bloodlines of her horses,
Georgia got an idea. Why not a magazine about the horses that
came from England bred by the Crabbet Stud? By this time, Sandy
had met Michael Bowling and Carol Mulder, both of whom had
explained about the lineage of the horses that she had acquired
and bred.
So it was, that in September 1983, the premier issue of Geor-
gia Cheer’s Crabbet Influence came out. On the cover was a paint-
ing by a friend of ours and on the back cover was a great color ad
featuring Aulrab along with two inside ads. One featured Aurik and
Aulrab, and the other had a picture of GF Silver Mystery with her
colt, Aur Vanity. (The magazine ran from 1983 to 1992 in printed
form and Sandy has every issue. It has proven to be an excellent
source of information for this story.)
In 1983, an experiment that would be tried two more times
with equally outstanding results, Sandy bred Aulrab to his full sis-
ter Aurieha. She had talked about the idea for some time based of
the fact that both horses were outstanding in their conformation,
athletic ability and disposition. And I said to her, “What have you
got to lose? If you don’t like the result you can lock it in the attic.”
But the result was very good when Auriel came on April 1, 1984.
Sandy gave Auriel to her sister Donna who owned, with her hus-
band Geoff, the 400-acre Saddle Rock Ranch in Sonoma. (Geoff
had a knack for making money and I always hoped that some of
that skill would rub off on me. I’m still waiting.)
Then, out of nowhere, on Friday May 11, 1984 Sandy suffered
a stroke. Rushed to the hospital, we found her to be fairly alert but
with weakness on one side and having trouble speaking. Sandy
worked hard at getting better and in about a year she had recov-
ered.
In 1984, GF Silver Mystery was again bred to Aulrab and a year
later, Aur Mystic arrived. In the spring of 1988, Charles Justice
from Hendersonville, North Carolina, came out of the blue down
the drive to ask Sandy if she had any stallions to sell. Because we
had Aulrab for breeding and Sandy needed to buy hay, she sold
Mystic to him. In the 17 years he was in NC, he bred only two
mares; the rest of the time he was a pet.
The famous Aul Magic+/ arrived on May 9, 1985. He was a spe-
cial colt; handsome and very gentle. Our daughter Debbie started
working with him when he was a long two-year old and by the
fall of ‘87 she was ready to get on him. She asked me to hold his
continued on next page Aur Mystic
Aur Samari
34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
halter while she got on and we walked around the corral a couple
of times. She said, “Let go.” I did and he was broke. He was too
good to sell but, like Aur Mystic, we had Aulrab that was doing all
the breeding. When Judy and Cody Thornton said they would like
to lease (take care) of him we agreed and they had him as a fam-
ily pet for the next ten years in Burley, Idaho. Not long after they
returned him, Betsy Teeter and Sharon Byford-Ruth bought him
and the rest is history.
Aur Destiny (Aulrab x Daurita) foaled in 1985 and was bought
by Mike and Pam Chapman, becoming a top competitive trail and
endurance horse. There is a very dramatic picture of him and Pam
charging up a rocky slope on one of her rides.
Georgia Cheer bred GF Silver Mystery to Ben Rabba++/ that
produced CR Silver Monarch in 1986. He sired 39 foals of which
31 were purebred. His show career netted 2 firsts, 7 seconds, and
6 Top 5s in 12 shows from May 1988 to July 1996.
On June 2, 1986, Lewisfield Magic sired Amberr Magic out of
the Ab Salute daughter Ferriffa Farwa for David Ward. In 2002, her
daughter WW Aur Mystique Ambeer by Aur Mystique was born
and would later be the first mare we ever lost to a foaling accident.
It should be noted that in her entire career Sandy has only lost one
other foal at birth.
Aur Minx by Aulrab came along in 1987 out of Shawzi. Her
greatest contribution was Aur Magic Mustafa by Star Magic Jeriel
that in 15 shows in two years won: 1 championship, 10 firsts, 14
seconds, and 20 top 5s.
Aleeiaha came along on June 18, 1987, by Lewisfield Magic+/
out of Aurieha. She produced two notable fillies: Aulieraba and
WW Miss Ga’zi.
Aurik (Aurab x Naulana) sired 22 foals, one of which has be-
come our most treasured mare, Shawzina, foaled in 1988 out
of Shawmai. She is a beautiful bay mare that David and Shirley
Henderson of OTB Arabians bought in 1994. Her son, the gelding
Aupollo, was foaled in March 2000 by OTB Auryan++/ (Aulrab x
Basktiana). He performed in 17 shows from April 2002 to October
2009 and won 3 championships, 5 first places, and 16 Top 5s. In
May 2005, Auryans Legacy, a full brother of Aupollo, was born. In
15 shows, Auryans Legacy won two championships, 2 firsts, and
Aur Destiny Shawzina
WARREN PARK continued from page 33
Aul Magic and Sandy
35June/July 2013
14 Top 5s.
In May 1989, Aur Aurelia by Aulrab was foaled. She was the
second result of the full brother/sister cross that had worked so
well the first time. She produced four foals and one, Aur Midnight
Magic by Aur Mystic was given to Otto Hackel.
One of my favorite mares is Rieba, born May 13, 1990. She
is the third member of the select brother/sister breeding project.
She is one of those horses that is always “in your pocket.” Plus she
has a special attitude. She produced two foals for us: Aurieba by
Argonaut, and Mystic Legacy. Dawn Jones-Low bought her in 2005
and before her death in 2012, she had given Dawn two great foals;
FCF Robin Goodfellow by Star Magic Jerial (Lewisfield Magic+/ x
Aurniaha) and FCF As You Wish by AAA Legion of the Seas, a rising
dressage star.
Another very nice mare, Aur So Vain, came along on March 27,
1991 by Aulrab out of GF Silver Mystery; a full sister to Aur Vanity,
Aur Mystic, CR Silver Monarch, WP Bright Magic, and Aur Mystique.
Aur Mystic and Aur Mystique have been responsible for much of
the success of our breeding program.
While being treated for loss of weight due to a thyroid issue
just before Christmas of 1994, we got the dreaded news that
Sandy had leukemia.
For the next year or so Sandy went into a slump and pretty
much climbed into a hole and stayed there. We wondered if we
could continue keeping the horses. At the time, some of Sandy’s
friends came forward to help out. David Ward finally got his dream
to come true when Aulrab was sent to his ranch in British Colum-
bia in the Okanagan Valley. Marci de la Torre took a mare or two
and Eva Marie Casparite took several mares as well.
By 1998, Sandy started to feel better and some of the mares
came home. Aulrab stayed at David’s and a scheme was hatched
Rieba
to send Aulrab, GA Topaz (Galan x Aurtama by Aurab) and some
selected mares to Cal Poly in a group that was called the Heritage
Herd to try to restore some of the original Kellogg bloodlines that
had been diluted through the years. What seemed a good idea
didn’t work out all too well.
First of all, Topaz, a very sensitive stallion, fretted at being
away from home so much that he was brought home to our place
where he thrived and remains today. It became apparent shortly
that Aulrab was not feeling so well and at first shipping fever or
the like was suspected. In an early attempt to breed him, he was
unable to perform. An examination was done, and a stomach tu-
mor was found. Normally, once a horse is at the college’s stables
they stay there forever., but in Aulrab’s case, he was allowed to
come home where he died a short time later. He is buried here
along with his full sister Aurieha.
You don’t need to be told how it crushed Sandy. I found out
much later that David thought about giving up the horses until
Sandy talked him out of it. Well, Aulrab was that kind of horse.
In 1998, Sandy bred Aur Mystique, a gray, to Aurieha and got a
colt the next year that was almost a mirror image of Aulrab. Virtu-
ally the same blaze face, the socks and leg runs but on the other
side, and little white spots here and there. Sandy thought Aulrab
had been reincarnated and named him Mystic Aulrab. But I think
that in the back of her mind she knew what was going to happen.
A South African named Johan Theron was looking for a stud for
his Crabbet bred mares and he eventually flew over, saw Mystic
Aulrab and bought him.
Around this same time, a freak accident trying to free a cast
mare during a storm landed Sandy in the hospital once again, this
time with a broken neck. For six months she had to wear a halo,
GA Topaz
Mystic Aulrab
continued on next page
36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
the device that secures the head in place to keep it from moving.
It rests on the shoulders and has four screws that anchor into the
head at forehead level. Doctors were amazed Sandy wasn’t para-
lyzed.
After Aulrab died, Sandy had sent Aur Mystique to David. Mys-
tique was always a little harder to handle and with her physical
limitations she felt David could do a better with him, which he has.
One day in 2002, we were headed into town when Sandy said, “I
wish I had never sold Aur Mystic.” I knew instantly what she was
talking about.
In 2003, Sandy called David to cry on his shoulder about Aur
Mystic, “I want my chestnut stallion back.” Two weeks later David
called to tell her that he had bought him back. It was easy enough
Aur Mystique
Aur Mystic
to find the owner and when David called him the guy said “You
should have called me sooner, I gave him to my neighbor,” but
David managed to track him down.
Mystic got to David’s place in British Columbia a couple of
weeks later. He had never been near other horses and he was put
into a paddock next to the mare field where he immediately start-
ed pacing the fence. It didn’t take him long to drop a lot of weight,
so David sent him to us where we could put him in a paddock
away from the other horses and feed him up. Soon enough he was
fit and started breeding some mares. He was bred to two mares in
Aur Mystic Diamond
Aur Jesse James
2003 and the next year we got two nice colts; Aur Mystic Diamond
(out of Aur Aurieana) and Aur Mystic Heir (out of Aur Alexandria).
All told, he has sired 22 purebreds.
Around this time Sandy got a call from a man named Ed Dodd,
who explained that he had been directed to us by a friend of ours
when Ed told the lady what kind of horse he was looking for. Ed
was in his 30’s and was running an online motorcycle supply busi-
ness. He had trained Arabs in his earlier years but had never found
any that suited him. Ed was immediately taken with the horses
here and was impressed with their quality and athletic ability. He
knew a little about Crabbet/Kellogg bloodlines and appreciated
Sandy’s efforts to keep her program authentic. Ed ended up buy-
ing Aul Vanity (Aul Magic x Aur Alexandria).
In early 2007, Shirley Henderson called to ask if we knew any-
one who might be interested in buying Shawzina. She would be
willing to take 500 bucks for her. “Holy cow, send her up as quick
as you can,” screamed Sandy. So it was that Shawzina was sent to
Ed Dodd’s place in San Juan Bautista and bred to the fantastic Aul
Vanity, resulting in the bay colt, Aur Jesse James. Shawzina later
produced Aur Naulana by Aur Mystic.
Sandy was due to start chemotherapy due to an enlarged
spleen and lymph nodes in January 2009, and we weren’t sure
how it was going to come out. David Ward, Johan Theron, Otto
Hackle and Ed Dodd all arrived to show support. David and Johan
stayed for a week and Otto and Ed came for the day.
WARREN PARK continued from page 35
37June/July 2013
Aur Mystic Alexander
Later, Sandy started having trouble breathing. She was di-
agnosed with pneumonia and it was discovered that part of her
right lung was so infected that it was removed. We were told later
that there was a three-day period when it was questionable if she
would recover. She did, of course, but her days of handling studs
and so forth were over.
We haven’t tried all that hard to sell any horses with the econ-
omy the way it is and also at this point most of them are too valu-
able as breeding stock. Ed’s 40-acre ranch at San Juan Bautista
is the home for two stallions, a gelding riding horse and seven
mares. At our place we have nine stallions, seven mares or fillies,
and one gelding. David Ward keeps two more of our stallions and
two mares at his place as well as his own forty plus herd.
Now at ten years old, Vanity is an incredible colt with massive
legs and an unbelievable trot. His first foal, Aul Jesse James, is a
coming five-year-old 16 hand bay. He also sired a yearling filly out
of our Aur Samari daughter, Aur Magic Ali.
Today, Sandy is holding her own. She suffers from COPD, takes
medicine to help control it and continues to use oxygen 24/7. I
call her my Timex Girl - she takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.
We have had a great run. For most of the time we simply stayed
here in Sanger and quietly bred Arabians on a shoestring budget.
Once in a while something would sell and in some cases the horse
would excel. Fortunately, Ed Dodd came along and decided that
Sandy’s horses were the answer to his dream and is now a partner
who is in a position to promote these fine animals and to that
end is having four stallions: Aul Vanity, Mystic Diamond, Aur Jesse
James (soon to be a gelding), and Aur Mystic Alexander trained
with more to follow.
Thanks to Ed setting us up with a Reverse Mortgage company,
the last five or six years we have been able to make a lot of im-
provement here and keep the horses going as well.
This is an exciting time for Sandy. It is the realization of a
dream that started almost fifty years ago. With Ed’s involvement, it
will continue for at least another fifty years.
38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
I let my horses
shape their destiny,
rather than paint
them into a corner.
Interview with Mark Schuerman
I met Mark Schuerman when I brought my Arabian gelding, Rawhide V, to him for training.
I asked Mark to get Rawhide V trained and experienced, so that I could safely ride him on
trails. Then I left the country for 6 weeks … confident that Rawhide V was in good hands.
Upon my return, I not only had the beginnings of a good trail horse, I also learned from
Mark that I had a very good dressage prospect. Three years later, Rawhide V +/ is my trail
horse and dressage performance horse extraordinaire. I hope the following interview will
explain why Mark is able to train happy horses that excel in several disparate disciplines.
Sherry: Why do you do so many different things with your horses.
Mark: I let my horses shape their destiny, rather than paint them into a corner. I keep op-
tions opens so they can do what they want to do.
Sherry: Why did you come to be a trainer of Sport Horses?
Mark: I like to compete in Sport Horse, because those events are judged on an interna-
tional standard … the same standard used in open venues for all breeds. Sport Horse
judges use the same criteria and score the same as open shows all over the world. It’s a
tough field out there, so I’m even more excited when our Arabs win.
Interview and photos by Sherry Conrads
Mark riding Di Shambolea across the fin-ish line of the Tevis 100 mile endurance ride.
39June/July 2013
Ashley Young and Mark with Surreal Bey, Ellexus Bey+/ and Rawhide V+/ at Pacific Slopes Regional Show.
Sherry: How long have you been training
Sport Horses?
Mark: In the 1970’s I was training Sport
Horses and competing in Sport Horse
events before they were called Sport
Horses.
Sherry: What shows do you and your cli-
ents participate in?
Mark: AHA Class A, AHA Regionals, Pacific
Slope Championships, USDF Open Shows
and Sport Horse Nationals.
Sherry: Besides Sport Horses, what other
disciplines do you and your clients partici-
pate in?
Mark: We do a lot of endurance training
and competitions, including AERC distance
rides, FEI endurance rides, Tevis Cup and
Open Dressage. I finished the 2012 Tevis
Cup in 11th place and several of my cli-
ents have also completed the Tevis.
Sherry: Do you train other breeds, other
than Arabians?
Mark: Yes, currently I’m training a warm
blood that has helped me earn a bronze
medal from USDF. The rest of my barn is
all Arabians.
Sherry: Why do you like to train Arabi-
ans?
Mark: I never get tired of looking at them,
and they are an athletic and intelligent
breed.
Sherry: What is your proudest Sport Horse
show accomplishment?
Mark: Every time one of my students wins
a blue ribbon. The smiles on my client’s
faces are my proudest moments.
Sherry: Tell me about your clients.
Mark: Well, my students range from be-
ginners to those winning National Cham-
pionships. I also have several clients who
are being reintroduced to riding after a
long time off. I don’t limit myself to upper
level riders, because we all have to start
somewhere.
Sherry: What is your most important goal
for your students?
Mark: To enjoy themselves and for them
to feel like their dollars are well spent.
Sherry: Besides showing, what other
horse related activities do you participate
in with your clients?
Mark: Well, we do horse camping, trail rid-
ing and a lot of endurance conditioning. I
like to do a variety of activities, because
I enjoy it and because it keeps both the
horses and the riders having fun and main-
taining a fresh attitude.
Sherry: What are some of your goals for
2013?
Mark: Win it all … or go down swinging.
Mark trains out of Lakeside Equestrian
Center in Loomis, California and can be
contacted at [email protected]
Interview and photos by Sherry Conrads
About a year ago, after a break of
several years, my husband Wil-
lis announced that he wanted
to start riding again. Willis and I breed
Arab hybrids for eventing, dressage and
jumpers under the Solar Hill Sport Horse
banner so we had just about every com-
bination of Arab bred on the farm. At the
time Willis made his announcement we
had at least two perfectly lovely well un-
der saddle Anglo Arab geldings in the field
plus my personal saint of an Arab-Welsh
cross. Each was available for Willis to ride.
He wanted an Arab mare.
I was mostly thrilled by Willis’ an-
nouncement. What girl doesn’t want a
sweetie that rides? It just would have been
so much e-a-s-i-e-r if he had been willing
to ride a horse we already had. The thing
is we did not have a purebred mare of
rideable age. I thought about the geldings
and trying to persuade him to give one
of them a go. Then I remembered a story
Willis had told me years ago about why he
loved Arab mares so much and decided to
leave it alone. One thing you learn in mar-
riage is sometimes you just have to leave
things alone.
Willis’ story was this, “Homer Daven-
port was an extremely influential and pow-
erful American political cartoonist at the
turn of last century. He became wealthy
due to the demand of his political work,
and he saw his first Arabian horses at the
Chicago World’s Fair. He quickly planned
an expedition to the Saudi Peninsula re-
gion to buy horses.
In those days, the nomadic Bedouins
and Sheiks would not accept any currency
other than gold and silver, probably for
good reason. The available horses were
spread over a vast area, and the territory
was relatively unsafe. Davenport and his
entourage selected Arabian mares to carry
them to the horses for sale. Mares are saf-
er as they are built to carry weight, do not
call out to other horses as stallions do, and
consequently were the preferred horses
for battle.
Mares used by Davenport were typical-
ly in the 800 lb. weight category, and were
expected to carry one- third of their body
weight representing rider, tack, food, gold/
silver, guns and ammunition. Often they
had to reliably cover 300+ miles in four to
five days. Davenport did not initiate this
ordeal of the percentage of horse-carried
weight; the nomads had been doing it for
centuries.
So, in my simplistic way, what worked
40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
by Karin FoleyHorse Shopping and Finding the ONE
Life With
MC
Full
Phot
o
for them works for me. I have always loved
the mares.“
Willis is a distance rider at heart. That
works because any kind of riding I do re-
quires my horse to be super fit. There is a
nothing better in a hacking buddy than the
ability to go the distance. Willis’ idea of a
pleasant stroll is a swift 25 miler.
I needed to find Willis an Arabian
mare of a certain age, started under sad-
dle, with an agreeable disposition, a super
work ethic, hopefully a horse that had not
experienced too much emotional trauma
that required rehabbing, sound without
any previous injuries, and good feet. Wil-
lis cares about pretty. Me, I think you don’t
ride the head. I added pretty to the list.
One thing I know from selling so many
horses through the years is that what
people often say they want is not what
they end up bringing home. Many a time
a buyer has come by insisting that they
wanted a six year old bay and ended up
leaving with a ten year old buckskin be-
cause horse selection often has an unpre-
dictable, emotional component. There is
often something intangible to the exact
right fit. Since I was shopping for a horse
for someone else I vowed to make a list
and stick to it.
Willis’ mare had to be comfortable to
ride and built to stay sound. She needed
good bone and decent joints since riding
out in the open sometimes requires scal-
ing stone riddled mountains, climbing
over rocks, and wading through water. She
would have to be capable of stepping up
underneath herself and popping over small
logs, using herself properly so she could
go the distance sound and she had to be
comfortable to ride. This mare, whoever
she was, was going to have to be a horse
I could ride in between our “couple rides”
to keep her fit. I might want to take her
hill topping with the hunt or ride a lower
level dressage test with her for fun. I was
not looking for an upper level prospect. I
was looking for a great all around horse.
Simply put we were looking for an athlete
with an intact brain who was also pretty.
These requirements made our target horse
what I would call a mid-priced horse - an
odd price range for buyers and sellers. We
wanted certain things and we were willing
to pay for them. We were not willing to
pay for things that were irrelevant to us
This might be a good time to mention
that Willis is the encyclopedia of Arabian
pedigrees. I have yet to stump him when I
mention a stallion or a mare for that mat-
ter. He always knows all about the horse.
Moreover, he can tell you about the grand-
parents or great grandparents in Russia,
Poland, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia,
Argentina, or Spain. He knows who was ex-
ported or imported, when and to or from
where. He knows the chain of ownership
for horse after horse. He also knows all
the back stories so playing “Stump Willis”
is never any fun. He had some definite
ideas about the heritage of the mare we
selected.
We decided to narrow our search by
country of origin. We breed horses with
primarily Crabbet and Spanish Arab blood-
lines. So we know their capabilities. Willis
added Polish to the list because as he says,
“Polish stallions were not used for breed-
ing unless they were winners at the track.
They have to be athletes to get a breeding
license, “ and we’re looking for an athlete.
So the list of requirements grew to
include an athlete with a good brain that
was pretty AND of Crabbet, Spanish or
Polish descent. It did not seem like too
much to ask.
If you think that our list of “must haves”
would be easy to find then you have not
spent much time reading the for sale ads.
There is not a for sale ad that reads, “Ath-
letic, pretty horse with good brain of Crab-
bet, Spanish or Polish descent”. The real
ads require translation.
I started the search on the Arabian
Horse Association website purebreds for
sale section and selected “endurance” as
the first category. While there were horses
whose tagline read clearly for distance rid-
ing it appears that the advertisers tend to
check every box possible in order to get
the most number of views. I had to sort
through ads along the lines of “Half broth-
er to 2x Canadian National Champion,”
“Sweepstakes nominated 8 year old,” and
“Scottsdale TT by National Champion.” Se-
riously, for an endurance horse?
Under discipline one mare’s listing
said, “English, Trail, Endurance, Dressage,
Western, Hunter, Working Western, Brood-
mare.” Since several of those are contradic-
tory, I passed. Most of THOSE horses were
priced for the headlines, not for hubby.
I moved onto dressage and driving cat-
egories. Dressage for a horse designed to
use itself well. Driving you may ask… have
you ever seen what a combined driving
horse does? They are super athletes. The
ones on AHA’s website were of the fine
harness type and seemed to be wilting
flowers by comparison. We passed. The
listings went pretty much the same way
as the endurance horse listings includ-
ing the headlines with nothing to do with
dressage or driving. There were a few that
fit but price or geography excluded them
from consideration.
We moved on to Dreamhorse, Horse-
ville, Horseclicks, Equine Hits and includ-
ed a few regional for sale publications
and equine websites. We asked friends
for referrals. Anyone who has ever done
it knows it is dangerous to post anywhere
that you are shopping for a horse. The re-
sponses are likely to be thinly related to
the request and often snips or quips will
ensue about your choices as a buyer. It is
not for those without some emotional for-
titude.
A few months ago I asked my friends
on the Arabian Sport Horse Alliance what
they looked for in a prospect for a particu-
lar discipline. Regardless of each person’s
discipline their overwhelming response
was that they wanted a horse with a good
mind. Mind first, no surprise! Made for
the job at hand ran a close second. Most
people said they would consider a horse
with a past not related to their discipline
of choice.
Let’s face it, no one horse can be all
things to all people. Some horses, while
perfectly suitable for one job, are simply
41June/July 2013
continued on next page
42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
not built to do all jobs. We can debate
what good basic conformation includes
and we would probably agree on the ba-
sics. I am not talking about that. I am talk-
ing about being built for the job at hand.
At minimum an equine athlete has to have
is a good amount of bone and large joints
plus the right angles for the job they are
expected to do. The angles on a hunter
and an eventer are different as are the
hind legs…or at least they ought to be.
Each discipline puts its own unique re-
quirement on a horse’s body. Many adver-
tisers offering Arabian horses for sale do
not seem to get that. Or maybe the pool
of buyers has diminished to the point that
sellers ignore the rules.
A horse also needs to be suitable for
the rider. There have been many times
now through the years when a potential
buyer has come to see the advanced pros-
pect we had for sale when what they really
needed was the mid level packer. To ride
a true upper level dressage horse, for ex-
ample, the rider needs a good amount of
ability to be able to sit the giant trot. My
first experience with a true FEI level trot
left me hanging on to the barn rafters for
dear life. It is not an uncomfortable trot it
is very smooth and fluid. It is just vertically
huge. It is not an experience for the unpre-
pared.
The other thing any horse for sport has
to have is heart. Steeplechase racing runs
in my blood. One thing you learn about
steeplechase horses is that you cannot
force the horse to do it. The great ones love
it. This explains why even the best bred
Thoroughbred does not always a Kentucky
Derby runner make. The great breeders
look for “heart.” Arabian horses are the
same. There is nothing more pleasant to
ride than a willing, happy, brave Arab be-
cause the best ones have heart. The sport
horse disciplines require a certain amount
of bravery, a willing spirit…..the horse has
to want to do the job.
We decided to skip the ads that tried
to be all things to all people and concen-
trated on the ones that talked about the
mares mind, athleticism and descent. Af-
ter all, we were NOT looking for a “show
horse” we were looking for an athlete…..
BIG difference.
We looked at video after video of
horses bred to be one thing then adver-
tised as being suitable for “Sport Horse”
as if “Sport Horse” was a generic horse. I
even considered the ones claiming that
the horse was both a serious hunter AND a
dressage prospect because you just never
know. Not one of those horses it turned out
was suitable for any of the sport horse dis-
ciplines. I have burned the one video of a
horse whose advertisement declared her
to be an “FEI dressage prospect” when she
was exactly everything contrary to a dres-
sage horse. It is a serious misconception
that because a horse has pretty movement
that it has dressage potential let alone the
highest level of potential.
The whole process was exasperating.
While I am not really sure why someone
chooses, for example, to try and sell a horse
clearly bred to do, say, western pleasure as
a “Sport Horse,” I have my guesses and they
are not exactly complimentary to those of
us serious about our sport. I try not to
think badly of people who make it obvious
that they think so little of me. My mother
always told me that you cannot respond to
rudeness with rudeness or a demeaning
attitude with a demeaning attitude. There
are few humans with better manners than
my mother. I try to remember her words in
my dealings with horse people.
The other thing we saw over and over
again on the videos were horses being
hand ridden, horses being ridden so tight
that their backs were unable to move free-
LIFE continued from page 41
43June/July 2013
...a horse is only
worth what it is
capable of doing
or the value to the
person that can
utilize the horse’s
talents.
ly, horses in pain being ridden by oblivious
riders, saddles sitting on the horses shoul-
ders, horses being ridden by riders with no
apparent balance, ill fitting saddles, harsh
bits, horses hating to work, horses tired of
it all. Pass, pass, pass! Ever wonder where
a hunter bump comes from? I can send
you the links to the videos showing how
it happens.
Eventually, we settled on a sweet,
pretty bay mare; an eventing type of Polish
descent. She was one of the first horses
I looked at and I was instantly smitten by
her. It took me months to decide to bring
her home because I could not get over her
sire. I kept thinking about her and compar-
ing her to every prospect I saw. I under-
stand that you ride the horse in front of
you. But it is nice to know that if a riding
mare were to have a career ending occur-
rence that it would be possible to breed
her. Eventually, I made the observation
that she defied her pedigree and I made a
deal with myself. I simply would not breed
her since those traits I found undesirable
would always be a part of her. Our girl was
bred to be something other than the little
eventer that popped out. She does have
the heart of an Arab race horse and a “can
do” nature. I am sure she got those traits
from her Polish ancestors.
Probably one of the toughest things in
this situation (and there are many, many
of these I have found) is that the original
breeder has serious money tied up in just
getting a horse like our girl on the ground.
They are married to the idea of recouping
their investment. No buyer can afford to
be insulting if they expect to bring a horse
home.
I was surprised how many breeders
use outside stallions where the stud fee
alone exceeds the value of the horse pro-
duced. You add vet cost, mare care, bring-
ing the horse up until it can be started un-
der saddle and then in many cases there
are also trainer’s fees. The number gets
pretty large pretty quickly and still a horse
is only worth what it is capable of doing
or the value to the person that can utilize
the horse’s talents. Or as Willis has said
for years a horse is worth what someone is
willing to pay for it.
Our girl had been for sale since she
was a weanling with no takers. She is now
six. While lovely she was not worth what
the breeder had tied up in her. For our
purposes she was a PROSPECT that pre-
sented some risk and we were not will-
ing to pay for a show horse pedigree that
was of no value to us. I assume that if the
breeder had been able to sell our girl into
a show horse family that would have been
concluded long before we came along.
A variety of experiences is a good thing
in a sport horse prospect. Variety and cross training are highly desirable when consid-
ering any young horse. It is a big plus if a
horse has been out some to local shows
or similar for experience …totally different
concept from a “show” horse. While the
horse needs to have certain experiences
to make them safe and fun, that experi-
ence can be gleaned at the local 4-H show,
at a fox hunt’s hunter pace, or in your own
backyard pond. I like schooling some on
baby cross country courses with young
horses because they get to experience a
good variety of water, jumps, terrain, etc. I
am a big fan of ponying a young horse to
let them see the world.
A purchaser cannot pay for all the class
A shows the horse was taken to as a baby
to be shown on the line when it adds no
Will
ig W
illig
Pho
to
continued on page 93
New Arrivals!
Colt (CJ Fflash x Daughter of Legends)
Riviera(Rosenthal x Maraekar)
Dafina Mazal (Masada Mazal x Majarres Halan Fujai)
Motivation I (AO Breeze x Marvfelous)
Good Vybrations RLC(BA Vyagra Bey x Allie Bint Kedar)
New Arrivals!
Filly(Rubignon x WF Khemilla)
Filly(Piaff x Virag)Colt
(CJ Fflash x Daughter of Legends)
Rivers Run I (TTT Little Dan x Three T Big E)
Dafina Mazal (Masada Mazal x Majarres Halan Fujai)
Good Vybrations RLC(BA Vyagra Bey x Allie Bint Kedar)
James Bonne ASA(Bonne Vivant x MWF Algerina)
46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
The Sport Horse Legacy of Brusally RanchThis article is adapted from a chapter in the new book, The Polish and Russian Arabians of Ed Tweed’s Brusally Ranch (Mare’s Nest Books, 2013)
SCRABBLEA grandson of Brusally’s Comet daughter, *Sal-inaa, Scrabble+// (Monogramm x *Saletra), rid-den by Mary Claire Massey, has twelve National titles in dressage, including 2007 U.S. National Champion Grand Prix. Photo courtesy of Kathy Massey.
...Classic beauty,
good size, correct
conformation
and athletic
ability must be
combined to
create our idea of
the perfect
Arabian.
Known today as a pioneering breed-
er and one of the founders of the
Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, Ed-
win J. “Ed” Tweed was born in 1893 and
grew up in Chicago, where he trained as
an architect at the Lewis Institute. In 1917,
he married Ruth Phillips. By the 1920s, he
was a partner in a Kansas City, Missouri,
architectural firm specializing in bank de-
sign and engineering.
Unfortunately, the need for new bank
buildings evaporated during the Great
Depression, and Tweed moved his fam-
ily to Independence, Missouri, where they
rented a portion of a bank that Tweed had
designed and converted it into a cafe. In
1935, the Tweeds returned to Chicago, so
that Ed could take over his father’s falter-
ing business. The family’s fortunes im-
proved along with those of the company,
enabling Ed and Ruth to buy part of a farm
belonging to meatpacker Gustav Swift in
Lake Forest, Illinois. They named the farm
Brusally, after their son Bruce and daughter
Sally, and Ed set about designing a house,
horse stable, and cattle barn. The Tweeds
purchased some riding horses, and Ed be-
gan breeding cattle and pigs.
Although Tweed had heard about Ara-
bian horses, he came into contact with his
first purebred Arabians during a 1940 visit
to the Scottsdale farm of early Arizona
breeder Merle Cheney. Tweed, a lifelong
horse fancier, saw something special in
these animals. His granddaughter Shelley
Groom Trevor recalled, “My grandfather
was very aesthetically minded, which is
what attracted him to Arabians. He also
liked the creative aspect of breeding —
cattle, pigs, and horses — and he had the
finances to do it.”
Ed “semi-retired” in 1949, and the
Tweeds moved to Scottsdale. He and Ruth
bought a house with acreage on Cheney
Road, and purchased two horses bred by
Cheney, the first of hundreds of Arabians
by Tobi Lopez Taylor
47June/July 2013
SKORAGEThe champion stallion Skorage (Gaysar x Rageyma) was the horse who put Brus-ally on the map. He is shown here with Ed Tweed (center) and his rider, Earl Craig. Photo courtesy of Shelley Groom Trevor.
they would buy, breed, and sell over the
years. Later that year, the Tweeds bought
a quarter section of Scottsdale desert, and
Ed drew up plans for a 160-acre ranch,
also to be called Brusally. Once the ranch
was built, Tweed went about designing an
Arabian horse breeding program. First, he
acquired well-bred broodmares from es-
tablished breeders, and then he purchased
a high-quality stallion, Skorage (Gaysar x
Rageyma), bred by Daniel C. Gainey, owner
of the well-known stallions Ferzon and
Gai Parada. Although Skorage was already
a halter champion when Ed bought him,
Skorage kept up a rigorous show schedule,
racking up a total of 112 blue ribbons and
twenty-two championships.
In 1954, Tweed contacted the roughly
twenty Arabian owners and breeders in the
state, and together they formed the Ara-
bian Horse Association of Arizona (AHAA),
with Tweed as the club’s first president.
That year, the AHAA held an exhibition of
Arabians at the Wrigley family–owned Ari-
zona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix.
The AHAA’s first All-Arabian Horse
Show, sponsored by the Tweeds, Fowler
and Anne McCormick, and Philip and Helen
Wrigley, was held in Phoenix, again at the
Arizona Biltmore, in February 1955. Tweed
served as the master of ceremonies. Fol-
lowing a hiatus in 1956, in 1957 the show
was held for the first time in Scottsdale, at
the McCormicks’ Paradise Park. For many
years, the McCormicks hosted a pre-show
barbecue for exhibitors, with the Tweeds
providing a post-show luncheon.
Tweed, meanwhile, was breeding Skor-
age to his band of broodmares. Skorage’s
get made their entrance on the national
stage in 1961, when his daughter Skorata
was named a U.S. Top Ten Mare and his son
Pulque++ was named a U.S. Top Ten Stal-
lion.
Tweed began searching for better
mares to breed to Skorage and new stal-
lions to breed to Skorage’s daughters. In
the early 1960s, word spread among the
Arabian-breeding community that high-
quality Arabians were to be had in Po-
land. The first Polish Arabians to arrive in
Scottsdale, imported by Robert L. Aste in
1961, piqued the interest of local breed-
ers. In late 1962, Tweed’s friendly rival
Dr. Eugene LaCroix, of Lasma Arabian
Stud, breeder Dr. Howard Kale, and their
two sons traveled to Poland to purchase
horses. Prior to the arrival of the Lasma
importation, Tweed saw the Polish import
*Muzulmanin++, the 1963 Scottsdale
show’s champion stallion. The horse was
taller and more athletic than contempo-
rary American-bred Arabians, and he made
a positive impression on Tweed.
In March 1963, the Polish horses cho-
sen by LaCroix and Kale arrived in Scotts-
dale. The shipment included the famous
stallions *Bask++ and *Naborr (the latter
imported for Anne McCormick), as well as
several broodmares. The horses had en-
dured a grueling forty-four-day sea jour-
ney, during which most of them had lost
a great deal of weight. One mare aborted
her foal, and then died. Tweed decided
then and there that any horses he import-
ed from Poland would arrive by airplane.
That month, Tweed sent Brusally’s
trainer Steve Spalding and manager Dean
Cantrell on a buying trip to England, Hol-
land, and Poland. On their first stop, the
pair met English breeders Musgrave Clark,
Margaret Evans, and Patricia Lindsay.
Having received a crash course in Polish
Arabian breeding from Lindsay, Spalding
and Cantrell proceeded to visit various
Polish state-run stud farms. They selected
two stallions and nine mares before re-
turning to England, where they continued
shopping for horses. Cantrell eventually
went back to the United States, leaving
Spalding in England to close the deal on
the Polish horses. Spalding also used the
time to see some Russian-bred horses.
Impressed by their high quality, Spalding
purchased a Russian stallion, *Park, and ar-
ranged to buy two Russian mares, sight un-
seen, based on their excellent pedigrees,
from horse importer/exporter and art col-
lector Peter Provatoroff.
At this point, Tweed was committed
continued on next page
48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
BRUSALLY ORIN+
ROYALzON
(*Orzel++ x *Algorina), bred by Ed Tweed, ridden by Joyce Thomas. Winner of seven National titles in the hunter over fences division in the 1980s. Photo by Wright
A descendant of Brusally’s Comet son, *Centaur, Royalzon+/ (Hagazon x Royal Expectation), ridden by Tamara Cook, was 1996 Canadian National Champion
Jumper and 2004 U.S. Top Ten Jumper. Photo courtesy of Tamara Cook.
(*Orzel++ x *Gontyna), bred by Ed Tweed, ridden by Shelley Groom Trevor. Shown here competing at a horse trial in Flagstaff, Arizona, in the early 1980s.
BRUSALLY ORzETYN
Photos courtesy Shelley Groom Trevor
49June/July 2013
BRUSALLY GWIOUSA
(*Gwiazdor x Arrousa), bred by Ed Tweed and ridden here by Janet Blakely in about 1972, was also a Western Pleasure champion and Scottsdale Top Five Novice Cutting.
BRUSALLY ORzETYN
(*Orzel++ x *Gontyna), bred by Ed Tweed, ridden by Shelley Groom Trevor. This stallion won the title of 1980 U.S. National Champion Third Level Dressage, and went on to compete successfully at the Prix St. George level. Photo by S. Gail Miller.
Photos courtesy Shelley Groom Trevor
continued on next page
50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
to buying eleven Polish horses and three
Russian horses. Upon learning that the air-
plane he had chartered in Poland would
hold fourteen head, Tweed directed Spald-
ing to return to that country and buy three
more horses. The entire Polish contingent
was shipped to the United States in late
May, and the three Russian horses arrived,
by ship, the following month. The fourteen
Polish imports were: *Abhazja (Omar II x
Arfa), carrying the filly *Brusally Czortja
(by Czort); *Algorina (Ali Said x Alga);
*Almeriaa (originally Almeria) (Faher x Am-
bara); *Basta (Comet x Bajdara); *Chlosta
(Faher x *Carissima); *Czester++ (Comet x
Cerekiew); *Daszenka (Trypolis x Daszma);
*Genua (Grand x Gwara); *Gontyna (Dok-
tryner x Gazella), carrying the colt *Brana-
bar++ (by Branibor); *Gwiazdor (*Naborr x
*Gwadiana); *Miroluba (Faher x Mira); *Na-
wojka (Wielki Szlem x Najada), carrying the
colt *Brusally Chazan (by Chazar); *Rifata
(Faher x Rasima); and *Warna (*Naborr x
Wielka Zorza).
The three Russian imports were: *Na-
paika (Pomeranets x Nomenklatura);
*Palmira (Arax x Provincja); and *Park
(Knippel x Ptashka). Tweed soon augment-
ed his first “Polish invasion” by purchasing
two more Polish-bred stallions: *Faraon++
(*Naborr x Forta), imported by Leon Rubin,
and *Centaur (Comet x *Sabaa), imported
by Frisco Mari.
Brusally Ranch was entering its most
successful phase. The Polish imports *Cz-
ester++, *Gwiazdor, and *Faraon++ all
earned U.S. and/or Canadian Top Ten Stal-
lion awards, and *Centaur was named a
U.S. Top Five Novice and Open Cutting
Horse. Tweed’s herd sire, Skorage, was
bred to some of the Polish mares with
good results; Skorage daughters were later
bred to the Polish stallions with even bet-
ter results.
Along with its successes in the show
ring, Brusally Ranch also experienced
some hard times. *Almeriaa, one of the
1963 imports, broke her leg and was eu-
thanized soon after arriving in this coun-
try. *Gwiazdor, a full brother to the well-
known stallions *Gwalior++ and Grandorr,
died young, after siring only a handful of
foals. But Tweed’s worst, longest-lasting
headache was caused by the Russian Ara-
bians that Spalding had acquired in 1963
from Provatoroff.
The Russian Arabian breeding program
at the time was based on Polish horses
seized during World War II and on Eng-
lish horses bought from Crabbet Stud.
Because the Arabian Horse Registry of
America (AHRA; now the Arabian Horse
Association) accepted both Polish-bred
and English-bred horses, Spalding felt that
chances were good that the registry would
accept Tweed’s Russian purchases as well.
He and Tweed were well aware that the re-
cently imported *Naborr had been born in
Russia and was of Russian parentage, even
though he had been shipped from Poland.
Furthermore, whereas *Naborr had been
graded “I” by Russian officials, Tweed’s
stallion *Park had been rated even higher,
and given the grade of “Elite.”
However, AHRA president Daniel
Gainey, from whom Tweed had purchased
the stallion Skorage a decade earlier,
disagreed with this line of reasoning. In
March 1966, he informed Tweed that “the
American Registry has come to accept the
records and papers of the English and
Polish Registries at face value, just as they
accept ours. . . . It is quite possible for the
English or the Poles to accept horses from
Russia if they wish. We don’t accept them.”
Apparently, Tweed had brought up the case
of *Naborr, to no avail. “*Naborr was in the
Polish Registry,” Gainey explained. “He
passed inspection and was accepted for
American registration. Your three horses in
question were not owned by Poles or Eng-
lishmen, nor were they in either Registry,
and thus they are not subject to registra-
tion in our registry.” Unfortunately, Tweed
could not call upon Provatoroff, the seller
BRUSALLY continued from page 49
COMET OFFSPRING
Three of Brusally’s five Comet offspring (left to right): halter champion *Salinaa (x Salwa), champion producer *Basta (x Bajdara), and *Zbrucz (x Znachorka), U.S. Reserve National Champion Park. *Salinaa is the granddam of National-winning grand prix dressage horse Scrabble+//; *Basta is the great-granddam of Jayel Super, an international-level endurance horse; and *Zbrucz is the sire of Bruyuri, U.S. Na-tional Third Level Dressage ATR, as well as other National winners, race winners, and endurance horses. Photo by S. Gail Miller; courtesy of Shelley Groom Trevor.
51June/July 2013
of the three horses, for help in this mat-
ter, as he had died only a few months after
they were imported to the United States.
It was not until 1978, fifteen years
after their importation, that Tweed’s Rus-
sian horses, and their offspring, were fi-
nally recognized as purebred Arabians
and issued AHRA registration papers. By
that time, Tweed’s Russian stallion *Park
was long dead, and Tweed’s two imported
Russian mares were at the end of their re-
productive lives. An article published in
Arabian Horse World in 1984—a year after
Tweed’s death—finally gave Tweed credit
as a pioneer importer of high-quality Rus-
sian horses. Also in 1984, the Arabian geld-
ing Brusally Skoraik (Brusally Skorage x
*Napaika), a son of one of Tweed’s Russian
mares as well as a grandson of Skorage,
completed the first of what would be four
consecutive finishes in the yearly Western
States Trail Ride (known as the Tevis Cup),
in which a horse and rider traverse 100
miles in a single day.
During this dispute over the Russian
horses, Tweed sought out other challenges
with characteristic optimism. With advice
and help from his friend Bazy Tankersley,
owner of Al-Marah Arabians, Tweed built
an indoor sales arena and held Scotts-
dale’s first Arabian horse auction, timed
to coincide with the February Scottsdale
show.
Three of the Tweeds’ granddaughters
came to visit in April of that year. Although
all enjoyed riding, one granddaughter in
particular—Shelley Groom Trevor—felt
that she had found her calling. Trevor went
to work at the ranch, mucking out stalls,
cleaning tack, bathing horses, and taking
riding lessons in a variety of disciplines.
Eventually, she went out on the horse-
show circuit, winning awards on Brusally-
bred horses at events across the country,
including the U.S. National Champion-
ships.
Also in 1967, a second shipment
of horses from Poland arrived at Brus-
ally. Sending his new trainer Denis Scully
overseas to choose the horses, Tweed
purchased nine Arabians for himself and
imported two (*Paleta and *Prowizja) for
other buyers.
The imports were: *Bulawa (Laur x
Bulgotka, by Witraz), carrying the filly
*Brusally Bulawa (by Almifar); *Cerera
(Ferrum x Cerekiew, by Wielki Szlem): *La-
wenda (Doktryner x Laguna, by Opal), with
foal *Laura (by Ariel) at side, and carrying
*Brusally Gwarny (by Gwarny); *Manna
(*Naborr x Manilla, by Doktryner); *Paleta
(Comet x Planeta, by *Naborr), sold to Dan-
iel Gainey; *Prowizja (*Ego x Prowarda, by
Korej), sold to Leo Knight; *Orzel++ (Pi-
etuszok x Ofirka, by Ofir); *Salinaa (origi-
nally Salina) (Comet x Salwa, by Kuhailan
Abu Urkub), carrying *Brusally El Azrak (by
El Azrak); *Wislica (Branibor x Wataha, by
Duch); and *Zbrucz (Comet x Znachorka,
by Rozmaryn).
Brusally’s two new imported stal-
lions, *Zbrucz and *Orzel++, changed the
direction of Tweed’s breeding program
yet again. *Zbrucz, a big bay, was a born
show horse. He won several halter cham-
pionships and was named a U.S. National
Reserve Champion Park Horse. *Orzel++,
a tall, rangy chestnut, had been favored
to win the 1967 Polish Derby prior to his
purchase. Tweed built a half-mile track on
the ranch to condition his new horse, and
then sent him to the races. *Orzel++ won
four races for his new owner, including a
win over the great Kontiki, and was named
the first U.S. National Racing Champion.
Later, *Orzel++ became Tweed’s most suc-
cessful show horse since Skorage, winning
U.S. Top Ten titles in halter and English
Pleasure, and being named the first U.S.
National Champion in Sidesaddle.
While the ranch was at its zenith, Ed’s
wife Ruth—whom he referred to as his
“balance wheel”—became increasing ill,
and she died in 1971. Tweed, now near-
ing eighty, had his own health problems
continued on next page
A trio of Brusally’s Stallion ads, courtesy of Shelley Groom Trevor.
52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
to contend with. He turned over more of
Brusally’s management to Trevor and to
the ranch manager, Lee Staheli. He also
encouraged a younger couple, Joe and
Martha Ann Cassel, to start a Polish breed-
ing program. Using Brusally bloodlines as
a base, the Cassels went on to breed sev-
eral successful race horses and National
winners.
In October 1976, eighty-three-year-old
Tweed wrote a letter informing his friends,
as well as current and former clients, that
he was retiring from Arabian horse breed-
ing and offering his horses “only to those
who already own Brusally Arabians or have
expressed an interest in doing so . . . . [I]n
this way perhaps your hopes and dreams
may merge with mine, and my retirement
may be brightened by the knowledge that
the Brusally bloodlines are in good hands
and will continue to represent the fin-
est in Arabian breeding.” He sold about
fifty horses, keeping five. Trevor selected
twelve Arabians for herself, and tried to
keep the ranch going as best she could.
In early 1977, Tweed suffered a stroke
that paralyzed one side of his body. De-
spite his doctors’ dire predictions, Tweed
lived at the ranch for another six years.
He died in his sleep in June 1983, a few
weeks shy of his ninetieth birthday.
It is fair to ask how relevant Tweed’s
breeding program is today, sixty-odd years
since he purchased his first Arabian hors-
es. After a few years of relative obscurity,
his breeding acumen has come to be ap-
preciated by a new generation of Arabian
breeders and riders, especially those spe-
cializing in racing, endurance riding, and
the sport horse disciplines.
Tweed’s granddaughter has remarked
that “If my grandfather were alive to-
day, he would be breeding Arabian sport
horses.” In fact, since the 1970s, horses of
Brusally breeding have excelled in dres-
sage, show jumping, hunter over fences,
and eventing.
Upper-level dressage performers with
Brusally bloodlines include two grand prix
competitors—Regional Champion Bey-
moon Zela+/ (descended from *Orzel++
and *Miroluba) and National Champion
Scrabble+// (via *Salinaa)—as well as
Brusally Orzetyn (*Orzel++ x *Gontyna), a
Prix St. Georges winner who was also 1980
U.S. National Champion Third Level. Other
Brusally-related National winners in dres-
sage include: ARR Autumn Shades+// (via
*Orzel++ and *Manna), U.S. National Cham-
pion Third Level ATR; Bruyuri (by *Zbrucz),
U.S. Top Ten Third Level; Wistar Ananda+/
(via *Faraon++, *Basta, and *Palmira),
U.S. Top Ten Third Level; Brufire++// (via
*Orzel++, *Zbrucz, *Genua, and *Mirolu-
ba), U.S. National Champion Second Level;
Armendeus (via *Lawenda), U.S. Top Ten
Second Level; Staleys Fadjura (*Faraon++
x Brusally Skorenua), U.S. Top Ten Second
Level; RR Gar-Sun (via *Faraon++), U.S.
Top Ten Second Level; Annapolis++// (via
*Orzel++ and *Abhazja), U.S Top Ten First
Level; Copper Chancellor+ (via *Faraon++,
Skorage, and *Genua), U.S. Top Ten First
Level; Blyth (via *Lawenda), U.S. Top Ten
Training Level JTR, 14 to 17; and Moshe
O Zel+/ (via *Orzel++ and *Miroluba), U.S.
National Champion Training Level JTR, 13
and Under.
Jumpers and working hunters of Brus-
ally lineage with National titles include:
A Leader+// (via *Zbrucz), Canadian Na-
tional Champion Jumper; Annapolis++//,
Canadian National Champion Regular
Working Hunter ATR; Kingo The Road (by
*Faraon++), U.S. National Champion Jump-
er; Royalzon+/ (via *Centaur), Canadian
National Champion Jumper; Indian Jewel
(via *Orzel++), Canadian Reserve National
Champion Hunter Over Fences; Brusally
Orin+ (*Orzel++ x *Algorina), U.S. Top Ten
Hunter Over Fences; and WP Dal-Fyn++
(via Skorage and *Genua), Canadian Top
Ten Working Hunter.
A few Brusally horses have even taken
part in eventing. Brusally Orzetyn, men-
tioned previously as a dressage horse,
also competed in horse trials with Trevor,
under the tutelage of eventing trainer
Andrew Popiel. Brusally Orlin (*Orzel++ x
*Salinaa), ridden by Popiel’s wife, Danielle
BRUSALLY continued from page 51
continued on page 78
ARMANNI - A descendant of *Orzel++ and *Ab-hazja, Armanni (Monogramm x SS Annita) was named 2008 U.S. Top Ten Sport Horse Stallion. Photo courtesy of Robbin Stewart.
BRUSALLY ORZELYNA+ (*Orzel++ x *Algorina), bred by Ed Tweed, ridden by Shelley Groom Trevor. Competed at Third and Fourth Level dressage in the late 1970s, won two National titles in Western Pleasure, and was a halter and English Pleasure champion. Photo by S. Gail Miller; courtesy of Shelley Groom Trevor.
BRUSALLY ZELYNA (*Orzel++ x Brusally Zbruyna), bred by Ed Tweed, ridden here by Shelley Groom Trevor, around 1990. This mare was named 1986 Race Mare of the Year, com-peted briefly as a dressage horse, and went on to produce two race winners. Photo courtesy of Shelley Groom Trevor.
53June/July 2013
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Ed Tweed’s Groundbreaking Importationof Polish and Russian Arabians
$39.95 8.5 x 11 paperback, 212 pages286 photographsPublished by Mare’s Nest Books/Screenfold Press
Forewords by Ed Tweed’s daughter, Sally Tweed Groom, and granddaughter, Shelley Groom Trevor
Featuring chapters on *Orzel++,*Zbrucz, *Czester++, *Faraon++, *Gwiazdor, *Chlosta, *Genua, and twenty other imported horses, this extensively researched history isa valuable addition to the library ofany serious breeder of Polish andRussian Arabians.
Available at Amazon.com and Screenfoldpress.com
Brusally full page ad 5-22-13_Layout 1 5/22/13 4:25 PM Page 1
54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Back to WorkCross Training to Re-Condition a Retired Sport Horse
By Cindy Tobeck
The bad news hit like a hammer blow, “You’re not going to be showing in Idaho this year.”
My veterinarian announced this to me after confirming
my half-Arabian working hunter mare, SMF Annie Get
Yourgun++/ had injured her right hind annular liga-
ment. It meant six months off for Annie,
and unfortunately for me, the 2012 Ara-
bian Sport Horse Nationals in Nampa,
Idaho were exactly six months away.
We had enjoyed a stellar 2011 season,
amassing seven regional championships
in working hunters, hunt seat equita-
tion and hunter hack between the west
coast regions of 4 and 5. Annie and I
had gained a lot of valuable experience
over fences since her first trip to Nation-
als in 2010. That year she was the Re-
serve National Champion Half-Arabian
Hunter Hack for Amateurs to Ride. I felt
that 2012 was going to be our year to
take home the big red rose blanket. That
dream was now crushed.
Standing in her darkened stall star-
ing blankly at the image of her fetlock
on the computer monitor, I told my vet
in a soft, pleading voice, “But I really
want to go to Idaho…” As he packed up his equipment to leave,
he looked over at my other horse, a retired chestnut gelding and
offered, “Why don’t you take him to Idaho?”
I laughed out loud, “He’s retired!”
“How old is he?” my vet asked.
“Well, he’s 18 or 19...and in no shape to be going back to Na-
tionals.”
Before my vet left he rolled down the window of his van, “He
can do it; you’ve got enough time to get him ready. What have you
got to lose?” I smiled and rolled my eyes doubtfully as he drove
off.
Surprisingly, the tears didn’t come, but
instead a strong sense of determination
took over. I walked right back into my barn,
put my old gelding, Khajun Bey+++// in
the cross ties and looked him over with a
critical eye. Dirty, he was as hairy as an old
goat, with a distended underline that was
the result of a 2007 life-saving explorato-
ry surgery to remove an enterolith. He am-
bled around the property, rarely moving
beyond a walk any more, and the years of
showing left my old retired friend some-
what stiff. The last time I rode him was at
the 2010 Arabian Sport Horse Nationals,
nearly a year and a half ago.
Khajun had been a wonderful show
horse and I was proud of the fact that I
bought him as an unstarted 3 year old and
trained him myself, together earning every
point of his Legion of Supreme Merit and
Legion of Excellence awards. Despite the fact that I’m a do-it-your-
self amateur on a tight budget, we had won many sport horse and
dressage regional champions and reserves, as well as National Top
Tens and even a Reserve National Championship…but I reminded
myself that was all accomplished on a younger Khajun.
Evaluation and Goal-Setting
After clipping what seemed like the equivalent of enough hair
55June/July 2013
The Program: Cross Training and Joint Comfort
Sunday ………Cavalletti work / free lunging
Monday……..Hill climbing
Tuesday…….Day off
Wednesday…Cavalletti work / lunging with side reinsThursday……Dressage lesson
Friday………Dressage
Saturday……Low jumping / hunter lesson
The bad news hit like a hammer blow, “You’re not going to be showing in Idaho this year.”
to re-carpet my entire living room, I took Khajun out to the arena
and lunged him. He had the exuberance of a much younger horse,
snorting and prancing with his tail over his back. He held his head
high and his trot had beautiful expression and suspension. I was
beginning to believe that maybe he could be competitive again.
When it came time to canter however, I could tell that his hocks
were quite stiff. He couldn’t maintain the canter for more than a
couple of laps and his right lead canter depart was difficult for
him. In order to maintain it he circled around me counter-bent to
the outside. In no time, he was at a full sweat from lack of condi-
tion.
I made the decision to move forward and after riding Khajun
the following day I was able to further evaluate his current level of
fitness and suppleness. It was clear that I was essentially starting
from scratch. As I rode him, it was evident that the training was all
still there, but despite his enormous heart, his body was simply
unable. I knew that it would be unfair to ask him to pick up where
he left off performing at second and third level dressage move-
ments, he was stiff and as uncoordinated as a youngster. So, we
went back to the basics: training level. I kept in mind that although
he might be ready to get back to second level in six months, there
was the problem of getting him qualified for regionals in a mere
eight weeks!
The countdown had begun. I had eight weeks until my first
qualifying show. There were four months until Regionals, and six
months until Sport Horse Nationals. I’m a goal-setter; it’s what
motivates me. I had already set my goals for Annie and had a
hard time giving up those ambitions. I decided that even though
I couldn’t compete with him over fences, I could still rely on him
to be my partner for hunt seat equitation not to jump. I also made
it a goal to compete in dressage training and first levels as well as
sport horse under saddle at the Region 5 Championships and the
Arabian Sport Horse Na-
tionals.
I wanted to keep
Khajun’s work varied and
interesting to him, while
at the same time minimize
risk of injury by using a
cross-training approach.
I like the method of us-
ing cavalletti to improve
condition, balance, confi-
dence and rhythm. Since
Khajun didn’t need any
more training per se, cav-
alletti work enabled me to
stay off his back but still
get maximum conditioning
results. When working with
the cavalletti, I started with
a single pole on the ground. While lunging Khajun, I would add up
to four poles, spaced at about four feet apart. Eventually, I would
raise up the poles using my plastic Blocs to a height of six to eight
inches. I would do this twice a week, one day with side reins, and
the other day without. I would spend no more than 20 minutes
doing these exercises. Right away, it was apparent that this caval-
letti work was helping him to develop strength over his back and
to bring up his fallen underline.
Every Monday, I would get home from work and hook up the
truck and trailer for my favorite conditioning activity: hill climb-
ing. I found a grassy, long, moderately steep hill about 3 minutes
from my house. Hill climb-
ing was an excellent activ-
ity to build Khajun’s hind-
end strength and develop
thrust. Of course, I had to
be careful of the footing
as well as avoiding over-
stressing his stifles with
too much work. On the hill,
I would trot him up while
staying off his back and
maintaining a two-point
position. It was wonder-
ful to feel the power of his
hindquarters as he lowered
his croup and pushed off
behind. We would always
continued on next page
56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Vern L. Serex Photo
He had transformed
from an old, fat, hairy,
stiff retiree to a sleek,
conditioned, muscled
and bouncy show horse...
walk back down the hill, and I would lean back, shifting my weight
over his rear while maintaining a soft contact with his mouth to
balance him. Khajun and I would go up and down our hill in this
manner 8 times, which took about 15 minutes. After such short,
but intense work, I always made sure he got the next day off in
the pasture.
On Thursdays and Fridays I did dressage. I found that working
with my elder statesman, the warm-up was critical in order to cre-
ate suppleness. In the tests for Training and First Levels, there is a
movement called the ‘free walk’ where the horse walks on a loose
rein, and reaches for the contact by lowering his head, stretching
over the back and through the neck while actively stepping un-
der himself. There is a similar movement at the trot in both tests
where the test directive reads, “Quality of stretch over back, for-
ward and downward into a light contact while maintaining balance
and quality of trot.” In my warm-up, I would work for about ten
minutes on these two movements on 10, 15 and 20 meter circles
in both directions with an exaggerated inside bend and a focus
on pushing Khajun to the outside of the circle with a strong inside
leg. Going to the right was initially tough for him because he could
hardly bend, but persistence paid off, and he was increasingly be-
coming softer and more flexible. In addition to the walk and trot
low-stretchy-bendy-circles, I added the canter to our repertoire
and would switch between gaits, circle sizes and directions fre-
quently.
Once he was relaxed and loose, I was able to work on lots of
strengthening exercises. Among my favorites for his inside hind
leg (which I needed him to build-up if I wanted quality canter de-
parts) were the shoulder-in, half pass and turns on the haunches.
My number one secret weapon for improving the overall quality
of his canter was simply to counter canter. I would canter figure
eights with no change of lead while maintaining his tempo and
keeping his shoulders up. I’d canter serpentines with no change
of lead between loops. Eventually his canter became soft and bal-
anced.
Every Saturday I would get a hunt seat / jumping lesson. Al-
57June/July 2013
Suz
anne
Stu
rgill
Pho
to
though Khajun wasn’t going to be competing at recognized shows
in the working hunter division, I felt it was important for me to
‘keep my jumping legs’ and continue to build my skills while main-
taining my confidence over fences while Annie was recuperating.
Working over low fences and through gymnastic exercises proved
to be a great way to increase Khajun’s fitness. Jumping over fenc-
es, one of the rider’s paramount jobs is to create and maintain a
steady rhythm. As I gallop around a course or over a series of fenc-
es, I have trained myself to count in my head to keep the tempo
the same. I can’t get on a horse now and trot or canter without that
counting metronome automatically droning in my head. This work
was carrying over into my dressage, where a steady tempo is just
as important.
My favorite gymnastic exercise with Khajun was to trot over a
pole on the ground, land in a canter, jump over a cross rail (7’ away
from the trot pole) one stride (18’) to a small vertical fence, then
another single stride (21’) to a second vertical. Since Khajun is a bit
of a chicken around jumps, I would add one element at a time to
build up his confidence. Building his confidence over fences was
part of my overall plan because I knew that it was highly likely our
flat hunt seat equitation classes at Regionals and Nationals would
be in the working hunter arena, where he would have plenty of
fences to look at, and (I hoped) NOT shy at!
I knew that this was going to be Khajun’s last shot at Nationals,
so I spared no expense and did everything I knew possible to as-
sure his comfort. This aggressive approach to joint comfort made
me feel like I covered my bases, and it certainly made Khajun feel
better as evidenced by the spring in his step!
He received a daily supplement of Cosequin ASU in his feed.
In addition he had his hocks injected. Midway through the show
season as Nationals drew near, I gave him a series of Adequan
injections as well as doses of Legend. Finally, to top it all off, he
was adjusted by his chiropractor twice and had an acupuncture continued on page 55
58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Formula for SuccessWinning strategies from a top in-hand trainer and handler
Most of the
problems we have
with our horses
stem from pasture
learned behaviors
and bad timing
on the part of the
trainer.
Many trainers have experienced
both the positive and negative
influences of improper train-
ing methods, whether this is your horse’s
misunderstanding of the use of aids, or a
problem area that needs addressing. The
foundation at which your horse is built
upon is the key ingredient to your horse’s
successful career.
As a trainer, you must determine how
much exercise and training should be in-
cluded routinely in your horses develop-
ing stages. As well as how often you should
modify your horse’s training program. You
must formulate a program that suits the
needs of each horse individually. There is
not a single, universal, consistent program
that could be used for every horse. Which
is why its important to be able to formu-
late a program based on your horse, in his
or her current needs.
The ground formula for career prepa-
ration consists of your horse’s physical
and psychological variables. We must first
ask ourselves how much physical activity
should we include into a young horse’s ex-
ercise program?
To answer the question about the
amount of physical activity, we must de-
termine the length and the frequency of
training. There are too many variables to
take into consideration in order to make
young horse exercising a “one size fits all”
program. What we can conclude, is that the
goal of physically exercising a young horse
is to stimulate the proper development of
the muscular and skeletal systems; with-
out stressing either to the point of fatigue
or failure. I like to break these down into
three categories:
A. The Level of exercise (lungeing/mild,
golf cart/moderate, or long lining/ad-
vanced).
B. Type of exercise (walk, trot, or can-
ter).
C. Duration (the length of activity).
The conformation of your young horse
is very important in determining the level,
type, and duration that he or she is capable
of. If the horse is weak over his topline, or
has a “baby” under neck, you could incor-
porate some advanced Levels of exercise
when the horse was ready to strengthen
his or her topline. If your horse is croup
by Michael Brown
Michael presenting a 2 year old on the farm.
59June/July 2013
high, or high at the withers, you will prob-
ably find that certain Types of exercise will
be a struggle for them as they advance.
This is not a huge concern, as the horse is
still developing. In which case, you would
either only introduce the type of exercise,
or keep it to a very minimal in Duration.
For all horses, exercise programs should
begin at conservative levels and increase
as positive results are achieved.
Now that you have an understanding
of how much physical activity should be
included into your horses exercise pro-
gram, you can now begin to understand
the psychological (mental) aspect of your
horse’s preparation.
Like any relationship, it is important
to understand what one likes, as well as
what one dislikes. Sensitivity, resistance,
and pressure are all factors in discovering
what temperament your horse has. If your
horse is willing to give to a little resistance
to the contact (i.e. half halt), or is willing to
lift its leg with the slightest touch of the
fetlock, then you have a horse with a train-
able mindset from the get go.
Don’t be discouraged if you do not. Not
all horses start this way, but it is important
to know what type of horse you have so
you can build on his or her strengths, and
improve and strengthen his or her weak-
nesses. A wild horse wouldn’t allow you
to put a halter on, just as a two year old
might not allow you to put a bit in his
mouth. Your relationship with your horse
should carry over these values to build the
bond between trainer and equine. Which
is why the mental preparation is just as, if
not more, important than being physically
prepared for his or hers career. So what
motivates a horse to be a willing partici-
pant?
Horses are instinctual and behavioral.
They react in different manners based on
the way they feel, and they way they were
taught.
A. Instinctually, horses are known to
be “flight or fight”, “herd bound”, and/or
very brave or insecure. Get to know your
horse so you can build on their strengths,
as well as recognize their weaknesses.
B. Behaviorally, they learn from both
the herd and the handler (i.e. what they
can get away with). Make sure the learned
behavior comes positively in their train-
ing. They need to be happy with their sur-
roundings (pasture management), and feel
safe with their handler in an unfamiliar en-
vironment (bond development).
Most of the problems we have with
our horses stem from pasture learned
behaviors and bad timing on the part of
the trainer. Horse’s become aggressive, or
stimulate aggression, based on their herd
rankings. Make sure that the attention the
horse is getting in the pasture is related to
continued on page 90
Young horse showing resistance to pressure.
Michael presenting a 2 year old on the farm.
Exhibiting a matiure horse
60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
ZLA Pepets Regalo+// is a small
14.2 hand purebred gray Arabian
gelding whose registered name
reflects his Spanish breeding. Regalo in
Spanish means “gift, ” which is appropri-
ate because I consider owning him a gift.
Reggie, as we call him, was eight years old
when I purchased him.
Reggie is very intelligent and has a laid
back easy-going personally. Rarely does
he spook and even then, it is more of a
flinch in place without even breaking his
gait. Then he seems embarrassed about
his reaction and realizes that it took more
effort on his part than it was worth. Not
only is Reggie intelligent and very safe,
but he also is a talented dressage horse.
He had shown Training and First Level
dressage and had competed in hunter/
jumper at local Class A shows.
I quickly learned that Reggie’s favorite
color is pink (coincidently my favorite
color). So we would go to shows with our
pink lead rope and pink sheet. I would
over hear little girls say to their mother as
we walked the show grounds “Look mom!
It’s the pink pony!” Reggie would eat up
the attention, walking up to total strangers
and peer into their coffee cup as if to say
“Do you have anything for me?” Of course
no one could resist that cute face and pink
nose.
In my first year of showing him, we re-
ceived two Arabian Sport Horse National
Top Tens at Training Level. I remember
that moment like it was yesterday; I was
so happy I was almost in tears. As we were
waiting to enter the awards ceremony, my
mother looked up at me and said, “Re-
member this moment, you might never
experience this again.”
In the winter of 2009 while prepar-
ing to show Third Level, I noticed Reggie
wasn’t moving quite right. Something
looked off in his right hind. After giving
him rest, then trying a chiropractor, we had
our vet check him out. Reggie had chang-
es in his right hock, it was a bone spur.
We had no idea what happened as there
were no external signs of injury or trauma
to the leg or hock, but the internal injury
was severe. As if it couldn’t get any worse,
he also had moderate navicular changes
in both of his front feet. The vet injected
the hock and front feet and put Reggie on
stall rest for several months. I tried riding
him again around May, but he was three-
legged lame. I was devastated. Many of
my “horse friends” pretty much told me to
give up on him, that he would only maybe
be a children’s pony. I would do no such
thing, I could never give up on him!
At the advice of my vet, I rode Reggie
several times a week. We would happily
move along in what I can only describe as
a really bad western pleasure jog trot. I
could only ride straight lines and then walk
through the corners and the short side of
the dressage arena. One day, I noticed
maybe 25 to 30 minutes into my ride, Reg-
gie got a little more pep in his step. What I
finally noticed is that at some point, Reggie
became a little looser. No he still did not
move like he used to, but it was perhaps
a little better. Eventually I tried trotting
through the corners and 20 meter circles.
He would slow down for these movements
because they were difficult for him, but
each ride became a little better.
In June of 2010, we returned to the
show ring. We were only able to show
Training Level, but I was not complaining.
The fact that not only could I ride Reggie,
but show him at any level, was nothing
Keeping the
Faithby Katie Keim
Keeping the
FaithReggie’s Story
War
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61June/July 2013
short of a miracle. Reggie came out winning virtually every class.
He even received Top Five at Regionals.
Throughout the next year Reggie improved with every ride. In
June of 2011 I noticed a slight bluish discoloration in his right eye.
My vet came out to examine it. He was not sure exactly what was
going on and sent the photographs to the University of Illinois. He
explained to me, “We can’t rule out melanoma because of his his-
tory, but I don’t think that’s what it is.” What?! Melanoma?! On his
eye?! I had never heard of such a thing. I didn’t even know that
was possible. When Reggie was 11, we had found a golf-balled
sized melanoma along with many other small melanomas in the
usual places grays get them. Given his relatively young age, there
were more melanomas than one would expect. The University
of Illinois said, based on the photographs that it did look like a
melanoma and to bring Reggie to the University as soon as pos-
sible.
Dr. Ralph Hamor and Dr. Amber Labelle, veterinary ophthal-
mologists, confirmed a melanoma in Reggie’s right eye. They also
found a smaller one in Reggie’s left eye. A typical outcome of this
rare circumstance is removal of the eye, but I was going to do eve-
About Melanoma of the Eyeby Dr Amber Labelle
Melanoma is a type of cancer that comes from pigment-
containing cells in the body called melanocytes. Melanocytes
are responsible for the color of the skin and other organs. Horse
skin is usually pink or brown. The more melanocytes in the skin,
the darker its color. Cancer results when cells in the body start
growing uncontrollably. Melanoma is a well-recognized cancer in
horses. Grey horses are at a greater risk of developing melanoma
of the skin than non-grey horses. Breeds of horses for whom grey
is a common coat color (such as Arabians and Lippizaners) are
also at greater risk of developing skin melanoma. Skin melanoma
occurs most commonly under the base of the tail, at the commis-
sure of the lip, around the genitals and around the eye. Melanoma
usually appears as hairless skin masses that can vary in size from
the size of a dime to the size of a grapefruit.
Melanoma can also occur inside the horse’s eye. Melano-
mas usually arise from the colored part of the inside of the eye
called the iris. Intraocular melanomas can lead to blindness and
glaucoma (painfully high pressure inside the eye) and ultimately
may necessitate removal of the eye. Meeting Katie Keim and Reg-
gie in 2011 piqued my interest in intraocular melanoma. Up until
rything in my power to not let that happen. Reggie has so much
expression in his eyes. After weighing the options, we decided to
laser the melanoma in both eyes. The melanoma in the left eye
completely flattened (and is still flat). The melanoma in the right
eye did decrease some in density.
Reggie coped well with the treatment and we were all very
excited about a successful outcome. We decided to laser the right
eye a second time in the fall of 2011. Again, more matter was
destroyed and everything appeared a success once again. Then
several weeks later, back at home, Reggie began to have discharge
from his eye and it was swollen. We took him back to the Uni-
versity of Illinois and found that Reggie had an infection. After a
couple of months, the infection cleared and he was able to return
continued on page 91 continued on page 91
now, not much has been known about intraocular melanomas in
horses. The lack of scientific knowledge about the long term prog-
nosis for intraocular melanomas in horses and the relationship
between skin melanoma and intraocular melanoma made it dif-
ficult for me to answer Katie’s questions about Reggie’s prognosis
and treatment options.
Stud
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62 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Recently, I’ve been confronted with changes in cir-
cumstances that offer me new opportunities and
choices. Transitions are often unsettling, but they
really do help to clarify priorities and to open space to
consider how best to achieve goals.
Denny Emerson’s recent book How Good Riders
Get Good: Daily Choices that Lead to Success in Any
Equestrian Sport is both aspirational and inspirational.
Denny Emerson is a (retired) world class 3 day eventer
with an exceptionally broad and deep involvement in
equestrian activities including Morgan breed shows,
endurance riding (he’s owned and ridden Arabians in
endurance including completing the Tevis), leadership
positions in several national equestrian organizations,
stood stallions at stud for purpose breeding top event-
ing horses, as well as coached riders and trained horses
to elite levels.
Although elements of the advice in this book can
be utilized by equestrians with modest goals, the core
intent is aimed at assisting horsemen and women
who wish to attain a high level of achievement in
some aspect of equestrian activity. There’s no
mollycoddling. Denny makes it clear that in or-
der to achieve high goals, hard work is con-
stant and difficult choices and sacrifices
are necessary.
The book provides a number of ex-
amples to illustrate the principles of
the consequences of the choices that
a rider (trainer/breeder) makes in
each of several critical areas that
include discipline, life circum-
stance, support network, char-
acter traits, physical fitness,
attaining knowledge and ex-
perience, and the horses. If
riding is a true
passion--
a n d Books have always been important to me. As a child, I spent countless hours reading
at home and at the public library. Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family,
books were also my main entryway to the world of horses and provided fuel for my
dreams. Several decades into adulthood, books are still a treasure to me as they con-
tinue to inspire and inform all areas of my life –including riding and horsemanship.
While there is no substitute for real life experience handling, training, and riding
horses -- books and other media can broaden and deepen the knowledge base that
we apply to the practice of good horsemanship.
by Dawn Jones-Low
Reading Reflections Goals & Choices
63June/July 2013
you wish to become the best rider (or
trainer, coach, breeder, judge, etc.) that
you can be in your chosen discipline, this
book illuminates paths to building the
skills, knowledge, and access to resources
that are indispensable to that goal.
“I’ll bet that in every equestrian dis-
cipline, if you analyzed it, you would find
that the best people have the horseman’s
equivalent of a very full ‘quiver’ [of ar-
rows]. They have the emotional and char-
acter traits that help them in their quest,
they’ve built a support network, they live
in the right places, they’ve developed
good physical skills, and they know a lot
--about pedigree, about vet issues, and
soundness, conditioning, and so on. They
have those pieces –those ‘arrows’— at
hand when they need them …To have that
arrow in your quiver, in other words, is
very often the result of a conscious choice
to put it there.” [pg 186]
Consciously making choices focused
on attaining long term goals is an essen-
tial part of good breeding practices as
much it is for achievement in training and
riding. In breeding for sport horse abil-
ity, the Warmblood studbooks of Europe
have the “fullest quiver” to borrow Den-
ny’s metaphor. The recent book by Chris-
topher Hector, The Making of the Modern
Warmblood: from Gotthard to Gribaldi, may
seem far afield from the Arabian horse,
but for those interested in breeding the
Arabian as a sport horse, there are appli-
cable lessons to be gleaned.
The book’s examination of the de-
velopment of the
m o d e r n
W a r m -
b l o o d
s p o r t
h o r s e
from the more
old-fashioned util-
ity types for agriculture,
war, and general riding is
constructed around profiles of
the major studbooks and influential
stallions with auxiliary sections address-
ing specific issues faced like whether
infusions of Thoroughbreds are still ben-
eficial, the question of whether breeding
horses for amateurs and for profession-
als is necessarily different, to what extent
data analysis is useful in breeding selec-
tions, viewpoints on specialization for
dressage and jumping, challenges
of presenting and evalu-
ating young horses at the
Bundeschampionate, market
pressures on stallion selection,
the importance of the mare base, and
so on. There are plenty of divergent
viewpoints in the book which helps
to illuminate the complexity and
diversity that exists in what super-
ficially seems to be a uniform sys-
tem.
One of the cautionary tales in the
book regarding goals and choices relates
to the Trakehner breed which suffered in
reputation in the 70’s and 80’s due to an
admitted focus on the aesthetic aspects of
the breed over competitive performance
traits. [In the 70’s] ”The idea of having
something special led to a false goal –
beauty. It was no longer performance that
was important but beauty.
More and more Trakehner breeders
concentrated on beautiful faces, straight
limbs, and forgot about things like ride-
ability or jumping ability.” [pg 608] The
section describes how breeders changed
course and by the 90’s, the breeding goals
had been altered to prioritize performance
qualities resulting in a rejuvenation of the
desirability of the Trakehner as a sport
horse and for breeding in other registries.
There are certainly parallels with concerns
expressed within the Arabian breed com-
munity.
The widespread use of shipped
cooled and frozen semen is a concern
in the Warmblood world just as it is for
closed studbook breeds like the Arabian.
The paradigm of regional production test-
ing has changed to reflect a global market,
and there is concern that “fashion breed-
ing” may be obscuring the discovery of
excellent breeding stallions who are slow
maturing or who are less exciting than the
heavily marketed young stallion champi-
ons. “In former times the breeders had no
chance [to breed to distant stallions] --they
used the stallions that were sent to their
district, and then several years later they
would see which stallions were the best,
and often it would be the stallion that they
didn’t think was going to be the best, and
the one they thought was going to be the
best was not so good.” [pg 167]
That reminds me of a nugget of wis-
dom from the great Arabian breeder, Bazy
Tankersley, who clearly had a “full quiver
of arrows” in regards to breeding achieve-
ments with Arabians (including for sport
horse disciplines). In A Field of Arabians:
Bazy Tankersley and the Horses of Al-Marah,
by Susanne and Jake Page, Mrs. T. is quot-
ed as saying, “Learn to identify end prod-
ucts as opposed to horses that are part of
continued on page 90
Goals & Choices
64 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
by Shayna Dolinger
This cross of Polish Arabian Piaff
and Hungarian mare Virag produc-
es more than Sport Horse athletes
for the big ring; it produces horses
that are an affair of the heart.
In 2006, I was extremely fortunate to
obtain and import from Germany Virag, a
Hungarian Warmblood mare sired by Colo-
nado (Contender) and carrying the impor-
tant German jumping/dressage lines of
Landgraf and Ramiro Z, some of the most
influential and successful lines in Europe
today. Virag was a dream come true after a
long search for a hunter/jumper mare.
Having the same interest in Sport
Horse prospects, a long-time Arabian horse
lover/competitor and dear friend Kelly Ro-
driguez contacted me with what would be
a turning point in my Sport Horse program.
I remember Kelly starting off with say-
ing, “Shayna, I want you to keep an open
mind and look at this stallion, his name is
Piaff (Eldon x Pipi). Piaff is a tremendous
athlete, big powerful mover, has excellent
confirmation, and is a great match for your
Hungarian mare; do not say no until you
look at him.” Kelly knew I would be quick
to say NO because it was an Arabian, es-
pecially since I was from the open hunter
and warmblood world and with that comes
the stereotype thoughts of crazy Arabian.
She also knew I had Arabians years ago
that were jumping machines and saw the
window of opportunity to twist my arm a
bit because I was bored with business as
usual with the open hunters.
So, the research on Piaff began. Comb-
ing the internet articles and blogs, maga-
zines and film in various languages finding
every scrap of information I could on the
stallion: Multi-International Champion of
Poland, the Netherlands; Multiple Stakes
Winner, to interviewing representatives
from the Pride of Poland/Piaff Partnership
for hours on the merits of the stallion and
requesting his racing records from Po-
land. The stallion had to prove to me he
was more than just a pretty face, he must
be a performance horse and he must be
able to pass-on his athletic abilities. Piaff
exceeded my expectations, not only was
he conformationally correct and moving
horse, but he was a great racehorse with
multiple wins on the track, dressage, clas-
sic hunter, native costume and while in the
USA started over fences.
Understanding the importance of
breeding for performance and form to
function, Piaff was approved for Warm-
blood breeding with the German Rhein-
land Pfalz-Saar (RPSI) as a Book I stallion.
Their criteria states, “The RPSI stud book is
divided into Stallion Books I and II, and is
open to mares and stallions of recognized
Warmblood breeds, as well as Thorough-
breds, Arabians and Anglo-Arabians. RPSI
From great promise – to tragedy – to beating overwhelming odds – to successCountess of Piaff and her new 2013 baby sister– their story
65June/July 2013
continued on page 96
(“Zweibrücker”) horses are bred for quality
of movement, correctness of conformation
and clear character. This foundation pro-
duces a superior athlete with high train-
ability and competitiveness for any of the
sport horse disciplines.”
Piaff met my list of criteria and addi-
tionally, in order for offspring to be eligible
for a full Passport and Brand, both parents
MUST be approved in Stallion/Mare Book
I and only those offspring may be consid-
ered stallion candidates with the possible
chance of breeding on later. (If one parent
is missing approvals and does not have ac-
ceptable bloodlines/paperwork, then the
offspring is only eligible for a Certificate
of Pedigree -- no chance of a colt having
a chance to go threw the approval process,
thus cannot breed on through the registry.
So, the deed was done. In 2007, Piaff
and Virag blessed us with the arrival of
Countess of Piaff, a huge, correct, power-
ful moving grey filly who shined during
her RPSI inspection and was approved as
a Premium filly; something that was ex-
tremely important to me as I was striving
to breed a performance horse.
For an approved RPSI Arabian/Warm-
blood cross, Countess had enough Arabian
type to compete in halter, which she loved. I
will never forget the squeals of excitement
and joy from the very successful Arabian
stallion owner and breeder Denise Gainey,
“OMG, look at her TROT, that is just wrong,
she is a Warmblood!!!” Countess’ handler
was a former track competitor and she just
about trotted him off his feet. The filly
earned a Top 4 Region 15 Yearling Halter/
Region 15 Halter Futurity as a 3 year old
and Sport Horse In-Hand Region 15 Top 3,
in addition to wins in SHIH at various rated
Arabian Shows, but she was bred compete
in the jumper/hunter ring!!
At 4 years old, I started Countess under
saddle. She was easy, with a smart, willing
attitude and wanted to work more than
eat or do anything else; you could turn on
the outside arena lights and she would run
and stand under the lights waiting for her
saddle. After getting the basics started—
walk, trot, canter; I sent the filly out for fin-
ishing. In just a few short months and at
her first Arabian show, she won the SHUS
with a professional and won the SHUS se-
lect rider class with me. We were excited
and looking to our next show in 2 weeks
and Region 15 in 6 weeks.
Just when you think you are on top of
the world and have the highest expecta-
tions for your horse tragedy strikes and
everything comes crashing down.
While attending the Virginia Arabian
Horse Association Show (VAHA), I received
a call saying that Countess had injured
herself in the stall at the training barn.
The veterinarian recommended the filly
go to an emergency veterinary hospital for
treatment. We immediately shipped the
filly to Blue Ridge Equine, a hospital ca-
pable of handling trauma and severe inju-
ries. After evaluation of the filly’s injuries
and every treatment performed possible
over a 24 hour period, Countess’ diagno-
sis was a compromised tendon sheath in
one hind leg and laminitis in the opposing
hind hoof. There was nothing more than
the veterinarians could do, the filly did not
have a good leg to stand on and I asked
the attending vet to put her down immedi-
ately and end her suffering.
Everything with Countess seemed so
surreal - like it was not happening, but it
was. I just wanted to be left alone, but
wasn’t. Within a few hours, a friend who
was announcing for the VAHA show an-
nounced the loss of Countess of Piaff.
Friends were ringing my phone; trainers
and competitors shed tears with me giv-
ing hugs and their condolences. Online
The Arabian Breeders Network and Face-
book messages of condolences, love and
support from the Arabian and warmblood
communities came in from all over the
world.
The Arabian Horse Community is the
most amazing, generous and supportive
group of horse owners and family I have
ever experienced; offers of breedings,
young horses, horses with training, etc.,
came pouring in – all were appreciated
more than the English language would al-
low me to express, but I was not ready, my
heart was too broken.
For 2 years, I sat grieving, missing my
filly and Arabian horse friends and family;
so I knew I needed to do something! So I
started horse shopping, looking online, at
inspections, visiting to training barns and
breeders, auctions, magazines etc., I lost
count after looking at 2K plus horses (no
kidding). I saw many fabulous horses with
excellent breeding and talent, but ALL
would have to follow in the footsteps of
Countess, so I respectfully stepped back
66 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
67June/July 2013
From RosesTo Rehab
By Susan Winslow
Photos by Suzanne DeGeorge
Sun streams through the windows, casting long shafts of soft, morning light across the expanse of the indoor arena. Dust motes dance as the sound of children’s laughter rings through the rafters . . .
Sta
n P
hane
uf P
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continued on next page
68 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Two riders with special needs, ages nine and ten, are assisted
by leaders and side walkers in a rollicking game of “Walk-Whoa
Red Light/Green Light.” They cheer each other on as their elegant
horses, a bay named Khlassicstatement and a chestnut named Mr
Wise Guy, respond to their riders’ physical and verbal cues, mov-
ing with the easy, natural grace of the Arabian breed. The horses’
delicate, curved ears flick forward and back as they listen atten-
tively for direction from their riders. When the game ends in a tie,
there are high-fives all around, and one rider leans forward, wraps
his arms around the chestnut horse’s neck and whispers, “Good
boy, Wiser! I love you.”
The Arabian horse as one of the world’s
oldest breeds, has a long and illustrious
history going back thousands of years;
having been prized by such leaders as
Mohammed, Ghengis Khan, Napolean,
and George Washington. Today, as they
safely carry their riders through stretch-
es, riding exercises and games, Khlassic
and Wiser are representing yet another
aspect of the breed’s versatility in their
role as trusted therapy mounts. In fact,
they are two of a small herd of full and
half-blood Arabian therapy horses at
Wings and Hooves Therapeutic Riding,
Inc. in East Kingston, New Hampshire.
The farm’s mission is to enhance the
lives of individuals with physical, emo-
tional, and developmental disabilities
by building confidence through equine as-
sisted activities and partnerships.
Karen Cuneo founded Wings and Hooves, a registered 501(c)3
nonprofit organization, in 2008 on the 169 acre farm where she
lives with her husband, Paul and daughter, Kristen. Thirty-three
years ago, Karen was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythema-
tosus disease and in the ensuing years, she has undergone three
kidney transplants while maintaining her commitment to her fam-
ily and a busy career in the financial industry. She says, “There
is no doubt that my horses helped me through my illness, and
my dream throughout the many health challenges I faced was to
share the healing power of horses with others.”
Before founding Wings and Hooves, Karen enjoyed competing
her Arabian horses in local and regional “A” rated Arabian Horse
Association competitions. She and Paul also supported Kristen’s
show career that took her to the National level of competition.
Along the way, they purchased a number of Arabians and Half Ara-
bians, and they consider each of them as family members. As the
horses aged, Karen realized that they still had much to offer, so the
transition from the rigorous life of a competitive show horse to a
new job as a therapy mount was a natural progression for some of
the family’s show string.
Khlassicstatement is a bay gelding born in Boxford, MA in
1997. Karen knew his dam, Khalico, and witnessed the foaling, an
event which formed a strong bond between her and the young
colt. She says, “I bought Khlassic, as we call him, and after he was
weaned. I was at the barn one evening and saw his mother with
her face pressed up against the bars of the stall across the aisle
just watching us. I was so touched by that, I bought her too, so
she would always have a good home with her son nearby.” Khalico
was a daughter of the famous sire, Khemosabi, and she was known
in the barn for her strong maternal instinct and kindness, living a
full life to the age of 32.
Khlassic inherited that kindness, along with
a whimsical sense of curiosity and a busy mind.
Karen says, “He loves this job as a therapy horse!
We once had a puzzle game in the ring that had
big wooden pieces. Khlassic loved to pick up
the pieces in his mouth and put them on the
puzzle board. He is so smart, you really have to
see it to believe it! At a 9:00 a.m. lesson Khlas-
sic walked around the arena with his leader and
his young rider with a full, bold stride, but then
at the 12:00 pm lesson he intuitively changed
his gait to mirror that of a different little rider
who walked on her tiptoes. We’ve done about
everything with him including jumping here at
the farm, but he really excelled in the show ring
in the Arabian Hunter Pleasure classes.” As a
youngster, Khlassic started out in Arabian Halter
before transitioning into Arabian Hunter Pleasure
in local and New England Regional level competitions.
Khlassic competed at the Empire State Arab show with Rebecca
Eddy and they took a first place and Champion in the Arabian
Hunter Pleasure 18-39.
Mr Wise Guy+//, a handsome 15 hand chestnut gelding, is
known for his unique appearance, as his tongue can be seen at
times hanging out of the side of his mouth. This is a result of nerve
damage sustained early in his life, but this supremely talented
horse never let it slow him down. While people are initially drawn
to his unusual appearance, it’s his intelligent, gentle nature that
leaves a lasting impression. “He’s a superstar,” says Karen with
pride. The Cuneos purchased him from John and Lisa Jo White
for their daughter Kristen in 2001. Mr Wise Guy already had an
impressive show record, and Kristen went on to win multiple Re-
gional and National titles with him. Mr Wise Guy’s five page show
record spans twenty years and includes multiple Regional, United
States and Canadian National Championships as well as the pres-
tigious Legion of Excellence.
“This horse really has done it all. He drives, rides, and has
Mr. Wise Guy
THERAPY continued from previous page
69June/July 2013
he really stepped up his game when he knew he was at a horse
show- I remember the first time I rode him at a show the night
before his class. My mom asked me how it went- I told her ‘He’s
amazing- I just hope I can keep up with him!’ Wise Guy took care
of me and he taught me how to ride a top English Pleasure horse.
On the ground he was as sweet and loving as could be. Wise Guy
embodies what an Arabian horse should be: a great athlete and a
close friend to those around him.”
These aren’t over the hill, tired show horses. They are active,
healthy horses that have achieved regional and national titles and
have gone on to a second, rewarding career in their golden years.
Karen says, “The innate intelligence and willingness to please in
the Arabian horse makes them ideally suited for this job. In addi-
tion to a Clydesdale and three Norwegian Fjords, we have a num-
ber of Arabian and Half Arabian horses and ponies in our program:
Almost a Lady, a Half Arabian pony; Goldie, a Half Arabian mare;
two Half Arabian Geldings: SS Lord of the Dance and Bobo Show+/
plus the two full Arabians, Khlassic and Mr Wise Guy. The Arabian
is generally a long-lived breed, and our therapy horses are still
going strong well into their mid twenties. They thrive on having
a job, and being cared for and loved by so many people. Because
these horses have been active campaigners on the show circuit,
they have a been-there, done-that attitude and they are extreme-
ly well schooled. These are qualities that make excellent therapy
horses.”
Karen admits that in some spheres, there is a misconception
about the Arabian breed that her horses are helping to overcome.
She explains, “Because Arabian horses have such a proud, majes-
tic carriage, and can really turn on the fire in the show ring, people
often think they are a flighty, hot type of horse. I was at a P.A.T.H.
International Conference where more than once a person said that
they would use any type of horse for therapy except for Arabians.
That type of statement just comes from a lack of true knowledge
about the breed, and our horses disprove that stereotype every
day.”
Khlassic, Wise Guy, Lady and the other horses with Arabian
bloodlines at Wings and Hooves are evidence that this breed can
do it all, from winning national titles in the show ring, to carefully
carrying a four year old with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome through
his therapeutic riding lesson. “They are so incredibly smart,” says
Karen, “You can see them watching and feeling their riders, and
adjusting their way of going for them. With their keen intelligence
and their highly developed sense of the human/horse bond, Ara-
bians make great therapy horses.”
shown in those capacities all over the United States and Canada.
He has never let his physical challenge slow him down, and it’s
something our riders and volunteers can relate to,” says Karen.
Marjorie Carr, who showed him to Youth National Champion re-
calls, “Wise Guy was one of the most fun horses I have ever rid-
den. He was an incredible athlete and he loved to show. In fact,
70 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
My heart horse, Silver Run Sohn (Gai Torero x Bint Lea Rouge)
wasn’t the fanciest or the bravest horse, but he certainly had a
kind, gentle soul. I bought him from a friend in 1994 when my
children were still small. We showed at local hunter shows, ama-
teur Arab shows, trail rode and had lots of fun. My kids and sever-
al friends learned to ride
on him. He was patient,
quiet, sweet and beauti-
ful – the perfect teacher.
Veteran Arabian breeder
Ann McKay called him a
saint in horseflesh.
His misgivings
about some jumps was
often only overcome
by a firm application of
leg, and perhaps fear of
getting in trouble. He
was adored by all who
knew him, despite his
“leave now-ask ques-
tions later” philosophy. (Every ring had its boogie man corner and
he wasn’t going to get eaten!) Nonetheless, his reaction with an
experienced rider was completely different than when he was
carrying a novice. He knew the difference.
We showed just a couple of seasons at rated Arab shows and
he did quite well. Sohn earned East Coast and Region 15 Champi-
onships culminating in a trip to US Nationals in Kentucky in 2002
at the age of 20. He earned a Top Ten in Working Hunter AAOTR
before I retired him from competition that year.
After that, he hung out at my farm, trail riding and living a life
of leisure as I had promised him. When I was injured in 2004,
Sohn even came to visit me in the hospital. In 2005, I was forced
to close my farm and disperse my horses, so I leased Sohn out
to a friend in Pennsylvania who taught lessons to children, some
with special needs.
In April 2007, I went to visit Sohn for the first time in 2 years.
My plan was not just to visit, but to try to sit on him once more,
not a simple task for someone with my physical limitations. My
heart soared when I saw him, he walked right up and seemed to
know me, even though I was now in a wheelchair. I was thrilled to
just kiss him and pet him.
We took him up to the ring, racking our brains about how to
get me on him. My son finally threw me over his shoulder and just
tossed me up into the saddle. We got my feet into the stirrups,
fashioned a neck strap for me to hold, stationed someone on each
side of me and started to walk.
He walked so slowly and carefully, helping me maintain my
precarious balance for a good ten minutes. It was heaven. I had
ridden (sat on?) a horse a couple of times since my injury, but not
one of MY horses. What a
difference it made! I had
zero fear knowing him in-
side and out as I did.
My daughter hopped
on him and took him for a
spin around their outside
course of jumps, swapping
leads and over jumping
like a young horse. What a
great day!
We lost him a few
months later, but not be-
fore he had endeared
himself to even more spe-
cial riders. He was truly a
saint.
{I still own his half-brother, who shares Sohn’s quiet disposi-
tion and gentle nature. I even got to “ride” him when he was five
and we visited him at a horse show.} - Peggy Ingles
My Own Rehab Tale
71June/July 2013Russian Roulett
FR Hercules
72 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
One In A Million
Cal Dorado
From an inauspicious beginning,
Cal Dorado certainly made his
presence known. Given away as
a 4 month old to Californian Barbara Park-
ening, “Flash,” as he was known by his
friends, became an international star.
He was sired by the *Bask son Cal-O-
Bask and born in February, 1979. With 2
club feet and way too much white to suit
his breeder, the sire’s owner agreed to
take him back. Barbara happened to go to
the farm to visit Cal-O-Bask and spotted a
weanling in a nearby corral. “It was love at
first sight,” says Barbara.
Barbara had gotten her first horse, a
half Lippizan, when she was fourteen and
put her in training with the famous Circus/
High-School trainer Albert Ostermaier. She
trained with Albert until she started to
show competitive dressage and has been
training with Olympic dressage rider Hilda
Gurney ever since. In the mid-eighties she
earned her bronze, silver and gold medals
from the USDF.
After taking on the little guy, Barbara
hauled Flash long distances to receive cor-
rective shoeing to improve his feet. Bar-
bara recounts, “I started him under saddle
and the put him on long lines. It didn’t
take him long to figure things out and he
taught himself how to canter on three legs,
we thought that was a pretty good trick.”
Barbara taught the gorgeous flashy chest-
nut how to do high school dressage move-
ments in long lines. He would walk down
the centerline on his back legs, passage,
piaffe, Spanish walk, pirouette, bow and
much more. She used him in her “Danc-
ing With Horses” traveling theatrical show.
“He could piaffe and passage all day and
loved doing it. You can still go to Arabian
Magnificent Dancing Stallion on You Tube
and see his whole act,” says Barbara.
When Flash was 17, Barbara went to
her friend Hilda with a plan. She asked
Hilda to make him a Grand Prix horse and
win a National Championship on him.
Hilda recalls, “First, I had to teach him
lead changes, which I did. But the tricky
part was getting on him – when you swung
your leg over, he’d drop his head. He didn’t
have a huge shoulder, so when he’d put
his head down and buck there was no way
you were staying on. After I got dumped
a couple of times I always had someone
hold his head when I mounted.”
In spite of that, Hilda says she really
enjoyed him. “He wasn’t mean, he would
prance and dance but he wouldn’t kick
or bite or anything like that. Until the day
they put him down he’d come out of the
stall and he would prance and dance. Flash
was always a character, very vibrant, prob-
ably the most vibrant horse I’ve ever seen.
An absolutely beautiful horse.”
Hilda showed him in open shows at
Grand Prix, earning scores in the 60s. In
1997, they took Flash to Albuquerque to
compete at U.S. Nationals in the highest
dressage level they offered at the time,
Prix St. Georges. Flash and Hilda won the
class with a score of 65.93%, following
that up with a dressage demonstration be-
fore a crowd of 5,000 spectators, earning a
standing ovation.
Later, the years of walking on his hind
legs caused him some soreness in his
hocks, so he was retired from competition.
His offspring have carried on his winning
legacy. Fancy Trick was trained and shown
by Hilda to 2 National Championships in
Grand Prix and one at I-2. His purebred son
Aleros+/ earned a National Championship
in 3rd Level, is almost ready to compete
at Grand Prix this year and is planning on
Photos courtesy Barbara Parkening
73June/July 2013
another trip to SHN in 2014.
Of Flash’s offspring Hilda says, “Ale-
ros a really a fabulous mover. And we now
have grandkids from Flash that are super
movers and really talented in piaffe and
passage.”
His daughter, CD Gold Fever+++/ is
a 2 time Reserve National Champion in
Halter with Regional wins in Show Hack.
Rhythmandbluesscr+// is a multi Nation-
al Top Ten winner in Dressage. MC Stars
Nstripes+/ is a Reserve National Champi-
on in Show Hack and multi-Top Ten winner
in Carriage Driving and Sport Horse Show
Cal Dorado performing (left) and with Hilda Gurney after winning his National Championship in Prix St. Georges (below).
continued on next page
74 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Hack. CB Endeavor+ is a Canadian National & Reserve National Champion in Hunter
Pleasure. April Moonsong+ is a Reserve National Champion in Sidesaddle.
And one last foal is due this month, conceived from some frozen semen har-
vested from a testicle that was herniated and subsequently removed. The dam is a
large Hanoverian mare who has produced one foal by Aleros already.
On April 18 at the age of 34, Flash tore the wall of his rectum while trying to
pass a hard fecal ball. There was nothing the vets could do, so he was laid to rest.
For an unwanted baby, he has certainly left an incredible legacy.
Cal Dorado performing (left and above) and with his son, Go For The Gold (below).
CAL DORADO continued from page 73
75June/July 2013
Half-Arabian daughter Fancy Trick with Hilda Gurney performing a dressage demonstration at Sport Horse Nationals
Purebred son Aleros+/, a breeding stallion competing at Grand Prix in open dressage shows.
Cal Dorado performing (left and above) and with his son, Go For The Gold (below).
76 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Aurora MR+//The Comeback Queen
There are some horses that are super-
stars because they have a superstar
as a rider and there are some horses
that are just born to be a superstar regard-
less of their rider. Aurora MR (JRPadrov x El
Disar Eve) is the second kind of horse. Now
don’t get me wrong, all of her riders have
been great, but it is not often that a horse
is a superstar with every rider they are
paired with. Aurora is just that, and I think
after reading her story you will agree.
Aurora was started under saddle in the
fall of her 5th year. Right away the trainer’s
12-year-old daughter was riding her and
fell in love. Together they practiced dres-
sage movements and had fun jumping the
jumps that were set up in the arena. When
it came time to start showing, the trainer’s
schedule did not blend well with our Ara-
bian Show schedule, so she sent one of
her 12-year-old students, Jennifer, to ride
Aurora. Here we were at a show with a kid
that we really did not know, riding a horse
that had less than 6 months of formal train-
ing and with no trainer to school them!
Jennifer and Aurora were stars at this
first show, so we continued attending Ara-
bian and Open Shows with Jennifer as her
rider. The pair qualified for the 2004 CDS
Jr. Championship show in Training level,
so off we went. After the first day of the
Championships, Jennifer and Aurora were
ahead of the rest of their class by a solid
5% and just had one more ride to go to be
named Champion.
On day two, during the warm up for
their last ride, while cantering on a 20 me-
ter circle Aurora stepped on a large rock
that had been thrown into the arena and
tore her right hind suspensory ligament
right below the hock. It was so bad we had
to bring the trailer to the arena to take her
home.
During the vet examination it was de-
termined that she had a large hole in her
suspensory and the vet felt she would be
only be broodmare sound for the rest of
her life. Well I was not willing to accept
this, so I took her home and put her in a
paddock for 6 months, after which we
took her back to the hospital and had her
by Karen ErnstPh
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77June/July 2013
leg scanned. Much to their surprise, they
could not even find the scarred tissue from
the tear and gave us the go ahead to start
conditioning her to return to work.
In the spring of 2005, Jenny Breen
agreed to ride and show Aurora for us at
Open and Arabian shows (still schedule is-
sues with trainer) and so a new team was
born. Together they won not only at Ara-
bian Shows but also almost every Open
Show class they entered. We traveled to
Canada for the 2005 Canadian National
Show that year and they earned Aurora’s
first National Top Ten Award - at Training
Level. They ended the show year winning
USDF Young Rider Training Level Award
and several AHA awards.
In 2006, Jenny became Aurora’s own-
er and the team returned to the show ring
at First and Second Level, again winning in
Open and Arabian competitions. They were
named USEF Dressage Horse of the Year,
and added 4 more National Top Tens (First
and Second Level) and a Reserve National
Championship at First level to Aurora’s list
of awards.
In 2007, this team continued with their
success at Second level winning two Re-
gional Championships and two Top Fives.
Meanwhile, back at home, I lost Aurora’s
little sister to a pasture accident and I
asked Jenny if she would sell Aurora back
to me. Aurora’s mother was a very special
horse to me and I really wanted to have
one of her daughters. Jenny agreed to sell
Aurora back to me, but would no longer be
her rider.
We then went to Jennette Scanlon of
Scanlon Training and asked her to evaluate
Aurora for further advancement in Dres-
sage. We were happy to learn that Jen-
nette felt she was in fact talented enough
to become an FEI Dressage horse, so a new
team was born.
In 2008, Jennette and Aurora at-
tended the Scottsdale Arabian Show and
were stars just like Aurora had been with
all her other riders. They ended the show
with Aurora winning 4th Level High Score
Champion.
Aurora and Jenette ended the 2008
show year as Sport Horse Reserve National
Champion at 3rd Level and Top Ten at 4th
level.
In 2009, Jennette became pregnant
and was unable to ride, so she enlisted
one of her young students, Samantha, to
ride Aurora. This new pair started show-
ing at 3rd level in June of 2009 and right
away were stars. In their first two shows
together they qualified for the 2009 CDS
Jr Championship show at 3rd level. In
August of 2009 they attended the CDS Jr.
Championship show and were named CDS
Jr. Championship Reserve Champion 3rd
Level.
Things were going so well with this
new pair that we decided to add 4th level
to their schedule. Aurora was already qual-
ified for Nationals in Open, so they just
needed to qualify at the amateur level,
which they did at their first show.
Samantha and Aurora showed at the
Region 3 Sport Horse Championship show
in 3rd and 4th level Open and Amateur
and were named 3rd and 4th Level Cham-
pions in Amateur and Reserve Champion
3rd Level Open with a Top Five in 4th Level
Open. They ended the show year as USDF
All Breed Champions in 3rd & 4th Levels.
Not bad considering that this pair was only
together for 3 months!
In 2010, Jennette was back to rid-
ing Aurora and the pair started compet-
ing at Prix St. Georges in open shows and
doing very well. In July of that year, they
added Intermediaire1 to the schedule and
again were holding their own at the open
shows.
At the 2010 Sport Horse National
Show, Aurora and Jenette earned a Top
Ten in PSG dressage and was just out of
the ribbons for Int.1, but knowing this was
a new level for them, we were not discour-
aged by her placing. Aurora did end the
year as USDF All Breed Reserve Champion
PSG level and Champion Int.1 level.
In 2011, Jennette added Int. 2 to Au-
rora’s schedule and we started attending
open shows, where she again held her own.
All was going well when she came down
with a rear leg lameness. After examina-
tion it was felt that she had a bad case of
thrush and medical action was taken.
Aurora was taken out of work, hand
walked and in a couple of weeks all was
well, so back to work she went. We started
noticing that her angle seemed wrong on
her left front foot and asked about it - the
farrier insisted that everything was fine
and not to worry.
About 2 months after we first noticed
the angle change on Aurora’s left front
foot, she was lame. We were told that it
continued on next page
78 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
was just stiffness from her trailer ride to
the show and that she would work out of it.
When she did not get better, an appoint-
ment was made with the vet. Upon his ex-
amination, it was found that her left front
angle was off so badly that as a result she
had strained or possibly torn her collateral
ligaments within her hoof and she was set
up on a hand walking schedule and stall
rest for 3 months.
At the end of 3 months, Aurora was
taken back to the vet and was found to still
be at a grade “3” lameness and at that time
the vet said she was probably not going to
return to full soundness. He felt that she
may become sound enough for a junior to
ride her at Training Level, but would not
perform at the FEI level again.
Again I was not ready to accept this
future for Aurora, so I brought her home
and returned her to the same paddock she
stayed in when she tore her suspensory 7
years earlier.
Aurora was not happy not working but
she adjusted to a life of rest for the most
part and enjoyed hanging out watching the
other horses play in their pastures. I kept
Aurora home for 13 months this time and
let nature take it’s course in healing her.
In October of 2012, we took Aurora to
Danielle Casalett of Casabrook Training to
start conditioning her for a return to work
if she was sound. Aurora has been sound
since her first day with Danielle and was
so happy to start back to work. I believe
that Aurora is happier with Danielle than
she has been with any other rider and in a
short period of them they have become a
beautiful pair.
Danielle has taken Aurora’s return to
work very seriously and all proper precau-
tions are taken for Aurora’s safety. They
spend 4 days per week in the arena and
then at least 1 or 2 days out at the lake
where they enjoy a trail ride with one of
Danielle’s students. Danielle also takes
the time to take Aurora out to graze grass
and they enjoy girly time together. Aurora
loves her girly time!
On March 17, 2013 five months after
returning to work, 18 months after being
told she would not return to work at the
same level she was at before her injury,
and 21 months after her injury, Aurora and
Danielle attended their first show. They
showed at the PSG level and although
they did not win their class it was a ma-
jor win for Aurora as she again proved the
vet wrong and she performed every move-
ment of the test without difficulty, even
obtaining a qualifying score for SHNs and
the Region 3 SH Championship Show.
AURORA continued from page 77
Join Us On
*Salinaa), ridden by Popiel’s wife, Dan-
ielle Leader, was a winning eventer, and
Litawor (out of *Lawenda) was a cross-
country and fox-hunting horse in England.
No doubt Tweed would be gratified
to learn that descendants of his breeding
program continue to win at the highest
levels of Arabian competition. In 2008, a
racing colt named Abu Alemarat, who de-
scends from *Orzel++, *Zbrucz, and Skor-
age, became a Triple Crown winner in the
United Arab Emirates. The same year, Zbro-
ja Fata (via *Orzel++ and *Chlosta) won Po-
land’s Criterium Stakes, and in the United
States, MVA Scarlet Orzel+/ (via *Orzel++,
*Zbrucz, *Chlosta, and *Genua) won her
seventh National title in Reining. Also in
2008, the brothers Armanni and Annapo-
lis++// were both named U.S. National Top
Ten Sport Horse Stallions. In 2009, Mukata
Fata (via *Orzel++ and *Chlosta) won the
Polish Oaks. Riverwatch (via *Faraon++),
won the 2011 Tevis Cup, and in 2012, TM
Super Bird (via *Orzel++ and *Chlosta) was
named Darley Older Mare of the Year.
As Tweed noted in 1975, “Our purpose
here at Brusally is clearly defined: first, to
prove that classic beauty, good size, correct
conformation and athletic ability must be
combined to create our idea of the perfect
Arabian; and secondly, to make available
in America a select pure Polish breeding
group to be used by those who feel such a
goal is worth accomplishing.”
BRUSALLY continued from page 53
79June/July 2013
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Bob
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rman
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BRUSALLY continued from page 53
80 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
BiomechanicsWorking with the Mind of the Horse
A Series by Lisa May
Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to
discover what makes riders ‘talented’. Now
with six books, multiple DVDs, and clinics
worldwide, her “Ride With Your Mind”TM
(RWYM) method of coaching explains how
the talented rider’s body shapes the horse’s
athletic use of his body. Her pioneering
work has seeped into that
of many others who refer to
“rider biomechanics”. Wan-
less’ strategies can be un-
derstood most clearly from
the source.
RWYM begins by clari-
fying where the rider’s
body is in space, noticing
the impact on the horse
and taking the next most
accessible step to improve
skills. Wanless’ strategies
of mental awareness and
body control are her “First
Toolkit.” These are the hu-
man skills that underpin
good riding. Different from
other instruction methods,
this is a coaching strategy
that recognizes different
people’s learning styles. In daily life we
rarely experience communication styles
that coach rather than direct. From the
unique starting point of each rider’s body
and mind, RWYM coaching methods make
it possible for us to map the territory we
ourselves have to cross to arrive at good
riding. The method guides people to dis-
cover how to learn independently in col-
laboration with the horse.
The importance of contemporary re-
search on horse behavior and learning is
recognized in RWYM. Wanless calls these
horse-starting and training methods the
“Ground Zero Toolkit.” Senior Coaches
incorporate the work of innovative horse-
men of the past like the Dorrance broth-
ers, as well as contemporaries like horse-
man & Aikido master Mark Rashid, and
Australian equine behaviorists Manuela
and Dr.Andrew McLean. These horsemen
insightfully describe how to communicate
with the horse’s mind. The “Ground Zero
Toolkit” encompasses tools that help hors-
es and humans communicate.
In his wonderful book, The Nature of
Horses, Stephen Budiansky recounts the
fascinating evolution of horses’ involve-
ment with people and debunks myths
about horse intelligence and learning. He
writes, “Only by looking at the environ-
ment and circumstances that an animal
has adapted to through evolution, can
we begin to understand the fundamental
reasons it does what it
does.” A detailed pic-
ture of horses’ highly
evolved behavior is
critical to understand-
ing how to work with
them. That picture
emerges as Budiansky
reviews horse behav-
ioral science including
McLean’s research.
Here are a few
things the research
shows. Horses are
skilled at associating:
they have the abil-
ity to anticipate based
on barely perceptible
cues. As they evolved,
those that were sen-
sitive to smaller and
smaller clues from the environment suc-
ceeded in mastering their environment.
Horses are also skilled at habituation. They
become desensitized to repeated events
that may arouse their fear, but aren’t actu-
ally a danger. As a prey animal the horse
evolved to conserve energy unless needed
for flight. Those able to conserve energy
by distinguishing actual threats from other
stimuli thrived. Those that unnecessarily
81June/July 2013
expended energy were less robust - less
evolutionarily successful.
Association in combination with ha-
bituation makes horses highly teachable.
Our ability to perceive and control very
specific stimuli is more limited than that of
the horse. We are less focused. Our minds
tend to wander or attempt to multi-task.
While we work with a horse our attention
is often diverted to internal thoughts or
external observations. While our minds
are busy we miss the questions horses
pose: May I walk a bit faster while being
led? Can I take a bite of grass? The horse
experiences our lack of response to the
question as permission. After the horse
has interpreted our inaction by walking
ahead of us or stopping to graze we notice
the change, often labeling it disrespect or
disobedience.
When we correct the mistake after the
fact, we create confusion for horses: We
unintentionally agreed to the speed or the
intent to graze when we missed the subtle
questions? Horses struggle to figure out
what part of the subsequent action we did
not want since we did accept the faster
walk and the thought to graze. Riding ex-
amples:
1) The continuous pressure of strong
hands or the nagging pressure of hands
that don’t distinguish clearly between a
desired or an undesired response lead to
habituation.
2) Lower legs that continuously cling,
kick, or don’t release when the horse
makes small changes lead to habituation.
Becoming habituated is becoming desen-
sitized.
Humans tend to perceive a desensi-
tized horse as resistant, hard mouthed or
evasive. Yet, it is our own hand contact or
leg use that has trained / habituated the
horse in a way that we don’t want. When
we get a response we don’t want, we typi-
cally use an even stronger aid or punish
the horse, which furthers the vicious cy-
cle.
Reward and punishment both rein-
force behavior. When horses get punished
for a mistake or when the correct choice
is unclear they become confused. Some
spend more time trying to figure out what
is being asked than attempting a response.
Others nervously run so fast through their
whole repertoire of trained responses that
people say the horse is being evasive.
When fear accompanies a learning experi-
ence, equines hesitate, shutdown or dem-
onstrate what McLean calls “Conflict Be-
haviors”. We often call conflict behaviors
“evasions, disobedience or disrespect”.
Some horse’s flight or conflict behaviors
are subtle: loss of attention, dullness to
aids, “zoning out”. They may express their
confusion with tension, shying, difficulty
with steering or speed. Others panic,
showing that they are overloaded or short-
circuiting through dramatic flight respons-
es like bucking, bolting or rearing.
All organisms need a predictable world.
The less predictable, the more stress they
show. By unintentionally making the envi-
ronment unpredictable, our human incon-
sistency can trigger horses’ flight instincts.
Innovative horsemen and behavioral scien-
tists have found that rewarding the horse’s
approximation of correct responses and
ignoring - rather than punishing - a mis-
take more effectively reaches the equine
brain. As Mark Rashid says, “Reward the
try”, and, “Focus on what you do want. Not
on what you don’t want. Whatever you fo-
cus on you’ll get more of. Focus on what
you want.” Human action makes sense to
horses when it helps them.
All energy expended on behavior is
communication. By understanding what he
is communicating we begin to work with
the horse rather than against him. Strate-
gies for working with rather than against
horses’ natural behaviors can be found in
Mark Rashid’s many books. In a very enter-
taining style, he helps us understand our
world through the mind of the horse, “If we
are only students of technique our knowl-
edge has limits - If we are students of the
horse learning is unlimited”.
The research indicates that while train-
ing methods that claim effectiveness with
all horses may eventually work with most
horses, individualized training that takes
into account a particular horse’s past his-
tory, maturity, intelligence, confidence,
dominance, physical abilities and toler-
ance for physical and mental strain may
be more humane and ultimately more suc-
cessful.
RESOURCES
Budiansky, The Nature of Horses: Exploring
Equine Evolution, Intelligence, & Behavior
Dorrances, True Unity; True Horsemanship
Through Feel
May, “Crossing the Species Divide” Idyl-
wildFarm.com, Articles Section
McLean, The Truth About Horses; Equitation
Science, “Articles” at www.aebc.au.com
Rashid, Horses Never Lie; Horsemanship
Through Life; Whole Heart Whole Horse
As athletes on horseback we can use our
own anatomy to communicate to the horse
a streamlined framework for movement.
Find out more about these strategies for us-
ing the brain to communicate with horses
through behavioral science and biome-
chanics! There’s a wealth of information at
www.Mary-Wanless.com including coaches
worldwide - with five in the USA at www.
RideWithYourMindUSA.com.
Working with Wanless since 1997, Lisa
May is the first US accredited RWYM coach
& a horsemanship student of Mark Rashid
since 2000. Also a Professional Association
of Therapeutic Horsemanship International
instructor, she travels for clinics from her
home in Maryland www.IdylwildFarm.com.
82 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Wherever there is a horse and a
man, there will be a competi-
tion to suit the needs of their
immediate surroundings. Ours is a history
of wars, a history of two sides competing
against each other for supremacy. It is
the nature of man to challenge the power
above him, attack and conquer. It is be-
cause of our nature that we have created
competitions and we have created breeds
of horses to fit these needs.
Where does it all begin? In my last arti-
cle I introduced Xenophon, a Greek Warrior
from 400BC who is credited with leaving
us with the first written word of training
the horse. Not only did he write a series of
manuals which are the foundation of dres-
sage training, but his works also include
the basis for the hunter, jumper, and all
horse sports which include flat out racing
and galloping with no collection or balanc-
ing of the horse on to his hocks, or in other
words “The Dressed” horse. Alongside
Xenophon’s classical balanced seat, from
which the rider can gather his horse, he
does not neglect useful advice concern-
ing the importance of letting the horse
and rider stretch into a more horizontal
balance when galloping across country.
Jumping ditches and riding up and down
hills is also explained with reference to
the varied head carriage as the horse bal-
anced himself.
In my great quest to understand how
dressage can be applied to hunters and
jumpers, I have been exposed to the po-
litical diversities and attitudes which com-
pose a bigger discretion than the tech-
niques of applying common sense training
(e.g. dressage) to train the horse to jump.
There is a long steadfast attitude between
the two forces and I have enjoyed not only
learning the history but also watching the
‘wall crumble” before my eyes in this gen-
eration, and I feel like I have been a small
part of its demise.
TheHunter &Jumper
Wils
on H
ui P
hoto
Federico Caprilli (top) revolutionized the world’s jump-ing style. The study of photographs of a horse in action (by Muybridge, below) offered proof of the benefits of his methods.
83June/July 2013
Anyone who has been exposed to both
worlds can’t help but notice the sarcasm
and long engrained attitudes of both dres-
sage riders and hunter/jumpers towards
each other. Hunters mock dressage rid-
ers and refer to them as DQ’s (Dressage
Queens) while looking down upon
them as fearful cowards who hide
behind the enclosed walls of the
arena to stay safe on the ground.
Correspondingly, the dressage rid-
ers look upon the hunters and jump-
ers from snooty eyes mimicking ar-
istocracy which is the origin of their
passion and devotion, and the base
for the throne upon which they see
themselves sitting.
None of this is new, the split be-
tween the two goes back as far as
history holds records. The Mongolian
warriors travelled in a flat easy can-
ter on the forehand in the manner of
later day hunters, the nomadic tribes
gripped with their knees and leaned
forward with their bodies, which
was the logical start of the forward
seat. From Mongolia and Greece, the
Medieval Period engulfs nearly a
thousand years until we arrive in the
nineteenth century to find the cur-
rent situation of today’s two raging
worlds of competitions as a continu-
ation from 400 B.C.
War tactics changed with the
Renaissance Period and the need for
a smaller swifter more agile horse
necessitated the re birth of the Ibe-
rian horse and the development
of the Thoroughbred. As cavalry
schools sprung up across Europe,
they continued training and improv-
ing the breeding of horses. And as
is always the case, exhibitions and
competitions became a popular way
to entertain the royalty along with
the public during non war time as a
way to demonstrate the best trainers and
armies in the time.
Historical events facilitate change,
jumping horses is only around 200 years
old in the history of man’s partnership with
the horse. The development of the middle
class in England and the private ownership
of land resulting in the erection of fences,
walls, hedges and ditches led to excellent
hunting obstacles. Prior to this period, the
only jumps known had been the leaps and
airs of the High School. It was with the ev-
With the Thoroughbred came a com-
plete change of riding style, former prin-
ciples of balance, collection and control
were happily abandoned by the majority,
and seen as counterproductive to goals of
speed and freedom. Now all that mattered
was the propagation of an aestheti-
cally beautiful horse with fine limbs,
a delicate head, sensitive and excit-
ing to ride at great speed with stam-
ina. English nobility and commoner
alike were able to enjoy their own hot
blood, priding themselves on a lack
of formal riding style, with their own
daring and the natural ability of their
excellent horses, they were able to
chase at breakneck speed over every
manner of obstacle in the country.
It was England that led the way
by abandoning Academic study which
was based on principles of balance,
collection and control for the sake
of speed and freedom. Although the
British led the way because of hunt-
ing, it was the advent of show jumping
at the turn of the twentieth century
that gave rise to the development of
the sport which not only abandoned
classical dressage, but was the cause
for the separation and disparagement
between the two worlds.
Frederico Caprilli, an Italian cav-
alry officer, (born 1886) studied the
mechanics of the horse over jumps
and thanks to the invention of the
camera, was the innovator of the
forward seat, a radical change which
revolutionized the world of jumping.
Caprilli was diametrically opposed to
dressage, proclaiming one excludes
and destroys the other. His methods
were happily adopted throughout the
jumping world, requiring no literary
study or social standing, traditional
background or special premises.
Two influential men brought the
Caprilli system to America. They were
Col Harry D. Chamberlin and Vladimir Lit-
tauer. Chamberlin received a portion of his
background at Saumur, but abandoned all
olution of the English Thoroughbred pro-
duced from the three foundation Arabian
sires; The Darley Arabian, Godolphin Barb
and Byerley Turk that the racing and hunt-
ing world would completely revolutionize
the world of riding across Europe and into
America. continued on next page
84 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
forms of collection in favor of the Italian
method after having studied in Italy. His
reasons being, the forward seat method
was easier to teach to the great numbers
of cavalry officers and the meth-
ods of high school dressage
weren’t necessary.
Chamberlin was a brilliant
jumper and won a silver medal
in Show jumping at the Los
Angeles Olympics in 1932. He
went on to become the most
sought after teacher at Fort Ri-
ley Calvary School and was very
influential in the propagation
of the forward seat and dispar-
agement of collection and any
high school movements which
require the horse to engage and
bring the hocks under. He en-
couraged the development of
the low sweeping stride close to
the ground, the standard for today’s mod-
ern hunter, discouraging any flexing of the
hocks, bending the knee or lowering of
the croup which would be the result of a
horse having been trained with dressage
methods. Chamberlin’s intent was to
separate the two disciplines and to
insist that the techniques of one were
not applicable for the other.
Vladimir Littauer, a Russian cavalry
officer and refugee, is highly credited
with the innovation of the Caprilli sys-
tem in the United States. He helped es-
tablish a riding school in New York City,
Boots and Saddles, where forward rid-
ing took its hold and prospered across
the East Coast.
Littauer is recognized today as one
of the most influential teachers, lec-
turers and equestrian authors in the
country, his influence extending through
many competitive riders and Olympic
gold Medalists. Littauer’s background, like
Chamberlin’s, included a formal education
in high school dressage, which he aban-
doned for the forward system designed
to make riding easy and natural, yet he
retained a respect and admiration for the
skills required of the former.
I consider myself very lucky to have
trained with a Ukrainian Cavalry Officer,
Mykola (Nick) Pawlenko, who immigrated
to the United States in 1950 after the Sec-
ond World War. He was trained in the tra-
ditional military way and fought in World
War II on horseback. His father, Ivan, was
a pupil of James Fillis, one of the most
influential dressage trainers of the cen-
tury from St Petersburg Cavalry School; he
graduated from Pinerola Italy and Saumur
France cavalry Schools as well. Mykola’s
first love was jumping even though he had
been brought up on the best trained dres-
sage horses available, he would tell me “I
never got a wrong feel, but I still had to
pay my dues!”
When he moved to the United States
after the war, he ended up in the Chi-
cago area where he was first involved in
the jumper world, when his
children became interested
in dressage; he converted
his best moving jumpers to
dressage and was instrumen-
tal in starting dressage in the
Chicago area. All his jumpers
had a dressage foundation
which is why they were so
easily converted.
I trained with Mykola
for nearly a decade, he was
a master horseman for not
only dressage and jumping,
but work in hand, lunging,
long lining and driving. My
insatiable thirst for knowl-
edge was the spark for our
student-master relationship. I never tired
of watching him supple his jumpers and
use gymnastic training techniques to
strengthen and teach his horse agility and
balance in jumping. He also taught me how
to free jump horses to retrain them
from bad habits or form over jumps.
He was highly educated in the his-
tory and theory of training horses and
the methods of all the great masters,
retaining many of his methods from
the German system. He understood
how to apply dressage methods to
each horse according to the conforma-
tion and character of the individual ani-
mal. Upon settling in the United States,
he fell in love with the thoroughbred
horse although he was one of the first
people to import warmbloods in the
1960’s. I spent years totally engulfed
in learning the art of training horses with
a foundation of dressage methods, since
then I have continued using my education
to apply it to all the horses and varied dis-
ciplines I have participated in.
When the hunter/jumper world first
starting recognizing the value of dressage
training, they couldn’t bring themselves to
About Sue
DRESSAGE continued from page 83
Col. Harry D. Chamberlin
Vladimir Littauer
85June/July 2013
use the term “dressage” so the word “flat”
became a standardized vocabulary word.
I spent many hour “ flatting” hunters and
jumpers early in my career. I took a job
in a sale barn with the intent to learn the
hunter world, and to my surprise, all the
horses I regularly schooled were the ones
that sold. The hunter trainer noticed the
pattern and a year after I had moved on,
contacted me to thank me for showing him
the value of flat work, which he incorpo-
rated into his training regime.
Although hunters are allowed to com-
pete on the forehand, I discovered that
by combining the methods of dressage
to strengthen the loins through collec-
tion, the horse could perform with more
strength and agility when returning to the
forehand. It was in the 90’s that I started
importing warmbloods from Europe and
I soon discovered there was a market for
a horse which had a dressage foundation
that could also jump. All horses in Europe
are started in jumping before specializing,
and since there are no hunters in Europe,
I brought over many talented dressage
horses which were easily converted to the
hunter rings.
As the hunter world discovered this
untapped market, the style of hunter has
gradually changed in the U.S. and today
you see mostly warmblood horses with
solid dressage training sweeping the hunt-
er and jumper championships across the
country. As I said earlier in this article, I
feel I had a small part of the “wall” crum-
bling. I doubt there will ever be a complete
unity between the two arenas, but they
are blending together today due to the
understanding of balance and apprecia-
tion in the eye of the beholder for a well
trained, obedient, and adjustable horse
that follows the arc of the line of travel
and can be ridden with ease and grace.
Today, dressage methods have infiltrated
the hunter and jumper arenas and even
though the long held attitudes between
the two forces remains intact due to hu-
man nature, the horse tells the truth as the
performances are being awarded by the
best trained horses with suppleness and
agility, a testimony to the training.
To sum it up; Dressage for hunters and
jumpers when stated in simple terms is
“training” relative to the need.
Sue Kolstad is an S rated Dressage Judge, a recipient of all three USDF medals, Bronze, Silver and Gold. She has been active in Dressage for over 30 years. Her resume in-cludes a teaching degree in education, Rid-ing Instructor Certification from UW River Falls Wi., Vi Hopkins Symposium for Riding Instructors, participation in all educational potions of the USDF Instructor Certification program.
Sue has trained and competed many horses through FEI levels including three at Grand Prix. Her background includes train-ing extensively with a European Master for several years as well as continuing to train and clinic as often as possible with top cli-nicians and respected professionals both in the US and abroad. She is an avid reader and student of the history of dressage.
Her love for the horse has led her in many directions and she has enjoyed horses
in multiple disciplines into which she has incorporated her background of dressage. Sue has evented through prelim, competed in combined driving, hunters, jumpers, en-durance races, as well as showing sport horses, including stallion presentations. She has imported many horses from Europe which have gone on to produce champions in the US. Many of her students have won medals and championships through all the levels up to GP. Sue is devoted to education and the classical development of the sport of Dressage, which consumes her life. Not many people can say, “I love what I do and I do what I love!”
About Sue
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86 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Back to Basics SeriesShow Ring Etiquette
With show season upon us
and in full swing, both
schooling and show ring
etiquette is very important. In order to
keep us all safer. Over the last 10 years, as
I have traveled the country showing, I have
noticed a marked decline in basic safety
and etiquette, especially in the school-
ing ring, which resulted in some unneces-
sary accidents. When showing, we want to
show our horses to their full potential, but
we need to remember that we share the
schooling and show ring with others.
First and foremost is safety. Over the
years, many unspoken rules of the ring
have been passed down, and we all need
to remember and respect them for every-
one’s well being. Remember that you do
not know the other horses in the ring; the
horse could be green and inexperienced,
nervous, an aggressive horse that kicks,
a stallion, etc., so following some simple
rules of etiquette I am going to discuss will
help keep everyone out of harm’s way.
When hacking a horse to warm it up
along the rail in the schooling ring, there
will be other horses and some will be
traveling in the opposite direction. When
a horse is coming towards you, remember
that it is like driving a car. Pass left shoul-
der to left shoulder, so if you are traveling
to the left you have the rail and the horse
traveling to the right is on the inside. Be
sure to give plenty of space between you
and the other person, for the safety of both
the horses and riders. The rule of thumb is
to leave enough room that another horse
could fit in the space.
The rider on the inside is responsible
for the space since the rider on the outside
has the rail preventing them from moving
farther over. There will be times during
schooling that the basic left shoulder to
left shoulder rule is not ideal for what you
are doing with your horse. In these cases
you can yell out to the other person “In-
side!” for the inside track or “Outside!” for
the rail. Just remember to give enough
time so that the other rider can safely re-
spond to your request
When it comes to passing another
horse/rider who is moving slower than
you and in the same direction, in either the
schooling or show ring, be considerate!
Pass with enough space between you and
them, again leaving a space at least equal
to another horse. Before moving back
over to the rail, glance over your shoulder
to make sure that there is enough room.
About two horse lengths would be my sug-
gestion.
I cannot stress how important this is,
especially if you are riding a mare passing
a stallion. On multiple occasions I have had
a mare pass me while I was riding a stallion
and the rider moved over too soon, plac-
ing the mare’s hind end directly in front of
the stallion’s nose. This made the stallion
very excited and I had to wrestle to rein in
and to regain complete control. However,
there have been many sad cases, through-
out the nation and in all disciplines, where
the stallion’s rider couldn’t regain control
of the stallion and in which the stallion
injured or killed the mare’s rider as he
mounted the mare. These incidents, along
with others involving another rider “cut-
ting off” someone in the ring, have lead
to senseless accidents which could have
easily been avoided by following simple
riding etiquette.
When jumping in the schooling ring,
remember to be aware of others. The
same goes for those hacking while riders
are jumping their horses. Do not cut or cir-
cle in front of a jump while a horse is ap-
proaching it. This can cause a horrible col-
lision. If you are approaching a jump it is a
good idea to “call your jump.” For example,
if there is a vertical and an oxer present,
then yell out the jump you intend to jump.
Yell “Vertical!” or “Oxer!” as you are about
to turn to approach the said jump in order
to make the other riders aware where you
are going.
Another helpful tool in the ring or
anywhere on the show grounds, is yell-
ing “Heads up!” This is a very useful tool
in countless situations. For example, if
someone is about to cross in front of a
jump (either another rider or a grounds
person) then yell “Heads up!” to get their
by Ashley Wren
Hop
e C
arlin
Pho
to
87June/July 2013
attention to prevent a potentially bad
situation. “Heads up!” can be used when
there is a loose horse, when someone is
not paying attention and about to cause a
collision, etc. Please remember that if you
hear it, to make yourself aware of the situ-
ation and respond quickly.
Another great tool, and one which al-
lows others to know information about
your horse, is a colored ribbon in the tail.
This tradition is one that has been slowly
fading, but it is one I strongly encourage
and which I hope to see become more com-
mon again. There are four different colors
of ribbons used, each of which has its own
specific meaning to convey to others at
the show. Red is a very important color. It
represents a horse that is more prone to
aggressive actions towards other horses.
Most commonly it denotes one that is
known to kick at other horses but, on rare
occasions, it can also include a biter.
Another very important ribbon is a blue
ribbon. This means the horse is a stallion,
so if you are riding a mare, please be very
aware of horses with a blue ribbon for rea-
sons like the one I described earlier in the
article. Green is a ribbon denoting a horse
that is a young and inexperienced, easy to
remember because the green color corre-
lates to green horse. The last color that is
used in ribbons is white, showing that the
horse is for sale.
Using cell phones to either talk or text
while in the schooling ring is something
we all are probably guilty of, but it is still
very dangerous. Cell phones distract us
from both our own horse and others in the
ring, and could keep us from responding
quickly in a bad situation. Another danger-
ous practice is lunging in the school ring,
and it shouldn’t be done if there are riders
jumping. If there is no other area to safely
lunge your horse and people are just hack-
ing, be aware of your whip. Do not crack
your whip as someone is riding near you
as it could easily spook the other horse
and cause an accident.
The schooling and show ring rules
of etiquette, along with simple common
sense, are important in keeping everyone
safe. Shows are meant to be fun and safe-
ty is a key to having a good, fun show for
you and everyone else. If everyone were
to follow these simple rules of etiquette, it
would allow you to more efficiently warm,
school, and show your horse.
Have a great and safe show season this
year and for many years to come.
Ashley began riding at age 2 and show-ing on the national circuit at age 6 on the east coast. During her junior career she had the opportunity to work with some of the Southeast best hunter jumper trainers. Dur-ing college Ashley competed in IHSA and also coached various teams, was Regional Cacchione reserve champion 3 times, mul-tiple zone and national placings, and 2006 National Sportsman Rider of the Year.
Ashley became a professional in 2008, she owns and trains at Rimrock Equestrian Center a 160 acre 54 stall facility in Billings, MT. Since becoming a professional trainer, she is a certified equine appraiser, certified hunt seat and jumper trainer, a Montana Hunter Jumper Association board member, and USEF “L” judge. Ashley’s specialty is starting and training hunter jumpers, and
also likes working with difficult horses.Ashley holds many state, zone, and na-
tional rankings throughout her amateur and professional career. She also has trained successfully junior and adult riders, and has had students accepted in the USHJA EAP program. Ashley is also a Voltaire Design rider, Kerrits ambassador, and has various other sponsors.
About Ashley
T he name Titanium comes from Greek mythology, ac-cording to which the Titans
were sons of the Sky and the Earth, forced to live hidden underground among flames.
Titanium was discovered in Great Britain in 1791 by William Gregor. The specific characteristics of this metal are: strength, lightness, resistance to pitting, biocompatibility, nonmag-netic and very low heat conduction. Titanium is chemically extracted from ilmenite and rutilio, that are present in the earth crust. Titanium is the only metal among 11,000 alloys and non-alloys known thus far to be completely biocompatible with the human body.
Titanium is, by nature, covered by a layer of dioxide which destroys bac-teria with great power, (not only sta-phylococcus, but also streptococcus, bacillus anthracis, legionella bacteria and so on) it’s effective against high polluting agents in the atmosphere (nitrogen dioxide, benzene, sulphur oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and certain fine particles).
Furthermore, it is a very low heat conductor and therefore it always
keeps a pleasant temperature to the touch. Being nonmagnetic, it creates a high protection net against the earth’s magnetic fields responsible for much dysfunctional behaviour both in hu-mans and, even more so, in animals.BENEFITS
It’s resistance to acid based ele-ments in the horse’s mouth make for the bits extreme biocompatibility. Coupled with it’s lightness (the steel version weighs double) a bit in tita-nium is a valid alternative to the many bits on the market.
As a number of tests have shown, once the bit is inserted inside the horses mouth, an abundant amount of saliva is produced with relaxation of the neck muscles while also reducing TMJ.HAND TOOLED
Every single piece of this unique collection from Lorenzini of Italy is produced with extreme care. Each component is made either by hand, such as the mouthpieces, threaded bars, melt welding, or by using high precision tools ( e.g. water-jet cutting system) as well.
All this, together with a long craft
of tradition makes every bit a unique masterpiece.SELECTING YOUR BIT
Horses have different shaped mouths, which can include a high or low palate, thick tongue or lips. As a horse grazes it pushes the grass up into the palate with the tongue, then moves it to the back molars for the grinding action.
When we place a bit in the mouth we should understand that the tongue would like to be able to move the bit somewhat. A Loose ring style allows the mouthpiece to move up or down on the ring, and the tongue. A fixed mouthpiece may float or lightly rest on the tongue or may be positioned higher in the mouth thereby creating the nutcracker action which is very uncomfortable.
A horse will open his mouth to get away from the bit hitting the roof of his mouth. There are many shapes of mouthpieces, the single link, the loz-enge three piece - which lays flatter and an anatomical shape to name a few. It’s important to pay attention to your horse and what he seems most happy with.
88 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
Lorenzini Titanium Bits
High tech and your horse’s mouth
89June/July 2013
The first step is to measure the mouth correctly for your new bit. Measure the width of the mouth either with a bit you have or a bit measurer. Secondly, examine the inside of your horses mouth. Does he have a fleshy tongue, thick lips and is his dental work up to date? Mouth peices come in varying thicknesses, 14mm, 16mm, 18mm, 21mm. Most horses are quite comfortable with the 18mm. If your horse doesn’t have much room in the mouth then a 16mm may suit him bet-ter.
Arabians and Arabian sporthorses tend to have a lower palate and some attribute this to the concave or dish face - the muzzle tapering towards the mouth. Arabs tend to be very sensitive and appreciate the lightness of the Lorenzini Titanium bit.
It lays softly on the tongue and bars. In our tests the Arabians seem most responsive to the taste and even
smell of the titanium. Some horses have an aversion to particular metals and may become fussy or even aller-gic to a bit for example; with nickle in the alloy.
The endurance riders have em-braced Titanium for it’s low heat con-duction. It remains the same tempera-ture in the mouth and does not heat up during a long ride. The increased amounts of electrolytes given to the competition horses may be reacting with certain alloys in the mouth caus-ing the corners to burn, which are grounds for elimination. Not so with Titanium.
There are many styles and sizes covering every discipline.
For more information about the award winning Lorenzini Bits feel free to contact Kitty Garrity, Smith-Garrity, Ltd. sales director at 1-800-800-4261 or www.Lorenzinibits.com
90 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
disobedience, or elder authority.
Not from a rude, or otherwise aggressive
horse.
A trainer must also know when to step
in at the right moment when handling the
horse. In order for the horse to understand
what’s required during a training session,
a handler must act immediately and in a
timely fashion. For example, when intro-
duced to the bridle or halter, it is best if
the horse does not pull away from the
handler in avoidance of the bit or strap.
This could turn into a very tough habit to
break, both now and in the future, with ac-
ceptance of the bridle/halter and/or bit.
Think slow and methodical, rather than
quick and abrupt.
Discover your horse’s physical and
IN HAND continued from page 59 psychological capabilities. Some would
conclude that a yearling not be lunged for
more than 10 minutes. Reason being: he or
she is unbalanced (create improper mus-
cular development), could damage growth
plates, and/or joints are not developed cor-
rectly. A two year old might have excellent
balance, straight legs, and/or solid feet; but
could be mentally unprepared for a bridle.
Its possible that a 16 hand three year old
have a great temperament, but have issues
working through building muscle from its
size and awkwardness. By understanding
your horse, you can develop a program
that will enhance his or hers strengths, by
avoiding his or her weaknesses.
A horse’s purpose in life is to seek
safety and to feel comfortable in its sur-
roundings. As a trainer, your goal is to in-
still safety for both the handler and the
horse, by implementing relaxation through
leadership and trust. Young horse’s are in
a constant state of changing balance, both
physically and psychologically. It is up to
you to be witness to the developing stages
of your horse, and adapt a program that in-
fluences positive results.
Michael Brown has been handling
young horses and stallions, and building
trust and confidence from the ground up
for many years. With well established
ground work horses become easier and
safer to handle, and are able to be shown
to their full potential. Michael is currently
working towards his DSHB “r” Judges Li-
cense through USEF.
About Dawn
your long term program. I had to make a
very hard decision some years ago. I had
the national champion stallion, Count Bazy
++, … and I had his three-quarters brother,
AM Count Rafla, who never won a halter
class in his life. But he was a tremendous
athlete. … I sold the national champion
and kept AM Count Rafla. That was not a
mistake, but one of the times when I was
right. AM Count Rafla was a better breed-
ing horse. He was an ingredient not an end
product. Count Bazy was not very success-
ful in the stud --he was an end product.”
[pg 129] Mrs. T. understood that planning,
testing, making adjustments from lessons
learned, and aiming for improvement in
each generation was essential to devel-
oping a solid breeding program. A wealth
of insights and lessons –“arrows for your
quiver” can be found in And Ride Away
Singing: the Breeding Philosophy of Bazy
Tankersley and the History of Al-Marah Ara-
bians by Mary Jane Parkinson as well as in
A Field of Arabians.
The Arabian was once renowned both
as an exemplary riding horse and as an im-
prover of other breeds. Many of us in the
Arabian sport horse community believe
that many Arabians still possesses these
qualities. Lady Wentworth’s lifelong study
GOALS cont’d from page 63
Dawn has been interested in the sport disciplines since the late 1980’s. She rode on the IHSA team in hunter equita-tion on the flat in college, has dab-bled in low level
eventing, and then fell in love with riding according to classical dressage principals. In 1998, Dawn sold her talented young Warmblood and bought her first Arabian after discovering the athleticism and de-lightful temperaments of the Arabian horse. After studying the history of the Arabian in the sport horse world, Dawn started Faerie Court Farm on 40 acres in Addison County Vermont where she is breeding and raising Arabian sport horses from CMK bloodlines with the help of her husband, Thom, who is perhaps the best horse husband in the world.
of and dedication to the Arabian breed in
the early to mid-twentieth century helped
to fuel worldwide interest in the breed.
(She can certainly be credited with a “full
quiver”!)
In The Authentic Arabian Horse she ob-
serves, “Arabians are pre-eminently riding
horses and they have all the attributes that
make riding a delightful thing. An Arabian is
more than a mere horse: he soon becomes
as great a friend and companion as a dog,
and his beautiful action and kind temper
and his great intelligence make him a valu-
able asset to the stable.” [pg 269] and “The
Arabian will, we hope, always remain the
great regenerator of every breed under
the sun, to be called in when others fail,
to improve all qualities in all breeds, ex-
cept speed in the Thoroughbred.” [pg 267]
To what degree these assertions remain
true must be tested and proven, but that
should not deter individuals who are truly
committed to exploring and cultivating
the potential of the Arabian in the sport
horse realm.
This is an exciting time for the Arabian
sport horse community. Opportunities
exist to strengthen and expand interest
in and involvement with the Arabian as a
sport horse and in sport horse breeding.
By setting ambitious goals --tempered
by knowledge and experience-- and mak-
ing choices focused on achieving those
goals –with necessary corrections along
the way-- riders, trainers, and breeders of
Arabian, Anglo-Arabian, and part-Arabian
sport horses can help reveal the wonder-
ful qualities of the Arabian to the wider
sport horse world.
of Illinois Veterinary Team, especially Dr.
Ralph Hamor and Dr. Amber Labelle, and
Dr. Thomas Monfort.
91June/July 2013
home.
This episode was the first time since
Reggie’s hock injury that I had not consist-
ently ridden him. Not only was I worried
about his eye and what the future held for
that issue, but also how he would move
once he was able to be ridden again. I
was pleasantly surprised by how great he
moved from the start - it felt as though we
had not lost those couple of months under
another laser treatment on his eye since
the fall of 2011, however, we continue to
monitor the growth and return to the Uni-
versity of Illinois for checkups.
When Dr. Labelle at the University of
Illinois first met Reggie, it inspired her to
start a research project on equine melano-
ma. She has several horses participating
in the study and presented her findings at
an international veterinary conference in
Scotland in June of 2012.
As a direct result of meeting Katie
and Reggie, I began a study of intraocular
melanomas in horses. I initially contacted
members of the International Equine Oph-
thalmology Consortium (www.horseeyes.
com) about cases of intraocular melanoma
that these member veterinarians have seen
in their careers. This study has spanned the
Atlantic Ocean and now includes over 50
horses from 5 different countries. I collect-
ed information about the horses’ breed, age
and sex in addition to information about the
appearance of their intraocular melanoma
and any skin melanomas. If the eye had
been surgically removed as a result of the
melanoma, we also looked at the removed
eye tissue to analyze the pattern and fea-
tures of the melanoma. At this time we are
still collecting cases, but our preliminary re-
sults have been very interesting.
The average age of horses affected with
melanoma in this study was 12 years, and
25% of the horses were Arabians. A whop-
ping 85% were grey, although cremello,
chestnut and bay coat colors were also ob-
served. Not all horses had a complete physi-
cal examination by the ophthalmologist at
the time they were diagnosed with intraocu-
lar melanoma, but of the horses for whom
physical examinations were recorded, 67%
had evidence of skin melanoma.
We are still collecting and analyzing
information and thus no final conclusions
have been made, but we are looking forward
to sharing this information with the veteri-
nary community in 2013. My hope is that
this information will spur further studies
about the causes of intraocular melanoma
and the development of effective treatments.
Katie and Reggie have been the source of
inspiration for this research, and I hope to
honor their bond by bringing new informa-
tion about intraocular melanoma to light.
REGGIE continued from page 61
MELANOMA continued from page 61
saddle.
In the 2012 show season, we won the
Region XI Training Level ATR class and re-
ceived Top Five in Training Level AAOTR.
We received our highest score to date of
76.07% all helping Reggie earn his Legion
of Excellence. For the first time in Reggie’s
career, we placed first in the USDF All-
Breeds Year-End Awards for both purebred
Training Level Open and Training Level
Adult Amateur. We also ranked eighth in
the USDF Adult Amateur Year-End Award
for Training Level! My little gray Arab, who
had overcome so much, who I was told
would never be more than a children’s’
pony, was ranked nationally with the big
boys!
Reggie has not had maintenance in-
jections in his hock since January 2010.
I have him on a joint supplement, he has
corrective shoeing and every day, he con-
tinues to move better. Reggie has not had
I will continue to never give up on my
Regalo, or “gift”. Reggie has blessed my
life in more ways than I ever could have
imagined. He taught me how uncondi-
tional love can be. He taught me perse-
verance. He taught me to never give up
on my dreams. He taught me to never give
up on those I love. He reminded me that
miracles do happen.
Every day, I am thankful for Reggie be-
ing in my life. I am reminded of that as Reg-
gie just had his fifteenth birthday. I never
take any moment with him for granted. I
know we will face many more challenges
in the future, but that is ok. We will get
through them together and I will always
fight for him.
**Special thanks to all of those who love
and care for Reggie including Dr. John
O’Keefe and Dr. Rachel Boyce of Heartland
Equine Health Center, LLC, the University
War
mow
ski P
hoto
grap
hy
92 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
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i rOSES BlOOm - Fillies like this are few and far between. Roses Bloom is by the incomparable Hanoverian stallion *Rosenthal and out of a Pure Polish, GOV Main Mare book approved Arabian mare. At her inspection, GOV in-spectors described this filly’s type as “exceptional” and “her legs and feet are perfect, just what we are looking for.” This dual registered GOV/HAHR filly has unlimited potential in the dressage, eventing or hunter ring for both the arabian and open venue . A gorgeous filly, with an exquisite, expressive face, Roses will also make a tremendous companion with her loving and trainable disposition. This truly is a once in a lifetime filly from a tremendous pedigree. $9500 Contact: morgan.millner@gmail phone: 214 770 5711
mOtivAtiON i - Athletic, beautiful, tall colt with unlimited performance po-tential. Motivation I is a son of the Reserve National Champion Jumper AO Breeze out of a excellent 15.3hh daughter of *Doran SBFAR (sire of Oration) who is out of *Mufka PASB, one of the leading racing dams of the Polish imports. Here is a rare chance to own the blood of the great Doran in com-bination with AO Breeze- the only living Arabian stallion with wins in Open Jumpers and US National Halter (per Arlene Magid). $5000Contact: morgan.millner@gmail phone: 214 770 5711
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93June/July 2013
value to the purchaser. I assume they
were shown on the line to begin with in
the hope of selling them. Therefore, that
cost falls under the category of market-
ing expenses and not training. I think that
competitors in the various sport horse
disciplines would be much more open to
considering a horse with “show” horse
experience if the asking price had some
correlation to the horse’s ability AND they
could figure out from the advertising if the
horse was remotely capable of performing
the task required. Every time I encounter
the term “well bred” I think, “well bred for
what?”
Our girl came fairly quiet under saddle,
with a few random holes in her education,
and some amount of emotional baggage.
I like mares and I choose to think I under-
stand them, so I felt comfortable that any
of those issues could be resolved amica-
bly. Early on we realized that her previous
rider had used force. Our girl prefers to be
asked rather than told. Like many mares
she hates to be nagged by your leg. I can
say with some certainty that she was like-
ly hobbled to produce an unnatural gait.
Hobbling makes a horse unsure of where
to put their feet and is something that only
miles and miles at the walk can undo. She
came to the right place for that.
It has been a very long time since ei-
ther Will or I had gone in search of a riding
horse. It made us appreciate the buyers
that do arrive at our barn door. The whole
search process was a good reminder of
how buyers consider a horse for sale. Usu-
ally, I go shopping in my own back yard.
It was educational, to say the least, to be
on the other side. We are happy with our
little girl. It took us only a month or so to
find her. Yet another six months to decide
to make her ours and we could not be
more sure that we made the right choice.
After all, according to Willis, there is noth-
ing better than an Arab mare for riding the
wind.
LIFE continued from page 43
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FARMS
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15.1 h Registered Anglo Arab mare for sale. EF Serendipity is a 2008 bay mare who is ready to get her serious training off the ground. She has been started by a professional dressage trainer and cross-trained by a professional eventer/jumper trainer. She has been out on trails alone and in groups. She has gone over logs and galloped thru fields alone. She has been to a rated show at 16 rides u/s and took it all in stride. She is currently hacking and schooling just 2 days a week as her owner has no time for her now that show season is in full swing. Come get her and finish her off your way, priced to move at $4900, bring offers. VIDEOS AVAILABLE. Pam Dors, Evergreen Farm 540-955-0529 [email protected]
if you can gallop. Galloping will lengthen
the muscles, help your mare really get in
front of your leg and it encourages them
to be forward. Trail riding also allows you
to add some hill work, which is very good
for building muscle and strengthens their
hind ends. I like to mix things up on the
trail with bending and transitions. I find
that if I get my mare out once or twice a
week she has a better mind set for work-
ing. I’ve also seen big improvements in
her walk and canter work.
I want to take this time to really ad-
dress the walk. As I mentioned before,
this is where most Arabians will fall short
in their scores. Spend a lot of time hand
walking. Walk with a purpose having your
mare stay right with you, lengthen your
stride to get your mare to lengthen hers.
Do not walk quicker, just walk with a big-
ger stride, your mare will learn to stay with
you and follow your lead. When hand
walking I like to do some little exercises
that mix it up a bit. “Whoa/Go” is fun to do
at the walk and teaches your mare to not
only pay attention, but helps her engage
her hindquarters.
While walking, half halt before you
halt. Then back to walk. Repeating this a
few times will get your mare under herself
for a better length of stride in her walk. If
you’re riding, bending and counter bend-
ing on a circle at the walk allowing the
horse to stretch into a free walk frame is a
great way to stretch as a warm up and cool
down exercise. This also allows your mare
to step bigger in a relaxed frame, which re-
ally helps for a better walk in hand.
Next, I’d like to point out key factors to
getting good scores in your gaits is free-
dom through the shoulder, relaxation and
impulsion. Ground poles and cavalettis
will help stretch out the shoulders and
teach them to really reach and have a bet-
ter range of motion. Under saddle you can
add some simple exercises to your warm
up and cool down that will really help free
up the shoulder. Again, while walking on a
big circle in a long and low relaxed frame,
start moving your horse’s shoulder. Push
the shoulder in on the circle maintaining
contact, then push the shoulder out on the
circle. Fall in, fall out.
As you do this allow your horse to
stretch through the contact into a free walk
frame. Some instantly take the stretch and
allow you to move the shoulders in and
out easily, others you will have to be pa-
tient and keep asking. Once they get it,
this will be a very easy exercise and will
fit perfectly into your everyday routine.
By loosening up the shoulders before you
begin working, you will see more range of
motion and better use of the shoulder -
benefiting everything you do in sport.
I’d like to end this with a little pep talk.
I truly encourage all Arabian sport horse
breeders to attend and participate in a
warmblood inspection. Following these
exercises will increase your chances of
getting good scores and being accepted
into the registry you choose. The judges
will appreciate a well conditioned and
well groomed mare that is well prepared
for their process of selecting outside
breeding mares into their registry’s breed-
ing books.
Go with confidence and have an open
mind. I have found that many judges, even
if Arabians are not their cup of tea, will
really give an honest evaluation of your
mare. They will approve the good ones.
Most important thing to remember, they
are not looking at pedigrees and they are
not looking for the perfect Arabian. They
are looking for Arabians with correct con-
formation and good gaits to help create
top of the line riding horses. With this
in mind, go and enjoy the education and
process that comes with participating in an
inspection.
94 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
INSPECTIONS continued from page 25
95June/July 2013
treatment once.
An Unlikely Champion
Throughout Khajun’s regimen, I felt
like I owed him a couple of concessions.
First, since his ‘retirement,’ he had become
an outside horse. He liked it this way, and
I allowed him to continue to live outside
in his field throughout the show season.
The only time he got stalled
was when we went to shows
during those six months. In
hindsight, this was beneficial.
He didn’t ever get stocked up
in the legs and he maintained
good respiratory health that
he often didn’t have in earlier
years where barn dust aggra-
vated his breathing giving him
bouts with heaves. Secondly,
when I initially turned him out
to pasture, I cut off his long
tail to his fetlocks and told
him he’d never have to have
his tail wrapped again. I kept
that promise. His beautiful
flaxen tail was just as lovely,
and looked more legitimately
like a sport horse’s tail prob-
ably ought to look, which is
an important consideration
since us sport horse exhibi-
tors show to open judges.
Come show season,
Khajun exceeded my expec-
tations. He had transformed
from an old, fat, hairy stiff retiree, to a
sleek, conditioned, muscled and bouncy
show horse whose enduring willingness
so typical of an Arabian inspired me. At the
Region 5 Championships he was Champion
Arabian Sport Horse Under Saddle ATR (16
entries), Reserve Champion A/HA/AA Dres-
sage First Level ATR (11 entries), Reserve
Champion in Hunt Seat Equitation ATR (7
entries), and earned Top 5’s in A/HA/AA
Dressage Training Level ATR (3rd overall
with 15 entries), and Arabian Sport Horse
Under Saddle Open (4th overall out of 17).
If there were any doubts before about his
competitiveness, they were gone now!
Prior to leaving for Idaho, I went to a du-
al-judged Region 4 and 5 show to tune up
and confirm my horse had enough stamina
to compete in multiple classes and cuts. I
was excited because one of the dressage
judges was also a Nationals judge. There
I competed in Sport Horse In-Hand, Under
Saddle, Dressage Training and First Lev-
els, and Hunt Seat Equitation Not to Jump
and took home 12 firsts, 3 seconds and
a third. Additionally, Khajun and I earned
a 71.61% and a whopping 74.8% in our
dressage tests - with the nationals judge!
Needless to say, I was believing our cross-
training and hard work were paying off!
In September, I drove nine and a half
hours to Nampa, Idaho. My husband and
daughter came along for the ride in our
¾ ton truck and two-horse trailer. As I
parked it alongside the mile-long row of
semi-trucks and mega trailers, I could have
easily been beaten mentally before even
stepping hoof in the ring. But I thought of
the last six months, how hard we worked
and how no stone was left unturned in
Khajun’s conditioning and joint comfort
program. I believed that after all these
years, I was bringing the best version of
Khajun to Nationals: a horse with the con-
fidence that comes with age, possessing
the correct training, and enough fitness to
get through the week.
Khajun certainly delivered: Reserve
National Champion in Dressage
Training Level AAOTR (20 en-
tries); Top Ten (3rd overall out
of 22) Dressage Training Level
ATR; Top Ten (3rd overall out of
10) Hunt Seat Equitation Not to
Jump ATR; Top Ten (17 entries)
Dressage First Level AAOTR; and
Top Ten Dressage First Level ATR
(15 entries).
The cross-training condition-
ing program that I used turned
my diamond-in-the-rough into a
shining super star while keeping
him sound and taking the mo-
notony out of his work by add-
ing variety. Although it wasn’t
my plan to take my old gelding
to the 2012 Arabian Sport Horse
Nationals, in the end, it felt like
it was meant to be. There will be
another opportunity for Annie
and me in 2014, and believe me,
I‘ll be ready.
BACK TO WORK cont’d from page 57
96 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
SISTERS continued from page 65 explained to me the management of a
Kenney Garde 2B mares; I had realistic ex-
pectations and gave the okay to proceed.
Dr. Stanford bred the mare 5.5 hours post
ovulation with frozen semen; she ovulated
3 follicles, so utrasounding for twins at
day 14 was mandatory. Found twins and
one was pinched off and placed mare on
Regumate – hoping she would hold onto
the foal. For 11 very long months, under
Dr. Stanford’s care directives, guidance
and office visits, we successfully managed
the mare at home to term.
On April 29, 2013 Virag delivered at
Woodside Equine a healthy, vibrant bay
filly by Piaff! Yet to be named, as we are
holding out for a very special name, as she
is truly a miracle baby for Virag and Show-
biz Farm.This article is dedicated to Bill and Sarah Dol-
inger, Woodside Equine-Dr. Stanford and Dr. Ham-mond; Cabin Point Equine-Dr. Cupp, Dr. Janey, Dr. Hillyer; Janow Podlaski Stud; Piaff Partners; The Galluns; Kelly Rodriguez; Bruce and Cindy Car-penter; Susan and Temple Robinson; Karen Mar-tin; Andrea and Matt Bulifant; Robert and Denise Gainey; Judy Getter; Donald and Angie Williby; John and Sharon Turnbull; Gene Sober; Dana Donahue; Cathy Davis;The Garlands; Greg Peak; Rob Simpson; Beth Conti; Gretchen McCormick; Shelly Ellsworth Brown; Kara Hite; Janet Bellows; Kathy St. Martin; Dr. William Ley; Bill Payne; Mar-gret Gafford; Arabian Horse Community, RPSI, friends and family, without your support, suc-cesses of Countess of Piaff and our new 2013 filly may not have happened.
When you see the filly out at the shows or come to the farm for a visit, please take your pic-ture with her and know YOU were part of her his-tory in the making.
from horse shopping knowing that “the
heart wants what it wants” and sought af-
ter Piaff again.
Dreams and accomplishments can
never happen by saying “I cannot, it is
impossible or I give up,”negative actions
never get positive results.
During spring 2012, I was very fortu-
nate and blessed to purchase a breeding to
Piaff; excitement and anticipation of own-
ing another Piaff x Virag offspring began
again. I knew breeding Virag at 14 years
old may hold some challenges and had a
uterine culture test performed. Lab results
concluded the mare was rated as a “Ken-
ney Garde 2B,” not for the faint of heart
because mares statistically only have a 10
to 50 percent chance of conceiving and
caring a foal to term.
What to do now? There is nothing in
the world like a great support system, and I
found the Arabian Horse Community to be
the very best. I contacted many Arabian
breeders and asked “What would you do?”
I received honest pros and cons; as well as,
researching on the Chronicle of the Horse
breeders forum from others who had Ken-
ney Garde 2B mares. Cindy Carpenter of
Watching Hawk Arabians told me “You
need a vet that performs miracles, one
that specializes in equine reproduction.”
I sought out the expertise of Dr. David
Stanford, Diplomat of Equine Reproduc-
tion at Woodside Equine. Dr. Stanford
completed an evaluation of Virag and
Bob Tarr Photography • Cincinnati, Ohio • (513) 851-8529 • www.BobTarr.com • [email protected]
North American Anglo-Arabian
Horse Association
National Show &
Year End Awards
forAnglo-Arabians
in theSport
Disciplines
Learn more atNAAAHA.com
97June/July 2013
Winning Moments
Bob Tarr Photography • Cincinnati, Ohio • (513) 851-8529 • www.BobTarr.com • [email protected]
Preserve Your