Love, Joy, or Both?

Sgilti at Otter Creek Intermediate.
Image (c)Xpress Foto

Recently, I looked back at Sgilti Lightfoot's (aka Wonderhorse) competition record. I remember our time together as fighting the odds-- a nobody horse and a nobody rider, coming together to take on the world! We defied the odds and defied expectations, and for that, Sgilti won an eternal place in my heart (and guaranteed retirement from my checkbook). But now, a few years and a few horses later when I looked back at the raw numbers, I see a very different picture. Sgilti and I were, quite frankly, not very good. Our dressage was middling, our SJ was not ideal, and even our XC record was littered with the occasional 20 penalties. So, is it naive of me to think of him as the greatest horse ever? Maybe. Or maybe it was this lack of perfection that drove me to keep fighting. Maybe if he'd been perfect, I would have rested on my laurels and "moved on" with life as so many aspiring riders are wont to do.

At the Florida CCI* jog
(c)Xpress Foto

Adam and I started dating at the end of Sgilti's career. He saw me enjoy my last few rides with the old man, then watched me struggle for a year with Wolfn, and now watches Zahra and I, and he said something very insightful the other day (good work for the non-horsey type!!). He said "I like watching you and Zahra, because you work together. It always seemed like you and Wolfn were working against each other. And Sgilti looked like he just did what he was told."


That comment got me thinking about Love and Joy. When you boil it down, those are the reasons I event: Love of my horse, and the Joy of the ride. Maybe its overly simplistic, but I feel like Sgilti competed for Love. He wasn't that good, and maybe it wasn't as much fun for him as I might have liked, but he did his best with his limited abilities to make me happy. He did it for me, and that took us pretty far. I Loved that horse. We worked our way up the eventing ranks together. We probably had no business competing at Intermediate, but he still did it. He gave me all he had, every day, even if it wasn't to be our day.

Oh, Wolfn is over jumping? What else is new?
(c)Xpress Foto

Wolfn, on the other hand, was supremely talented. She enjoyed cross country for the Joy of galloping. I remember the first time out on cross country with her, when I let her open up her stride, and she took it and flew. It was exhilarating! That mare loved to gallop! Everything else-- the jumping, the dressage, trailrides at speeds other than gallop... none of those things were really "her bag." But I got away with making her do this other work because it was so easy for her. It wasn't until I jumped her over a 4' oxer that she finally used herself--and she still wasn't really trying that hard!! Going around Novice and Training courses was a total snooze for her, so of course she did it. There was no challenge. But I wonder what she would have done had she not had the trailering issue, if we'd been able to move up to Prelim and Intermediate. Then there would have been some challenge. A certain level of Trust would be involved. Would she have ever developed that? Or would she have stopped trying as soon as the work got hard? I'll never know.

Zahra at Richland this summer
 (c) Shannon Brinkman

Zahra and Puck, I believe, fall in the middle. They are both purpose bred sport horses, so the natural ability is there in spades, but there is something more as well. Puck's never had anyone else in his life except me, and he trusts me wholly and completely, which has been hugely apparent as he begins his training. When I am calm and deliberate, he is calm and happy. When I am the least bit anxious (e.g., trying to carefully pull a tick off his chest), he dances around nervously. Either way, he feeds off of me entirely. Conversely, Zahra has been handled by many people, as she was born at a college campus. Her personality is stamped with an upbringing of love and devotion from all of her many handlers (just imagine being a cute foal surrounded by college girls, and you get the picture!!). So although she is puppy dog sweet, she did not inherently trust me when I first bought her. We had a couple big trust issues early on (detailed here, here and here). But this fall, I feel like we've finally gelled as a team.

This past Summer, Zahra competed for Joy, because it was easy. Next year, as it gets harder, I hope it will be for Love and Joy. And Puck? He already does it for Love. He'll learn about Joy next year in the fox hunting field!

♥ Puck ♥

How Puck Happened

Barb Gualco, owner of Sir Caletto (Puck's sire), asked me to compose a brief history of how Puck came to be. As I always do when given a writing assignment, I will share what I wrote with you!

Sir Caletto (c)Silverhorne Sporthorses

Wolfnbankersclothn (aka, 'Wolfn') is an off the track thoroughbred rescue from the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue. I adopted her in January 2007; she was exactly the horse I was looking for at the time: a talented thoroughbred mare who had raced a long time (3 years, in Wolfn's case) and came out sound on the other side. The intent was to have a horse to retrain, compete as far as she could go, and, eventually, have a mare that had what it takes to be the "mother of champions." I got all of these things out of Wolfn, but maybe not for as long as I would have liked.

Wolfn at her last competition. (c) Xpress Foto

She was a blast to retrain. She took to cross country immediately and became very competitive in show jumping and dressage. Unfortunately, an old racing injury kept Wolfn from ever trailering well, thus preventing her from ever really hitting her stride at a competition. The injury in question was a broken sesamoid bone. Although she had been given adequate time off before she returned to racing, and the x-rays at the time of her vet check gave every indication it would not be a problem, horses are (as we all know!) more complicated then that. Although she never once has taken a lame step in her life, the vibrations of the trailer are enough to irritate the injury, sending her flying off the handle, kicking the trailer violently.

Wolfn's lovely trot. (c) Xpress Foto

In the Fall of 2008, I decided it was time to breed her in the hope it might settle her down. My Intermediate horse was battling soundness issues, Wolfn wasn't trailering well to shows, and I needed to think about my next prospect. I consulted Gerd Zuther, a dressage clinician who knew Wolfn and I well, but more importantly, knows all there is to know about quality German stallions, as he has been an inspector for the Hanoverian Verband for decades. Gerd sat me down with the Hanoverian Stallion Directory and we went, page by page, through the entire catalog. He regaled me with tales of soundness issues, questionable inspection venues, and (very appropriately)  kept turning the page if the stallion couldn't jump! In the end, he chose two stallions for me to make a final decision. He said, "Choose either of these two, and you cannot choose wrong!" In a way, Sir Caletto was actually the underdog for me, since he was a gray, and I was terrified of having another gray horse!! But I took some time and really dug into both horse's history, personality, conformation, progeny, pedigree--everything I could find--and found that Sir Caletto came easily to the forefront.

In 2009, I moved out to Maryland for my first job, and brought my pregnant mare with me. She stayed with my trainer, Eric Dierks, while I struggled to find somewhere she could foal out. The thoroughbred barns wouldn't take a show horse, and the warmblood breeders wouldn't take a thoroughbred! Finally, I approached Hilltop Farm, the best of the best, and they said they would happily take my money!! That Fall, I took Wolfn to the GOV Mare Performance Test at High Point Hanoverians, where she showed everyone what a quality TB looks like, placing 2nd in the Jumping Performance test and finishing 4th overall in the Mare Performance Test.

Proof from Wolfn's GOV inspection. Very bad manners on my part. 

On May 5, 2010, Streetlight Manifesto was born while the barn staff were distracted by a colicking mare a few stalls down. Wolfn wanted her privacy (she was about a week late), and as soon as she saw her chance, she took it! 'Puck' was a completely healthy, normal baby.

Fresh squeezed!

At his GOV inspection in August of 2010, Puck was recognized as a "Premium Foal." He received very positive comments from the judges including, "It is surprising, considering his Jumping pedigree, but this horse has an excellent trot!"

Running with Mom

After the inspection.

Wolfn returned to competition for the 2011 season back in Wisconsin. Unfortunately the trailer issue had not abated, and much welding and many stitches later, I finally gave up on Wolfn's show career. Every time we made it to a show, she would be sore, and I would be a raw bundle of nerves. So she enjoys life in a pasture, and I focus on Puck. He is taking to working life easily. At 2 and a half, he already happily gives pony rides to my able-bodied teenage assistant, Haley. We know he's ready for more responsibility, but we've got lots of time. My goal is to have him walk-trot by March, when Gerd Zuther will be in town. How great it will be to show him what he helped me make!

I have high hopes for Puck. Wolfn had more talent than my Intermediate horse ever had, but her potential went sadly unrealized, and Sir Caletto was able to add soundness and sense to her fire and athleticism. Puck is the best of them both, and I know that he will be a force in the eventing world in the years to come.

Puck as a two year old. So sweet!

OTTBs

I took Wolfn for our last gallop together this weekend, and there is nothing in this world like a fit thoroughbred galloping underneath you. They gallop and jump and compete for the same reasons we do—for the sheer joy of it. It is such a wonderful feeling, but it got me thinking. For the first time since 2001, I will not have an OTTB in the back of my trailer this season. It made me very sad. Nothing can compare to a thoroughbred’s work ethic, their speed, or their heart.

Photo courtesy Xpress Foto

Thoroughbreds and eventing go together like white on rice. Or, at least they used to. As the sport changes to being more dressage and show jumping oriented, with less emphasis on the grueling speed and endurance day, horses who might once not have had the stamina to keep up for 26 miles of cross country are now able to dance a little bit better, and jump a little bit higher than their thoroughbred counter parts.

At the same time, the thoroughbreds are continuously being bred down ever lighter and faster, and that is making them break down ever sooner. The thoroughbred industry has become, like most things in America, a throw away culture. A horse on the track who lives to finish his career usually only has two, maybe three options. The “lucky ones” go to the breeding shed, some slow horses with considerate owners might be sold privately into “second career” or retirement homes, but the rest— like my horse Wolfn, find themselves at a meat auction. We need more horses like Zenyatta-- big, beautiful, started slowly and correctly, and oh yeah, BIG WINNER!! Seeing her get as much attention and doing as well as she did gave me some measure of hope for the racing industry.

In today’s most elite events, warmbloods are creeping into the winner’s circles, because they are finely tuned machines, purpose bred. But I believe that as long as this sport is still about running and jumping, the OTTB will always be in the fight to have a place at the podium!

We, of course, need to do our part as well. Awareness is so important, so I’m going to share some links of some great work that Steuart Pittman of Dodon Farm is doing out east to help promote OTTB’s into 2^nd careers. His project is called the Retired Racehorse Training Project, and starting in a few weeks, they are doing a training challenge where 3 elite trainers (including my mentor, Eric Dierks!)  will take 3 OTTBs for one month, and then be judged by a panel including Jimmy Wofford! Very cool!

To learn more:

Like the Retired Racehorse Training Project on Facebook

Or visit there website:

http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/

Also,

If you have an OTTB, register him or her on the BloodlineBrag

If you are a horse trainer, list yourself FREE on the Trainer Directory

A Tough Decision

I’m currently between great horses. My first real competitive partner, Sgilti Lightfoot, has officially retired, despite my best efforts to hold him together a little bit longer. Genetics finally won the long drawn out battle, and in June of 2010, I officially retired my first FEI partner at the young age of 14. Meanwhile, in May of 2010, Streetlight Manifesto was born. “Puck” is by the Elite Hanovarian stallion Sir Caletto, out of my OTTB powerhouse mare, Wolfnbankersclothn. At the GOV inspection, he received Premium status, with excellent comments from the judges. My personal favorite was “It is surprising, given his jumper pedigree, but this colt has an excellent trot!” Puck is now a wonderful looking yearling, and I can’t wait for the future with him, but the future is still a few years away…

Wolfn at Otter Creek Fall 2011. Photo courtesy Xpress Foto.

Wolfn was supposed to fill in the gap. She came back from motherhood a little calmer and a little wiser, but still fiercely capable of anything. It was such a joy watching her dressage really come together this year… from my trainer Alex Gerding politely asking “When is the gray horse coming back?” to breaking into the 30s at Training level at her last couple shows. And cross country? This girl was a machine! She loved to go fast, and talk about scopey! She wasn't even trying til it was 4'. She was and is everything I want in an event horse: brave, enthusiastic, and extremely rideable. Sgilti used to make the Intermediate jumps ride like a hunter course, and he doesn’t hold a candle to Wolfn’s athleticism.

So, it was with great sadness that I finally came to grips with the fact Wolfn could never be the eventing partner I wanted her to be. She has an old racing injury in her foot—she broke her sesamoid bone while she was on the track. They gave her time off, everything healed up, and back to the track she went! When I did her pre-purchase, I knew the injury was there, but everything looked good in the x-ray, so away we went.

But horses are complex creatures, and the x-ray did not tell the whole story. Soon after we got her, we began to have major problems with trailering her. Over the years, to try and accommodate her, we put on and took off several different types of boots and wraps. We put her in a stud stall, an open stall, a box stall. We tied her. We let her loose. Nothing helped. Sooner or later, she’d lose her mind, and start viciously kicking the trailer as hard as she could. When we finally arrived at the show, my nerves would be shot, her legs would be bloody, and there’d be a new set of dents for the trailer guys to fix.

It took me until this fall to realize these things were connected. I never gave a second thought to that old track injury, but suddenly it dawned on me. Old injury. Arthritis. Even if it doesn’t affect her on a day to day basis, it must be the reason she went crazy in the trailer. Like the old football injury that can predict a rainstorm, it doesn’t have to hurt to be an issue. The vibration of the road through the trailer must have tickled that injury, and she was going to do anything in her power to make that irritation go away!!

So, I'll have to hold out hope she passed to Puck all the traits that I love about her. In the meantime,  I’m going to Virginia to go horse shopping. I need a horse that I can get going and build up to the 2* level, paving the way for Puck to have a smooth road to the 2* level… and beyond?
Stay tuned!