April/May 2013

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

TH

E

APRIL/MAY 2013

Comandr-N-Chief+//With Stacey Burdick-Taul

2 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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PublisherCassandra Ingles

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Copyright 2013 All rights reserved.

No reproduction without written permission.

Please see our contributors’ bios on our website at

thearabiansporthorse.com/features

10 AlwAys so bAsicFrom Dressage for the Not-So-Perfect Horse by Janet Foy

22 wArren pArk studby Dick Warren

32 lorrAine prowseQ&A with AHA High Point Adult Amateur

39 MAgic doMino AHsby Arlene Magid

48 converting coMAndr-n-cHiefThe Journey From Main Ring to Dressage

54 top HA/AA sires & dAMsOf the 2012 Sport Horse Nationals

66 success witH cygnusThe Building of a Winning Partnership - by Mimi Stanley

72 dressAge And tHe western HorseThe Base for Equestrian Disciplines - by Sue Kolstad

76 tAylor bowMAn’s big yeArAHA High Point Youth of the Year

C O N T E N T S


TH

E

4 Saddle Fitting

8 Back to Basics

15 Profiles in Courage

18 Reading Reflections

30 Love and Loss

36 Biomechanics

44 Turn Back the Clock

46 From Setback to Comeback 52 It’s Never Too Late

64 Dressage with Linda Zang

70 Trailer Tire TLC 79 Conformation Clinic

86 Bits and Pieces

94 Service Listings

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Saddle Fitting

and the ArabianSport Horse

Short back. Well-sprung rib cage. Laid back shoulder. Well-

muscled top line. Deep, well-angled hip. Powerful movement.

All of these phrases describe the wonderful and desirable char-

acteristics of the Arab sport horse. And it’s these characteristics

that can make saddle fitting such a challenge with these horses.

That short back can make it hard to find a saddle with a seat large

enough for a bigger or taller rider. That powerful movement and

well-angled hip can send the saddle shooting forward onto that

wonderful, laid-back shoulder. That well-sprung rib cage and

strongly muscled top line can make saddle perch like Stan Lau-

rel’s bowler.

While these saddle fitting issues can present a real challenge,

here’s the good news: with some patience and tenacity – and help

from a knowledgeable saddle fitter – finding the right saddle isn’t

as tough as you might think. Let’s take a look at these issues, and

their saddle fitting solutions.

SHORT, WELL-MUSCLED BACK

A short back is typical of many Arabs, and space for a saddle is

often limited. This isn’t problematic if the rider is petite and only

needs a 16.5” or 17” saddle … but if you’re a taller or larger rider

and need a 17.5” or 18” seat, you may start to run out of “use-

able” back. Ideally, you want the rider’s weight to be spread over

as large a bearing surface as possible without impinging on the

rear of the scapula or extending rearward past the 18th thoracic

vertebra (“T18”). With short backs and larger seat sizes, you often

have to make some compromises, and forward balance saddles,

upswept panels and swept-back (rearward-slanting) cantles are

often good choices.

The “forward balance” saddles (along the lines of which many

saddles in the EU are made) are built so that the rider’s weight

is carried and concentrated further forward, closer to the horse’s

center of gravity. While this isn’t a theory to which I usually ad-

here, it can be a huge help with short-backed horses, as it will

keep the rider’s weight on the correct side of T18. These saddles

often have thinner, upswept panels and swept-back cantles, like

the Amerigo Alto dressage pictured below:

Saddles made in the UK can be had with those same options.

Many can also be made with a more forward flap in conjunction

to the upswept panel and swept-back cantle, to allow for more

space for the rider without increasing seat size. This flap option

is available on saddles of all disciplines, and is especially helpful

in jump saddles.

This Black Country Tex Eventer is a cross-country saddle with

a very forward flap, a swept-back cantle and an upswept panel. It

maximizes seat size for the rider while keeping the weight-bear-

ing area of the panels minimal.

By Kitt Hazelton

Photo courtesy Equestrian Imports

5April/May 2013

This Black Country Quantum also has the more forward flap

and upswept panel. Though the cantle is more upright than that

of the previous saddle, it still offers more room for the rider than a

straighter flap and more upright cantle would.

Now, as to the “well-muscled” issue. The shape of the saddle

tree must agree with the shape of your horse’s back. A standard

saddle tree is shaped a bit like an inverted “V” or peak roof in the

area of the gullet / pommel arch:

That shape works well for a horse with a more “roofy” back, as

with the one below:

In my experience, many Arabs are very broad across the with-

ers – shaped more like a dome tent or Quonset hut:

This back shape requires a saddle with a hoop (or dome, or

freedom head) tree, which has more breadth across the top of the

pommel arch:

The broader pommel arch allows the saddle to “sit down” on

the broader withers, and helps eliminate problems with lateral

slip. It will sit lower than a standard-tree saddle; rather than an

arbitrary 2 or 3 fingers’ clearance over the withers, we talk of hoop

trees having “adequate” clearance. Sometimes that’s only a finger

or so, but as long as the saddle sits in correct balance and at no

time makes contact with the withers or spine, it’s fine. Hoop tree

saddles often have a wider channel between the panels, to al-

low for adequate clearance of the lateral aspect of the spine, and

usually feature laterally flatter panels to accommodate that well-

sprung rib cage … which we’ll investigate next.


WELL-SPRUNG RIB CAGE

As well as panels that are pretty flat from side-to-side, a well-

sprung rib cage often requires a modified billet configuration. A

common conformation feature with a broad rib cage is a small, for-

ward girth spot – the flat area on the bottom of the barrel behind

the forelegs where the girth will lie:

Many saddles feature center-hung billets, which, when the

saddle is properly positioned, can cause them to fall behind the

natural girth spot if your horse has a short, forward spot:

This can result in the saddle scooting forward onto the shoul-

der when it’s girthed up:

The fix for this issue is a point front and swing rear billet. This

configuration will allow the front billet to hang straight down in

line with the girth groove, and the rear swing billet will self-adjust

and line up with the girth groove as well.

This can help keep the saddle back in the proper position, and

keep the shoulder free. I know some people who say that their

horse won’t tolerate a point billet, but I usually find that in those

cases, the rider may be over-tightening the girth, or the tree points

may be too long.

LAID BACK SHOULDER

Now, that comment about the length of your tree point is es-

pecially germane here. Some saddles have short tree points, and

some have long; you can find the end of the tree point on your

saddle by locating the point pocket, which is a U-shaped pocket

on the sweat flap, just in front of and below the stirrup bar:

The further down the sweat flap the end of the point pocket

is located, the longer the tree point. In the photo below, the tree

7April/May 2013

points of the saddle are quite long - about 8” down from the nail

head, which is just above the top of the panels:

Long tree points can be a big help when you have a horse

with a big wither, as they help increase the weight-bearing surface

down the front of the tree. Most Arabs, however, don’t have the

wither height that requires a long point. In fact, a long tree point

can be a problematic feature on low/lower withers with laid-back

shoulders. When you have a horse with that conformation, the

rear edge of the scapula rotates back quite far – sometimes a full

hand - when the foreleg reaches ahead. The rear edge of the scap-

ula should slip under the flap and panels of the saddle without

coming into contact with the tree point. With longer tree points,

the scapula can actually make contact with the tree point when it

rotates back, which can result in a shortened, choppy stride and

an understandable unwillingness to move forward. If your horse

has a lower wither and a laid-back shoulder, a shorter point (like

the one below, which measures 5” down from the nail head) is of-

ten preferable. With a shorter point, the scapula will rotate below

the end of the point rather than running into it.

DEEP, WELL-ANGLED HIP; POWERFUL MOVEMENT

Let’s take a look at this horse, who is a lovely sport horse type:

He shows all of the characteristics we’ve been talking about

here. (And interestingly, he’s the same horse as in the photo

showing the girth spot … just two years more mature.) He’s built

quite level front-to-back, with a well-defined, moderate wither, a

bit of an upslope from his back to his hip, and an angle in the rear

that pretty much guarantees a lot of push from behind. That com-

bination make it easy for the saddle to be slid forward into the

shoulders, especially if the rear panel is too long and/or too deep.

This is another situation where a moderately thin (and, if the rider

is large, an upswept) rear panel can be a help; too much depth in

the rear panel will make the saddle sit cantle-high even if the tree

width were correct. His present saddle fits him very well:

Even when you find the right saddle for your horse, you need

to be proactive about maintaining the fit. You need to expect

changes in the musculature of the back as your horse progresses

in training; this is particularly true of young horses (as you can

see above). Also, if your saddle is wool-flocked, the flocking will

need to be adjusted from time to time; most fitters recommend

at least once a year. If your horse goes in and out of condition

Continued on page 90


Back to Basics Series

A Series by Ashley Wren

Many people get so involved in train-

ing their horse that they forget about their

own equitation. Not only do we want our

horses to be fit and well trained but also

we, as riders, want to be a strong, effec-

tive, and well-balanced rider. There are

many exercises that you can utilize in your

program that can help you to become an

overall better rider or that even profes-

sional riders can find beneficial. I am going

to share a few of my favorites that you can

do on your own and that can especially

help equitation riders in the show ring.

First and foremost, you must utilize

the dreaded riding without stirrups. I

stress the importance of this exercise for

everyone. Even as a professional riding at

least 5 horses or more on a daily basis, I

still force myself to regularly ride without

stirrups. Riding without stirrups improves

your balance, seat, and your overall posi-

tion by strengthening your legs.

When riding without stirrups, you

have a few choices on how to ride with-

out them - simply dropping them, cross-

ing them over the saddle, or removing the

stirrups and leathers from the saddle. With

a young green horse, I will cross the stir-

rups over the front of the saddle to avoid

the stirrup irons upsetting him by rubbing

his sides. With more experienced horses,

I will simply drop the stirrups so the horse

will get used to them on their side. I use

this method as yet another way to help to

bombproof the horse. Remember to use

your whole leg, and do not pinch with your

knees. You will not get the benefit of riding

without stirrups if you cheat by pinching

with your knees or throwing your body up

while posting.

Be sure to keep your legs in your disci-

pline’s normal position and ride in all the

horse’s different gaits. While posting the

trot, remember not to simply throw your

body up in the air - control your post. Post-

ing correctly at the trot is more important

than attaining height; allow the momen-

tum of the horse’s gait to help you. You

should also ride in two-point without your

stirrups, and again remember height is not

as important as correct position. A two-

point position, or half-seat, is when only 2

of your 3 contact points are on the saddle,

with 3 points being each leg and your seat.

Your seat should be off the saddle with

your hip angle slightly closed so your up-

per body is forward but chest is still per-

pendicular to the ground. This is the basic

position for jumping. Keep your eyes look-

ing in front of you; riders typically tend to

start looking down more while in the two-

point position.

To take riding without stirrups to the

next level, lengthen your legs wrapping

them around the barrel of the horse and

point your toes towards the horses oppo-

site front foot. This exercise will cause you

to sit deeply in the saddle, so remember

to let your hips move with the horse so

that the ride will be smoother. When you

perform this exercise, it will help you to

improve your upper leg strength, seat, and

will correctly work your entire leg evenly.

Your thighs will be especially sore after

this exercise at first if you are not used to

riding with your leg in a longer position or

using your entire leg equally.

Some riders are blessed with the abil-

ity to really stretch down in their heels -

others are not so blessed. For those with-

out that flexibility, I have an exercise that

will really help a rider sink into the heels

for a strong base and more stable leg. In-

stead of holding your stirrup in its regular

position on the ball of the foot, place the

stirrup where your heel enters it from the

front back, so the stirrup is resting under

Strengthen Your Base

9April/May 2013

your heel. This exercise forces a rider to

push down into their heels, or they will

lose the stirrup. You will be at first thrown

slightly off balance; and it will feel un-

comfortable, but stick with it. If you have

a problem with your heels creeping up es-

pecially over fences, this exercise will help

you with that. However, I do not recom-

mend doing this exercise while jumping.

The final exercise is what I call the

“see-saw stirrups.” I recommend that the

rider be at least an intermediate with a

seasoned horse before trying this exercise

because it is difficult. I learned this exer-

cise from Greg Best and love it. It is great

for a rider who is not sitting evenly in the

saddle. I will help keep you from leaning

to one side and will improve your overall

balance. Remove the leathers and stir-

rups from the saddle and then proceed

to open the leather up and attach them to

each other. Make a loop with the leathers,

and the stirrups will rest on the buckles

once attached. Then, you place the stirrup

leathers back on the saddle with a stirrup

hanging on either side - one leather will

go in front of the pommel of the saddle

and one in the seat. You will need help

adjusting the length to better suit you af-

ter you place your feet back into the stir-

rups. Once you are situated, proceed with

flatwork. (Advanced riders can jump with

this exercise, but I suggest not doing this

alone for safety purposes.) If you brace

harder on one side it causes the other side

to raise up, which is why I call them the

“see-saw stirrups.” The idea is to stay even

throughout your body and to equally use

both sides. You might be surprised at what

you find out about how even or uneven

you are as a rider.

Remember not to be hard on yourself

if you have difficulty with any of these ex-

ercises; the more you practice them, the

easier they will get. Don’t push yourself

too hard but do extend slightly past your

comfort level. Expect to be sore after each

of these exercises especially when you

first start implementing them into your

training program. A stronger more bal-

anced rider makes training and riding the

horse easier, and your horse will be hap-

pier to work.

Ashley began riding at age 2 and

showing 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.

During college Ashley competed in IHSA

and also coached various teams. 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 mem-

ber, and USEF “L” judge. Ashley specialty is

starting and training hunter jumpers, and

also likes working with difficult horses.

About Ashley


Always So Basic Excerpted from Dressage for the Not-So-Perfect Horse by Janet Foy and reprinted by permission from Trafalgar Square Books

Have you ever felt that perhaps you

will never succeed in dressage because

you don’t have the “perfect” horse, the

one with huge, floating gaits and seeming-

ly perfect lateral and longitudinal supple-

ness? Have you struggled through a test

in which you felt as if your horse suddenly

“forgot” all the training you’d done? Have

you ever wondered how to make better

use of the judge’s comments on your test

sheets once you got back home?

Without the ability to ride your horse

using the correct basics, you will undoubt-

edly find yourself frustrated with your pro-

gress—no matter what horse you ride and

train. This chapter is the most important of

all, the one without which none of the fol-

lowing chapters matters.

Many riders misunderstand the degree

of balance and gymnastic training neces-

sary to perform the movements at each

dressage level—with harmony and ease.

For example, just because your horse

does flying changes, it doesn’t mean he is

a Third Level horse: he may not have the

necessary degree of collection and exten-

sion for that level. I’ll talk more later about

how to determine whether your horse is

ready to compete at a given level. (Hint:

Read the test directives! They contain im-

portant information.)

The Horse’s Training Pyramid

For now, let’s start with the Classi-

cal Training Pyramid, also known as the

Classical Training Scale. This

pyramid originated in Germany

and has long been the basis

of classical dressage train-

ing in Europe and else-

where. It is also the basis

of good judging. It is

interesting that for a

long time when I

would do clin-

ics, I would

ask the

s t u -

Without correct

rhythm of the

walk, trot, and

canter, you are

not riding

dressage in the

classical sense.

dents, “What is the first element on the

Training Scale?” They would all yell, “For-

ward!” I am happy to say that with better

education now in the United States, this

doesn’t happen very often anymore! There

are many variations of the Classical Train-

ing Pyramid out there; some are more em-

bellished than others. I am going to keep

it simple.

I like to think of dressage as a fin-

ished jigsaw puzzle. The six steps of

the Classical Training Pyramid are all

pieces of the puzzle. The steps in

the pyramid are the first pieces

you should look for in train-

ing. The “basics” are like

the “edge” pieces of the

puzzle—you should

find them first. With

experience, you

will know

that the

b l u e

piec-

e s

11April/May 2013

are the sky and go on top

and the green pieces are

the grass and go on the bottom. Once the

edges are in place, you can start to fill in

the rest. You will never finish the puzzle

and see the “big picture” unless you have

correct basics.

Rhythm

This is the basis of dressage. Without

correct rhythm of the walk, trot, and can-

ter, you are not riding dressage in the clas-

sical sense. Take a look at the sidebar on

p. 12 with the definitions and diagrams re-

garding rhythm from the USEF Rule Book.

When a judge looks at a horse, the

rhythm of the gaits is the first priority. The

quality is the second. Any horse can have

his natural gaits improved with dressage.

I will discuss this throughout the book.

If you cannot afford a horse with an “ex-

pensive trot,” then your training becomes

even more important. And, if you do buy a

top quality horse and your training is in-

correct, you can ruin your horse’s natural

quality.

Suppleness

In my opinion, this is one of the most

important parts of the Classical Training

Pyramid. As a judge, I have never writ-

ten on someone’s test that the horse had

too much suppleness. But what does this

piece of the jigsaw puzzle really mean?

Horses do not volunteer suppleness;

the rider must ask for it. Suppleness really

is the section that discusses how a horse

carries energy through the topline. Dres-

sage riders are very picky about develop-

ing the horse’s topline correctly. Without a

strong and well-muscled topline, the horse

cannot achieve the collection needed for

the upper-level movements. This muscle

development—a bit like a weightlifter’s

(whereas event horses have muscles more

like a long-distance runner’s)—also pro-

tects the legs from stress and damage.

Think of the hind legs as the power

source. The power and energy comes up

from the hind legs over the croup. The loin

must then take the energy over the back.

The loin is the part of the

horse that is in charge

of the elasticity and is often called the

“bridge” that carries the energy forward.

The neck muscles must also be supple,

carrying the energy through both sides of

the neck to the contact on the mouth.

The rider is then able to use the reins

to “receive” the energy the horse’s hind

legs have created. This is what is meant by

“throughness.” (For more on this, see Im-

pulsion below.)

Think of your horse’s muscles as a

two-lane freeway. When the highway is

free of accidents or road blocks, the cars

will travel smoothly from Point A to Point

B. The horse’s topline is like these lanes of

traffic. When the rider is able to correctly

influence the topline, energy from the

hind legs flows smoothly over the back.

When there is tension or a lack of contact

or straightness, energy has too many de-

tours.

Your goal is to develop an open free-

way, which allows energy to come over

the horse’s back, through the neck to the

Here I am riding the five-year-old Holsteiner mare Marburg in working trot, showing good contact and stretch to the bit during a First Level Test.


bit. When you have this correct, supple

connection — or “thoroughness” — then

you have control of the horse’s impulsion

and balance.

Contact

When your highway is open with traf-

fic flowing smoothly, the next step is for

you to develop a supple contact with both

reins. This piece of the puzzle requires the

horse to stretch evenly into both reins.

This is important because I see too many

riders throwing away the inside rein while

always holding onto the outside rein.

The reins must work together as a

team. The inside rein is in charge of lateral

suppleness. It positions the head and neck

to the inside and also acts as a turning aid.

This rein is almost 100 percent of the time

used in the direction of the bend—in oth-

er words, it should not touch the neck. An

indirect rein of opposition (where the in-

side hand goes to the rider’s opposite hip)

is rarely used in dressage because it holds

the horse’s shoulders out, and as you will

read later, this is opposite of what you are

trying to achieve.

How much weight should you have

in your reins? Many riders mistake light-

ness on the reins as an indicator that the

horse is light on the forehand. This is not

correct. Many horses are heavier in the

contact and yet very light in the shoulders.

The term “lightness” should really be used

only to describe the balance of the horse

and elevation of his shoulders. I prefer to

use the term “suppleness” or “elasticity”

in the contact rather than the word “light-

ness.”

I believe you should “have” 2 to 5

pounds in your hands. Some horses are

lighter, some heavier, due to their breed-

ing and/or conformation. This weight is

fluid and like an elastic band attached to

the bit. The rider should be able to follow

the movement of the topline when nec-

essary. (The horse moves his topline the

most in the free walk, not much in the trot,

and a little in the canter.)

These last two puzzle pieces—supple-

ness and contact—make up quite a lot of

the submission score in a dressage test’s

Collective Marks.

Impulsion

In my opinion, it is dangerous to add

too much impulsion before you have sub-

USEF Rule Book

WALK

1 The walk is a marching gait in a regular and well-marked, four-

time beat with equal intervals between each beat. This regularity

combined with full relaxation must be maintained throughout all

walk movements.

2 When the foreleg and the hind leg on the same side swing

forward almost synchronously, the walk has a lateral rhythm. This

irregularity is a serious deterioration of the gait.

TROT

1 The trot is a two-beat gait of alternate diagonal legs (left fore

and right hind leg and vice versa) separated by a moment of sus-

pension.

2 The trot should show free, active, and regular steps.

3 The quality of the trot is judged by general impression, i.e. the

regularity and elasticity of the steps, the cadence and impulsion

The walk is a gait in four-beat rhythm with eight phases (the numbers in circles indicate the beat).

The trot is a gait in two-beat rhythm with four phases (the num-bers in circles indicate the beat).

13April/May 2013

mission. The more impulsion you have, the

more submission you need.

Impulsion is not speed. The horse

should not be running so fast that he

gets out of balance. Impulsion requires

suspension in the gaits, which is why the

walk does not have impulsion. If you do

not have suppleness and an elastic con-

tact, the horse will not have impulsion.

When the horse is supple and going with

an elastic contact, then the impulsion puz-

zle allows the horse to “lift” his back and

stomach muscles, which creates a “circle

of energy.” This circle, which starts with

the hind legs (the horse’s engine), travels

over the loins and through the neck to the

elastic contact, then allows the horse to

arch his back and lift the abdominal mus-

cles. The energy will thus flow back to the

in both collection and extension. This quality originates from a

supple back and well-engaged hindquarters, and by the ability to

maintain the same rhythm and natural balance with all variations

of the trot.

CANTER

1 The canter is a three-beat gait where, in canter to the right,

for example, the footfall is as follows: left hind, left diagonal (si-

multaneously left fore and right hind), right fore, followed by a

moment of suspension with all four feet in the air before the next

stride begins.

2 The canter, always with light, cadenced, and regular strides,

should be moved into without hesitation.

3 The quality of the canter is judged by the general impression,

i.e. the regularity and lightness of the steps and the uphill ten-

dency and cadence originating from the acceptance of the bridle

with a supple poll and in the engagement of the hindquarters

with an active hock action—and by the ability of maintaining the

same rhythm and a natural balance, even after a transition from

one canter to another. The horse should always remain straight

on straight lines and correctly bent on curved lines.

The canter is a gait in three-beat rhythm with six phases.

Gwen Blake riding a well-balanced working canter aboard Winsome during a First Level Test.


hind legs. When this circle is complete, the

rider will feel she has a horse that moves

more on his own in self-carriage.

When a horse is “rigid” in his back or

neck, speed is the result, not impulsion.

Straightness

Straightness is another totally misun-

derstood area of dressage. As mentioned,

the Classical Training Pyramid (Scale)

originated in Germany. German has many

one-word “horse” terms. Some of these

one-word terms actually take several sen-

tences in English to completely define

them. A German friend of mine asked me

to help him with judging in English. He

would give me one word in German, and

I would give him three sentences. He said,

“Oh, it is hard to judge in English.”

I like to think of straightness as the line

of travel. Only in travers (haunches-in) and

half-pass is the forehand on the line of

travel. Every other movement requires the

haunches to be on the

line of travel. Most movements have

the horse’s shoulders slightly displaced to

the inside because the horse is wider be-

hind than in front.

I like to think of the horse as a three-

car, choo-choo train. I imagine one hinge

in front of the saddle and one behind it.

Think of this train going around a

curve. It is like the horse on a circle. The

horse can be a “C” (or a “c” when the circle

is smaller), and on a straight line his body

should be like a parenthesis—that is, in

shoulder-fore or position-left—or right.

(Eventually, when you work on lateral sup-

pleness of the poll, the poll must still stay

a part of the neck train car.)

If the horse does not follow the line of

travel, the train will derail, and when he is

crooked, you will not have the ability to go

to the next piece of the puzzle.

Only in piaffe, passage, one-tempi fly-

ing changes, and rein-back can the horse

be like an “l” —a lower case “L.” In these

movements the horse is carrying weight

on both hind legs equally and must be

absolutely straight or he will lose his bal-

ance.

The word “straightness” means the lat-

eral suppleness of the horse—the ability

to conform to the line of travel—whereas

the suppleness portion of the Classical

Training Pyramid refers to the longitudinal

suppleness.

Collection

Collection is the last piece of the

horse’s pyramid, and if you have correct-

ly applied all of the pieces of the puzzle,

you will begin to see the big picture. Col-

lection is relative to the horse’s level of

dressage training. At Second Level, we are

just developing collection, and we like to

see an “uphill” tendency, meaning it may

come and go. At the Grand Prix Level, the

utmost self-carriage and collection should

be maintained.

If you are having issues with balance in

regard to any level of collection, you must

go down the “food chain” and discover the

hole in your training. Perhaps your horse

is not straight—that is, he is not follow-

ing the line of travel and the haunches are

falling in as the shoulders fall out. Perhaps

he is still laterally lacking suppleness, not

accepting contact with the bit, or tight over

the back? Any of these issues will need to

be addressed right away. Do not move on

and start working on movements. Discover

the missing piece of your puzzle and then

address the big picture!

Caryn Bujnowski and Preston showing a good collected canter with uphill balance and good basics.


15April/May 2013

By Karin Foley

Photos by Wanda Coleman

Subject: Lillian Moore, Nashville, NC.

Disciplines: Dressage and Reining

Horses: JMA Just a Tremour (Shockwave x A Rare Brandy) Purebred

Arabian

Scentsational Z (Cologne x The April Dawn) National Show Horse

A Big Enterprize (A Grand Prize x La Petite Quincy) Quarter Horse

Specialty: Helping Serious students gain the confidence to move up

through the levels.

One of the real pleasures about the sport horse disciplines is

the number of amateurs competing. Without the amateur riders

most events could not exist. It takes a huge number of amateur en-

tries at the lower levels to finance the advanced level entries. For

every single Grand Prix entry there are an inversely proportional

number of entry-level jumpers. The same goes for dressage, event-

ing, and hunter jumper. So I never underestimate the importance

of the amateur competitor.

Some horse owners can have their horses brought along by

pros. This is more common at the upper levels. Jan Hlavacek owns

the crowd-pleasing Westphalen dressage gelding Weltino’s Magic

who with Steffan Peters aboard won double gold at the 2011 Pam

Am Games. Magic, as he is affectionately known, was started slowly

by Shannon Peters and brought along with professional care to be-

come the FEI star he is today.

Most owners don’t have such an option. The average horse

owner is competing and often training their horses themselves.

Success or failure is related to ring time or discipline based train-

ing. But there is something more that makes some horse and rider

teams stand out from the rest. The difference is something often

called grit, brio, boldness, bravery, moxey; in a word CONFIDENCE.

You can ride that same course of jumps a hundred times with-

out fault and then in an instant suffer a crushing fall. What is it that

allows a rider to nail it each and every time including on a windy

day with a tractor backfiring? CONFIDENCE! Years ago at a horse

show, I remember watching a horse hang his front legs on the side

rails of the arena with a rider on his back. The rider sat there as if

unconcerned, waiting for the horse to free himself, which he did.

The whole time I was watching this unfold I was coming unglued.

Confidence seems a simple concept and yet can be a nerve-

wracking journey. Back in 2006, I rode a kind horse in a dressage

lesson and then together we took a casual stroll through a baby

cross-country course without issue. On our way back to the barn,

something happened that I was unprepared for and my saint of a

horse went vertical without warning. The result was a shattered

helmet but an intact head, six hours of surgery to reattach my right

hand, and a newly acquired sense of terror on horseback.

Years ago the Olympian Darren Chiacchia had an accident on

a horse that resulted in Traumatic Brain Injury. The folklore is that

Robert Dover started Darren back riding by walking him on the

lunge line for days on end and the rest is, as they say, history. Dar-

ren is back eventing at the upper levels with a group of horses that

inspire envy and some of those horses are a challenge. Darren had

not lost any of his talent or ability he had “only” briefly lost some

of his confidence.

For those of us who cannot ring up Robert Dover when our con-

fidence takes a beating, the road back to confidence can be quite

terrifying. Most discipline-based trainers are not equipped to deal

Mean Confidence Building

Profiles in Courage Confidence Clinics


with fear issues of any magnitude. Challenges such as these call

for an expert.

In the years following my vertical catastrophe, I resumed dres-

sage lessons with the amazing Kayla DeArmes, a student of Con-

rad Schumacher in Virginia. Thanks to Kayla, I can now isolate just

about every centimeter of tissue in my behind. I can also stick to

the saddle through most anything. A year with Kayla had given me

the technical proficiency to stay in the saddle and direct my horse.

That did impart some confidence. Still, something was missing. A

jiggy pony, a little too much wind, an ill-mannered horse approach-

ing in the hunt field, a tractor trailer in the background and inside I

was positively unglued. I began to seriously doubt my future with

horses.

A couple of years ago, my friend Sue had started hosting clinics

with a former mounted police officer, Lillian Moore, in Nashville,

NC. The pictures from the clinics looked fun but to my cynical eye

not all that serious. I was visiting in Virginia on a weekend that

Sue was hosting a “Confidence Clinic” with Lillian and I was re-

cruited as a replacement for a last minute cancellation. So on a

borrowed horse and a bunch of mismatched borrowed tack, includ-

ing a dressage saddle that was a torture device, I went to the clinic

and horse riding life as I knew it changed.

Lillian’s work focuses on the horse, which is different than most

discipline based learning. All of the focus is on the horse and what

works for the horse; what makes the horse feel comfortable and

confident. Lilian’s clinics are akin to learning to become the head

pack dog in a pack of sledding dogs. The horse is the pack. The

rider is the head pack dog. Confidence work is leadership training.

Lillian’s work is NOT another Natural Horsemanship derivative.

I should admit here that I am not a huge fan of all things “nat-

ural.” After all, bee stings are natural and I am violently allergic

to bee stings. Confidence building is not so much a method as a

state of mind. Learning to become a head pack dog with your horse

means having a “can do” attitude. It means being the leader.

I have an amazing Oldenburg mare named Wunderblitz who

has produced some very nice Half Arab foals. She is also fun to

ride. She is by the jumper Weltstern. My friend Carolyn Miller from

Greenstone Farm owned Weltstern for many years and he passed

away last year on her farm at almost thirty years old. Long ago Car-

olyn told me that Weltstern kids take their cue from the rider. That

meant even though Wunderblitz has beaten two dressage trainers

who refused to get on her back because of her “temperament,”

that I had to adopt a “can do” attitude with her if I was ever going

to be able to ride her. In other words, Carolyn made it simple, if I

worry, Wunderblitz worries, and so I cannot worry. It worked.

It was years after the Wunderblitz experience that I started

working with Lillian. My bravado with Wunderblitz had to be ral-

lied for each and every encounter with the mare who’s into space

launching trot early on left me in a sweat. Two years after I was the

fill in rider for my first Lillian clinic, Wunderblitz now can be rid-

den from the field bareback with a halter. The only thing that has

changed is that since the confidence work with Lillian, I believe I

can do it and I do not hesitate. Wunderblitz requires LEADERSHIP.

Leadership requires confidence. Something I learned about in Lil-

lian’s “Confidence Clinics”.

A “Confidence Clinic” with Lillian does not seem hard on the

surface. The uninitiated could watch and think it was cute how

those whirly birds go flying around or how horses walk across a

teeter-totter. The clinics are done with groups of riders. There is a

lot of lining up and trotting down the side of the arena and across

diagonals which is designed to get riders comfortable with the

idea of timing, distance and space…in many ways similar to jump-

ing strides and dressage transition work. There are riders at all lev-

els of ability and yet they all manage to get the striding and timing

down by the end of the day. It is about anticipating; thinking ahead

while preparing your horse for what is to come. Obstacles such as

beach balls rolling at you and your horse or flaming arches become

secondary to the work at hand. Therein lies the key to the whole

exercise. Obstacles, distractions and challenges are just that - sec-

ondary to the work at hand. Once you get your mind around that

truth the confidence just soars!

The confidence building work Lillian does in her clinics trans-

lates easily to most any discipline. I hunt and do dressage and

17April/May 2013

apply it all whether I am out in the hunt field or riding a dressage

test. I have stopped worrying about the boogieman in the corner. I

do pay attention to my horse’s state of mind but I do not fret over

it as I once did. I anticipate it and deal with it.

Whether you are wanting to feel safe hacking out on your

horse, ride a mid level dressage test, take on a stadium jumping

course, aspire to event at the advanced level or just want to have

fun on your horse, confidence building translates. Denny Emerson

recently said that he wonders why so many riders are afraid to

cross train their horses and yet will spend hours and hours work-

ing on one simple thing that might be made easier if the horse

had some cross training. A nervous or unfit horse ridden by a less

than confident rider is never going to excel. It seems to me that

Confidence Clinics and the techniques gained are the perfect way

to cross train. And besides, it is really, really fun!

Lillian Moore is based out of Nashville, North Carolina and fre-

quently travels to South Carolina and Virginia.

•••

Karin Foley has written for numerous equine

publications including The Blood Horse, Middle-

burg Today, Equus Magazine, and Modern Arabian

Horse. She currently lives in the Finger Lakes re-

gion of New York with her husband Willis. Togeth-

er, 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 spent most of her years with horses living in or around Middleburg

and Charlottesville, Virginia. For a decade she managed High Road Farm, a

long term care facility for special needs horses and ran an after school horse-

manship program for at risk teenage girls. She is a trustee of the John Henry

Tiffany Trust an organization that supports the dignified retirement of work-

ing horses. She is an advisor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapy;

an equine farm based program for special needs children.

Karin has studied riding and horsemanship with many wonderful instruc-

tors 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 enjoys writing about courageous

horses and their riders and individual experiences with great teachers. If you

have a unique story contact Karin at [email protected].

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READING REFLECTIONSA Series by Dawn Jones-Low

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. In recent years, interest in

equine biomechanics has grown among

riders and trainers so a plethora of books

on the subject are available. Equine bio-

mechanics combines physics with anato-

my and physiology to explore and explain

how horses move – as well as examining

how the rider and horse influence each

other. The field of equine biomechanics

includes study of the functional anatomy

of the horse, gait analysis, postural analy-

sis, the effects of various conditioning

regimens on the horse’s body, and a va-

riety of other sub-fields. Principles from

equine biomechanics can be applied to

improve performance, support soundness

and well-being, and assist with rehabilita-

tion after injury.

“Through equine biomechanical

analysis, riders will learn to understand

the horse’s physical requirements for the

movements he has to perform. It will high-

light the horse’s limitations when perform-

ing certain movements, and will thus teach

the rider to make requests in such a man-

ner that the horse does not lose balance

in his attempt to comply. Knowledge of

biomechanics determines which actions

will improve both the horse’s and rider’s

performance but, most importantly, it dis-

tinguishes fact from misconception about

equine movement.” (Karen Blignault)

Writings about functional conforma-

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 dec-

ades into adulthood, books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life –including riding and horse-

manship. This column gives me an opportunity to use some of those books as a springboard for sharing ideas and inspiration with readers.

19April/May 2013

tion like the three small volumes of Dr.

Deb Bennett Ph.D.’s Principles of Confor-

mation Analysis and Susan E. Harris’ Horse

Gaits, Balance, and Movement touch on ba-

sic aspects of biomechanics so can serve

as gateway. Susan Harris and Peggy Brown

pioneered the technique of painting inter-

nal structures on horses bodies at clinics

and produced a video series Anatomy in

Motion: the Visible Horse and Anatomy in

Motion II: the Visible Rider. Recently, Gil-

lian Higgins, an equine massage therapist

and 3-day event rider, has expanded on

that “inside out” painting technique and

published several books (and videos) that

offer insights into equine anatomy, physi-

ology, and biomechanics. How Your Horse

Moves: a unique visual guide to improving

performance focuses on the musculo-skel-

etal function. Horse Anatomy for Perfor-

mance: a practical guide to training, riding,

and horse care goes into more detail and

includes more organ systems (cardiovas-

cular, neurological, connective tissue, etc.).

Higgins spiral bound book, Pilates and

Stretching: an Exercise Index for Horse Own-

ers is an example applying biomechanical

principles to practical applications that

can benefit horses.

Dr. Nancy Nicholson, Ph.D. created an

intriguing book, Biomechanical Riding: a

Rider’s Atlas, which is based on years of re-

search complemented by her expertise as

dressage rider to the highest levels. The

atlas is chock full of detailed analyses of

gaits and movements both at liberty and

when ridden. The section on the rider’s

seat provides a comprehensive look at

how the rider is a critically important el-

ement in the partnership with the horse.

This atlas stands out partly for the amaz-

ing illustrations produced from complex

computer modeling. “These Atlas IMAGES

ARE NOT DRAWINGS …. Instead, images

are printouts of computer models of horse

and rider checked against frames from

digital video recordings of gaits. Some

gait dynamics are also derived from those

records. Atlas images also incorporate an-

atomical information from veterinary and

medical sources. Differences between

model output and drawings are crucial

because drawings, no matter how talented

the artist, show what is imagined or ex-

pected to happen.” (Ch.1-6) These images

are commonly circulated on the internet

–often without attribution, but are best ap-

preciated in the context of the accompany-

ing material in the book. There is plenty of

material to be explored by novices, but the

atlas also contains layers of detail for those

who are advanced riders and for those who

enjoy highly technical analysis. (See exam-

ple here: http://bit.ly/170HTNU and http://

bit.ly/103t1tW) Although this atlas is built

on a strong foundation of science, it is not a

dry technical manual. The writer’s humane

attitude towards the horse shines through

and is backed up by reasoning rooted in

the biomechanical analyses.

For those who prefer highly technical

writing, the world renowned Dr. Hilary M.

Clayton BVMS Ph.D. MRCVS has written

The Dynamic Horse: a Biomechanical Guide

to Equine and Performance which focuses

on the physics and physiology of equine

movement. As a Grand Prix dressage rider,

Dr. Clayton also has an appreciation for the

practical applications of biomechanics and

has published Activate Your Horse’s Core:

Unmounted Exercises for Dynamic Mobil-

ity, Strength, and Balance with Narelle C.

Stubbs who has advanced degrees in ani-

mal physical therapy. A DVD is included

http://bit.ly/170HTNU




to assist in teaching the exercises. The

horse used to illustrate the exercises is Dr.

Clayton’s Arabian FEI dressage horse, MSU

Magic J+//.

An appreciation for biomechanics and

their application to sympathetic athletic

development of the horse is not new. The

Rider Forms the Horse: Function and Devel-

opment of the Riding Horse by Udo Burger

and Otto Zietzschmann was first published

in 1939 and reprinted in the late 1980s.

This book presents an excellent overview

of muscle function and is largely focused

on developing the young horse. Sections

describing key biomechanical principles

are followed by practical pointers for

training and conditioning and reflections

on fostering and maintaining mental and

physical harmony with the horse. The con-

cerns expressed are shared by many con-

temporary horsemen and women.

Karin Blignault’s Equine Biomechanics

for Riders: the Key to Balanced Riding com-

bines clear descriptions of a comprehen-

sive range of biomechanical concepts with

practical guidelines for riding and training

as well as criteria for judges to utilize. The

modular organization of the book facili-

tates careful consideration of the material.

The author includes many simple exercis-

es that the reader can perform to gain an

understanding of various biomechanical

principles. Attention is given to recogniz-

ing and correcting performance and train-

ing problems. The photos and drawings

throughout the book are well chosen to

illustrate the information. Her experience

as an FEI level dressage rider and as a rid-

ing instructor contributes to the clarity of

the presentation of the material in a man-

ner that is aimed at helping riders, trainers,

and judges.

In refreshing my memory of this se-

lection of books, I was struck by how the

authors’ academic interests in the science

of the biomechanics of riding was interwo-

ven with a deep caring for the well-being

of the horse. Each of these books differs in

focus and scope of the rather broad field

of equine biomechanics, but all provide

educational opportunities to readers who

want to utilize biomechanical principles

to foster balance, harmony, and efficiency

of gaits and movement with their equine

partners. A wealth of interesting reading

awaits those who want to explore equine

biomechanics.

Dawn has been

interested in the

sport disciplines

since the late 1980’s.

She rode on the IHSA

team in hunter equi-

tation on the flat in

college, has dabbled

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 delightful 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.

About Dawn

Winning Moments

Bob Tarr Photography • Cincinnati, Ohio • (513) 851-8529 • www.BobTarr.com • [email protected]

Preserve Your

http://dauphinaisconcrete.com

21April/May 2013

Winning Moments

Bob Tarr Photography • Cincinnati, Ohio • (513) 851-8529 • www.BobTarr.com • [email protected]

Preserve Your


S andy and Dick Warren have spent fifty years quietly

breeding Arabian horses based on an ideal Sandy

steadfastly held in her mind’s eye. The key to her

success was preserving certain characteristics: ath-

letic ability, good conformation, good disposition and her breed-

ing stock’s ability to pass on these traits. They are known through-

out the world for their unique Arabians.

Sandy Thomas Warren was born on July 6, 1939, in Carmel.

She was the first born to Don and Barbara Thomas and lived in San

Francisco. Don’s parents, Ivan and Elsie Thomas lived in Carmel

Valley. Over the next several years there were occasional visits to

the “folks” and in 1947, on a little ride in the country they passed

Rancho Carmelo, owned by KD Mathiot. In the front was a sign

with a picture of a man on a horse that announced that purebred

Arabian horses were bred there.

From her earliest memories Sandy was fascinated with horses

and the family stopped to see them. Inside a 12 foot high pad-

dock made of closely spaced boards was a chestnut horse. Sandy

was smitten. That stallion was Aulani (Rifnas x Follyat) and Sandy

thought he was the most beautiful horse she had ever seen. A

proven athlete with quite correct conformation, Mathiot would in

later years let Sandy ride him.

Aulani often was used in parades, one of his parade outfits

was an almost solid silver saddle with a drape behind the saddle,

also almost solid silver. Combined it weighed over two hundred

pounds. Another parade costume was a lovely charro design. In

the ranch house there was a trophy case, at least eight feet tall,

50 Years and Counting...Warren Park Stud

Excerpted from “It Only Took 50 Years” by Dick Warren, a manuscript he plans to publish one day. Photos courtesy of Warren Park Stud

Aulani

23April/May 2013

Warren Park Stud

filled with huge trophies that Aulani had won.

For the next few years until her family moved to Anchorage,

Sandy spent the summers with her grandparents and made fre-

quent trips to the ranch. She learned that Aulani was used mostly

to breed the grade mares that the owner used for his guests to

ride. However, he bred a number of outside Arabian mares and

produced fifteen purebred foals.

Sandy and her family, now with her sister Donna, moved back

to California in 1953 and eventually settled in Lafayette. When

she was 14 she talked her folks into letting her have a horse and

she bought Bonnie, a retired TB racehorse. In 1955 she bred the

mare to Aulani and the next year got Bona-Sheba.

On Sandy’s return from Alaska she had resumed her visits to

Rancho Carmelo and occasionally led rides mounted on Aulani.

To this day she thinks he was one of the most comfortable and

elegant horses she has ever ridden. At the jog, he had such spring

and lightness with each step, with no bounce to the rider. He was

light and very well mannered in the bit.

The year after we met in 1957, Sandy and I went in my Jaguar

to Carmel Valley so she could show me where her grandparents

had lived and also to show me Rancho Carmelo, which by then

had nearly fallen to ruin. The owner was in very bad health and

the little work needed around the place was in the hands of some

old cowboys. On that day, we passed a corral adjacent to the road

in which a mare and chestnut foal were standing at the fence. We

both wished later that we had stopped to take a picture because

Sandy Warren and Aulrab (Aulani x Rabna)

Follyat (dam of Aulani)

Sandy & Rabna (dam of Aurab)


that young colt was Aurab (Aulani x Rabna).

We were married in 1960 and bought our first house, where

we had our two children. Five years later we moved and in early

1973 Sandy met Diane McIntyre who was trying to buy a mare

in Northern California from breeder Ralph Oakley. Ralph favored

Abu Farwa lines and this mare, Alarieha, was by Galahas out of the

Abu Farwa daughter Riehaba. Sandy has since told me that Oakley

sold Alarieha cheaply to McIntyre because she had a partial glass

eye. Sandy and Diane picked up the mare in our truck and old

horse trailer and Diane kept the mare near her home in Walnut

Creek. Alarieha just radiated class and style. She was a mare of

outstanding quality who had brilliant natural floating action which

she passed onto her offspring.

Sandy always carried a picture of Aulani in her mind as her

ideal. She didn’t know where he came from and had never heard

of Crabbet Park Stud, let alone Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch. She

had bought a Fadjur gelding because he was pretty and trained

but he was very uncomfortable, the opposite of Aulani. At that

time, she hadn’t learned about conformation, but she found that

she was attracted to horses that looked like Aulani. She focused

on good-looking “Arabian” type heads and long graceful necks

but had no idea about what pedigrees meant. If she saw a pedi-

gree, she looked for the names of horses that appeared in Aulani’s

background.

In the summer of 1973, Sandy and I went to a horse show

in Stockton. I was looking at the program (I frankly had no idea

what I was looking at) and spotted a stallion whose entry looked

something like this: AURAB (Aulani x Rabna). Sandy approached

the owner and introduced herself, saying that she used to visit

Rancho Carmelo and knew Aulani and Rabna, had pictures of them

plus the other Arabians that were there and asked if she would be

interested to see them. Grace Baker nearly fell over herself with

that news. We found out that Aurab had been isolated at the rap-

idly declining guest ranch for his first fourteen years. To date, he

had sired only one purebred, the now famous Ben Rabba.

Of note, Aurab won the Park Horse class that day and Grace

told us that he was going be at the Cow Palace in the next couple

of weeks. There he won the Pacific Coast Formal Driving Cham-

pionship with Jeff Wonnell. That was his last competition and he

went home to breed mares. Grace made history with Aurab in just

a few years and she became Sandy’s friend and mentor.

We were not alone in our admiration of Aurab. “Perhaps Aurab

Rifnas (sire of Aulani)

25April/May 2013

was a phenomenon. I consider him to have been, overall, the best

Arabian stallion I have seen; I carry his images in my mind as a

gauge by which to compare all others. I sometimes feel that, for

me, he may have been the apex of his breed,” Carol Woodbridge

Mulder, Arabian historian and author of Imported Foundation

Stock of North American Arabian Breeders, was quoted as saying.

When seeing Aurab for the first time just one month shy of

his 20th birthday, Lady Anne Lytton, daughter of Lady Wentworth,

and granddaughter of the Blunts said of Aurab, “the most nearly

perfect Arab that she had ever seen, and that he epitomized the

horse Crabbet Stud had tried to breed for nearly 100 years.”

Time flies when you’re having fun and it wasn’t long before

we moved to our Martinez place with an acre and a half. There we

met Brent and Kathy Echols who were preparing to receive a herd

of Arabians from a dispersal sale in Wyoming. They would arrange

to auction them and were being sold by Mr. and Mrs. Earnest Cole

of Evenston Wy. Included was the Aulani daughter Naulana out of

Jinn, a Nasik daughter. The Echols knew that Sandy was interested

in Aulani breeding because of her half-Arab filly and asked her if

she wanted to buy the mare. There was no question about it and

she agreed to take her. Poor Naulana had been starved and was

in such bad shape that she was loaded into the trailer last so that

if she died she could be easily disposed of. Despite her condi-

tion, she arrived in November 1973, and Sandy nursed her back

to health.

As soon as Naulana was healthy enough, she was sent to Aur-

ab. It was then that Sandy met Carol Mulder, who taught her about

the history of the Kellogg Arabians. About Naulana, Carol said,

“Naulana is absolutely gorgeous! She has captured my fancy more

than any mare I have seen for years! She is so beautiful she just

takes your breath away as she walks towards you. Then when you

see the rest of her, the impression only grows. She just radiates

class, quality, style and Arabian breed character.”

Naulana’s foal, Aurik, was born in April 1975, and he went on

Aurab

Aurab

Aurab

Naulana & Aurik


to sire 22 foals. He had excellent conformation and a gentle dis-

position. His athletic ability was unsurpassed and our daughter

Debbie rode him in a number of local shows. Two of his fillies have

played important roles in our life’s story; Shawzina born February

1988, and Aur Serafina born April 1992. Through a series of unfor-

tunate circumstances within a few years, these were Aurik’s only

surviving offspring when he died in 1997.

Now comes a part of the story that, when I began to look at

pedigrees and reflect how things worked out, I’m amazed at

Sandy’s luck – with some chance and fate thrown in.

So it was, that in a way that she can’t quite remember; maybe

word of mouth or an ad, she was directed to a ranch in Vacaville

where Lee and Joyce Moody, owners of the stallion Pepe (Gabilan

x Pepita by *Latif) had a mare for sale. The time was late fall or

early winter and there had been a lot of rain. In a very muddy pad-

dock were a number of mares milling around almost knee-deep in

muck. Miidj (Fernas x Shethar by Ghazi) was among them.

In a separate stall and small paddock was Pepe. His fore legs

were ravaged. A few years earlier he had been in an accident

where the rotten floorboards in the trailer he was in gave way and

he was dragged for some distance before it was discovered. He

could walk and he could breed mares and he had bred Miidj in the

spring of 1974.

Although the mare was dirty, Sandy could tell that Miidj had

a shape that reminded her of Aulani. Her head left a bit to be de-

sired but the rest of her looked pretty good. A deal was struck and

Sandy bought her for $800. We brought her home and the next

spring Shawzi was born.

When you look at Miidj’s pedigree you will see an excellent

example of chance, luck and fate coming into play, and like Alar-

ieha, Miidj was a cull. An examination of her pedigree will show

her to be almost 100% Crabbet with just a touch of Spencer Bor-

den and WR Brown for good measure. The same can be said for

Alarieha except that WR Brown and Homer Davenport made their

contributions. Of course, at the time Sandy could not have known

how significant these mares would be.

For the next several years no breeding was done. We were in

the process of starting a new job and moving to our present place

in Sanger. And, of course, when we got set up there, things really

started to rock ‘n’ roll.

Sandy explains to me that she had an inner voice, a need, an

unexplainable direction that guided her in her acquisitions and

breeding decisions. She called it her “gut feeling.” That is another

thing that Sandy can do - like a chess master who can plan ahead

five or six moves, Sandy can visualize the results of future breed-

ing, although it can take years to achieve that dream.

I have to say that there were times that concerned me when

she culled horses. If she knew they wouldn’t work in the program

she sold them cheap. However, the good horses brought us a good

price and fortunately there were more good horses than culls.

One of her earlier experiments was with older mares that had

breeding problems. She had acquired Naulana and Miidj and each

had given her foals. Then she was given Rahla, another Aulani

daughter. The thing that tickled me was that Naulana’s number

was 7716 and Rahla’s was 7717. It seemed quite amazing to have

two Aulani offspring considering he had had so few purebred

foals. But try as hard as she could, Rahla could not get pregnant.

Sometime later, Dick Skinner, who worked with the Hearst horses,

offered Sandy a Ziyadi daughter out of Aulani’s dam Follyat but

again, she was unsuccessful in getting her pregnant. Later, a mare

dropped into her lap as if she had fallen from heaven that had a

major influence on one special person as well as us. But, that story

in a little bit.

Sandy kept in contact with Diane McIntyre, offering to lease

Alarieha. At the same time, Patience Prine was looking for a mare

to breed to Aurab to replace a mare that she had lost. So it hap-

pened that in 1974, Patience leased Alerieha and took her to Au-

rab. The next year Hi Voltage+/ was born. A very successful show

horse with over a dozen championships won; he also sired 42 off-

Aurik

27April/May 2013

spring; eleven of them purebred Arabians.

Alarieha’s blood is found in most of our stock, especially in

the most brilliant moving of our horses. Alarieha was extremely

light and airy in her movement; she appeared to hardly touch the

ground when moving. She had extreme hock and knee action, with

great length of stride. She always gave these traits to her foals.

Alarieha was so very kind and gentle in nature and she was an

excellent mother and has passed this down to her daughters.

In 1975, Sandy bred Alarieha to Aurab and in 1976, Aurieha

was born. At this point in time Alarieha was living with us and she

was again taken to Aurab in 1978. On Friday, July 13,1979, Aulrab

presented himself. Since then, Sandy has not considered Friday

the thirteenth to be unlucky . “Aulrab was born out in the field at 5

pm on a 109 degree day. He was so big and well-balanced,” recalls

Sandy. “Such a sweet, curious, loving boy.”

Sandy subscribed to Arabian Horse World and in an issue that

came out in the late 1970s, she saw an ad for Lewisfield Magic+/

who was standing at stud on the east coast. That old eyeball of

hers saw a very good horse. Later she was happy to see that he

had been relocated to New Mexico. “Ah ha,” says she, “He’s getting

closer.” In early 1979 she saw an ad placed by Otto Hackel in Bak-

ersfield announcing that Lewey was “back in California.” Aurieha

was bred to him that same year and in 1980, Aura Magic was born.

She produced 10 foals, two of which are notable; Aur Emerald and

Aur Silver Myst.

Lewisfield Magic+/ was also bred to Alarieha and on Friday,

March 13, 1981, she gave us Magic Alarieha. Again, Friday the thir-

teenth has not proven to be unlucky as she is the dam of Aulrab’s

most famous son, Aul Magic+/.

Also in 1980, Ken and Laura West bought Ibn Awad++/ (Awad

x El Sikada). Remarkably, Ibn Awad++/ would 30 years later be-

Hi Voltage+/

Alarieha

Aulrab 4 hours old

Aulrab at 2 months old


come one of the most influential stallions in the advancement of

our breeding program.

East of us, on Hwy. 180 is a foot hill community called Squaw

Valley where many of the residents have set up small ranches. In

early 1981, a couple from Squaw Valley called on us to inquire if

we could temporarily board a horse they had just bought while

they were setting up a place to keep her on their five acre place.

We agreed to do it and they brought a lovely gray mare, GF Silver

Mystery (* Silver Vanity x Miss Mystery by Ga’zi), whom they had

bought from the dispersal sale of Earnest Golden’s Golden For-

tune Arabian Ranch. Sandy’s good eyes saw a very good mare.

At about this same time, Sandy got a call from a gal in South-

ern California asking if she could bring her Tennessee Walking

Horse mare to Aulrab. “Well, of course, bring her up.” The mare and

owner, Georgia Cheer, arrived the next weekend. She told us that

she worked for a publisher of dog and cat breed magazines doing

the layout and designing the ads and writing the editorials and so

forth. She left her mare and then came about every other weekend

to visit. I guess a place in Minkler beats LA anytime.

About two months into our boarding agreement with GF Silver

Mystery’s owners, they told us that they were going to send the

mare back because they realized they couldn’t afford to keep her.

Sandy knew that this was a great mare and knew that she needed

to have her. We had no way to buy her so Sandy hammered out

a deal with Georgia to buy the mare and we would take care of

her. So, in August 1982, she and Georgia bought the *Silver Vanity

daughter. Like the other two mares that had come her way, Mys-

tery was almost totally Crabbet with some Ali Pasha Sherif blood

contributed by Spencer Borden. Mystery gave us Aur Vanity (ex-

ported to Australia), Aur So Vain (dam of top foals), Aur Mystic, and

Aur Mystique (and his first son, Mystic Aulrab, exported to South

Africa), in addition to a stallion for Georgia, CR Silver Monarch.

Lewisfield Magic+/

Magic Alarieha

Ibn Awad++/

GF Silver Mystery

29April/May 2013

It has been said that a young stallion’s first foal may not be

as good as those that would come later. That really didn’t make

much sense to Sandy since genes are genes even if the little fella

doesn’t quite know what he’s supposed to do the first time. A stal-

lion like Aulrab was a genetic powerhouse and his first colt, Aur

Vanity, out of GF Silver Mystery and born in 1982, was an excep-

tional animal.

Next issue will continue the story of Sandy Warren and Warren Park

Stud.

Aulrab

Sandy & Aulrab

http://warrenparkstud.com


R ecently one of my older mares passed away after battling a

chronic infection. The day before Kim and Mark Thomason

lost their legendary Crabbet stallion *Magic Domino AHS

+++//. A few days before that, I received word that an An-

glo named Skylark that I exported to the UK had died in a freak pasture

accident. It got me thinking about death and loss; about how we all

view the death of a beloved horse.

Early in our friendship, my friend Carrie said, “How hard death is to

take depends what you believe.” I had said those exact words so many

times over the years that it rang true. What do we believe happens

when our beloved horses die? My Judeo-Christian tradition allows me

to think that the spirit lives on; as if somehow the spirit leaps out of

the beloved’s body and into the air.

The day my old girl, Gem, passed away there was a blizzard on our

New York farm. The snow had been dropping for days. The ground was

frozen. A dark sad feeling hung over the place waiting for the sun to

break the gloomy spell. My niece, Abby tried to make it easier by doing

the chores so I would not have to walk past Gem. It was a great kind-

ness on Abby’s part. Yet it was not necessary. In my heart I believed

the spirit of Gem was no longer there. Gem had been sick for a long

time. I miss Gem. But my heart is not broken.

How we experience death has as much to do with what we believe

as our early experiences. If you grow up on a farm you experience the

cycle of life much more than city folks do. Foals are born and the old

horses pass on. Some leave us in their teens and some make it into

their thirties. Some do not survive birth and sometimes for no appar-

ent reason and without warning a young and healthy one dies sud-

denly. No matter how many times I experience it, it is never simple.

About a year and a half ago I lost my old guy Sammie. He was, as

we say my “love of your life horse.” Sammie had never been a simple

horse. He was large, complicated and challenging. He had opinions. He

was the opposite of easy going. From the first moment I saw him and

for the fourteen years after I loved Sammie with all my heart.

In retrospect, during the months proceeding his death Sammie

had not quite been himself. He suddenly required copious amounts

of food to maintain his weight. He was all at once agreeable to what-

ever I suggested. Sammie who had always been a larger than life

character suddenly appeared meek in his seventeen hand frame. He

had never made friends easily. Yet, there Sammie was in the middle of

the herd. I should have known something was up. The heart sees what

the heart wants to see. I missed the signs.

It was early fall and there was still plenty of grass for Sammie to

enjoy. On the particular day I found him he was lying down as if he’d

gone to sleep. At first I thought he was asleep. Every horse owner has

had that experience where their horse is sprawled out in the field. In

the split second before there is a flick of the tail or shake of the head

we think the worst. For the thirty- five seconds that it took me to get to

By Karin foley

Life with Horses: Of Love and Loss

31April/May 2013

one loss rips us to the core and another, while sad, allows us to go on

as we were. Losing Sammie changed me. I was broken from the loss

of him. I had arrived at that place called three degrees below pain. I

stayed there for a full year.

Our farm is narrow and deep. It goes uphill as you walk towards

the back. It is perfect for jogging my labs. So every day at least one

of the labs comes along as I check on the horses. My favorite lab is

a chocolate female named, Robin. Which, by the way is odd since, I

prefer a black lab. Robin has just celebrated her first birthday. She

is beautiful and sweet and has an ethereal quality. She is what you

would call an old soul.

A few months ago Robin and I were doing our horse rounds. We

decided to sit down and take a break.

It was not long before my thoughts turned to Sammie. Tears soon

followed and just as quickly I distinctly heard Sammie say, “Why are

you crying? I am right here.” I look down and saw Robin laying there

with her head in my lap and I was at once healed.

My grandmother, Grace Edna as she was known, used to say that

”trying to understand death is to try to make sense of the unsensible.”

Given that like many of the women in my family Grace Edna insisted on

an orderly universe it was a significant concession on her part to admit

that not everything could be explained. I have added her words to a

brief list of mantras that over the years have become a great source of

comfort during tough times.

Friends come into our lives. Friends leave. New friends are born

and old ones die and we are never quite the same for it. At some point

I heeded Grace Edna’s sage advice and stopped trying to make sense

of the unsensible. The spirits of *Magic Domino AHS +++//, Gem, Sky-

lark, Sammie and all the other magical horses that have passed on in

this lifetime live on through their children and their children’s chil-

dren and in the hearts of us who loved them. Sitting here with Robin

at my feet I am comforted by the knowledge that their spirits simply

live on.

Life with Horses: Of Love and Loss

Sammie I watched for a sign. Then I knew. Sammie had not struggled.

He had simply laid down and closed his eyes. Then he was gone.

Upon hearing of Sammie’s passing my old friend Diana comment-

ed, “What a way for Sammie to go surrounded by his friends. ” There

was no sickness, no tough decisions, and no what ifs?

For every single day for the year after I found Sammie I grieved. I

held onto that grief as I had once held onto him. I cannot explain why


Lorraine Prowse

Q & A with AHA High Point Adult Amateur

33April/May 2013

Lorraine Prowse is a 28 year old resident of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada who had a hugely successful 2012. She was named AHA High Point Adult Amateur and her Ara-bian gelding Sur Teddy’s Magna was 2nd place AHA High Point Horse. At Canadian Nationals, this pair earned Na-tional Championships in Regular Working Hunter, Working Hunter AAOTR, Hunter Hack and Training Level Dressage ATR; Reserve Championships in Working Hunter ATR, Train-ing Level Dressage ATR and Sport Horse Under Saddle; and Top Ten titles in Training Level Dressage, First Level Dres-sage and Sport Horse Under Saddle ATR.


One month later, they were in Idaho

where they earned 8 National titles at

Sport Horse Nationals: National Champion-

ships in Working Hunter AAOTR, Training

Level Dressage AAOTR, First Level Dressage

AAOTR, Hunter Hack ATR and Hunter Hack

AAOTR. They were also Top Ten winners in

Training Level Dressage ATR, Sport Horse

Under Saddle ATR and Working Hunter ATR.

Lorraine showed three of her other

horses to National titles in 2012: Purebred

Jayded Moon+ National Champion Trail

AOTR and Top Ten Open Trail; DA Missy El-

liot+ - Top Ten Hunter Pleasure AAOTR 18-

39 and Footloose II to a Top Ten in Yearling

Sport Horse Colts/Geldings.

Lorraine and her late Arabian gelding,

Surphin Boy+// earned 10 Canadian Na-

tional Jumper Championships. They also

represented the Arabian breed in the Battle

of the Breeds at Spruce Meadows for several

years in 4 of the 5 events: Compulsory Skills

(dressage), Jeopardy Jumping, Trail and

Barrels. The only event that he did not com-

pete in was the Obstacle Driving.

Lorraine has a Bachelor of Science

degree from the University of Alberta

and is currently working toward her Pat-

ent and Trademark Agent designations.

How long have you been riding Arabians?

I started riding Arabians in 1997. I

started taking lessons at a local hunter

jumper barn and among the many horses

I road was a 20 something year old half

Arabian, she helped teach me to jump.

Christmas of 1997, my parents surprised

me by walking a 3 year old Arabian geld-

ing named Surphin Boy up to our front

door and I have been riding Arabians

and half Arabians exclusively ever since.

What horses do you currently own?

Sur Teddy’s Magna++/ , a 16 year old

Arabian gelding (Surokhan x HM Magna)

Jayded Moon +, an 11 year old Arabian

gelding (Surokhan x Jayda)

DA Missy Elliot+, a 9 year old Half-

Arabian mare (Triften x Bey Diva)

Footloose II, 2 year old Arabian/

Trakehner gelding (Windfall x RM Bey

Firemist)

Who is your favorite and why?

Sur Teddy’s Magna (Teddy) is my fa-

vorite. I started working with him when he

was 3 years old (he will be 16 this year)

and completed all of his training; I was

the first to ride him, jump him and show

him. He has been a constant in my life for

so long now that I can’t imagine him not

in it. I also really enjoy being able to com-

pete with him in several different divisions

including Sport Horse In Hand and Under

Saddle, Dressage and Working Hunter.

Who have your instructors been during

your career?

Susan Fyfe from Keno Hills was my first

instructor after I got Surphin Boy. I rode

with her from 1997 until 2010.

Since then, I have been riding with

Debbie Storey from Top Line Training. Deb-

bie trains DA Missy Elliot and Jayded Moon.

I have also been taking dressage les-

sons with Chris Collins since 2010 and am

lucky enough to get pointers from Cheryl

and Allan Ehrlick when we are at the same

shows (usually only Scottsdale, Canadian

Nationals and Sport Horse Nationals).

Who has had the greatest influence on

your riding?

I learned a lot from Susan Fyfe dur-

ing my time riding with her. As a partici-

pant in her tournament program, which

matches young horses and riders together,

I learned a lot about working with and

Surphin Boy , 10-time National Champion Jumper, at Canadian

Nationals (left) and competing in Battle of the Breeds (below)

Don

Stin

e Ph

oto

Chr

istin

sa W

eese

Pho

to

35April/May 2013

training different horses. In fact, it was

in this program that I was first matched

with Teddy. From all the information and

experience I obtained from Susan, I have

taken what I found useful and it has cre-

ated the basis of my training and condi-

tioning program for my horses at home.

What do you like/dislike about Arabians?

The majority of the Arabians I have

worked with are very intelligent and easy

to work with. They try hard and have great

work ethics.

Their tendency to be on the small

side is something that I dislike about

them. Being 5’10” tends to limit which

horses I can ride without looking silly.

What is your favorite discipline?

Of the classes I normally compete

in, working hunter is my favorite. How-

ever, my all-time favorite discipline is

jumper although I have not competed in

the division since Surphin Boy passed

away in 2007. I am hoping that it is a

division that Footloose (Ren) will en-

joy competing in, but that won’t be for a

while since he will only be 2 this year.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

I have been incredibly fortunate to

own several successful show horses, how-

ever my proudest accomplishment is Ted-

dy. When I first started working with Teddy

I did not know how to train a horse, did

not understand collection and had no ex-

perience starting a horse. As a youngster,

Teddy was sometimes difficult to work

with but I think a huge part of that was that

neither of us had any experience. He was

always quick to let me know if he thought

I was doing something wrong but he did

teach me very quickly that trying to suck

his head into place was not going to work

and was not collection. My proudest ac-

complishment was the day that Teddy and

I figured things out and really began work-

ing as a team. I can’t remember exactly

when that happened, but I do remember

the feeling and the huge smile on my face.

What are your horse plans for 2013?

The focus for this year will be on Ca-

nadian Nationals. I will also have the op-

portunity to compete at 2 regional level

shows which are being hosted in my

area (R17 off-site hunter/jumper and

R6 off-site sport horse) as well as West-

ern Canadian Breeders. If things go well,

there is also the possibility that I will

make take my first trip to US Nationals.

What has riding/training Arabian horses

taught you?

Riding and training horses has made

me more confident and has taught me

patience and perseverance. By work-

ing with horses I have learned how

to work towards a goal and become

much more adaptable when things

aren’t going quite the way I had hoped.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Regardless of what the future holds for

me, I know that horses will always be a part

of my life. In 5 years I hope to be show-

ing my homebred Half Arabian/Trakehner

gelding, Footloose II, in the Sport Horse

and Hunter/Jumper divisions. Other than

that, I haven’t really thought that far in

advance. At some point in time I think it

would be a lot of fun to ride some upper

level dressage tests and that is definitely a

goal for the future.

DA Missy Elliott and Lorraine with their Top Ten from Canadian

Nationals (below) and Jayded Moon+, 2012 Canadian National

Champion Trail AOTR (right)

Jeff Janson Photo

Aman

da U

bell

Phot

o


BiomechanicsA Series by Lisa MayPhotos by Sharon Larkin

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out

to discover what makes someone ‘talent-

ed’. Now with six books, multiple DVDs,

and clinics worldwide, her “Ride With Your

Mind”TM (RWYM) method of rider coach-

ing 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 biome-

chanics. Wanless’ strategies can be under-

stood most clearly from the source.

Where do riders find help learning

what talented equestrians can do? We

typically seek out those having competi-

tive success. Yet, research has shown that

naturally-able performers are less likely to

know how they do a skill than people who

have had to map the territory while strug-

gling to master that skill. Much of a natural

performer’s skill is unconscious. It’s hard

to explain something you haven’t had to

think about! It is also hard to transfer a

skill to someone whose body doesn’t do

the same things yours does.

It’s hard for a naturally-able athlete

to assess how most of us differ from them.

They do X, and Z happens. They tell us to

do X, and Z isn’t on the horizon. Traditional

teaching uses conventions of language

that relate to where we are going - the

destination. Most of us need fundamen-

tals - the G, H, I of how. No matter how dili-

gently our effort, working on X without the

earlier letters in place does not produce

the alphabet. RWYM starts by helping peo-

ple examine their own awareness of pro-

prioception (where they are in space). As

riders discover what they are doing now,

we then help them alter it through strate-

gies that work for their own bodies. Having

clarified where rider and horse are now we

assist them with how to take the next most

accessible step - the next letter in the al-

phabet.

RWYM is different from other instruc-

tion methods since it is a coaching strategy

that recognizes how different people learn.

We utilize learning theory to communicate

through three senses - hearing, sight and

kinesthetics (touch/movement) - to learn-

ers whose brains may utilize one approach

more easily than another. Many riders are

experiential/kinesthetic (feeling) learners

who, as children, found themselves bored

by the memorization and regurgitation of

the verbal/visual classroom. In college, I

had known hands-on /experiential immer-

sion: educators ask questions that help

students reflect on and define their direc-

tion - affirming and encouraging students

to think for themselves and find their own

way within large frameworks. But before

RWYM, I’d never had a riding instructor ask

me what I was feeling or noticing, and how

I might experiment to alter my results!

In a wonderful Teacher Training exer-

cise, Mary Wanless asks coaches to, “Imag-

ine strawberry as I keep repeating straw-

berry”. The result is a cornucopia of jam,

berries, pie, fresh, on toast, in cereal, on

cheesecake, in jars, picking them, a giant

one, little ones, the Beatles song, the print-

ed word, fruit stand signs, photographs,

the smell, the taste - evoked differently in

Ride With Your Mind Uses the Psychology of Learning

37April/May 2013

25 trainees minds. It’s a graphic demon-

stration that reveals how words evoke dif-

ferent images for different people. Rapid

change can be made in the control that

the brain/nervous system has of the body

when riders name their own feeling or pic-

ture words. Their own trigger words evoke

change in their own brain and their own

body much more precisely than any words

others can explain to them.

RWYM systematically employs verbal,

visual and kinesthetic contrast to guide the

rider. The human nervous system learns

by contrast. Through understanding their

‘normal reality’, we use contrast and exag-

geration to help riders find the difference

from ‘normal’ that is needed. In coach-

ing we guide and encourage the rider to

concentrate, examine, and compare what

their body is doing and how the horse is

responding, so that they can identify their

own path - their own body’s “map” toward

a riding objective. A coach recognizes that

she may not see all that is occurring. Only

with the feedback of rider and horse may

the three of them discover the specific so-

lutions for that horse and rider pair.

Mary Wanless tells the story of her

success as a non-player coaching a skilled

tennis athlete during her Applied Coach-

ing course. When encouraged to analyze

her own movements and given feedback

and support by a coach, the athlete can

find her way! In daily life we rarely expe-

rience communication styles that coach

rather than directing. It is ever so seduc-

tive to tell people what to do, rather than

guide them to identify their own route

toward changed perceptions and actions.

I see an answer. I want to take the rider

there by my shortcut. Yet my shortcut di-

rectives don’t equal the shortcut the rider

can define on her own map with the help

of a coach. The RWYM method is a route

that supports people learning indepen-

dently in collaboration with the horse.

RWYM acknowledges the psychol-

ogy of motivation. Coaches supportively

place the responsibility and power for

change, in the lap of the rider. Olympian

Kyra Kyrklund wrote in Dressage with Kyra,

“You can never teach anyone else to ride if

they do not actively take part in the learn-

ing process”. Only the rider can define her

personal map.

The way each individual organizes

her body in the saddle determines how

she influences her horse. Our horses mir-

ror us. Wanless’ strategies include tools of

mental awareness and body control that

underpin good riding. From the unique

starting point of each rider’s body RWYM’s

coaching methods enable riders to map

the territory they themselves have to cross

to arrive at good riding.

As athletes on horseback we can use

our own anatomy to communicate to the

horse a streamlined framework for move-

ment. Find out more about these strate-

gies for using the brain to communicate

with horses through behavioral science

and biomechanics! There’s a wealth of

information at www.Mary-Wanless.com in-

cluding coaches worldwide - with five in

the USA at www.RideWithYourMindUSA.

com.

Lisa May is an accredited RWYM coach

working with Wanless since 1997. Also a

Professional Association of Therapeutic

Horsemanship International instructor, she

travels for clinics from her home in Mary-

land www.IdylwildFarm.com.

http://www.RideWithYourMindUSA.com




*Magic Domino

Sherry Stewart with Magic Domino AHS in British Columbia Jo-A

nn C

ampo

ne P

hoto

39April/May 2013

*Magic Domino AHS+++//’s heritage

is filled with horses which have produced

National Champions in both in hand and

ridden competition in Britain and else-

where. His sire Ludomino is the only

Arabian ever to win the Supreme Ridden

Championship at the Royal Windsor Show,

which is awarded to the overall champion

at the show and must be won against all

breeds in ridden competition. Ludomino is

also the sire of the Gadebrook Stud mare

Zaharina, whose daughter Zaha is a noted

endurance competitor.

Ludomino is a 3/4 brother to Indian

Snowflake, dam of multiple British Na-

tional Champion Haroun and granddam of

British National Champions Nasib and Na-

jat. *Magic Domino AHS+++// is similarly

bred to Haroun as both are grandsons of

Ludo and of Hanif. Ludomino is by Ludo,

named Supreme Riding Horse at the Royal

International show and winner of the Win-

ston Churchill Cup. Ludo is a full brother to

1965 British Reserve Supreme Champion

Female Lilac Domino and a 3/4 brother

to 1962 British Reserve Senior Champion

Male Manto. Ludo was a fine sire. His son

El Santo was British Junior Champion Male

in 1970. His son Ludrex sired Donax, sire

of the British National Champions Zircon

Karisma, Zircon Nazeer (a National Cham-

pion sire himself) and Rishenda.

Ludo daughters were wonderful pro-

ducers. His daughter Ludoet is the dam

of 1986 British National Champion Sen-

ior Female Bint Ludoet, Another daughter,

Indian Snowflake, produced multiple Na-

tional Champion Haroun and Nimet, dam

of British National Champion Junior Male

Nasib and 1981 British Supreme Champi-

on Female Najat. Ludo’s sire is the very in-

fluential Blue Domino, who sired National

winners in Britain and in North America. 14

of his get are British National Champions,

*Magic Domino AHS+++//’s distaff

side is as distinguished as his sire side. His

dam Hamsfah also produced the outstand-

ing athlete Hachim, who was a successful

racehorse in the U.K. prior to his export to

Abu Dhabi. At age 4, he was the youngest

stallion ever to be granted Premium Stal-

lion status by the Arab Horse Society. He

completed his performance tests against

older stallions rated a Grade II. The gru-

eling test included show jumping over

doubles, a cross-country course, a dres-

sage test, loose schooling over jumps, a

vet exam and an inspection by the Presi-

dent of the Arab Horse Society. Hamsfah

is a 3/4 blood sister to 1984 Canadian Top

Ten Stallion *Shatir AHS as they are both

by the same sire and Hamsfah’s maternal

granddam is a full sister to *Shatir AHS’s

dam. Hamsfah is also a 3/4 blood sister to

Sherifah, a full sister to *Shatir AHS. Sheri-

fah is the dam of the superb performance

stallion Al Mesdam. He was the 2000 UK

International Ridden Champion (Arabian

competition), 2001 Champion Ridden

Stallion at the Horse of the Year Show

(HOYS) against all breeds, and 2002 Brit-

ish Reserve National Champion Ridden

Stallion in all Arabian competition.

Hamsfah is out of Marufah, a daughter

of the multiple British National Champion

By Arlene Magid(excerpted from original, published in Crabbet Arabian World)

*Magic Domino*Magic Domino AHS+++// stood alone among pure Crabbet stallions in North America. He was the first Arabian stallion to be ap-

proved by the Canadian Sport Horse Registry. No other straight Crabbet stallion in North America has as extensive a show record (his

honors include 4 U.S. Top Ten titles in sport horse halter, a U.S. National win in dressage, 10 regional dressage and sport horse show

hack titles, and 5 regional titles in sport horse in hand and numerous wins in open dressage competing against all breeds).

*Magic Domino AHS+++// has sired 28 get who have been successful in the show ring, earning regional and/or National titles,

including National Championships in hunter hack, dressage, sport horse show hack, sport horse under saddle and sport horse halter

and top ten titles in hunt pleasure and hunter over fences. His remarkable record as a show horse and sire is only part of his story, as

his superb temperament has won the hearts of his owners and many fans. A great champion with a great heart!

AHS


Manto. Marufah is a paternal sister to 1973

British Supreme Champion Female Azara

and to British Reserve National Champion

Geldings Mantardi and Mansar. Marufah’s

sire Manto is a 3/4 brother to twice British

Supreme Champion Male El Meluk.

Magic Domino was bred by Anne

Brown of England’s Gadebrook Stud. Anne

is an internationally respected breeder

of Arabian athletes who have excelled in

dressage, endurance riding and racing. She

has bred and/or owned some of the very

finest British bred Arabians. Her stallion

Croix De Guerre (Sky Crusader x Someone

Special) represented Britain at the World

Endurance Championships in Rome in

2003 and achieved 8th place with the Brit-

ish team, the very first time he represent-

ed his country internationally. Gadebrook

was founded in 1969, breeding palominos

and Anglo-Arabs, but Anne became seri-

ously interested in Crabbet bloodlines in

1986.

Anne states she was fortunate in her

mentors in Crabbet breeding. “I was lucky

enough to be guided at the outset by

Carol Carpenter (owner of Ludomino, sire

of *Magic Domino AHS+++//) and Geof-

frey Plaister, who bred Hamsfah the dam

of *Magic Domino AHS+++//’. She was

sired by Hanif, the *Silver Vanity son bred

at Crabbet and aquired by Geoffrey when

it dispersed in 1972,” Anne comments.

Anne’s extensive experience and knowl-

edge of conformation enabled her to hit a

home run with *Magic Domino AHS+++//,

who was one of the first foals she bred

in her straight Crabbet program, and his

dam’s first foal for her.

*Magic Domino AHS+++// earned his

first in hand triumph as a 3 year old. Not

only did judge Dianne Whittome put him

first in his class, she also awarded him

Youngstock Champion against the other

fillies, colts and geldings, and then Re-

serve Champion of the show against all of

the other class winners! *Magic Domino

AHS+++// had begun his winning show

career in style.

Sherry Stewart is a lifelong horsewom-

an whose grandmother, Margaret Trethew-

ey of Coniagas Ranches in Maple Ridge,

British Columbia, was one of the early

breeders of Arabian horses in Canada.

She imported the Crabbet bred mare

*Rishafieh (originally imported to Amer-

ica by Roger Selby) and her son Ferishal

en-utero to Canada.

Sherry recalls: “When I was learn-

ing to ride, my grandmother’s stable of

Arabians and Half-Arabians was slowly

winding down. These accomplished

show horses were the ones I rode grow-

ing up, and I began to show as I became

more capable. Later, when I had mar-

ried and returned to my grandmother’s

ranch, I wanted to rekindle the Arabian

presence there and decided to purchase

an Arabian stallion who could be taken se-

riously as an open sport horse. With the

interest in warmbloods as performance

horses, it seemed that anything with Ara-

bian blood was not taken seriously in the

performance ring. What I wanted to do was

to find a larger than average Arabian stal-

lion and promote him to the sport horse

aficionados.

“My search took two years. I had been

sent a copy of Arab Horse Society News by

a British breeder because of the article in

it about Ferishal (there was a trophy at the

British Nationals awarded in his memory,

hence the article), and in the back of that

issue I found an advertisement featuring

*Magic Domino+++//. He was just two

years old.”

Anne received the unexpected inquiry

about *Magic Domino+++// - Sherry was

prepared to buy him sight unseen, but

Anne insisted that she come to inspect

him as it was such an important purchase.

Sherry loved Domino on sight and knew

that he was the horse she had been look-

ing for, and so the deal was done.

Brenda Driedeger worked with him as a

five-year-old year and solidified his train-

ing, readying him for his British Columbia

Sport Horse competition. Her dressage

background was invaluable in gaining two

of his most important honors, becoming a

Trakehner approved stallion and also win-

ning high point show hack at the British

Columbia Sport Horse Show against all

breeds. This title was a provincial champi-

onship for all of British Columbia.

*Magic Domino AHS’s 1996 Canadian

Trakehner inspection notes read: “As an

Arabian he is one of the best in this coun-

try in the classic Arabian type. We evaluate

Arabians for their use or value in Trakeh-

Jo-Ann Campone Photo

41April/May 2013

ner breeding. Remarkable in his powerful

movement, especially in canter, good stal-

lion expression and type. His withers and

croup show the typical Crabbet conforma-

tion He has very good nerves and was very

well handled. We were given the privilege

of seeing him under saddle in medium

dressage; very convincing.”

“We also showed him in two all Ara-

bian shows where he did quite well but I

really wanted him to shine was at the Brit-

ish Columbia Sport Horse Show, because

by beating all of the best warmblood stock

that were competing in our province he

made his mark and a name for himself,“

Sherry comments. “His win there increased

demand for his stud services, and we were

helped by Dr Juan Semper, the renowned

AI expert who helped us make Domino’s

semen available worldwide. I still have 30

straws of his frozen semen.”

Unfortunately many of his Canadian

born progeny were not registered because

they were bred by people who wanted

performance horses and had no plans to

show at Arabian shows so their breed-

ers felt there was no need for Arabian or

half-Arabian registration. Another impor-

tant distinction *Magic Domino AHS+++//

achieved in Sherry’s ownership was his

Canadian Sport Horse Phase One Ap-

proved Stallion.

“When he was three years old I pre-

sented him to the Canadian Sport Horse

Association and he was accepted with

a very strong showing. The inspections

for entry into this registry are very strin-

gent. Stallions must be at least 16 hands

tall, have 8 inch or larger cannon bones,

possess a good temperament and exhibit

conformation that enable the horse to be

‘built to last.’ He was the highest scoring

horse at the inspection. Two years later

they informed me that he would need to

pass his performance testing to be accept-

ed permanently into the Canadian Sport

Horse Registry. This was a new ruling and

came as a surprise to the owners of a num-

ber of young stallions.

“When I sold Domino to the States I

hoped that Kim would achieve his per-

formance qualification so he would have

permanent status. She did this with his

competition in dressage so he is now a

permanent Canadian Sport Horse Bronze

Approved Stallion,” explains Sherry. Sher-

ry had reluctantly decided to sell *Magic

Domino AHS as she knew he could achieve

far more with the right owner in the U.S.A.

“Many Canadians take their top sport

horses to the U.S.A. to compete but with

a young family and my obligations on the

ranch that was not feasible, and I felt if he

got into the right hands he would fulfill

his potential in dressage and as a breed-

ing stallion. I set the stage for Domino’s

success-he did the rest, “ says Sherry.

“Mark and Kim Thomason were the first

people I shipped Domino semen to, they

were huge fans and they have been able

to see my dream to completion. Domino

had such a great home with them. It has

taken his breeder, Anne Brown, myself and

the Thomasons to bring this horse to his

full potential.”

Kim’s involvement with *Magic Domi-

no AHS+++// happened because Dr Lynn

Artress, who owned Crabbet Arabians,

worked with her husband Mark. Dr Artress

was the final owner of the great Crabbet

stallion *Silver Vanity. When he found out

that the Thomasons had an Arabian stal-

lion but no mares, he offered them mares

from his own herd. Eventually they bought

two mares from him, the Oran and *Sil-

ver Vanity granddaughter AF Orans De-

light who is double Oran, and AF Touchof

Vanity, a granddaughter of *Silver Vanity

whose sire is a grandson of Indian Magic.

Thus Kim had two mares whose pedigrees

contained the same great stallions as

*Magic Domino AHS+++//.

Kim recalls: “We really liked what we

saw in the Crabbet breeding and decided

Jo-Ann Campone Photo


to look for a high percentage stallion to

breed to AF Touchof Vanity. I had seen an

ad for Domino in Canadian Arabian News

and just couldn’t get him off my mind, so

we contacted Sherry Stewart to get semen

shipped to us. Vanitys Magic AD was born

in March 1996. She was one of the easiest

foals I had ever dealt with, quick to learn

and also very beautiful.

Kim’s first meeting with *Magic Dom-

ino AHS+++// was auspicious. “We had

gone on a skiing holiday to British Co-

lumbia in January 2000,” she says, “and

we were near where Domino lived, so I

asked Sherry if I could see him in person.

Sherry was thinking about leasing him and

wanted to know if I would be interested,

which of course I was. Unbeknownst to

me, my husband Mark had already talked

to Sherry about buying Domino. Sherry

made arrangements to take Domino to a

farm nearby with an indoor riding arena.

When I saw him for the first time, I real-

ized that his pictures do not do him jus-

tice. I was blown away! He was absolutely

beautiful. Besides the obvious things that

took my breath away when I first saw him,

his eyes made me feel I could see into his

soul. There was an instant connection be-

tween the two of us.”

Mark had actually bought the horse

before they left Canada, hoping to make

him a surprise gift to Kim, but there were

issues with his transportation to the U.S. so

Mark had to tell Kim what was happening.

As it turned out, the transporter brought

*Magic Domino AHS+++// to one of their

locations in Lexington, Kentucky and Kim

couldn’t wait three more days for his de-

livery to Tennessee so she drove to Ken-

tucky herself and brought him home in

April 2000.

With Kim, *Magic Domino AHS +++//

had an exceptional show career both in

hand and under saddle as a dressage

horse, both in open and in all Arabian

competition, including five U.S. National

titles in sport horse halter and dressage.

He earned his Bronze Premium Status with

the Canadian Sport Horse Registry with

his accomplishments in dressage. He has

been recognized by the USDF in their All

Breed awards for Arabians in dressage. He

was chosen as the Eastern Crabbet Ara-

bian Horse Association Horse of the Year

in 2006, and in 2004 he was chosen by

the Arabian Horse Owners Foundation as

a “Living Legend” and invited to attend

the Arabian Horse Celebration in Denver,

Colorado.

What makes all his achievements even

more impressive was that they have been

accomplished with Kim as his amateur rid-

er, not working with a trainer. She says of

him: “Domino has been a wonderful teach-

er. We have had to learn things to get here

rather than having someone who knows

what they are doing teach one of us first.

He gets the idea quicker than I do and then

Photo Courtesy of Mark Thomason

BobT

arr.c

om P

hoto

43April/May 2013

gently requires I learn to do it right. He has

always been a kind teacher.”

Perhaps Kim’s most treasured memory

is of *Magic Domino AHS+++//’s Living

Legend presentation in 2004. It enabled

her to meet his breeder, Anne Brown, who

also helped Kim get him to Colorado. “Ac-

cording to the program, Arabian Horse

Owners Foundation ‘Living Legends’ have

been selected for their contributions to

the Arabian horse in America. They may

be stallions, geldings, or mares. They are

recognized for their importance in many

fields of Arabian endeavour,” Kim explains.

“The award is made only once every 25

years and Domino’s nomination was a

complete surprise to us. We did not know

anything about it until we were notified of

the wonderful honor. Only 10 horses had

been selected from over 650,000 regis-

tered purebred Arabians. ”

*Magic Domino AHS+++//’s achieve-

ments in the breeding barn equal his show

ring accomplishments. He has 61 regis-

tered get, 28 of whom have show records

in Arabian competition (and as Sherry

Stewart explained, there are likely a num-

ber of unpapered offspring excelling in

the open show world as well).

• Dominique++ U.S. Top Ten Half-Arabian

Hunter JTR and Hunt Pleasure JOTR 14-17

• Watch Me UF+// 12 National titles in

dressage, sport horse under saddle, hunter

and sport horse show hack including U.S.

Reserve National Champion Half-Arabian

Sport Horse Show Hack

• Angels Legacy+++// 7 National titles

including Half-Arabian Sport Horse Mare

In Hand, Sport Horse Show Hack and U.S.

Reserve National Champion Half-Arabian

Second Level Dressage (note: she is an

Anglo-Arabian)

• KF Almaz++// 15 National titles including

Canadian National Champion Half-Arabian

Sport Horse Show Hack and Sport Horse

Under Saddle, Canadian Reserve National

Champion Third Level Dressage and U.S.

National Champion Third Level Dressage

• Magic Enchantress AD++++// U.S. Top

Ten Half-Arabian Sport Horse Jackpot Filly,

Sport Horse Mare in Hand, Sport Horse

Mare in Hand ATH and Sport Horse Show

Hack

• Magic Schonmadchen AD U.S. Reserve

National Champion Half-Arabian Sport

Horse Jackpot Filly

• Magic Delight AD U.S. Top Ten Sport

Horse Jackpot Filly

• Irresistible Magic U.S. Top Ten Half-Arabi-

an Sport Horse Jackpot Filly

• Magic Silk AD U.S. Top Ten Sport Horse

Jackpot Filly

Owners of *Magic Domino AHS+++//

get report they have superb tempera-

ments and great natural talent.

Sadly, Magic Domino AHS+++// passed

away suddenly in January at 24.

Afterword by Kim Thomason

Domino was a surprise gift from my

husband Mark. He had no way of know-

ing the love affair that was started from

the moment I first looked into Domino’s

eyes. As a little girl I had always dreamed

of owning a very special horse, that dream

came true the moment Domino came into

my life. He was 12 years old and I was no

longer a little girl when we started our

lives together, but when I was with Dom-

ino it was “Magic” and I was still that little

girl.

I remember going to Lexington, KY to

pick Domino up just so I could get him

home 3 days earlier than the transport

company could get him to Cookeville, TN.

This started our traveling time together.

We traveled from Denver, CO, to Ocala FL,

to Lexington VA and KY, to Conyers GA, all

through Tennessee, and places between.

We went to shows, clinics, lessons, and ex-

hibits. He was always a good ambassador

for the Arabian breed, for Crabbet Arabi-

ans, and for our farm no matter where we

went or where we stopped.

He was always willing to let someone

give him a pat on the neck or feel his soft

muzzle. Domino was always very gentle

with kids, especially small children. He

won many a leery child over by gently tak-

ing a treat from their small hands. Domino

gave many special rides to those that met

him. He was quite the poser for pictures

too. He has pictures taken by visitors, at

the KY horse park and shows, all over the

world.

Domino gave me the chance to do

things I never even dreamed of. He made

me look better than I am. I literally think

Domino just took me along for the ride

and “What a ride it WAS!”

Riding Domino whether it be at home

or at a show was wonderful. Domino al-

ways took care of me. He taught me so

much, more than I ever taught him. Dom-

ino always tried to do what you asked of

him even when we were learning some-

thing new. He learned it faster than I did

much of the time and then would require

me to do it correctly, but if I was not, he

would politely let me know.

Domino will always be an incredible

wonderful part of my life.

One day we will meet again in heaven

when we cross over the rainbow bridge

together, until then, in my heart, Magic

Domino you will always be. Thank you for

being my friend. Love, Kim

P.S. I miss the daily shoulder and back rubs.


TURN BACK THE CLOCK

HRH Radjurby Kat D. Walden

Photo Courtesy Creeky Routson

H.R.H. Radjur (“His Royal Highness”), a 16 hh palomino geld-

ing by “The Fabulous Fadjur” out of a grade cremello mare called

Nellie, spent his whole life as the backyard horse of owner-trainer

Creeky Routson of Walnut Creek, California. He was foaled in Feb-

ruary, 1963, and died at age 25 in 1988. A respected dressage

instructor, trainer and “S” judge, Creeky continues to pass on the

lessons that she and Radjur learned together.

Until Creeky retired Radjur from competition to give freestyle

exhibitions, which he enjoyed more than doing tests, the gelding

was one of the top ten dressage horses on the West Coast. In the

1970’s there were no dressage classes at all-Arabian shows, so

Radjur was shown only in all-breed competition. Up until 1975, he

had won over 100 trophies and 20 rosettes given by the California

Dressage Society for scores higher than 60%. He won the Western

American Dressage Championship in Pebble Beach, California, for

Second Level, and in 1975, for Fourth Level and Prix St. Georges.

The photo at right shows the pair at Pebble Beach. After 1976, in

Intermediare, Creeky said he continued to win all his classes as

long as she took him to dressage shows.

Although Radjur was capable of performing most of the

Grand Prix level movements, he showed them off only in exhi-

bitions. There Creeky could ask for movements in an order that

suited Radjur’s temperament and abilities better than the contem-

porary formal dressage tests in use by the United States Dressage

Federation (USDF) at that time. Radjur was always a bit eccentric,

and as he grew older, Creeky catered to him enough to keep him

a happy performer. The pair gave exhibitions at Jack Tone Ranch

Horse Management Clinics—home of his famous sire--at the Ara-

bian Horse Fair in Reno, Nevada, and at all-Arabian horse shows.

At one Diablo Arabian Horse Association (DAHA) show

where Radjur and Creeky gave a lunch-time dressage exhibition,

she also entered him in several classes just for fun. With Creeky

he won the Stock horse class and a Western Pleasure class, and he

took third in a second Western Pleasure class with a different rider,

winning High Point Half-Arabian of the show!

This accomplishment is not as unusual as it seems on first

read, because Creeky started Radjur’s show career as a stock horse

and participated in a number of Monte Foreman clinics with him.

Because he only tolerated cattle to please Creeky, she shifted to

jumping and eventing. The change suited Radjur, and they won

the Training Division at a Concord-Mt. Diablo event, where Charles

DeKunffy saw them perform. DeKunffy believed the gelding

showed great dressage potential, so for the next five years, Creeky

and Radjur progressed under his sometimes forceful tutelage.

They received additional instruction from Olympic judge Colonel

Gustav Nyblaeus.

Working with some of the best instructors available in their

fields helped Creeky to make the most of Radjur’s natural abili-

ties and gave her the riding and training foundations upon which

she based her livelihood. Although Creeky moved on to breed Ha-

noverian horses and to train and compete several other horses to

FEI levels, Radjur remained her cherished first dressage horse and

buddy of her teenage years for the rest of his life. She eventually

purchased a purebred Arabian gelding to be her trail horse, giving

him up to her oldest son when he wanted to ride and show him in

dressage. Currently (2013) she has a young Anglo-Arabian geld-

ing just starting his dressage career. Creeky still enjoys judging

dressage at horse trials and events, and she has earned the right to

judge dressage at the highest levels, but she is also willing to teach

riders who aspire not to show but only to being the best partner to

their horses that they can be.

45April/May 2013

McCool Photography


The 2011 show year was starting off to be great for my

Half Arabian gelding Show Biz Shah (Ultra Bey x Faith)

or as we call him, Busy, and me. We were training hard

and doing very well at all the qualifying shows for SHN. I

knew this was the year we were going to bring home of those

gorgeous Arabian trophies! What happened there was some-

thing I couldn’t have imagined.

Earlier on our fateful day, I had an amazing ride warm-

ing up over fences with Busy. I could not wait to get into the

show ring the next day. I untacked him, freshened his water

and hay, and left with my mom, sister and husband to grab

some lunch. We had just ordered our drinks when we got the

call. Busy was totally suspended from the top of his stall by

his left front hoof. We ran out of the restaurant and made it

to the stall just as Busy had finally fallen free.

According to our stall neighbors he had reared to look

over the stall to see his friend next door and got his hoof

caught between the top metal and the top tongue-and-grove

wood board. There was about a 4-inch gap. He thrashed

around for about 20 minutes until his hind legs kicked out

the boards below. Then for about 5 more minutes he was to-

tally suspended until the boards gave way and he came down

hard. He ended up cast in the corner of this stall but allowed

the vets and other helpers to get him up safely.

When I got to his stall he was standing, but you could

see his shoulder had dropped a good 12 inches from where

it should be. He also had

scratches all over his legs

from thrashing around. Ini-

tially, the outlook was bad.

The vet even told my hus-

band that Busy would not

make it through the night

from the extreme amount

of stress he was under.

Busy was given some shots

for the pain and swelling

while we discussed what we

should do with him. After a

while, the vets agreed that

he was not going to be able

to get onto a trailer to make

it to Rood and Riddle. So we

padded his stall with extra

shavings and the very kind

Horse Park staff added slits

so Busy could easily see his

friends on both sides of his

stall.

Once the vet told us

there was nothing else we

From Setback to Comebackby Donna SaldarriagaPhotos by Denise Stenstrum

47April/May 2013

while I let him finish the entire bottle. He even got the

strength to lift his head a little after he drank it all. By this

time, mom had called the vet back at Rood and Riddle and

he was on his way. We decided Busy had to make it to their

facility one way or another. In a little while, we got him up

and loaded on the trailer. When we got to Rood and Riddle,

Busy was attended by 9 vets, not vet techs, actual vets. He

was placed in a padded stall and given DMSO intravenous-

ly. Busy ended up staying the whole week of SHN at Rood

and Riddle because his enzyme levels were constantly on

the rise from the amount of damage to his shoulder. He had

nearly torn the entire muscle in half. Once his week was

over, he remained in Lexington, KY for a month at a friend’s

farm where he stayed on stall rest with a few trips to hand

graze each day.

Once we finally got him home, he was secluded in our

one-acre paddock for three months. During that time I

couldn’t ride him at all. After 3 months, I could start walking

him bareback, and we very slowly progressed from there.

In June 2012, Busy was ready to show again at the Blue

Ridge Show in Lexington, VA where we competed in just two

Sport Horse Under Saddle classes as well as the Champion-

ships where he won Champion in both!

This year, we were finally able to get back into the dres-

sage ring. All of the second half of 2012, I worked with

Busy on stretching and getting him to loosen up again. If

he hadn’t have been injured at SHN 2011, we would have

been ready for First Level, but I decided to hold him back

one more season in Training Level so I wouldn’t but any extra

strain on him shoulder.

As it turned out, Busy really didn’t need to be held back

because we placed first in both dressage tests at the Heri-

tage Arabian Classic on March 15. To top it all off, he carried

me with my 22 week old growing baby in my belly! He has

taken such good care of me and my growing baby girl during

every single ride since I became pregnant. I cannot wait to

give Sport Horse Nationals another shot with my strong boy,

Show Biz Shah, and my 2 month old baby girl and husband

there to support us.

From Setback to Comeback

could do, we walked to a

vendor to grab some lunch

and come back to watch

over Busy. We were only

gone for 10 minutes, but

when we came back, Busy

was laid out in his stall and

I couldn’t see him breath-

ing. I instantly ran into

the stall, sat down, and

cradled his head in my lap.

I thought for sure I had lost

him. Then I thought, well

maybe he is just exhausted

and dehydrated. I asked

my mom to grab me a bot-

tle of his favorite drink, red

Gatorade.

I squeezed the liquid

into his mouth and a few

seconds later he started

slurping! I noticed his

breathing start up again

and he even opened his

eyes and looked at me

by Donna SaldarriagaPhotos by Denise Stenstrum


A journey of a thousand miles starts

with a single step. For Stacey Burdick-Taul,

it has been a journey of true enlighten-

ment when it comes to riding. Her current

upper-level dressage partner is the pure-

bred Comandr-N-Chief+//, a 1996 geld-

ing sired by Rio de Janeiro and out of The

Chief Justice daughter Shilo Liberation.

Stacey started out as a teenager riding

Western Pleasure and saddle seat. She

then worked her way into showing Hunter

Pleasure very successfully. How, you may

ask, did she get to where she is today -

showing at the upper levels in dressage?

Back in 2001, Stacey’s current horse

had required a long-term layoff, so she

asked her friend Duane Esser if he had any

horses she could ride just for fun while

hers was recovering. Duane knew Chief

was just hanging out at his owner’s not

doing much and suggested Stacey should

lease him. She took him home and liked

him so much that within a month she de-

cided to buy him.

They started out showing in Hunter

Pleasure, for which Duane had trained

him, and always did fairly well. After a few

years had passed, Stacey was ready to try

something more challenging with Chief.

She had dabbled a bit with her previous

horse in dressage and had even taken a

few lessons in 2004.

One day on a whim, Stacey took Chief

to a dressage clinic, at which Eugene

Abello was the instructor. “I told him that

Chief was my hunter pleasure horse, but I

thought I would look into buying a dres-

sage horse next year. Eugene has always

laughed about that, he told me that day

Converting Comandr-N-Chief+//

49April/May 2013

that Chief WAS my dressage horse,” re-

counts Stacey.

From that day through 2005, Stacey

and Chief took monthly dressage lessons

together, which proved more than a bit

challenging as neither had any experi-

ence to speak of in dressage. They set out

to learn together, not always the easiest

way in which to do it. “I wanted to do all of

the training on my own, just depending on

coaching to guide me,” says Stacey.

Their journey was not without difficul-

ties. Stacey credits Duane with imparting

in Chief an amazing work ethic and focus.

But, being a rail horse trained to always

pick up the inside lead made it tough to

convince Chief it was okay to counter

canter and do flying lead changes. Stacey

laughs, “Chief was sure he was breaking a

major rule. He emotionally struggled with

that for a long time.”

Another long discussion was getting

Chief to stretch his body out and like it

there. His previous training had required

quite the opposite. As for Stacey, her big-

gest challenge was properly sitting the

trot. Having never ridden an experienced

dressage horse made it difficult for her to

develop the proper feel, nevertheless she

persevered and conquered it.

When asked what she considers her

greatest accomplishment thus far, Stacey

responds, “Dressage is beginning to make

true sense to me! There are a lot of wins

that mean so much, but a ribbon has never

been my ultimate goal. Understanding

classic, soft dressage has been. I sat out of

show seasons from time to time because I

could feel that I needed to step away from

Converting Comandr-N-Chief+//


what I was working on and re-address the

basics. Chief and I have 13 national titles,

which is something I never thought I would

accomplish in my showing career! But, the

goal of understanding and working my

way up the levels classically has actually

become a riding addiction for me.”

After a year off in 2012 due to a sur-

gery for Stacey, strengthening and getting

into the ring at I-1 is the first order of busi-

ness for 2013. This talented pair is ulti-

mately aiming for the Grand Prix level to

be competitive at both Arabian and open

dressage shows. They have spent the past

year in training with Susan Posner, a local

open dressage trainer, strengthening their

basics in order to perfect tempi changes.

“We’ve gone back to revamp our knowl-

edge of the canter before we can move

on,” says Stacey. “My goal is to add Inter-

mediare 2 this year. I will show I-1 and

may need to start back at some Prix St.

Georges, but really want to move on and

force ourselves to meet those one tempis

head on and figure them out this year!”

With determination like that, there is

little doubt of their success!

BobTarr.com Photo

51April/May 2013

October 2004

Took our first dressage lesson

February 2005

Went to Florida for a week to take lessons and get started. We

never showed training level, began at first level.

April 2005

Began taking monthly lessons, a Saturday and Sunday each month.

Show season was first and second level.

September 2005

Showed at our first SHN, 4 classes and received 3 top 10’s.

I would take lessons April through October or November and be

on my own until the next spring. Did this from 2005 through 2011,

training primarily with Eugene Abello, but would meet his partner

Brian MacMahon at larger shows.

2006 Season

Showed Second and Third Level. Marilyn Mell hauled Chief out to

Idaho for me. 2006 SHN we were Reserve Nat’l Champ SHUS ATR;

National Champion Second Level ATR; Top 10 in Second Level

AAOTR

2007 Season

Third and Fourth Level. This year we had a great regionals, but

were having problems with sitting on our hind end and collecting

without holding each other up - struggling a lot with self carriage.

Had a lot of problems at SHN, scratched the majority of our class-

es. Began hauling down to Huntsville, Alabama for 2-3 weekends

during a show season to ride with Brian.

2008

Decided to take the year off of any competition and concentrate

on training and working more on our basics. Worked on improving

our collection and self carriage

2009

Showed Fourth Level and PSG. The only Arabian show we went

to this year was SHN- We had to head to strictly open shows for

these levels. I asked Brian if he would be willing to show Chief in

the open Fourth Level and open PSG at SHN. The really neat thing

to me was realizing that Brian was able to show my horse success-

fully when I was the one that did the training. Brian had sat on

Chief for 15 minutes in June, and rode him about 30 minutes the

day before SHN started, and told me Chief felt correct and he felt

good about trying to show him. Brian was third in both his nation-

al classes with Chief, and was the top scoring purebred. I was Top

10 in both Third and Fourth Levels and Reserve Nat’l Champion in

PSG. This was the only time Chief has been shown in dressage by

anyone other than myself.

2010

Intermediare was proving to be a very large leap for Chief and I,

so I decided to again sit the show season out and concentrate on

schooling. Flying lead changes and full pirouettes were TOUGH

to learn. To date we are always working on improving our tempis.

2011

Returned to showing, continued PSG and added I-1. Had some

back soreness issues we had to work out over the 2010 winter, so

we did not start showing until the end of June at Region 14. We

only entered 3 shows that year, including SHN, so we only had 4

attempts showing I-1 before SHN. 3 months was not quite long

enough of a show season to truly feel prepared for SHN. We had

some back soreness show up for a couple days at SHN, made it a

tough show and the rides were a little disappointing, but were still

happy with our effort. By the time you get to Intermediare and

Grand Prix, there are no longer amateur classes so my only option

is to show with the professionals. We were: Top 10 in Intermediare

1; Top Ten in Open PSG and Reserve Nat’l Champion in Amateur

PSG

I felt as though some of the back soreness was stemming from

our continued struggle with not enough softness. We would be

“locked” in his neck. I wanted to find someone local to work with,

to help me at shows. Needed to step back to my basics again and

improve what has been my biggest struggle: honest self-carriage

and softness while maintaining my connection. Started riding

with Susan Posner, now take a lesson every two weeks with her.

2012

February I had a personal medical emergency that prohibited me

from riding for 3 months after I had been off riding for 2 months

prior. Since I am the only one that rides my horses, Chief and I both

got out of shape very quickly. My core muscles were very weak, so

I decided to begin at training level and work my way up the levels

over several months as we became strong. Gave me a great op-

portunity to go back and confirm or correct every movement. That

was a great teaching tool for Chief and I to really try and finesse so

many thought processes together.

Step by Step with Stacey and Chief


It’s Never Too Late

It’s Never Too LateHow Sarah Asby had a dream,amended it, then made it happen

Sarah Asby always had a dream. She

was the owner of a nice Arabian Sport

Horse mare and she wanted to breed a

horse that she could eventually ride to a

National Championship, preferably in dres-

sage. Sarah was taking lessons at a local

dressage barn in Oregon where they hap-

pened to own and stand a very successful

grey Oldenburg stallion named Ideal. (Ide-

al is the son of the influential French Anglo-

Arabian Inschallah, who has also achieved

fame as a Breyer horse.)

At the time, Sarah could not afford the

stud fee, but arranged to work it off feed-

ing at the barn. She threw feed and hay for

two and a half years, “My friends were very

impressed with my bicep development,”

laughs Sarah.

She was eventually rewarded with a

very spunky filly she called ‘Imnaha,’ after a

river in Oregon. Sarah raised “Immy” from

birth, and from there, set out to accomplish

the dream.

The filly started out with a bang, scor-

ing a premium foal rating at the Oldenburg

Inspection. Because her dam Alu Minchah

(Khalief x Gazmariah) was in the Oldenburg

Main mare book, Immy was eligible to be

approved and branded by the ISR Olden-

burg registry.

When she was ready, Immy’s dressage

training began. At some point though,

things weren’t going so well with her train-

ing, and her progress became very slow.

Sarah was eager to be riding her, but that

wasn’t working out as planned. Her trainers

found her difficult and things just weren’t

clicking. It was getting frustrating for Sarah,

who was forced to ride other horses or not

show at all. By the time Immy was 6, Sarah

had been on her only a couple of times.

“It was hard at first to change my plans

for her from dressage to hunter/jumper but

it became clear early on when we tried to

show her in dressage classes she just did

not like the work. At the Scottsdale show

she ran out of the dressage ring during a

class when we passed the gate at A which

had been left open,” Sarah recalls.

It was then that Sarah decided it was

time for a change of plan, as no one was

getting any younger! Sarah had endured

a lot of criticism from her friends and ac-

quaintances regarding the wisdom of this

project and investment as a whole. She was

told by many of her horse peers that her

breeding choice had been a waste of time

and money.

As luck would have it, right around the

same time, Ahna and Scott Bowman had

moved their sport horse barn from Scott-

sdale, AZ to Oregon, and had much expe-

rience showing and training Arabian and

Half Arabian hunter/jumper and dressage

horses. Sarah and the Bowmans became

acquainted through their club, Arabians

In Motion, and Sarah decided to move her

horse and give the Bowmans an opportu-

nity to train her young mare.

From the beginning it was clear to Ahna

that Immy had abundant athletic ability,

she just wasn’t happy with her job. To cross

train her a little, she was started over some

fences. She loved jumping so much that it

became her reward for tolerating the flat-

work. Sarah wasn’t sure what to make of

the whole thing; she had her heart set on

dressage and hadn’t jumped a horse over

a jump in about 50 years! You see, at this

point Sarah was 69 years old.

“The hardest thing for me about going

over fences was overcoming the negative

thoughts that ran through my mind of be-

ing too old,” says Sarah. “Many of my well-

meaning friends warned me not to get hurt.

Having an honest horse like Imnaha has

made the transition easier.”

Sarah and Imnaha showing in dressage

53April/May 2013

Showing great courage, Sarah agreed

to let Ahna take Immy in the direction she

thought she should go, and they would

work the rest out later, such as Sarah reac-

quainting herself with jumping. In the in-

terim, Taylor, Ahna and Scott’s daughter and

a very talented junior rider, was looking for

a Half Arab to compete in Hunter/Jumper

as her own Half Arab, Lady Loria++++//,

had been retired from jumping to pursue

upper level dressage.

Taylor and Immy were a perfect fit.

Sarah took lessons on her older, depend-

able dressage horse while Taylor and Immy

racked up some experience and show mile-

age. Sarah knew she would have to work

hard as Immy was not just any horse – she

had a huge stride and a big jump. Therefore,

Sarah resigned herself to suffering through

working without stirrups and anything else

asked of her in lessons in order to succeed.

She was determined to ride and show her

horse and do it well, even at age 70.

No one could have predicted how tal-

ented Immy turned out to be. To quote

Ahna, “She was so balanced and sensitive

to the bend and aids, she had what I would

consider an ‘automatic’ lead change in two

weeks. Her scope was amazing, and to call

her brave would be an understatement. I

wish every horse was this easy and pleas-

ant to train.”

Immy’s 2011 season began with Scotts-

dale as her first big show and second rated

show of her career. She never looked back.

By 2012, she and Sarah had begun to come

together and things started to get exciting.

The mare had become so dependable, that

Sarah was able to take lessons on her, and

they were jumping! Once again, Sarah’s

friends told her she was nuts to be jumping

horses at age 70, never mind trying to go to

Sport Horse Nationals to compete against

the best of the best. Sarah was undeterred

– she had heard it all before.

So far that year, Immy had racked up

an amazing amount of wins, including mul-

tiple Regional Championships, as well as

Canadian National and Reserve Champion-

ships with Taylor. Sarah had also ridden her

to a Regional win, and had mastered a small

course at a show early in the year.

It was time for Sport Horse Nation-

als. As well as her horse was doing, Sarah

was nervous. She was slated to ride in the

Half Arabian Hunter Hack AAOTR. Well,

that’s not a cream puff division with Alexis

Doughty in it and several other competitive

folks and their horses. She had had to learn

this entire discipline all over again with a

somewhat green horse underneath her.

In the end, the dream was meant to

be. Sarah got through it without having a

heart attack, and also won Reserve National

Sarah and Imnaha after winning their Reserve National Champion

Champion. It was an amazing reward for

their challenging journey together.

“The highlight so far was definitely Na-

tionals - winning a Reserve Championship

on her in the AAOTR Hunter Hack class.

Equally as rewarding was my son, Nate,

showing her to a Top 10 finish in the ATH

Sport Horse In Hand class. He has helped

me raise the horse and they work well as a

team. He has mild cerebral palsy but long

legs and is able to run her on the triangle

to show off her wonderful suspended trot,”

says Sarah proudly.

Imnaha ended up a tied winner for AB-

HJA High Point Hunter/Jumper horse of the

show. Imnaha was also ridden by Taylor to

several other Championships and Reserves

at Sport Horse Nationals. These wins with

Imnaha also played a large role in Taylor’s

AHA High Point Youth Award win this year,

which she won by the largest margin ever.

Imnaha also finished the year as an AHA Top

Ten High Point Horse out of 2,291 horses.

Sarah is now 71 and Immy is 8. They are

currently working together to get ready for

jumping courses for the coming show sea-

son. Taylor and Immy are currently showing

in the 3’6”-3’9” jumpers at open shows and

doing quite well.

Fortunately, sometimes time does not

run out on a determined woman and her

dream.

Imnaha and her dam at the

Oldenburg Inspection.

Photo by Scarlett


Top HA/AA Sires & DamsOF THE 2012 SPORT HORSE NATIONALSBy Peggy Ingles & Arlene Magid

The top ranking sires and dams of Half

and Anglo Arabians at Sport Horse Nation-

als in 2012 are a diverse mix of breeds and

bloodlines.

Interestingly, the two partbreds that

won the most have French origins. Im-

naha+//, earned two National Champion-

ships in Working Hunter ATR and Hunter

Hack ATR; three Reserve Championships

in Green Working Hunter, Hunter Hack and

Hunter Hack ATR and three Top Tens in

Sport Horse Under Saddle Open and ATR

and Sport Horse In Hand Mares ATH.

Imnaha+// is by the Oldenburg Ideal

, whose sire was the influential French

Anglo Arabian Inschallah. Inschallah was

highly prized by the Germans as a founda-

tion sire for Oldenburgs and sired several

Olympic dressage medal winners. Ideal

was imported from Germany and became

the top sire of premium ISR/Oldenburg

foals in the U.S. and is approved GOV, ISR/

OLD NA, Selle Francais and RPSI. One of his

daughters is the highest scoring ISR/OLD

NA mare ever recorded.

Anglo Arabian mare Church

Creek++++// earned 3 National Champi-

onships - Working Hunter AAOTR, Hunter

Hack and Hunter Hack AAOTR; two Reserve

Championships in Hunter Hack ATR and

Sport Horse In Hand Mares ATH and two

Top Tens in Working Hunter ATR and Sport

Horse In Hand Mares. Her sire is the French

Anglo import Baladin d’Oc who stood at

Virginia Tech. He himself was a FEI dres-

sage competitor despite his pedigree of

jumping and eventing bloodlines. Baladin

d’Oc was approved by the American Hano-

verian Society, Selle Francais NA, and ISR/

Oldenburg NA.

Oh Say Valay, dam of Church Creek,

was entered into the Oldenburg NA Main

Mare Book in 2006. Sired by Oh Say (by

Hoist the Flag), a horse that jockey Bill

Shoemaker said was a better horse than

his 1982 Preakness mount, he earned

$78,000 and had sired earners of over

$16 million at his death in 2002. Her dam,

Spoonavalay was by the popular stallion

Carnivalay, who sired durable runners that

earned over $2 million a year from 1996

Interestingly, the

two partbreds that

won the most have

French origins.

55April/May 2013

through 2001, including 38 stakes win-

ners. He also has a reputation as a sire of

great steeplechasers.

The Friesian stallion Darktanion sired

Dark Prankster+++//, the top winning

dressage horse at SHN, earning 3 National

Championships in Fourth Level, PSG Open

and ATR; Reserve Champion in Sport Horse

Show Hack ATR and Top Tens in Sport

Horse Show Hack Open and Fourth Level

Dressage ATR. Darktanion was sired by

Jildert 299 and out of a Ster mare. He was

awarded 2nd Premium and High Merit at

his inspection. His offspring have earned

bronze in the AWS; and Reserve National

Champion Sport Horse, 1st Premium, High

Merit and Ster at FEIT/FHH inspections.

Darktanion earned a High Point Champi-

onship in the Tri-State Dressage Society in

2008.

Dark Prankster’s dam, Czapranka, is

a pure Polish mare. All four of her grand-

parents were imported to the USA. Her

sire Vezanka is a grandson of US National

Champion Stallion *El Paso, sire of Na-

tional Champions in halter, reining and

pleasure driving including U.S. National

Champion Mare *Wizja. His get have pro-

duced National Champions in halter, west-

ern pleasure, country pleasure, country

pleasure driving, English sidesaddle, na-

tive costume, sport horse carriage driving,

hunt pleasure, and dressage. Vezanka’s

sire *Veza is out of a full sister to 2 Polish

National Champions. Vezanka’s dam *Su-

zanka comes from one of Poland’s most

successful racing dam lines, that of Triple

Crown winner *Sabellina. Czapranka’s dam

Czapral is also an *El Paso grandget, giv-

ing Czapranka two lines to him. Czapral’s

paternal granddam Czatanoga is the dam

of U.S. Reserve National Champion Stallion

*Czeremosz and her maternal granddam

*Mimikra is a full sister to U.S. National

Champion Park *Meczet.

Czapranka’s purebred son, Czentinel

(by A Sentry), is an accomplished endur-

ance horse having recorded 2710 AERC

miles. Her Half-Arabian offspring by Dark-

tanion include MDA Darby +/, a 4-time

US National Top Ten Hunt Pleasure; MDA

Cinco De Mayo, a Regional Top 5 in hunt

pleasure.

Plezar+ sired C J One For The Mon-

ey+//, winner of three National Champi-

onships in Sport Horse Show Hack Open

and ATR and Sport Horse Under Saddle

ATR; and four Top Ten titles in Second

Level Dressage Open, ATR and AAOTR and

Sport Horse Under Saddle Open. Pure Pol-

ish Plezar+ is a Canadian Top Ten Native

Costume winner and a regional champion

in pleasure driving. His sire Gondar also

sired the supremely versatile Go Royal

Comandar+//, a multiple National Cham-

pion Working Cow Horse as well as a Na-

tional Champion in hunt pleasure and a

Top Ten winner in show hack. Gondar is by

U.S. Reserve National Champion Park and

National winner sire *Zbrucz out of Na-

tional winner producer *Gontyna. Plezar+

is a maternal brother to Top Ten Country

Pleasure and Native Costume Phlite+/ and

to Primroza, dam of 3 National winners,

2 of them National Champions. Plezar+’s

dam Patraza is by Negatraz, sire of 34 Na-

tional winners including Monogramm, a

World and National Champion sire whose

ideAl

imported Oldenburg. (Inschallah{AA} x

Pamela {Old}), sired Imnaha+//


1

2

4

7

1

4

2

6

7

57April/May 2013

3 Khemberry Bey V+//, a Huckle-

berry Bey son with multiple National

Championships himself, sired DM Khem

Latte+//. Ed Moore Photo

Feuertanzer, a Trakehner sired by

Martini *Pg*E*, sired two SHN winners:

Jazzy Cadence+ and Mondavi F++++//.

Plezar+, an Arabian by Gondar,

sired CJ One For The Money+//.

Rob Hess Photo

Darktanion, Friesian, is the sire of

top ranked dressage winner Dark Prank-

ster+++//. Photo by Gail Finger

Alu Minchah (Khalief x Ghaz-

mariah) is the top mare of SHN, with

having produced both Imnaha+// and

Arosenthyme MA++++//.

Photo by Scarlett

Knight Invader, sire of two SHN

winners: Elexxus Knight+/ and Spirit Of

The Knight+/.

Courtesy Tammy Mendonca

Scimitar, an imported Hanoverian

by Silvio, is the sire of LJS Sublime+/.

Photo Ursula Ferrier

Cabalito, an imported Hanoverian

by Cordoba, sired SC Cirrus Wind++++//.

Photo courtesy White Hedge Farm

1

4

2

6

5

3

7

8

55

3

8


get have excelled in sport horse competi-

tion.

His dam is a Hackney, Hallmandale

Lady Bretta, who has also produced full

siblings with National and Regional wins

in Hunter Pleasure, Sport Horse, Country

English Pleasure and Dressage.

Al Jassur Laddin, an Arabian, sired the

Anglo Arabian One More Round ++++//,

who was National Champion in Working

Hunter, Reserve Champion in Working

Hunter AAOTR and ATR; and Top Ten in

Sport Horse Under Saddle Open and ATR,

SHIH Open and ATH.

Al Jassur Laddin has two regional

championships as a sport horse stallion

in hand (He was gelded at age 6!). He has

three lines to U.S. Reserve National Cham-

pion Stallion Fadjur. His sire Al Irhad Lad-

din+ is a regional champion in western

pleasure and a multiple regional cham-

pion in trail. (He was gelded at age 13).

Al Irhad Laddin+ is a grandson of U.S. Na-

tional Champion Stallion *Aladdinn and

is linebred to *Naborr, sire of National

Champions in halter and performance.He

also traces to the National Champion sires

Bamby, Indraff, Skorage and Fadjur.

Al Jassur Laddin is out of Somkinda-

wonderful, a maternal sister to twice Top

Ten Halter and four times Top Ten Hunt

Pleasure DA Twilight Zone+/. Somkinda-

wonderful is a granddaughter of multiple

National Champion Stallion and Western

Pleasure Khemosabi++++//, sire of 110

National winners. Her dam, National win-

ner producer Fiezona, is a granddaughter

of U.S. Top Ten Stallion Gamuzon and U.S.

National Champion Park *Oran Van Crab-

bet.

One More Round’s dam is a Thorough-

bred named Winifred, who had raced 24

times and later was a very successful show

hunter. She was sired by Priority, a Grade 2

stakes placed winner of $173,000 sired by

Native Royalty. Winifred’s dam, Regency

Doll, was by Ardent John, a stakes placed

earner of over $130,000, who traces back

to Man O’War.

The imported black Hanover-

ian Rosenthal is the sire of Arosenthyme

MA+++// who earned two National Cham-

pionships in Training Level Dressage Jun-

ior Horse and Sport Horse In Hand Mares,

Reserve Champion in Training Level Dres-

sage and Top Tens in Sport Horse Under

Saddle Junior Horse and Sport Horse In

Hand Mares ATH. Rosenthal has sired over

90% Premium Oldenburg foals and two

Special Premium foals out of only a few

in the US. One of those is the Half-Arabian

RosEbony (x Bey Ebony Rose) who went

on to achieve Verband Premium Mare

status. Half-Arabian son Raayder (x Afire-

light) earned a National Top Ten in the

Yearling Sport Horse Colt/Gelding In Hand.

Rosenthals Minuet+ (x Ambres Blue Angel)

is a National and Regional winner in Sport

Mares In Hand.

Rosenthal is ranked #3 in the 2012

USEF Leading Hunter Sires and has previ-

ously been ranked #1 in Dressage Breed-

ing Sires. Rumors (x WB) was USDF Horse

of the Year and won the Fillies of 2004

with a score of 85.5% giving her the high-

est score in the open classes at Dressage

at Devon earning the Breeders Award

´Born in the USA.’

Rosenthal’s sire is Rubinstein I, an ac-

complished dressage performer, he had

40 wins at Grand Prix level, was a member

of the 1996 Olympic team, sired 89 state

premium mares and 66 approved stallions.

Khemberry Bey V+// is the sire of DM

Khem Latte+//, who won National Champi-

onships in First Level Dressage and Sport

Horse Under Saddle; a Reserve Champion

in Sport Horse Under Saddle ATH and two

Top Ten titles in Training Level Dressage

AAOTR and First Level Dressage AAOTR.

Khemberry Bey V+// has 21 National

titles in english sidesaddle and show hack

rosentHAlan imported Hanoverian by Rubinstein I, sire of Arosenthyme MA+++//

59April/May 2013

with multiple National Championships in

show hack. He is also the sire of multiple

National Champion Dressage DM Vivid

Khemistry+/. He is by U.S. Reserve Na-

tional Champion Futurity Colt and English

Pleasure Huckleberry Bey++, sire of 104

National winners.

Khemberry Bey V+// is out of Khemad-

era, also dam of Khemberry Bey V+//’s

full sister, multiple National Champion

Mare and National Champion producer

Keepsake V and full brother Huck Finn,

sire of a National Champion in dressage.

Khemadera was from the first foal crop of

multiple National Champion Stallion and

Western Pleasure Khemosabi++++//, for

many years the breed’s leading living sire

of champions.

DM Khem Latte’s dam is an unpapered

Hanoverian mare, Finessa.

Scimitar is the sire of LJS Sublime+/

who was National Champion in First Level

Dressage AAOTR, Reserve National Cham-

pion in First Level ATR, and received four

Top Tens in Training Level Junior Horse,

Training Level ATR and AAOTR and Sport

Horse In Hand Geldings ATH.

Scimitar is an imported Elite Hanover-

ian stallion, registered with the ISR/OLD

NA, American Hanoverian Society and RPSI.

Scimitar is the only son of the very popular

German Oldenburg sire Silvio (by Sandro)

who stood in the U.S. Silvio produced 13

licensed stallions and 17 States Premium

mares who went on to show in jumping

careers. Scimitar’s mother Carballina is a

States Premium daughter of the legendary

Holsteiner stallion Calypso II.

As a yearling, Scimitar was Champion

Colt and Reserve Champion young horse

at Dressage at Devon. As a 4 year old, he

won the stallion class and placed second

under saddle. Scimitar successfully com-

pleted his 100-day Stallion Performance

Test at Rancho Murieta with an overall

score of 111.55, ranked 6th overall with

very high rideability scores. Scimitar also

competed up to Fourth Level Dressage.

He has sired 3 licensed sons, one is

an FEI dressage horse ridden by Olympian

Bent Jensen. He has a son competing with

Anne Kursinski in jumpers in addition to

an Advanced event horse. One of his sons

was high score at Dressage at Devon win-

ning the Breeders Award ́ Born in the USA´

Grand Champion. A Scimitar daughter, Sas-

safras, was given the highest performance

test score by the American Hanoverian So-

ciety and thus became a winner of the Dr.

Walter Hartwig Prize for best North Ameri-

can-bred Young Horse in 2009.

LJS Sublime’s dam is BA Aprils Folly,

one of the few Arabian mares in Book I of

the RPSI. She has produced all Premium

foals including two Gold Premium. BA

Aprils Folly is a predominantly Egyptian

mare. She traces in sire line to US Reserve

National Champion Futurity Colt Shaikh Al

Badi, founder of one of the leading fam-

ily of sires in Egyptian Arabians and sire

of National Champions in halter and per-

formance. BA Aprils Folly also has a line to

the Egyptian import *Ghalii on her sire’s

side, he sired a National Champion in hal-

ter and was the grandsire of National win-

ners in several performance disciplines.

BA Aprils Folly has two lines to National

Champion sire Zab, who was bred by Hen-

ry Babson, on her sire side.

BA Aprils Folly is out of WJ Double Dal,

a double granddaughter of the straight

Egyptian Dalul, who was a U.S. National

Champion Futurity Colt, U.S. and Canadian

Top Ten Stallion, and a National Champion

sire. Dalul get have produced National

winners in dressage and trail and National

Champions in show hack and halter. In tail

female BA Aprils Folly traces to Serela, a

full sister to Top Ten Stallion and National

winner sire Muszkateer. Serela is by the

Crabbet import *Serafix out of the Polish

import *Muszkatela.

Feuertanzer sired two SHN winners in

2012: Jazzy Cadence+ who earned 3 Top

bAlAdin d’ocan imported French Anglo Arabian, (Flox x Forteresse), is the sire of

Church Creek++++//

Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech


Ten titles in First Level Dressage Open,

AAOTR and ATR; and Mondavi F++++// (x

MRR Suite Dreams) Winner of a National

Championship in Third Level Dressage, a

Reserve Champion in Sport Horse In Hand

Geldings ATH and a Top Ten in Fourth Lev-

el Dressage.

Feuertanzer was a Premium Trakehner,

although his performance test was never

completed due to an injury. Sired by Mar-

tini *Pg*E*, a multiple USDF HOY Champi-

on Grand Prix Dressage stallion who stood

1st or 2nd on the USDF Leading Sire list

for 8 straight years.

Cabalito is the sire of SC Cirrus

Wind++++// who earned a National Cham-

pionship in SHIH Geldings, two Reserve

Championships in Second Level Dressage

ATR and AAOTR, and two Top Tens in Sport

Horse In Hand Geldings ATH and Sport

Horse Under Saddle ATR.

Cabalito is an imported Elite Hano-

verian, approved GOV, who passed his

11-month State Stallion Performance test

and final 100 day test while still in Germa-

ny. Cabalito is one of

the few licensed sons

of the very elegant and

popular Hanoverian

State Stallion Cordoba,

the sire of FEI dressage

star Worley (World

Cup). Cordoba placed

fourth in his stallion

performance test. Due

to his outstanding dres-

sage qualities, he be-

came a member of the

famous Celle Chestnut

Quadrille as a 6-year old.

He has been standing at

Celle since 1993. Cabalito’s

dam Bianca also produced Wolkenglanz.

Cabalito was a successful show hunter

and jumper before retiring to the breeding

shed.

SC Cirrus Wind’s dam is Dessert Wind,

whose sire, Hu-Warwind, is linebred to Na-

tional Champion sire Ferzon, with 2 of his

lines to him coming through U.S. National

Champion Stallion and English Pleasure

Raffon++. Dessert Wind’s dam Athena

Royale is a daughter of the Polish import

*Piechur, a U.S. Top Ten Stallion, European

Champion Stallion and National Champion

sire. Athena Royale’s dam Royal Tesa is by

Canadian National Champion Native Cos-

tume and U.S. Top Ten English Pleasure

Royal Grand. Royal Tesa is a granddaugh-

ter of the all time leading Crabbet sire of

champions *Serafix and of U.S. Top Five

Cutting *Centaur, a Polish import.

Arabian A Friendly Fire is the sire of

Shezaffirecracker+//, who earned a Na-

tional Championship in Carriage Pleas-

ure Driving Gamblers Choice, a Reserve

Championship in Carriage Pleasure Driv-

ing Timed Obstacle and four Top Ten titles

in Carriage Pleasure Driving Working, Car-

riage Pleasure Driving Turnout, Carriage

Pleasure Driving Reinsmanship and Car-

riage Pleasure Driving Obstacles.

Afriendly Fire is a multiple regional

champion in pleasure driving and country

pleasure driving. Afriendly Fire is by U.S.

Top Ten Park Afire Bey V, the breed’s all

time leading sire of champions. Afriendly

Fire is out of National Champion English

Pleasure and Informal Combination Flare

Bask, a daughter of National Champion

sire Bask Flame. Afriendly Fire is also the

sire of several other National winners in-

cluding 2012 Canadian National Cham-

pion Country Pleasure AATR 40 & Over

Born of Fire W sport horses and National

Champion Sport Horse Carriage Driving

Fire Opal++++//, who is a Half Arabian.

Her dam is Foxy Style, a Saddlebred

sired by Foxs Legacy out of a Flight Time

daughter. Both dam and sire trace to

6-time World Grand Champion 5-Gaited

Wing Commander. Foxy Style has pro-

duced 3 full siblings that have regional

wins in dressage, halter, hunter pleasure

and carriage driving.

Taliesen is the sire of WCS Ring O

Fyre+//, winner of two National Champi-

onships in Carriage Pleasure Driving Ob-

stacles and Timed Obstacles; and three

Top Ten titles in Carriage Pleasure Driv-

ing Turnout, Drive & Ride and Gambler’s

Choice.

Taliesen is an American Saddlebred

sired by Sultan’s Santana, a World Grand

Champion Fine Harness Horse who sold

for over $1 million in 1982 and was one

of the highest ranked sires of the breed.

Taliesen’s dam Captive Moment was a full

sister to a World Grand Champion. Talies-

A friendly fire(Afire Bey V x Flare Bask) is a regional driving

champion and sire of Shezaffirecracker+//

Phot

o by

Stu

art V

esty

61April/May 2013

en himself had 8 wins with two Champion-

ships in driving.

His dam is Justishamba, who has pro-

duced 3 champions from 4 registered

offspring. She is a daughter of The Chief

Justice+//, a U.S. and Canadian Top Ten

Stallion, Canadian Top Ten English Pleas-

ure and US Top Ten Informal Combination.

The Chief Justice++/ sired National Cham-

pions in multiple performance divisions

and his daughters are noted broodmares.

26 have produced National winners in-

cluding such National Champions as Justa-

fire DGL (english pleasure), PS Afire Chief

(park), and Rumina Afire (country pleas-

ure). Justishamba’s dam Miss Tishamba

also produced multiple regional champion

country pleasure General Jackson+/. She

is a daughter of U.S. National Champion

Pleasure Driving and National winner sire

Hillcrests Tishamba++, whose sire Tisaan

was the first Scottsdale Champion Stallion.

Miss Tishamba’s dam is Hillcrests Imaraza,

a paternal sister to U.S. National Champion

Mares Lallegra and Imarfa++.

Knight Invader is a Friesian who sired

two winners at SHN; Elexxus Knight+/ (x

Black Lexxii) who won six Top Ten titles

in Sport Horse Show Hack Open and ATR;

Second Level Dressage Open, ATR and

AAOTR; and Sport Horse Under Saddle. His

other offspring is Spirit Of The Knightt+/ (x

Desertt Passion), who won three Top Tens

in First Level Dressage Open and AAOTR

and Training Level Dressage Open.

Knight invader’s sire, Warn 335, was a

First Premium stallion known for his pow-

erful gaits. Warn’s dam Mefrou was the

dam of many champion Friesians. Knight

Invader’s dam was sired by Sir Lancelot

who appeared in the movie “Lady Hawke.”

Knight Invader never competed but

is trained for exhibitions featuring high

school dressage maneuvers. His Half-Ara-

bian get have earned 20 National Cham-

pionships and Reserve Championships, 57

National Top Tens and over 200 Regional

titles in Hunter, Show Hack, Sport Horse,

Dressage, Driving and Costume.

Top dam for the SHN is the purebred

Alu Minchah, who is in the Oldenburg Main

Mare Book in addition to holding Regional

Championships in Sport Horse In Hand.

Her two offspring at SHN were Imnaha and

Arosenthyme MA+++//, both discussed

above.

Alu Minchah combines Polish and

American lines. Her sire Khalief is a full

brother to multiple National Champion

Pleasure Driving Khazzan+/, a sire of

National winners in halter and english

pleasure. Khalief is also a full brother to

National Champion sire Sher Khan. Khalief

is by Negatraz, sire of145 champions &

34 National winners & 52 National win-

ner producers, the most famous of which,

Monogramm, has sired World and National

Champions. Khalief is out of Bajalee, a

daughter of Canadian National Champion

Stallion, U.S. Top Ten Cutting and Reining

and National Champion sire *Bajram. Alu

Minchah’s dam Gazmariah is by halter

and English pleasure champion Gazarr++,

sire of 10 National winners in halter, hunt

pleasure, english pleasure and western

pleasure. Gazmariah is a granddaughter of

Gazon, sire of U.S. National Champion Stal-

lion and English Pleasure Raffon++, and of

the straight Egyptian Disaan, grandsire of

many National winners in halter and per-

formance.,

Arabian Chainti produced two winners

at SHN: Lady Loria++++// (by Hanoverian

Lanthan) and BSH Vintage Isabella++ (by

Selle Francais Pascal Depau). Chainti is

by the straight Spanish stallion TA Esca-

landoso, a son of multiple halter cham-

pion SR Rico, maternal grandsire of 2012

U.S. Top Ten Training Level Dressage ATR

Xenya. SR Rico is a paternal brother to

Arabian mare Chainti (TA Escalandoso x Fadney Ms Chablis) is the dam of two SHN winners: Lady Loria++++// and BSH Vintage Isabella

Arabian mare BA Aprils Folly, the dam of LJS Sublime+/ Photo courtesy Lazy J Sporthorses

Finessa is a Hanoverian and dam of DM Khem Latte+//


Pascion S, dam of U.S. National Cham-

pion Sport Horse Jackpot Colt, Reserve

National Champion Hunter Hack Junior

Horse, and Top Ten Training Level Dres-

sage Junior Horse, Training Level Dressage

AOTR, Hunter Hack AOTR and Green Work-

ing Hunter Czantiago++/ and U.S. Reserve

National Champion Hunter Hack ATR and

Top Ten Green Working Hunter and Hunter

Hack JTR Yo+/. TA Escalandoso is a mater-

nal grandson of *Barich De Washoe, 28

National winners, 92 champions and 40

producers of National winners.

Chainti is out of Fadney Ms Chablis,

who is linebred to *Raseyn through US

Top Ten Mare Ferneyna and U.S. Reserve

National Champion Stallion and National

Champion sire Saneyn++. She traces in

sire line to U.S Reserve National Champion

Stallion Fadjur, one of the breed’s most in-

fluential sires.

Additional Sires of two or more Half/Anglo Arabian winners:

Winterprinz (Warkant/Weltmeyer/Sender) - Hanoverian

Watermark – National Champion Training Level Dressage, Reserve National Champion Training Level Dressage

Junior Horse, Top Ten Sport Horse In Hand Geldings

Whata Tiny Dancer – Top Ten Sport Horse In Hand Mares

Titan – American Warmblood

Shineontitansilver – Top Ten Training Level Dressage AAO, Top Ten Training Level Dressage ATR

Titans IO - Top Ten Training Level Dressage Open & Top Ten Training Level Dressage ATR

Casini+/ - National Champion 2nd Level Dressage, Top Ten 3rd Level Dressage

Prince Sawda (Veneto x Princess Edna {NATAF]) - Arabian

Sawdas Lady Pasha – Top Ten 1st Level Dressage

Sawdas Nelita+/ - Top Ten Sport Horse Show Hack, Top Ten 1ST Level Dressage Open, Top Ten Sport Horse Under Saddle

MHR Nobility (*Elimar x Har Nahra) - Arabian

Ability – Reserve National Champion Jumpers, Top Ten Speed Jumpers

Winsomes April Fool++++//– Top Ten Green Working Hunter, Top Ten Hunter Hack, Top Ten Sport Horse In Hand Mares

Open & Top Ten Sport Horse In Hand Mares ATH

KB Omega Fahim++++// (Amir Fahim x Amyrah Adhemah) - Arabian

KB Khalila Fahim+++/ - Top Ten 2nd Level Dressage

KB Jull Fahim+// - National Champion Intermediaire 2 Dressage , Top Ten Grand Prix Dressage

Additional Dam of two or more Half/Anglo Arabian winners:

Solnika (Soldat x Chica) – Arabian

MJ Dot Com+ by MJ Fusion (CWB) - Top Ten Sport Horse In Hand Geldings Open& ATH

MJ Erika by Whirlwind II (DWB) - National Champion 2 YO Sport Horse In Hand Fillies

63April/May 2013

A picture is worth a thousand words...

One of the best ways to learn all about your horse is through

ancestor photos.

Spring Special from

Arlene Magid Arabian Horse Consultant

Buy a 2 page prose pedigree study or an 8 generation electronic pedigree

that prints out to be a 11 x 17 inch poster and get 6 GENERATIONS OF PHOTO RESEARCH

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By Helen Donnell

Photo Courtesy Eventing Nation

Helen was a dressage demo rider with her Arabian Stattok at the

USEA Instructor Certification Program National Symposium with in-

structor Linda Zang in February and shares her experience here.

The theme for the dressage portion of the Instructor Certifica-

tion Program was how to get from scores of 6 & 7 to 8 & 9. Linda

Zang emphasized repeatedly, at all levels, that the quality of the

gait is the ceiling - the score for a particular movement cannot be

higher than the quality of gait during the movement. So the key

to raising test scores is to raise the quality of the gaits. This pre-

supposes that the horse has “3 good gaits” and that there are no

major/serious gaps or problems in the basic training. The horses

selected to demon-

strate all consis-

tently score in the

mid 30’s or better

at their level (equal

to 65%+ in regular

dressage).

I was in the

first rider group

of the day, which

sadly meant a lot of

standing and walk-

ing while Linda

laid her foundation

with the audience.

She was pleased

with my horse,

Stattok’s, walk and

trot, but noted that

he was tight and not through enough in canter to score above a 6

or 7. The other horse in our group was less balanced in trot, and

was used to illustrate exercises for improving that gait. Most of

the change was in the rider, who tended to collapse to the inside

and let the horse rush forward in a flat/on the forehand frame.

Our canter work was short due to the time constraint, but high-

ly productive. Linda noted that Stat was bulging his outside shoul-

der very slightly. She asked me to do one step of leg yield off the

rail (towards the leading leg) which worked like magic. Stat’s back

came up and his canter became more jumpy. Instant change from

a 6 to an 8. I’ve since been playing with this in our dressage work

at home, and am seeing a consistent improvement in Stat’s canter

and counter-canter (works there too). It’s very subtle - themore I

do this, the more I find that I only need the thought of leg yield to

achieve greater straightness.

Another oft-repeated theme of the morning wass that the

inside aids bend, the outside aids straighten. Linda feels North

American dressage riders and judges place too much emphasis

on bending, and

not enough on

straightness, espe-

cially in the lower

levels. We should

be straightening

first, then bending,

not the other way

around.

The other place

she sees North

American dressage

(not just the US,

Canada was well

represented in the

clinic) going off on

a dressage tangent

is the extreme em-

phasis on having

lower level horses “stretch down.” European riders, in contrast,

emphasize riding the younger horse in an uphill balance, and only

stretching down as far as the horse can go without losing that up-

hill balance. Riding ‘down’ puts the horse heavy on the forehand,

making it that much harder to learn upper level movements and

Dressage with Linda Zang

65April/May 2013

Mobile Horse SupplyYour personal shopper for the dressage enthusiast, is happy to add the work of yet another local artisan, Sue Kolstad, to our collection of unique gifts. Sue does beautifully hand painted in porcelain glassware in many styles that make great gifts and prizes. Her work has been used at several CDI’s as prizes, with great response. Personalized work is also available upon re-quest. At MHS, we also create custom coats, browbands, matching ties and many other items that

MOBILE HORSE SUPPLYUnique/Creative •• York, SC www.mobilehorsesupply.com

Bob

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rman

s

you will not find elsewhere. We also carry a full line of tack and clothing that have been tested and approved by local trainers. Please visit our website and soon-to-be online store. Sue’s work will also be available for sale on-line. We also embroider several of her designs on clothing.We also carry a full line of quality tack and supplies and specialize in the hard-to-find and special order items. If we don’t have it, we will do our best to find or make it!

Happy [email protected]


If EA Cygnus+// could tell you about himself, he’d boast. He’d start by telling you that he is the only Arabian to earn a USDF JR/Young Rider Grand Prix Horse of the Year Award. He would remind you he is only the second horse in the country to earn a USDF Horse Performance Certificate at every level of dressage and that he is in the top 50 horses of all time for number of USDF Grand Prix tests completed in his career (72). He would go on about his four national championships and five reserve national championships, and how he taught a horse-crazy teenager from North Dakota how to ride, making it sound like he planned it all.

And then I would gently step in, as I often do with Cygnus, and tell the real story.

Success with Cygnus

The building of a winning partnership between a girl and her horse

by MiMi stAnley

Don

Stin

e Ph

oto

67April/May 2013

Success with Cygnus

Don

Sti

ne


THE ROAD TO CYGNUS

That tale begins before Cygnus and I met. Growing up riding my

mom’s old jumper, Ibn Bee Zahr, and my Half-Arab pony, Merry-

legs+//, gave me the skills and courage I would need to handle

the journey that was ahead with Cygnus. One taught me to be as-

sertive and keep my heels down while the other taught diplomacy

and the art of getting a horse on the bit. I rode Merrylegs in the

last USDF Young Rider Clinic that Conrad Schumacher instructed,

where I began to understand what real dressage meant. It was

also the event that made me realize I needed a schoolmaster. At

the age of 15, when I saw an ad for a grey Grand Prix Arabian geld-

ing named Cygnus, I immediately knew he was the horse I was

looking for, but actually getting him was another matter. Bringing

him from Louisiana to our farm in North Dakota involved a 3,4oo

mile trip and some creative financing. We maxed out a low-inter-

est credit card, refinanced the family pickup and trailer and Cyg-

nus’ owner agreed to take payments over the course of a year. My

end of the bargain was to work our training horses for free through

high school.

BUILDING A GRAND PRIX PARTNERSHIP

Cygnus and I meshed right away, but he was not a quiet or tol-

erant schoolmaster. He wants to call the shots and requires a com-

pletely focused ride. In those early days, Cygnus regularly tested

my ability to stay aboard, especially with his penchant for rec-

reational shying, but we pushed through to a great first summer

together as I learned his rules. We were able to get most of the

scores for my USDF Silver Medal and we were Reserve National

Champion Fourth Level at the Canadian Nationals.

Mimi with PR Merrylegs and Cygnus

Cygnus and I meshed right

away, but he was not a

quiet or tolerant

schoolmaster.

BobT

arr.c

om P

hoto

69April/May 2013


The next season I started showing him in the FEI small tour

(Prix St. George and Intermediare I), finishing my silver medal and

the I-1 scores for my gold. During a double show weekend, I de-

cided to change our final ride to Grand Prix to see if we could

pull it off. Adding piaffe, passage, one tempis and zig-zag canter

half-pass was quite a chal-

lenge. Our first time to ride

it was in the ring! While

our test was far from per-

fect, it was an exhilarating

confidence-builder.

With conscientious

work and me listening

carefully to my horse, we

made consistent progress.

Later that summer, we got

one of the scores for my

gold medal at Grand Prix

and five “almosts” be-

tween 58 and 59.7. Those were painful. At this point, we were

ready for Conrad Schumacher to help us form a real Grand Prix

partnership.

MAXIMUM EFFORT

Our next challenge was getting a crafty Cygnus to work as

hard in the show ring as he would schooling. The same horse that

could perform 41 flaw-

less one-tempi changes in

training might choose to

quit at four in competition

if I let my guard down for

even a moment. To encour-

age him to put in maximum

effort more consistently,

I focused on keeping him

through to my hand with

the power on. We went out

to the fields to school the

hard work, like piaffe, pas-

sage and pirouettes. Ask-

ing for these movements on a hill increased the difficulty, making

the ring work seem easier. It also helped to only ask for a few steps

of piaffe at a time, give him a sugar and praise him, gradually ask-

ing for more steps. I became his personal cheerleader. With two

more seasons of training we were able to complete my gold medal

and Cygnus’ Grand Prix Horse Performance Certificate. The most

amazing award was winning the USDF Jr/Young Rider Grand Prix

Horse of the Year in 2008.

Another element of our train-

ing that improved his overall per-

formance was adding freestyle

into the mix. Cygnus loves working

to music -- the bigger and louder,

the better -- so his Aladdin-themed

Kur came to life. With this, his regu-

lar Grand Prix execution improved

and he gradually became more ex-

pressive in his performance. I still

had to work for everything I got,

but he was seeing me as a better

leader.

That season we decided to

compete in the FEI freestyle at the 2009 Sport Horse Nationals

in Kentucky. Torrential rains, nearby construction and flapping

ringside tarps got the better of Cygnus in the Grand Prix where

he bolted across the ring, but he pulled off a National Champion-

ship at Intermediare 2. On the final evening, just as the music

started for our freestyle, he reared. The audience loved it, think-

ing it was planned but I was sure

surprised! Cygnus went on to give

a fire-breathing performance and

was named National Champion. I

was so proud; he had given me ev-

erything he had.

PURSUING DRESSAGE’S “ROYAL

FLUSH”

By 2010 Cygnus was a more

finished reliable Grand Prix horse

& I a better rider and we had nu-

merous great rides at Grand Prix.

That year he was National Champi-

on Sport Horse Show Hack where

he put in a “mostly” stellar performance. I say mostly because at

the hand gallop he struck at a loose strap on his bridle & almost

Don

Sti

ne

Don Stine


by Dave McAdoo, Tobruk TrailersA flat tire is no fun. A flat tire on a loaded horse trailer can be a catastrophe. Here are a few tips you can follow to minimize trailer tire issues in your travels.

Do my trailer tires need replacing? It’s difficult to tell by just looking at most tires whether or not it’s time to replace them.

The tread will almost never wear out, we simply don’t pull a trailer enough miles to worry about it. What we should worry about is dry rot which is a factor of the age. Visual inspection for any small cracks, bumps or bulges in the sidewall can indi-cate a problem starting to happen. You can help delay dry rot by storing the trailer on a concrete pad, gravel, or even on boards to keep the tires off the ground. Sunlight and the ultraviolet rays are also the enemy. Tire covers are inexpensive and can help to keep the sun off the tires.

How can I tell how old my tires are? If you bought the trailer used you need to determine the age of your tires. Every tire manufactured has a Department of Transportation series of num-bers on the sidewall; these numbers indicate use, strength, size and other information. The number begins with DOT and then includes numbers and maybe letters. Example: DOT U2LLLMLR5107.

The DOT number may not always be visible from the outside of the tire. It may be on the inside so you’ll have to crawl under the trailer with a flash-light. The most important numbers in this series are the last four digits a they indicate the week and year of manufacture. In the above example, the tire was made in the 51st week of 2007 and therefore probably needs replacing. Anything over 5 years old is going to be suspect.

Sometimes, you’ll get a brand new trailer with tires that have been stored in a warehouse for a while. If they’ve been stored in a dry, dark place that’s okay. Manufacturers buy tires in large quan-tities and keep them until needed so don’t panic if your brand new trailer has tires that are six months or even 12 months old/

What do I use for replacement tires? Most trailer manufacturers recommend and use ‘ST’ or Special Trailer tires. They have stiffer side-walls than ‘LT’ or Light Truck tires and are better equipped to handle the weight. Never use ‘P’ or Passenger tires for a horse trailer.

Trailer tires may be bias or radials, but keep in mind that although radials will cost more, they generally have better high speed durability and should last longer under heavy loads.

Always check the air pressure and maintain the pressure to the tire manufacturer’s guidelines that will be printed on the sidewall of the tire. Load range ‘C’ tires are usually 65 lbs., load range ‘E’ are usually 80 lbs. and ‘G’ range tires are 120 lbs. of pressure. Proper tire pressure will go a long way towards extending the life of your tires. Be sure and check the spare too.

Trailer Tire TLC

71April/May 2013

• Sport Horse Nationals Judge Brigitte Simmons - Dressage

• Working Hunters, Jumpers & Dressage

• Sport Horse In Hand & Under Saddle Splits

• Dressage Classes Added: PSG, I-1, I-2, Grand Prix

• New Home of Sport Horse Nationals

• Youth Championship Trophies

• Great Prizes! Neck Ribbons, Garlands, Trophies, Coolers

August 1 - 4, 2013Virginia Horse Center • Lexington, VA

Eastern Arabian Horse ShowEAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lynn

Kau

fman

www.eastcoastShow.comwww.eastcoastShow.com

http://eastcoastshow.com


DressageA Series By Sue Kolstad

Life would not be as we know it with-

out the horse’s intricate role in our history.

It is because of our need for various jobs

that we have created and developed so

many different breeds and diversities in

our equine partners. The need for conti-

nuity in our ability to progress within the

boundaries set by the horse’s faculties

has been the base for a common set of

training rules which govern all horsemen

worldwide. Our history with the horse

dates back over twenty five hundred years

throughout Europe, and so it is with great

pride that the America’s have created and

developed the western horse in a relative-

ly short period of history.

In this series of articles, I will be ex-

plaining how dressage is the basis for

training in disciplines other than the one

which carries the title of “Dressage.” I

have trained and competed in the disci-

plines which I’m writing about and have

used dressage to build on and improve

the quality of training every type of horse.

I love to study the history of man’s journey

together with the horse on our earth and

as I research the subject I find it fascinat-

ing to learn about how much of what we

do today in nearly every discipline goes

back to the cavalry. One of my greatest

teachers, Mykola Pawlenko, who rode in

the cavalry in World War II used to tell me

there is nothing new today which wasn’t

discovered by the great masters. As I look

into the history of Dressage, I realize more

and more just how true those words are. I

intend to show you in this article the many

similarities in the foundation for western

which parallel dressage in a fundamental

way.

Xenophon, a Greek Warrior and Com-

mander, is credited with leaving us the

The Western Horse

The Base for Equestrian Disciplines

Don

Sti

ne

73April/May 2013

first surviving treatises of horsemanship in

400 B.C. His work is the foundation from

which all classical principles of riding are

built upon, and the reasons will soon be-

come clear. One of the traditional battle

movements in those days was a very fast

impulsive gallop down the career where

the horse had to be brought back sharply

on his hocks and turned immediately in

either direction. (Does this sound like a

reining pattern?) The first priority was to-

tal maneuverability. The riders hands were

occupied with shield and sword, so the

desired result was an easily balanced war-

horse, trusting and obedient. (How about a

cowboy roping a steer?)The type of horse

Xenophon preferred to execute these ma-

neuvers was primarily the Iberian, Span-

ish, or Barb.

The horse was extinct on the American

continent when Columbus arrived in 1493

with thirty horses. The first horses to come

to America were primarily Spanish horses

in the sixteenth century and it is from

these horses combined with the English

Thoroughbred that the American Quarter

Horse was created. In my first article about

the Arabian Sport Horse, I mentioned how

the Thoroughbred family tree comes from

the descendents of the Arabian horse.

Janus, a grandson of the Godolphin Arabi-

an, is credited as being one of the founda-

tion sires crossed with the Spanish horse

to create the Quarter horse. The Spanish

horses which were brought to the Ameri-

cas by the Spanish Conquistadors after

being set free, turned into the American

Mustang over time. They discovered these

horses had innate “cow” in them which

goes back to their heritage of having been

bred to fight bulls over the centuries in

Spain, and thus they became the founda-

tion stock for the quarter horse of today.

The cow horse was developed to maneu-

ver from the cowboy’s seat and legs, free-

ing his hands for work on the range. It was

also necessary for the horse to engage

and come under easily with the haunches

in order to be balanced enough to per-

form with lightness and agility. All of these

qualities were requirements for the ideal

Greek war horse which is the base for the

ideal western performance horse of today.

The horse has been man’s partner

throughout history. The need for a war

horse coupled with the need for a serv-

ant required a mastery of the horse. We no

longer require the use of the horse for war

or work purposes in today’s world so the

horse has become our partner and friend

in sport. The challenge of matching others,

excelling in skill, dexterity in the saddle, is

the basis of the inexhaustible number of

equestrian sports in today’s world. Where

ever there is a horse and a man, there will

be competition to suit the needs of their

immediate surroundings.

The western saddle is unique to the

cowboys of the American West. It was de-

signed specifically for roping cattle on the

range with the horn primarily for wrapping

the rope around and the base being large

enough to distribute the weight evenly

over the horse’s back. It is with great pride

that we can brag that western saddles and

western horses have influenced Europe

and are being exported to Europe at an

accelerated rate in the last 15 years. The

Great American West fills our country with

our own history of the horse and we have

created an entirely unique style of riding

and competitions which have its founda-

tion from the mastery of the California

Vaquero, whose style and horsemanship

Xenophon, forefather of dressage

clearly resembles that of Xenophon.

Today’s western horse comes in all

shapes, sizes, colors and breeds, as long

as the horse is somewhat compact and

able to balance itself easily. The sport

of western riding has blossomed in the

twentieth century with a remarkable vari-

ety of events which make vastly different

demands on the horse and rider – reining,

cutting, working cow horse, western pleas-

ure, western riding, trail, barrel racing,

pole bending, to name some of the most

popular ones. Although western style rid-

ing carries a label which separates it from

“English” style which was brought here

from Europe, the same basic principles

of training and horsemanship apply to all

horses and horsemen. After looking back

into the history of man’s partnership with

the horse it is easy to understand how

the principles of dressage apply to man

and horse working together as partners to

perform in harmony. A correct posture or

seat, good balance, timing, subtle aids or

“cues”, soft hands and the ability to coor-

dinate it all results in bringing the horse to

the rider’s disposal.

These are essential elements for riding

both western and in the sport of dressage.

Although western has taken a different

Don

Sti

ne

About Suesage.

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 pre-

lim, competed in combined driving, hunt-

ers, jumpers, endurance 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 cham-

pionships through all the levels up to GP.

Sue is devoted to education and the clas-

sical development of the sport of Dres-

sage, which consumes her life. Not many

people can say, “I love what I do and I do

what I love”

Sue Kolstad is an S rated Dressage

Judge, a recipient of all three USDF med-

als, Bronze, Silver and Gold. She has been

active in Dressage for over 30 years. Her

resume includes a teaching degree in edu-

cation, Riding Instructor Certification from

UW River Falls Wi., Vi Hopkins Symposium

for Riding Instructors, participation in all

educational potions of the USDF Instruc-

tor Certification program.

Sue has trained and competed many

horses through FEI levels including three

at Grand Prix. Her background includes

training extensively with a European Mas-

ter for several years as well as continuing

to train and clinic as often as possible with

top clinicians and respected professionals

both in the US and abroad. She is an avid

reader and student of the history of dres-


path, the basics come from the same ori-

gins. Many of the move-

ments resemble one an-

other, for instance a spin

is a form of a pirouette,

a side pass is similar to

a leg yield or half pass,

and head set resem-

bles the curved neck

and arched back when

a dressage horse is on

the bit. The western

shows offer freestyles

which are judged very

much the same as the

freestyles in dressage

and many times western

riders have paired with

dressage riders to give

exhibitions at competi-

tions to demonstrate the similarities. Now

western dressage is becoming popular

at many breed shows and it looks like it

is taking off. The first time I was asked to

judge it, my response was enthusiastic as

long as I could remain true to my stand-

ard of requiring a pure three beat canter.

I was delighted to discover that was part

of the directives for the lope in western

dressage.

Many times riders come into dressage

from a western pleasure back ground.

When I re train a western horse for dres-

sage I can count on it understanding how

to give to the bit and reach forward and

down. I have to teach it to go more forward

and come up to the contact rather than

back away from it. One of the biggest dif-

ferences between western and dressage is

the first and most fundamental principle

from the training scale used in dressage,

“rhythm,” which means purity of gaits. A

75April/May 2013

dressage horse is required to have a four

beat walk, a two beat trot, and a three beat

canter. The western pleasure horse has

been slowed down to a point where many

times the purity of the gait is compro-

mised. Lack of forward energy and expres-

sion of gaits is one of the biggest differ-

ences between a western pleasure horse

and a basic training level dressage horse.

The basic principles of gymnasticising

the horse to build strength and develop

correct muscles from dressage can eas-

ily be applied to any horse and enhances

the physique and longevity of the horse’s

body. The reason many dressage horses

are competing well into their twenties is

because of the foundation of using train-

ing methods to build and strengthen the

animal as an athlete. If more trainers and

judging standards would adopt the train-

ing scale which is the established “bible”

of training rules worldwide in dressage,

horses would stay sounder longer across

the board. History shows us where the

western horse finds its origins, and now

that dressage is working its way into the

western world, the future is yet to be told.

I hope this article has helped to en-

lighten the readers as to how dressage

is the foundation for all good riding and

when applied correctly enhances the

performance in every arena. The sport of

Dressage takes these principles to another

level and has developed into a separate

field of competition in today’s world, but

the inherent principles of dressage apply

as the basic foundation of training for all

horses. A line from a famous poem in the

ancient Koran reads:”Thou shalt find hap-

piness all over the earth and thou shalt be

favored above all other creatures, for to

thee shall accrue the love of the master

of the earth”. Long is the road which the

horse has travelled with us throughout our

history. What remains of the past today

are the things which we will use as build-

ing blocks for the future. Classical princi-

ples have stood the test of time and hope-

fully will continue to do so for the future

of the horse in sport.

mailto:prtc%40bektel.com?subject=

http://prtcdressage.com


T aylor Bowman didn’t set out to win the AHA High

Point Youth of the Year Award in 2012, but she

did and in unprecedented fashion!

2012 didn’t seem a likely year to try for it;

there were only 5 Arabian shows on the Bowman Sport Horses’

schedule, 1 regular local show, 1 Regional and pre-show, and Ca-

nadian Nationals and Sport Horse Nationals. What she did have

going for her were some very nice, but challenging horses to ride.

They included BSH Vintage Isabella, a 4-year-old Arab/Selle Fran-

cais mare bred by her family in her first year of showing under

saddle. Next was the 9-year-old half sister to Isabella, Lady Loria

++++// whom Taylor had already had much success with, but was

now retired from jumping to concentrate on dressage. That left the

8-year-old stallion Annapolis ++// and the 8-year-old mare Imnaha

+// owned by Sarah Asby as her purebred and half Arab hunters.

They were both only in their second year of showing over fences

and still pretty green.

To some that might have seemed like a big load, but Taylor was

very excited and up to the challenge of riding these different hors-

es in all the different disciplines. Sometimes the hardest part was

just getting all the tack and wardrobe changes done at the shows!

Taylor also found it challenging to

keep up with school and still put

in enough time with the horses. As

a freshman dealing with her first year

in high school, she knew she had to keep her

grades up. She has always had her eye on

a full or partial scholarship to a top univer-

sity with a good equestrian team, so grades were a l w a y s

going to be a factor. Just in case she hadn’t given herself enough to

do, she was also on her high school equestrian team competing in

three 4-day meets during the year. (She ended up earning her let-

ter for 2012 and was a gold medal winner in Equitation over fences

and Dressage in Oregon High School Equestrian Team - OHSET -

competition)

Right after the Region 4 Championships in June, it became

clear that even with only 2 shows left on the year for her, she was

competitive for the Year End Award. Since these were both Nation-

al shows, there were a lot of points up for grabs. Up to this point

she was having an amazing run; competing in over 30 classes at

Region 4 Championships and pre-show. The majority were earned

while never doing worse than a Top 5, and spanning almost every

sport horse discipline, including Hunter/Jumper, SHIH, SHUS, Dres-

sage, and Equitation.

From there, she never looked back. She went to Canada with 3

of the 4 horses; Imnaha +//, Annapolis ++//, and Lady Loria ++++//.

When she left for home, she had won 9 National Championships

and 5 Reserves. Some of those Championships were in very com-

petitive classes, such as Hunt Seat Equitation NTJ 14-17 and Ara-

bian Sport Horse Under Saddle, as well as many hunter and jumper

classes.

It seemed clear she was on a roll and pulling way ahead in the

points. Taylor got really excited about the possibility of winning

the High Point Youth Year End award and being able to put that on

her resume for college applications. Sport Horse Nationals was

next, and that show netted her 3 National Championships and 7

Reserves including one very sentimental win in the Half Arab SHUS

Junior Horse (Reserve Champion) on the 4 year old Half Arab mare

BSH Vintage Isabella bred by her parents, Scott and Ahna Bowman

Taylor Bowman’s

Don Stine Photo

Taylor and Imnaha +//

77April/May 2013

Taylor Bowman’sJe

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and out of their mare Chainti. She also had another big win on

Izzy’s half sister Lady Loria+++//, (also out of Chainti) winning the

First Level Dressage ATR. Taylor and Lady Loria+++// also rode to

the USDF All Breeds Youth Championship Training Level, and the

USDF Reserve Championship First Level, as well as being Reserve

Champion Training and First Levels at Oregon Dressage Society

Championships.

In the end, there was much to be proud of. Her year as a

14-year-old junior was very successful. She ended up winning the

AHA High Point Youth Award by 532 points with a total score of

905.5; the widest margin ever. She had managed to get through yet

another year of tolerating her mother as her trainer, and she had

forged some great new relationships with some amazing horses.

She now also had some good stuff for that college resume!

As of last week, Taylor and Imnaha have parlayed their winning

ways into success in the open Hunter/Jumper world winning the

Reserve Championship in the Children’s .95 Meter Jumper class

at the Spring Hunter Jumper Opener in Oregon at Mt Hood. She’s

very excited to be showing off what our Arabs can do, and looking

forward to another great year.Taylor and Lady Loria++++//

Cyn

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http://www.whitehedgefarm.com

79April/May 2013

Elaine Kerrigan:

Very attractive head set nicely on a well-shaped neck, though a

little thicker than ideal at the throatlatch. Neck blends very well

into the withers and shoulders with a good slope and long hu-

morous, giving this horse a conformation that should be able to

produce lift and reach of the forehand. Good saddle position as

a result of the withers being set well into the back and the for-

ward position of the forelegs. The loin could be stronger and show

better development. The hindquarter and gaskin muscling could

show better development. This is needed to produce the carrying

power to balance the lovely forehand. Adequate bone with fairly

correct leg conformation with hocks set in a sturdy low position.

Judy Hedreen:

In assessing this horse for an open sport horse, we see attractive

gray with a harmonious top line. A pretty head with a big eye and

a well-set neck that is long enough, especially if considering a

dressage career. The horse is a little thick in the throat latch which

might effect its’ ability to come onto the bit. There is a pronounced

wither that could extend a little farther into the back to ensure

a secure saddle fit. The shoulder has a good slope but could be

longer which would produce a better angle with the humerus, al-

lowing more freedom of movement. The front legs present more

serious issues. In this picture, the horse appears very straight,

Conformation ClinicWith Elaine Kerrigan,Judy Hedreen, and Peter Mileo

almost to the point of being back at the knee. The straightness ex-

tends through the pastern, which may not provide enough shock

absorption. The back is long enough and connects to a good hind-

quarter. The angles from hip to buttock to stifle form a nearly per-

fect equilateral triangle. The hip connects to a good gaskin. The

hock is low enough but could have more breadth, giving greater

strength to the joint when doing upper level movements.

Peter Mileo:

Nice head and neck which is attached nicely to shoulder. Good

shoulder angle. I’d like to see a bit more forearm or less cannon

on the front legs though this opinion might change if I saw him in

person. Hard to say. Front pasterns look a bit upright. Short back,

loin could be a bit stronger, hind end looks well angled and of suf-

ficient length compared to the rest of his body but it is not very

deep and doesn’t tie into the gaskin. Well let down hocks. This

horse looks like he would make a nice balanced athlete.

Elaine Kerrigan:

Sweet expression on this horse, but am unable to comment on

the placement of the head on the neck. Neck does appear to be

more developed on the underline than the topline, especially at

the withers and shoulders. Shoulder angle is steep and the with-

ers could lay further into the back. As the withers appear to be

placed almost directly above the forelegs, this compromises sad-

Purebred #1

Purebred #2


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dle position. Loin is a bit long and the hip is showing a steep an-

gle. Showing some hindquarter and gaskin muscle development.

Adequate bone, though hock angle appears more open than ideal.

Pasterns are a bit long. The pose of this photo makes for a difficult

evaluation.

Judy Hedreen:

Not a traditional conformation picture; it is difficult to reliably

judge this horses’ sport horse potential. She has an attractive

head with an intelligent and soft look. The neck appears to be

of good length, but is rather straight on top. The wither is well

defined and extends into the back. The shoulder is long but quite

straight and with a shorter humerus, the reach of the front legs will

be limited. The front legs have good bone with a nice relationship

between upper leg and cannon. Unlike horse number one, which

had straight pasterns, this horse’s pasterns, front and rear, have

too much angle. While long, angled pasterns will give a smooth

ride, it is a weakness in structure that predisposes a horse to injury

from too much stress on tendons and ligaments. In this photo,

the horse appears to have a long loin with the lumbosacral joint

behind the point of hip. With this and the over-angulation of the

hind leg, the horse may not have the ability to adequately come

from behind to lift the front end.

Peter Mileo:

Pleasing face, head and ears. Neck is hard to judge with this photo

but it appears to lack shape and looks planky. Shoulder looks to

be a tad more upright than ideal. Humerus looks of good length

setting the horse up for a good stride in front. Nice flat knees

and good front pastern angles. Longer loin than ideal and not a

smooth coupling. The rear legs appear to be straight in the hock,

and the pasterns in the rear look soft. Especially the right rear,

which is doing most of the rear weight bearing. If the loin was

stronger and shorter this horse’s balance would change and be

more positive than it is. Hind end adequate in length and ties in

to the gaskin well. I don’t think this horse is going to be the most

athletic horse due to the loin and straight back legs.

Elaine Kerrigan:

Pleasing head set on a neck of good length and shape. Neck ties

smoothly into the withers and shoulder, however the shoulder an-

gle is steeper than ideal. Withers could tie further into the back

for a nice saddle position, however saddle position is helped by

the forward placement of the forelegs. Nicely developed loin and

hindquarter muscling, which makes me think of a good training

and riding program. Good bone showing a sturdy

conformation for sport horse activities.

Judy Hedreen:

This horse has a pleasing look and overall harmony for a sport

horse type. The pretty head connects well with the neck. The poll

could be longer, and the throatlatch is clean. The neck is a good

length for dressage or jumping and connects well with the with-

er. The wither should be more pronounced, which may develop

with age and muscling. Lack of a good wither makes saddle fitting

more difficult. The shoulder appears rather straight and the hu-

merus could be longer for more freedom of movement. The front

leg looks quite good with enough bone and good pastern length

and angle. The back and loin look of good length and strong. From

the photo angle, it is difficult to tell about the lumbosacral joint

and length from hip to point of buttock. However, the hindquarter

looks to have good angles and extends down to a well-structured

hind leg with good angles.

Purebred #3

81April/May 2013

Peter Mileo:

Interesting to compare this horse to Purebred #2. This looks like

horse number 2 with a better loin and hind legs. Same straight-

er shoulder but the neck is better shaped and set better on the

shoulder and out of the wither. The knees are not as flat as Pure-

bred #2 but both have short cannons and good pastern angles.

Tighter loin gives this horse better balance. Better angles in the

hind legs and also has a hind end that ties in to the gaskin well. I

believe this horse would be more athletic than Purebred #2.

Elaine Kerrigan:

Pleasing head, though a bit long, set on a shorter than ideal neck.

Neck show a good shape, but is rather thick at the thoatlatch. Neck

does tie smoothly into the shoulders, however the shoulder angle

could be more sloped. Withers tie well into the back and fore-

leg placement is adequate for a fairly good saddle position. Loin

appears adequate in development though the excessive hind leg

length from stifle to hock has placed the hindquarters higher than

the forehand. This is often a difficult

conformation to overcome. Would like to see more overall muscle

development and I wonder if this is a youngster in the gawky two

year old range, as being shown in a bridle.

Judy Hedreen:

Very pretty, feminine head with a big eye on this nicely colored

grey. As a two year old, the filly looks to be in a growing stage,

higher behind giving an overall downhill appearance. Therefore,

some of the comments today may not apply to this filly when she

is mature. The neck is well shaped and long enough, although

set a little low and is fairly thick for the size of the horse. This,

coupled with steep shoulder and shorter front leg, may cause

the horse to travel on its’ forehand. The front leg is quite straight

and needs more bone to match the body. I would like to see more

pronounced withers for a secure saddle fit. The withers may gain

height with development and muscling. The back is of good length

with a good loin. The croup could be longer and have less angle.

The hindquarter is well developed with a good gaskin, hock and

bone. The angles of the hindquarter suggest the horse is some-

what sickle hocked. The overall appearance is attractive, and with

maturing she should make a fine riding horse.

Peter Mileo:

Pretty head, neck looks a bit short and thick but well shaped.

Straight shoulder, flat knees, short cannons, upright pasterns

matching the shoulder angle or lack of. Butt high with a weak loin

and what appears to be a poor coupling. Hind end angles are not

good. The length from point of hip to point of buttock looks quite

a bit longer than point of buttock to stifle. I would guess this horse

has a short stride behind and have trouble tracking up under itself.

I’d like to see better angles in the hock as they aren’t straight but

not well angled either.

Elaine Kerrigan:

Attractive head, with a bored expression, placed on a well shaped

neck that ties smoothly into the shoulders and withers. Adequate

angle to the shoulder and withers are placed well into the back,

along with forward enough positioned forelegs, making a fairly

good saddle position. Nicely developed loin and hindquarter cou-

pling and muscling showing correct and beneficial training and

riding. This is important since the hocks are set a bit high creat-

ing a taller hindquarter than forehand. Plenty of good bone for a

sturdy athlete.

Judy Hedreen:

This two year old is an attractive and harmonious sport horse type,

Half-Arabian #1Half-Arabian #2


which at this stage of development looks like a promising hunter.

A nice well-shaped head is connected to the neck with a clean

throat latch. The neck is long enough sitting on the shoulder well.

While the shoulder could be longer, it has a nice slope and joins

a long humerus creating a very good angle. This should allow for

freedom of the shoulder and a long reach. The front legs are set

well under the shoulder, with good bone, length and angles. The

wither needs greater height and definition for a good saddle po-

sition. The back is long enough with a strong loin flowing into a

well-developed hindquarter. The hip-buttock-stifle angle is more

open than the last horse which should give a longer stride. The

gaskin and hock are broad and well-shaped. Overall, a promising

prospect, whose expression asks, ‘can I quit posing now?’

Peter Mileo:

If this horse were a bit lower in the hind end or taller at the wither

he would be a very nicely balanced horse. Basically if his forearm

were a couple of inches longer he would also have a better shoul-

der angle and not look downhill. Other than that small feature

he would be the best of the 6 horses in my opinion. His legs are

well let down with short cannons and low set hocks. The legs are

nice and plumb. His shoulder is of an acceptable angle and his

humerus is of good length. In spite of the fact he is a bit butt high

he is probably a good athlete.

Elaine Kerrigan:

A plain head, with a pleasant expression. Neck attaches low to

very prominent withers and shoulder is steep in angle. Care must

be taken to make sure of a well fitting saddle. Coupling of loin to

hindquarters lacks sufficient muscling. Hind leg joint angles, espe-

cially stifles and hocks, are very open and could be cause for diffi-

culties to develop the strength for long tern sport horse activities.

Judy Hedreen:

This horse has a pleasant expression with a soft eye, although it

lacks overall harmony. The throat latch is clean and the poll long

enough. The neck is a little long and set lower on the shoulder

than desirable. This may make it difficult for the horse carry itself

in balance. The wither is pronounced and could extend farther

into the back. The back drops off moving into a weak loin. The

lumbosacral joint is behind the point of the hips, which can result

in a lack of muscle development and strength involving the back

and hindquarter. The croup could be longer and be less steep.

This back connection and hindquarter may lead to unsoundness

and back pain during a dressage or jumping career. While this

horse is not a competition sport horse type, it may well be a good

and trusty companion giving hours of pleasure.

Peter Mileo:

Let’s start with the positives. His legs are well let down. Cannons

in front look short and the hocks are set low. Legs look plumb,

knees are flat and pasterns have good angles. The neck is of good

length and shape but set low. His head looks pleasant with a low

set eye. His shoulder is a tad straight, not terrible, his back is OK

but his loin is weak and it appears his Lumbar/Sacral joint is too

far back from his point of hip which would mean among other

things that he is not going to handle weight well. He will also have

trouble tracking up under himself in my opinion. His hind end has

good angles but lacks length and depth. What really throws him

out of balance is the fact that his center circle is longer than his

front or back circle. If his loin was shorter and stronger he would

be pretty well balanced.

Half-Arabian #3

83April/May 2013

About Elaine About PeterAbout Judy1970 saw the beginning of Kerrigan

Bloodstock, with the goal of producing

Arabian sport horses. With that I pursued

dressage, endurance and a little jumping.

With a special interest in the bio-mechan-

ics of horses and riders, I also have an

extended education as a large animal vet-

erinary technician and as a graduate of the

USDF judges learner program. KB Omega

Fahim++++// is a stallion of my second

generation. He has achieved 4 USDF Na-

tional Champion awards at FEI level dres-

sage, and 4 AHA Sport Horse National

Champion awards at FEI level dressage. He

has offspring that have also attained USDF

and AHA Sport Horse National Champion-

ship awards. KB Omega Fahim++++// has

been inspected and approved for breed-

ing purebred Shagya-Arabians.

Peter Mileo has been breeding Arabian

horses since 1990. He started with Fad-

jur line horses and evolved toward CMK

horses. After several conversations with

Sandy Warren of Warren Park Stud hoping

to breed a mare to Aulrab he discovered

a coming 2 year old colt by the name of

Magic Aulrab and purchased him. After

a short show career they started riding

endurance where Peter feels he learned

about what makes a good horse. “Regard-

less of bloodline or even breed a horse

needs to have balance, well let down legs

and solid legs and feet.” Peter has studied

many videos of horses under saddle and

at liberty from Arabs, Warmbloods and the

great Standardbred mare Monimaker. This

has given him a well rounded knowledge

of what a good athlete is and why.

Judy has been breeding sport horses

since 1981. She is the breeder of Far Star

that represented the USEF and American

Hanoverian Society (AHS) in the 2003

World Championships for Young Jumpers

in Belgium, ridden by Laura Kraut; Ani-

mation, winner at Spruce Meadows and

Champion at Indio; Agincourt, winner at

Spruce Meadows and Champion at Indio

under Hap Hansen; and USDF Horses of

the Year Ghita and Coco Chanel.

Judy was a USEF ‘R’ dressage/sport

horse breeding judge for 14 years, a mem-

ber of the USDF Sport Horse Committee

for 10 years, and is a current member of

the USHJA Breeder’s Committee. In 2007,

Judy was appointed as a judge to the Han-

overian Mare and Stallion Committee.

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the most decorated sport horse in history

www.TranquillityHorseFarm.com ~ (908) 966-3200

*

2004 Arabian Stallion$5,000 Stud Fee

The highly respected Arabian

breeder Ruth “Bazy” McCor-

mick Tankersley died February

5, 2013, at her home in Tucson, AZ at the

age of 91. Mrs. Tankersley was the fore-

most Arabian horse breeder in the US, with

having bred over 2,800 horses.

Her website contains this welcome

message, which offers the reader insight

into this amazing woman. “I’m Bazy Tank-

ersley and during this magical journey

of over 65 years, I’ve owned about 2,500

Arabian horses. As a child I secretly dedi-

cated myself to the preservation of the

amazing qualities of

the Arabian horse and

hope to keep improv-

ing the breed, making

it ever more beautiful,

with better dispositions

and endowed with even

greater athletic ability.”

Mrs. Tankersley

bought her first Arabian

at age 19. She began

her world-renowned Arabian breeding

program in 1941 when she and her first

husband, Peter Miller Jr., moved to Arizona.

It started as a 40-acre horse she named Al-

Marah, which translates to “a verdant gar-

den oasis.” In 1949, she moved the farm to

Maryland, and then permanently returned

to Arizona in 1975.

With the specific goal of breeding an

athletic horse with a gentle disposition,

she searched the world for breeding stock.

Her foundation stallion, whom she said

“fulfilled my dreams and defined my men-

tal image of the ideal Arabian horse,” was

Indraff, the first son of Raffles. Indraff sired

254 purebred Arabian foals, and had more

than 2,700 grandget.

After the death of Britain’s Lady Wen-

tworth of the famous Crabbet Stud in the

late 1950s, Mrs. Tankersley imported the

largest single consignment of Arabians

ever made from England.

Of the Arabian temperament, she has

been quoted: “Disposition is undoubtedly

inherited. I have a rule here, that I have to

be able to walk in the stall of any stallion

and put on a stable halter with no chain

and lead that stallion out without any

problem. If not, he is a gelding. I don’t care

how good he is – because I think there is no

excuse for an Arabian not to have a superb

disposition.”

In an interview, she also said she had

strict rules regarding the management of

her broodmares. “If a mare doesn’t pro-

duce better than herself, I don’t keep her.

If she does, I still want to sell her when she

is around 12, to keep her better daughters,

and let her go do some good for somebody

else.”

Regarding her philosophy, she said in

an interview just last August, “The best

husbandry practice is to let Arabians live

with minimum stall time and a maximum

amount of time enjoying the company of

other horses.”

Her father was US Senator Medill Mc-

Cormick and her mother, Ruth Hanna Mc-

Cormick, was an Illinois congresswoman;

both were in the newspaper industry.

In 1949, her uncle, Robert R. McCor-

mick, who published the Chicago Tribune,

named her as head of the Washington

Times-Herald. It was a short-lived position,

due to her uncle’s meddling, but it was

there she met her second husband, Garvin

“Tank” Tankersley.

From her first marriage Mrs. Tanker-

sley had two children, Kristie Miller, a bi-

ographer and author of “Ellen and Edith:

Woodrow Wilson’s First Ladies,” and Mark

Miller, who owns Arabian Nights, an Arabi-

an horse dinner theater in Kissimmee, Fla.

She and Tank had one daughter, Tiffany,

born in 1970 who died in 2012.

Mrs. Tankersley

also had a passion for

education. She started

two schools in the East

and founded the St.

Gregory College Prepa-

ratory School in Tucson

in 1980.

In 2001, Mrs. Tank-

ersley donated her

85-acre property at 4101 N. Bear Canyon

Road to the University of Arizona, who

will continue to use it as a working ranch.

Over the next two years, her son Mark will

be moving the herd to Florida to maintain

Mrs. Tankersley’s vision with the help of

her longtime manager, Jerry Hamilton.

She is survived by her two children,

two stepchildren, six grandchildren and

two great-grandchildren.

Two books have been written about

Mrs. Tankersley and Al-Marah Arabians:

“.. And ride away singing,” by Mary-Jane

Parkinson, and “A field of Arabians,” by Su-

zanne and Jake Page.

Bazy Tankersley: Farewell

85April/May 2013

the most decorated sport horse in history

www.TranquillityHorseFarm.com ~ (908) 966-3200

*

2004 Arabian Stallion$5,000 Stud Fee

www.TranquilityHorseFarm.com

http://TranquilityHorseFarm.com


AWS INSPECTION AWARDS

Windy Creek Arabians is pleased to announce the results of the

American Warmblood Society’s National Inspection awards. Two of

their 2012 colts were named winners in the Weanling colts class.

Purebred colt WCA Hy Voltage (Hy Wynds x CD Mariachi), pictured

above, was the gold medal winner with a score of 83.35%. Half-

Arabian colt Hy Pryced Diamond (Hy Wynds x Ole Lady in Dia-

monds) was the silver medal winner with a score of 79.35%. The

class is not divided by breed so all horses compete equally.

To date WCA Hy Voltage and his sire Hy Wynds remain the only

two Arabians to attain Supreme status (score of 80% or above)

with the AWS. Additionally, Anglo-Arabian colt Hy Class Affair (Hy

Wynds x Celebrity Affair), pictured below, attended a RPSI inspec-

tion where he was scored as a Silver Premium foal. WCA is very

pleased with Hy Wynds first foal crop and looks forward to their

success in the future.

BITS and pieces

ISR/OLDENBURG NA INSPECTION

From Prairie Rose Training Center and the Stanley Family of Bis-

marck , ND:

We now own 3 horses that have been approved by the ISR Old-

enburg registry! Our Arabian mare PR Sun Kyst (The Midnight Sun

x PR Brandywine), her 2012 filly PR Conkystadora above), and our

2011 filly PR Conradina (below), attended the most recent ISR-Old-

enburg NA Inspection in MN and all qualified.

PR Conradina and PR Conkystadora are both sired by Hilltop

Farm’s Hanoverian stallion Contucci, the 2009 USEF Dressage Sire

of the Year. The fillies are now branded Oldenburg and double-

registered Oldenburg and Half-Arabian. (Photos by Ashley Blegen)

87April/May 2013

BITS and pieces (continued)

EVENTING NEWS

The 2013 Eventing season has given us a few Arabian-bred hors-

es to cheer for!

Canadian Olympian Jessica Phoenix has been competing the UK-

bred Half-Arabian Erodium (Emilion {DWB} x Calamintha by Dhruv)

for owner Vanessa Fenwick. At Poplar Place, they were 2nd in Ad-

vanced, 14th in the CIC*** at Red Hills and 12th in Advanced at

Pine Top.

Halimey Go is an Anglo-Arabian sired Trakehner stallion (29.91%

Arabian) ridden by Michael Pollard and owned by the Halimey

Go Syndicate, placed 1st at Rocking Horse in Preliminary, a 1st at

Ocala Winter Horse Trials in Training and a 14th in Preliminary at

Poplar Place. He is sired by Askar AA, who competed in the 1996

Olympics in Atlanta.

Riesling De Buissy, a French-bred Anglo-Arabian (27.18%) ridden

by Will Faudree and owned by Sterling Silver Stable, won Inter-

mediate at Pine Top Advanced after a 2nd in Preliminary at Pine

Top Winter. Last weekend at Southern Pines they finished 8th in

Intermediate. His sire is Oberon du Moulin, a winning Grand Prix

jumper, and his dam is O Vive.

Lauren Kieffer’s Anglo-Arabian Vermiculus (Serazim x Wake Me

Gently) earned a 5th in his first Preliminary at Rocking Horse after

a 4th and 6th in Training in February.

The last event for March in Florida was Rocking Horse HT, where

both Halimey Go and Vermiculus went head to head in Open Pre-

liminary. They were tied for second place after dressage with a

26.5, both went double clear in stadium and they were tied for

first! Cross country usually separates ties, but they both went dou-

ble clear again! Halimey got the win as he was 3 seconds closer to

the optimum time.

At Galway Downs International, the 18-year-old homebred Anglo

Arabian Oz Poof of Purchase (Sidi of Magic x Regalbatim), pictured

above, ridden by Katherine Groesbeck, held the lead at their first

Advanced after dressage and cross country, but dropped to 4th af-

ter a stop in stadium. Poof is the oldest of 3 full siblings includ-

ing Oz The Tin Man that Katherine rode to victory in the CIC2* at

Galway last March.

Entries have closed for Rolex KY 3-Day Event and there is at least

one Arabian-bred entered.

Houston is sired by Thoroughbred Reputed Testamony and out of

a 3rd generation Anglo-Arabian, Amnesty, from Ann McKay’s amaz-

ing breeding program. Her sire was the Anglo Quartermaster (Yan-

kee Lad {TB} x Jane Morganroth {AA}) and her dam the Anglo Quest

(Gadd John Dee {AA} x ReRegret {TB}).

Houston is owned and ridden by Daniel Clasing of White Hall, MD

who grew up riding Ann’s homebred Arabians. We wish them the

best of luck!

Phot

o by

Liz

zie

Hal

l

Phot

o by

WN

CPh

oto.

com

Riesling De Buissy


GRAND PRIX JUMPER

There’s an Anglo Arabian on the California jumper circuit that is

making quite a name for himself on the world stage. Misti Cassar

and Poeme d’Amour started competing in Grand Prix jumping com-

petitions in 2012 and surprised everyone by winning or placing in

the money each time.

Imported by Misti in 2009, Poeme is a 16.1 hand 10-year-old

gray gelding sired by Ryan d’Anzex out of Jacinthe Du Maury by

Fol Avril and bred by Cendrine Dutrait of Elevage De Buissy in Lim-

ousin, France.

Misty showed him lightly the first few years she owned him due

to knee replacement surgery. Their first Grand Prix together was

the $30,000 Pebble Beach in July, where they finished 10th. Next

came a win in the $30,000 LA International Welcome Stake and a

third place in the $50,000 LA International Grand Prix in Septem-

ber.

October continued the winning trend with a 3rd in the $35,000

Sacramento International Welcome Grand Prix and two wins in the

$30,000 National Preview Grands Prix the same week.

Starting back up at the HITS Desert Circuit in January, Misti and

“Mister” garnered a fifth place in the $33,000 HITS Desert Classic

GP and an 8th in March in the $15,000 Level 8 Jumpers in which

the fences are 4’9”.

With big plans to compete overseas in the World Cup and World

Equestrian Games and ownership syndication a possibility, the sky

is the limit!

We will have more on this outstanding Anglo Arabian in our next

issue, including an in-depth interview with his breeder and owner.

BITS and pieces (continued)

CROSSEN ARABIANS NEWS

Crossen Arabians originated with the purchase of their main herd

of Arabian horses at an auction in Hillsdale, N.Y. in 1986. Since

then, the Arabian breeders have branched out to breeding not

only purebreds but additionally, half-Arabians, and Warmbloods.

The Crossens primarily breed Sport horse type individuals for dres-

sage, hunter/jumper, and also a few western mounts to add to the

mix.

Last year Tom Crossen, Jr. showed four horses in both the Sport

horse and western pleasure divisions at the Reg. 16 Championship

Arabian Horse Show. Highlights of his winnings are: Champion-

ships in both First and Second Level Dressage-ATR with CA Gari-

mond+/. CA Dezarae-another Crossen bred horse won a Reserve

Championship in Arabian Sport Horse Under Saddle, Junior horse

and Top Five in Arabian Western Pleasure-Junior horse. Tom also

competed on CA Charisa, another Crossen bred horse, in the Ara-

bian Western Pleasure Select Rider ATR class and won the Champi-

onship. Khoncise, who started his show career in western pleasure,

was re-trained by Tom to the dressage discipline. Khoncise won a

Top Five in what was his first year competing in that division.

In the open circuit, Tom showed a two year old Hanoverian fil-

ly, Rhyana, at three different USDF Breed Shows and won three

Championship Fillies in hand classes with her. Additionally, Rhyana

went on to win the Reserve Championship in the Adequan/USDF

Dressage Sport Horse Breeding for two year old fillies. This was

up against all breeds that competed throughout the country. Tom

also showed Ripley CA to a 3rd place in the Yearling division. Both

horses were also bred by Crossen Arabians, LLC.

Jeff Janson Photo

89April/May 2013


As I work through the following chap-

ters, I’ll be looking at specific issues as

they relate to the Classical Training Pyra-

mid.

Problem 6: My horse is “spooky.”

This horse will spend an entire lesson

spooking and trying to get out of work if

you let him. Take a lot of time warming

up this one! If you are in a hurry, don’t

ride. Time is your best friend. Before you

mount, walk the horse around the full are-

na in both directions. This will give you an

idea prior to mounting where the horse is

going to spook.

You can try kicking and spanking the

horse each time he spooks, but in my

opinion you will get nowhere. The horse

will just be more afraid of the object or

area in question, and you will teach him to

fight rather than work. Then the behavior

becomes learned and a way for the horse

to avoid work altogether. This reaction can

be dangerous for the rider, too.

This horse must learn that the line of

travel is sacred. When you can keep the

horse on the line of travel, you will win. It

doesn’t matter right now what gait you are

in.

This is where you must take away im-

pulsion in order to gain submission. Once

you have mounted, walk around the arena

both ways again. No doubt the horse will

spook at something. Quietly halt and allow

the horse to look. Pat and encourage him

rather than punish him. You will feel the

“brain return to the body.” Often he will

audibly breathe. At this point you are able

to influence the horse again. Put your leg

on and encourage a step or two forward. It

may take a while in order to get past the

“ghost.” But he must go past on your line

of travel, even if it takes 10 minutes with

two steps of walk and halts in between.

When you have gone around the arena

both directions at walk, start on a circle at

either end—or perhaps in the middle of

the arena. Pick the place where the horse

has the most confidence. Using your later-

al bending, work to get the horse stretch-

ing longitudinally over the back as well.

By using the inside bend you will help get

the horse more obedient to the inside leg.

Once your circle is relaxed and obedient,

start making it a bit larger at each end.

Slowly work the circle until the horse is

quietly going around the entire arena.

Using a shoulder-in will help im-

mensely as horses usually do not spook

about something in the interior of the

arena, and by taking his vision away from

the rail in shoulder-in, you are taking the

horse’s line of sight away from the spooky

objects. This also gives you more control

with your inside leg for the line of travel.

The horse needs to think your aids are

more interesting than anything he might

see outside of the arena. When he is busy

thinking about your requests, he is not fo-

cused on spooking.

If you have a place where the horse

still spooks, quietly walk past that point,

reward him, and then trot on. Eventually

you will be able to trot by that spot. Al-

lowing the horse to spin and twirl with you

kicking and spanking will only increase the

frequency of the naughty behavior.

Repeat the same circle exercise the

other direction. Don’t forget the horse usu-

ally spooks more on his stiff, long side than

on his supple, short side. Just because the

left eyeball thought all was okay, doesn’t

mean the right eyeball feels the same way!

Repeat the circle exercise at canter.

You will note after a month, the horse

will still be looking but will allow you now

to keep the line of travel. You may not al-

ways have the same degree of impulsion,

but this, in time, will get better too.

In a dressage test, now you can keep

the mistakes to one movement only,

whereas before, this bad behavior influ-

enced several marks.

Continued from page 14

Always So Basic


Saddle Fitting

seasonally, it’s a good idea to have the fit

checked more frequently. And if you no-

tice a change in the balance of the saddle,

or if your horse develops issues with sad-

dling or performance that have been trou-

ble-free in the past, please call your fitter

ASAP. While it may not be your saddle, it’s

an easy thing to rule out, or correct. Re-

member that saddle fitting is an ongoing

process, and the more vigilant you are, the

happier your horse (and you) will be.

•••

Kitt Hazelton is a lifelong horsewoman. She’s

worked as a dressage trainer and instructor in Los

Angeles, CA and southern VT, and has been fitting

saddles since 1998. She’s an Associate Member

of the Society of Master Saddlers (North American

chapter) and sells, fits and repairs saddles at her

Panther Run Saddlery (www.pantherrunssaddlery.

com). She’s also a dedicated martial artist (Koro

Ken Karatedo, 3rd degree brown belt), avid gar-

dener, amateur photographer and prolific writ-

er. You can follow her adventures in saddle fitting

at www.saddlefitter.blogspot.com.

http://www.pantherrunssaddlery.com

http://www.pantherrunssaddlery.com

http://www.saddlefitter.blogspot.com

91April/May 2013


Dressage with Linda Zang


Success with Cygnus

frame. Stretching the neck down should

be done without lowering the raised with-

er.

Linda noted that Arabs, Friesians, and

other horses with a high neckset often

get ‘stuck’ at the base of the neck, and

that this must be overcome before correct

progress is possible. She was pleased that

Stat is “unstuck.” It was a nice validation,

because I spent the first two years of

Stat’s dressage work overcoming that

very problem. Credit goes to my regu-

lar dressage coach Stacy Parvey-Larsson

for persisting until we made that break-

through. I look back at prior horses and

trainers and realize that was a key piece

missing which limited our ability to do up-

per level work correctly.

I was able to watch two of the three

later groups, after settling Stat in a tape

pen at the trailer. For the other riders, lots

of small changes produced big improve-

ments. Riders displayed over and over the

value of having eyes on the ground, even

for an Olympic gold medalist (I think she

told Leslie Law to put his left hand down a

dozen times in 20 minutes!)

The other big piece for me was the

discussion of how to ride half pass. Again,

this was a contrast of the practice/teach-

ing/judging in NA vs Europe. We tend to

emphasize keeping the body parallel to

the long side, with the neck moved to the

inside of the chest and quarters wrapped

around the inside leg. Training in Europe

introduced Linda to the idea of riding half

pass as a traverse on a diagonal line. Put

the neck and shoulders of the horse onto

a diagonal line from the start letter to the

completion letter, then ride traverse. Ev-

ery horse showed a better quality of gait in

half pass, trot and canter, when ridden this

way, though a few riders had a ‘walk and

chew gum’ problem on the first attempt.

I’ve played with this a little bit at home,

and am finding it challenging but help-

ful. Challenging because the rider must

be better organized and prepared sooner

so as to identify the correct diagonal line

to put the horse on, and then keep the

horse’s neck and shoulders on that line.

Happily my regular dressage trainer

has been working quite a bit with Linda

this winter. I was much looking forward

to resuming regular lessons in March, but

with the EHV outbreak that plan is on hold.

So I’ll watch the clinic video and get eyes

on the ground to watch me and see what

we can do with Linda Zang’s insights.

took the bridle off his head! Cygnus had a

blast & loves his victory lap.

A new challenge now seemed within

our grasp. He had 7 of the levels needed

to complete his USDF Horse Performance

Certificate at all 9 levels of dressage. For

each level the horse must achieve 10

scores above 60 percent from 4 different

judges in a minimum of 4 different com-

petitions and include 4 scores of the high-

est test of that level. Our goal required at

least 90 qualifying scores. Although it’s

an achievement so rare it could be called

dressage’s “royal flush” I believed for Cyg-

nus it was possible. In 2011 we went back

after those missing Intermediate I and II

scores.

The start of 2012 was scary with Cyg-

nus’ Equine Metabolic Syndrome and

Cushings Disease intensifying resulting

in a slight laminitis episode. We got him

through it & continued on for our last

score. It came at his first show of the sea-

son. Cygnus was now the first Arabian and

the second horse of any breed to achieve

this distinction. We were also able to

complete the scores needed for my USDF

Musical Freestyle Gold Bar & Cygnus at 22

did his first Grand Prix Special test. He got

a 64 percent! Then it was back to Grand

Prix aiming at Sport Horse Nationals.

There we missed our goal by .6 percent

with a jig step at the walk & 17 instead of

15 one tempis. It was a hard pill to swal-

low but Cygnus was sound, fit & excited

about life so the most important things

were in place.

THE FUTURE

While it would be tempting to view

success with Cygnus as a string of accom-

plishments, my own view is that success

is the everyday journey with him and the

privilege of working the important details

of the upper level dressage horse. Look-

ing at 2013, those details will be in focus.

There is room for improvement in things

such as more engagement of his right hind

leg and suppleness through his ribs to

make his half passes bigger. I am so lucky

to have a horse that can and still wants to

work at 23. I am still learning from him,

but now he’s learning from me, too. We

are aiming for a season at Grand Prix and

Sport Horse Nationals, but it’s all up to

Cygnus.

Spring Is Here!Eira HRN (*Ecaho x S S Heiress)

Filly (Audacious PS x Breathless V)

Saint Sebastian (Saint Sandro x Haely Mercedes)

Colt (Masada Mazal x Nile Roze+)

Colt (*Romany River Tailsman x Cymply Precious)

Spring Is Here!Colt

(Masada Mazal x Nile Roze+)

Mirabella Bey (Mirage V++++// x Kholela Bey+++//)

Colt (*Romany River Tailsman x Cymply Precious)

Colt(*Doran SBFAR x JAS Silver Eyes)

Saint Sandro’s Silhouette(Saint Sandro x Shes All Girltalk)

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MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS, Karen Ernst, Herald, CA • Breeders of Arabian Sport Horseswww.MysticRanchArabians.com • [email protected]

Blue Moon Farm & Training Center • Sophie H. Pirie Clifton • Training, Clinics, Instruction thru the FEI levels Tryon, NC • [email protected]

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Tex

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