The Cadence of Hoofbeats

equestrianguru:

I have some exciting news for tomorrow, but right now I’m in a little bit of a melancholy mood. In 2008 and 2009 I leased an amazing 17.1h Westfalen mare named Chantal. I had been showing in the 3ft and the 2’6” for about three years and was dying to move up and fulfill my long-term goal of competing in the jumpers. 

I got the go ahead to start looking for a jumper and Chantal was the second horse I tried. We clicked immediately. I leased her for six months in 2008 and three months in 2009. She taught me so much. She won me champion my first time ever doing jumpers (I say “she won” and not “we won” because I just hung on. I can take no credit for that victory.) We took home a tricolor in the jumpers at every single show we went to. 

She was unflappable and would leave from anywhere. But she was also an amazing teacher. For a horse to be a great teacher, they have to posses the grace to accept your mistakes but the brain to know when to punish you for them. Chantal had this innate sense of when to help me out and when to let me fail. She carted me around for months until I got the hang of the height. Only then would she start reprimanding me for stupid mistakes. If I leaned up her neck at home she would slow down two strides out (“stupid little girl, I’m going to stop in a few strides because you’re breathing in my ear, okay?”) and then come to graceful halt in front of the fence. I’d turn around, do it right, and she’d jump beautifully.

She only stopped at a show once in the entire time I had her. It was my first time jumping 3’6” (much less showing in it!) and it was a Children’s Jumper Classic at HITs, so the jumps were set wide and true to height. I was trembling because I was so nervous. We got around the first three fine but in my nerves I was holding her back too much. I cut the turn tight to a wide oxer and unbalanced myself. She came to a stop in front of it, stood still for a second, and then turned and cantered right back around and over it. I don’t think I steered or asked her to do it at all, I just clung on.

She was such an instinctive ride for me. She knew what I wanted before I could even ask her for it and we were always on the same page. We started doing the Children’s Hunters as a warm up. To our surprise, we could go into the hunter classes and come out with firsts and tricolors. We were so in sync we could nail 8 spots and pull off some nice ribbons no matter what the discipline. Even on the flat of the equitation, she could somehow make me look good enough to get blues. I have never been a strong flat rider. We once did the USEF Talent Search as warm-up (and also because they needed a filler.) 

I’ve been so blessed to have this mare in my life. Its rare to have a horse you connect so immediately and deeply with. I’ve been lucky because I’ve had three. My short stirrup horse Austin aka “Rendezvous”, my children’s hunter Lips aka “Special Occasion”, and Chantal. All three mounts I felt this instantaneous connection with and was able to success where we should have failed. Austin was a 16h TB competing against fancy ponies in the SS hunter. Lips was an 18yr 15.3 hand TB who was supposed to just be my 2’6” eq horse because he was not a hunter. I had a large amount of unexpected success with both. 

I would love to take credit for it. I would love to be able to say that I am such a great, talented rider that I could hop on these underdogs and win. But the truth is, sometimes you find that once in a lifetime animal who makes you shine. I’ve found three so far and consider myself incredibly blessed. As I embark on my new endeavor of getting an OTTB to retrain and sell, I just wanted to take this moment to thank all my previous mounts for making me into a confident and capable rider. 

(Top two pictures are Chantal, so is the first one in the middle row. Second one in the middle row is Lips, in 2005. Bottom row is Austin in 2002 and then Austin in 2005.)