Meet Derby:  This Horse Makes Me Cry

If I had to go into battle, this would be the horse I would choose to take with me.

He’s the one who is ready to go put it all out there. Anytime. All I have to do is ask.

It wasn’t always this way, though. When he came to me he had some major contact issues. 

He was super short in his neck - and used it against me.  Really hard in his mouth and just…strong.  He was so heavy in the hand that he came to me with sores at the corners of his mouth from his leaning on the bit. He did a lot of stuff with his tongue, too. 

He’s always been energetic and has places to go, but in the early days, he’d happily drag me there along with him.   

But for some reason, that never bothered me.  I just felt connected to this horse.  I knew he could be ‘fixed.’  He had to be re-trained to use his body correctly.  

Not only because of the contact issue, but he has a funky front foot.  He wouldn’t be sound for long if he kept going the way he was going.

It took a...

“You have to buy this horse from me because I can’t afford the number of lessons it will take for me to figure out how to ride him.”

That was the call I got from my friend, Karen Reilly.  She’s an excellent rider and trainer.That’s not something you hear, like ever.  

I first saw him when Karen rode him in a clinic with me and I was like, WHOA! Do you need to lunge him? He looked very up! But she said he was fine, he’s very sensitive but also very sensible. 

He was a giant 4-year-old.  Big and lanky, 17+ hands of bay magnificence!  I mean, he really was striking to look at even then. He has the look of eagles, you know?

Even at 4 years old, I knew he was special. Super fun to ride, like WHEEE! 

But it turns out he is just EXTRA.  

He is a trier. So much that he gets himself worked up and ends up tense.  Tight in his back.  He even squeals when he’s really worked up about something. And boy, does he get worked up!

He’s got great gaits - but they’re buried beneath the tension.

I ...

OMG, OMG, OMG! This horse! He’s a mess! Legs everywhere, head straight up in the air, back like a hammock, spooky and just plain HOT. Lots of training questions. Completely out of my price range. I’m here to see if he’s good for someone else though. Focus. OMG

Yeah, this guy is not going to be someone’s schoolmaster. He’s amazing. He’s really got some issues. 

I love him.

I can’t stop thinking about him. I don’t need another horse. I mean, I always need another horse, right? But this one. He’s got some baggage. And he’s WAY out of my price range. 

But, man, I just really want to figure him out. I think he could be a superstar.

He is probably one of the best quality horses I’ve ever sat on. And I’ve been lucky enough to have ridden and trained a LOT of horses.  But he is one of the most talented. And one of the most difficult. 

Lord knows I don’t have a budget for this kind of horse. But, you know me! I don’t give up easily. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know, right? 

So I got a...

The wall is coming up fast. Denali is not listening to my aids to turn - he’s just following the wall and refusing to actually bend right. What the heck is this? 

I’m a bit shocked! I mean, this horse has been pretty successful at training and first level.  It’s been a while since I’ve had this kind of training problem, and I certainly didn’t expect it from Denali!  

Royally bred by the world-famous Pape Stallion Station, all things dressage should come easy to him, right? 

Nope!   

I mean, he’s a mega talented mover.  He was bred for the job, he has the talent, power and strength to go all the way. There are times that the feeling he gives me makes me dream of the things to come.  

But right now, he doesn’t bend right.  There go my plans for shooting up the levels!  But I’m really not THAT surprised.  Every horse has their issue. 

If you know me, you know it’s not so much about shooting up the levels as it is having a soft easy connection with him. I love self-carriage and e...