Wait - What Was THAT???

This past weekend we experienced freakishly warm weather here in Missouri. When I saw the temperature was supposed to be 70 or above, my thoughts immediately turned to riding. Hmm, where could I go? I got in touch with my friend and hurrah, she wasn't busy and said I could come over and swing a leg over LiRoi! Even though I knew we'd only be walking, I was very glad I could go. "Leafy" is the Giant Warmblood guy I wrote about here. I volunteered to help if he needed clipping, which I had a feeling would be necessary; he's always been hairy, but with the development of Equine Metabolic Syndrome he has really turned into a yak. Last winter was so mild that he had to be completely body-clipped at least twice and he's never blanketed.

I turned onto my favorite road going towards my friend's farm and felt my spirits lift. As usual, my head was on a swivel taking in all the properties that I pass on the way. One is my old H/J lesson barn, and the others are private establishments, but all have pastures with horses in 'em so I like to check things out.

I was zipping past this one place when I suddenly caught sight of Something Different. This farm had been for sale for a long time, and it's really gorgeous: you can see the real estate listing here (those of you on the East or West coasts feel free to laugh yourselves silly over the price.... I know what this place would run in your neck of the woods!). At any rate, the For Sale sign was missing and instead someone new clearly had moved in. Because guess what I thought I saw grazing???

One of these:

Well, okay, maybe the horse wasn't rainbow-colored but it sure as heck looked like a Gypsy Vanner. :-) I did not have time to stop and investigate, but planned to do so immediately upon leaving my friend's farm...

Sure enough, we found poor LiRoi sweating all over his shaggy and curly self. His leg hair gets so long he practically has feathers and the rest of him is not far behind. My friend broke out her two pairs of Oster A5 clippers and a half-dozen freshly-sharpened blades and we went to work. Oy! I should say tried to go to work... it was slow going. The damp, thick hair was not very cooperative. I managed to get his chest and between his front legs done but my arms got really tired and the clippers really hot. All we wanted to do was maybe a little trace clip; he's really not being ridden and we just wanted to give him a bit of relief as the weather is not supposed to cool down for another 10 days at least.

We gave up and threw a bareback pad on Leafy, and I climbed aboard for a little walking "trail ride" around friend's farm. She saddled up her other horse. I hoped that the dear boys would behave themselves as I'm not exactly in riding shape, and all I had was the leather loop on the front of the pad if things went south (it's a western-cinched Parelli bareback pad - no stirrups - actually very nice). Fortunately, the horses were fine and we had a nice little ride.

As soon as I left I made a beeline for the driveway of the suspected Vanner home. Sure enough, while LiRoi has fake feathers, these horses have real ones and they are indeed Gypsy horses!

 Pasture to right of driveway - mares and youngsters

Well, hello little fuzzball. Can you even see where you're going?

I've only ever seen one Gypsy horse before, so I was very intrigued. I know that the Brits are laughing all the way to the bank over the stupid Americans who think dime-a-dozen hairy cart horses are The Coolest Things Ever, and the fact that some of us are willing to pay astronomical prices for them, but I must admit, they are pretty neat.

 There was another bunch of horses in the left-hand pasture:

All told, I counted 18 horses, a pretty sizeable herd. I hope that the owners know what they're doing and aren't planning to make a million bucks riding the new trend. I was curious to see some prices so found this page on Equine Now:

None of these are from this farm as the city is wrong, but yep, they're definitely up there compared to what, say, AQHA babies sell for around here (not much). Like I said, I hope the farm does well and I don't see a herd sell-off some day. Regardless, it was a lot of fun to see these horses!

Ground: 1 Me: 0 (Maddie)

Imagine you're me, and there are two horses you ride most often in your lesson program. One is a Paintaloosa pony gelding, about 14.2hh. The other is an approx. 18hh Percheron mare. Now which one do you think it would be "best" to unexpectedly dismount? Probably the pony, seeing as he's almost a foot and a half closer to the ground....

Unfortunately, as you've probably surmised, I did not fall off the pony. No, in true Murphy's Law fashion, my last fall occurred from the lofty Percheron. Here we are at a show, so you can hopefully see I'm not exaggerating her height:

This was taken by my 6' tall husband, and really doesn't illustrate how tall she actually was. I'm 5'6" if it helps any!

Maddie arrived at my old lesson barn with a black TBx colt by her side. I was enthralled with her from the start, as I'd long thought Perchies were beautiful horses and I'd never had the opportunity to really get up close to one (other than petting the occasional carriage horse on the nose). She belonged to the BO and I had no idea what he planned to do with her. Her tail was docked so I knew she must have been trained to drive.

One day I was out with my friends grazing our horses after a lesson. To my great surprise - for I had no idea she was even a riding horse, and for that matter had never seen anyone riding a draft horse at all - the BO came trotting along on Maddie. We could tell she was not thrilled to be parted from her foal, because she was neighing at the top of her lungs every other stride and pulling towards the barn. It looked pretty exciting. I called out to the BO, "Better you than me!" and he responded, "Hah - just wait, I'm putting her in the lesson program!" My friends and I looked at each other like, okaaaaay... They had their own horses so didn't need to worry, but I certainly wondered!

The colt was duly weaned and sent back to the breeder (it hadn't been a package), and true to BO's word, Maddie was promptly put to use as a lesson horse. I did not think *I* would ever ride her, though; I mean, what did I know about drafts? Apparently that didn't matter because one day I showed up for my lesson and there she was, next to my name. Yikes.

Picking her enormous feet proved to be a back-breaking challenge, as did currying and brushing such a vast expanse of horsehide. Fortunately she was a good girl in her stall; since she took up so much of it, if she'd been bad she could have squashed me like a bug, especially while I was standing on an overturned bucket to clean her rump. The only trouble I had with her was bridling. She rather liked to raise her head, and that's a real issue when head-raising means it's 10' in the air. I was forced to develop a routine of, "Feed peppermint, stuff in bit whilst Maresy is chewing."

Once aboard Maddie, I found I was in for a treat. She was amazingly athletic for such a big girl, and had delightful gaits. A big, springy trot and a rolling canter, which covered a lot of ground without being so fast that it scared me. And she simply loved to jump! I think she was pretty green over fences, but her form was fine and it really was a blast. One thing that I especially appreciated was 2'6" looked much smaller from that view. :-)

I did have to ride Maddie in a different manner than I was accustomed to, namely with my hands higher, and really balance her between hand, seat and legs, but it was fun and a good challenge. While I missed my favorite pony a bit, I sure did enjoy the big gal.

A humorous post-lesson anecdote: the first time I rode her, as usual the other ladies and I took our mounts over to a grassy area to graze them afterwards. This was actually one of my most favorite aspects of the day, and we girls would stand around for at least an hour, chatting about this and that, while the horses happily munched. Suddenly Maddie's legs started buckling. I practically had a heart attack - what the heck was the matter with her? Had I killed the big mare with my inept piloting? Her knees hit the turf, then the rest of her body followed with a loud grunt and a thud. I must have been open-mouthed with horror - and I don't think my friends knew exactly what was going on, either.

Well, you guessed it - somebody was looking for a nice roll! Giant hooves waved around in the air as she flung herself from side to side. We onlookers were cracking up in relief. Maddie finally levered herself up off the ground, gave an earth-shaking shudder, and went back to grazing like nothing had happened. I quickly learned to expect this behavior from her after every lesson, and looked forward to the awesome sight of such a big horse contorting herself with glee on the grass.

The day I fell off I was in a de facto private lesson since my usual buddies weren't able to make it. Maddie and I were jumping a little course, and I remember turning towards a fence on the diagonal. I can't recall if we were trotting or cantering, but whatever we were doing, I completely misjudged the distance. Maddie floundered over the jump, and I was popped loose from the saddle and wound up sitting on her neck. I clung there like a monkey, really not wanting to hit the deck. Many horses in this situation panic and take off but God bless 'er, Maddie simply ground to a halt as I was forced to let go. I pretty much rolled off of her and hit the soft sand of the arena on my butt. It felt like a very long way down!

So, certainly no big deal as far as "wrecks" go. My trainer was not sympathetic in the least and quickly pointed out that I'd gotten Maddie to the fence wrong, which I freely admitted. I can't remember if I got back on but I'm pretty sure I did, since the only thing that seemed to be bruised was my pride. The next day, however, I felt some after-affects, namely a very sore neck and shoulders, which I think I got from trying to stay aboard.

I rode Maddie in the last horse show I participated in, an academy show. I was grumpy about riding her for a couple reasons, mainly because I'd hoped to show the pony, and also because she'd managed to get herself absolutely filthy. I had no time to bathe her so despite coating myself and my nice show outfit with a thick layer of dust we were not too spick-and-span for the show ring.

Nonetheless, we made a fairly good account of ourselves, as you can see by the ribbon haul.

I believe that's a first, a third and a sixth. I know perfectly well where we got the sixth; it was in one of our over-fences classes and I'm sure there were only six horses. Miss Maddie Moo unaccountably decided that she'd rather not jump the last jump and ran out to the left. This was not her usual behavior, at all. In fact, I don't think she'd ever refused or run out on me ever before. And it was towards the in-gate, too! I was Not. Happy. with her. We circled, I hauled for all I was worth on the right rein, and got her over the jump, but it wasn't pretty.

The first-place winning effort I also remember well. This was in Equitation on the Flat. I remain very proud of that one, and have the nice medal I won (around my neck in photo) prominently displayed. It was a good day overall and I treasure the memories. (Note: my vintage "tall" dress boots, ca. 1978. They still fit and are in excellent shape, but are obviously not the current style. Maybe I could have a cobbler add a snakeskin Spanish top? :-))

In addition to her being a lesson horse, the BO used Maddie as his hunting partner. They made quite a picture in the field with her braided up and him in his pink coat. This went on for a couple years, and she seemed to enjoy it very much. Unfortunately, the big mare developed a chronic lameness. This was after I'd had to quit taking lessons, so I wasn't around the barn and don't know what happened. Eventually she was bred to the BO's TB stallion and had another beautiful black colt. Sadly, I don't know where she is now... and I'm a bit afraid to ask. I'd rather just remember the sweet girl who I nicknamed "The Fridge" (her back was the same height as mine) as she was, who taught me that draft horses can be absolutely wonderful riding horses. Vive La France!

I Was Feeling Short

Why is that, you may ask? I'm 5'6", so not generally thought of as "short," so what's the deal?

I felt short when I climbed down off a 17.1hh horse, and had to walk again on my own two feet. It's very strange. I get the same sensation when I've been driving my husband's F150 pickup and then drive my minivan: it's suddenly too close to the ground. The funny feeling lasted for about an hour and a half on Wednesday from the time I dismounted.

HOWEVER, as you might guess, I was quite, quite happy to have that particular feeling, because it meant I had actually been on a horse! And nope, it wasn't a lesson horse, it was the giant Warmblood who belongs to my friend. I'm actually just taking a stab at his height, because I'm not exactly sure what it is, but put it this way: I can't quite see over his back wearing my Ariat paddocks with about a 1 1/2" heel, and it's very hard to curry the top of his butt. So I think it's safe to say he's BIG. Here's a photo:

His name is LiRoi (pronounced "Leroy"), and he's a 20 or 21 y.o. Brandenburger, brought here from Germany at about age seven. I had never heard of the breed before and he's certainly the only one of his kind that I've ever met. This website has some more information about Brandenburgers. I chuckled when I read, "Legs are thick and stocky, hooves are large and strong," because. BOY, does "Leafy" ever fit that profile! His legs are like freakin' tree trunks and picking his hooves is quite an exercise. My friend had a heckuva time finding boots that would even fit him, and even then had to settle for him wearing hind boots on his fronts. He also has a simply ginormous head, with a distinguished Roman nose. I teased my friend that leading him in a rope halter was like trying to steer a T-Rex with dental floss!

Leafy was originally well-trained as a dressage horse, but his importer and original owner decided he (the rider) really wasn't interested in that. Believe it or not, when this fella landed in the Midwest he was put to work as a hunt horse. Following the hounds actually suited him just fine, and he enjoyed several seasons of catapulting his large self over the medium-sized jumps and slightly hilly terrain here. I have gotten to go hunting twice with our local club, the Bridlespur Hunt (a major highlight of my equestrian career and something I really need to write about here), but I didn't get to see him out in the field. By then he belonged to my friend and was back to doing some dressage with her. Sadly, his owner and the man's wife had been killed in a horrible auto accident. My friend was very good friends with them and had been told, "If anything ever happens to me I want you to have LiRoi..." So she pretty much inherited the big guy (though she did have to pay a significant sum to the estate).

I have been fortunate to be able to ride LiRoi on occasion over the last 10 years, which I greatly appreciate. He is a bit of a bully on the ground, and has to frequently be reminded that yes, he needs to do what you are asking and not just barge over you, but once you are on board he's truly a dream to ride. Totally velvet-mouthed and sensitive to all aids, with lovely gaits. I hardly ever even touch his face and enjoy seeing how small my aids can be. I even used to jump him a little bit, and he was fine, but I always had the feeling that some things are just really not meant to be airborne!

I ride LiRoi in my friend's Wintec dressage saddle. It's very comfy and secure. My own hunt saddle is actually not too narrow for him, but a girth to keep it on would have to be custom-ordered, so I don't use it!

I still laugh when I think of when my friend first got him and we puzzled over what to do to get him to canter. I finally hit some button and was rewarded with the most amazing, up-and-down-practically-in-place rocking-chair canter I'd ever experienced. This was in an arena, of course, where his dressage training came to the fore. I think he probably went pretty "b*lls to the wall" out in the hunt field.

Nowadays Leafy responds to a standard hunter "take up outside rein a hair, sit down and squeeze, outside leg/heel" canter cue, so I guess that's been installed by osmosis/repetition. He also doesn't - often - perform that gorgeous practically-in-place canter anymore, but that's okay. When I am able to package him into that it's a real treat. Pretty much all Leafy does these days is a tiny bit of arena work and a lot of trails. My friend keeps him and his little Paint buddy at home and access to a lovely park with a couple miles of trails is just across the road. I wish I could ask the big guy if he wonders just how he wound up as a trail mount in Missouri, after starting out life as a fancy WB dressage prospect in Germany... However, he is a very content, happy and loved horse, with a cushy and well-tended life, so I'm sure he'd say it's all good with him. :-)

One of my favorite LiRoi stories has to do with my son. Hunter (yes, that's his real name, I got away with that, but my daughter is not called "Jumper," sadly) had come with me out to the farm one day and we decided he could do a little riding. My son has ridden just a bit in the past, mostly state park trail rides and such. He does really enjoy it, is a gifted athlete, and in another life where I have a LOT more money I would have been happy to have him (and maybe daughter, too) in lessons and leasing/owning and showing and the whole nine yards, if he'd wanted it... *sigh*

Anyway, on this particular day we threw him up on LiRoi - wearing my properly-adjusted helmet, of course. He's taller than I am (age 14 at the time) so I didn't need to adjust the stirrups. They walked around a bit and that went well, so I told Hunter he could ask LiRoi to trot. Leafy can be a bit lazy and usually just shuffles smoothly along if you don't ask him for anything more energetic, so I didn't think my son would have any problem sitting to it. Well - apparently Mr. Horse had other ideas. He knew DARN WELL someone unskilled was aboard and after about two half-strides of trot launched himself into a canter! I don't know who was more surprised - me, Hunter, my friend, or the horse, who suddenly looked like he was having the time of his life. I had been filming Hunter's ride so when this occurred there is (now hilarious) jiggly footage and a voiceover of me saying in a certain loud-but-not-shouting voice, "Uh, WHOA. WHOA. WHOA. Hunter, keep turning him. Leafy, WHOA!" etc. The iPhone then went into the dirt as I semi-frantically tried to seize the horse by the reins as he went by.

To this day I am immensely proud of how my son handled this near-crisis. He somehow had the presence of mind to grab both reins with his right hand, grab the pommel of the saddle with his left, and turn the horse in a circle. I am grateful that he was in the grippy deep-seated Wintec saddle, which I know helped him stay on. Hunter actually never even came close to falling off. After a few laps around a nice 20-meter circle (LiRoi's old dressage trainer would have been proud), I managed to grab him and bring him to a stop. My heart was pounding madly and my son, while a bit alarmed, was still smiling. The horse? Well, he was just as pleased as punch. No joke, that blasted animal knew exactly what he'd been doing. It really was hysterical and we all wound up cracking up. A little too much excitement, though!