All you need to know about Kalinka (1/2)

 In my previous post, I explained how I was able to purchase my dream horse.

To be honest, I've never wanted a second horse, I was happy with Amira and our accomplishements. But life had other plan, and even if I'm more than glad that she's still with me, I did not wanted to surrender on horse riding at all.

-I choose Amira because she was an immediate crush, it was not planned at all. We have the best love story!
-I choose Excalibur on precise criterias, with all the rationality I could put into it and still got some bad surprises. It didn't worked for us.
-I choose Kalinka because she is THE dream horse, nothing more.

But will it works for us?

Well, at least, let me introduce her a bit...

Kalinka du Granite Rose is a purebred knabstrupper mare, she's out of a roan knabstrupper dam and a few spot knabstrupper sire. They both are dressage oriented, wich is fine for me because I'm more a dressage rider. She's the first knabstrupper foal of her breeder. She sports my favorite color variation: leopard. 

And the difficulties that followed...

After I bought her, she was sent at Sabrina's place to be educated/trained and then broke (I don't like that english term), in order to be a good pony for me. I trust Sabrina's work with all my heart, and for me, there's no better horse trainer for such a job!

When we first met her, she was too fat and was looking like a pony, so one of our first goal was to reshape her to looks like the sporthorse she's supposed to be. As she was still a young filly of barely 3 years old, things were planned slowly, as well builded as she already was, it's important to respect the growth of a horse.

Sabrina always start with solid ground work on a horse, and it was more complicated than she expected. Kalinka truly shown a bad temper and was not really willing. She understood perfectly what was asked - she's a very clever girl - but didn't wanted to learn or give anything. That mare tried to gain the upper hand instead. 

I came in july 2023 to see her progress.Sabrina was struggling with her since she started basic education on. She took the mare in the ring for a lunge and she escaped during the session. We had to push her for hours, until she got tired enough to be kept again and cooperate. Every work session was difficult from the start. This one was a good example.

But the worst was coming. It happened that she had a lot to learn, she was difficult for everything, including everyday handling like farrier or vet... everything that could bother her even a little, was a problem. She was shooting in reply to constraint.

Success with this girl wasn't garanteed at this stage, and I went though a lot of doubts, Sabrina felt powerless and unsafe in front of that dangerous and stubborn mare, but never gave up. Then very few positive reply by very few positive reply, the mare progressed in a good way.

 

Until...

It was time for the main dish, how would she be under saddle?
Well, I'm not going to say it was easy, but it was a little bit easier. Wich is usual when the horse is well started on ground. And also a relief.

After months of hard work on Sabrina's behalf, it was finally time for me to try her on the saddle. November 2023 came, I bet Sabrina was stressed, as she had put lots of time and effort for this specific moment of truth.
But everything went just... fine. I loved my first knabstrupper ride!

I truly enjoyed how you feel with Kalina, she's so comfortable and I felt good and in confidence (wich is, I have to admit a feeling I got everytime I saw her before that day, despite her habit of beeing nasty).

Winter came, the mare still needed training, especially the canter wich was not earned, so she stayed at Sabrina's place. Everything was slowed by the weather, not a problem, she had time to grow and enjoy the fields.

By spring, things were going okay, and I got my next rides with her in april 2024.
I spend a week at Sabrina's place, learning to know my mare best. I was really thrilled by the horse I discovered. She was looking so good and also behaving okay with me.
Sabrina gave me lesson, as always, she was the best to put me in confidence and have the best out of the horse.

She's a cloud under saddle, that how I can describe it.

Kalinka also got introduced to the fact that's she's owned by an artist and discovered she might be asked out of usual things. She did well. She's well-minded despite her character, wich a good (important) point.

But... things weren't going that easy with Sabrina. Her and the mare, they weren't having a good relationship since the beginning and it didn't improved much, and she finally gave up on going further with her (in order to not waste what was already earned).
Not a problem, I understood fully - it's a fact that me and her, we don't have the same taste in horses and she have been though a lot already.

She said to me to be really cautious as the mare was still having dangerous behaviors, especially on foot, and not to have her home without a strong supervisory. So I needed someone else to finish the training job and help me with the next steps of owning my dream horse...

 (to be continued)

With this first year, we earned our Queens of PITA crown, what an award!
Thank you Sabrina for all your patience with us 💕