First Ribbon!

Amira did very few competitions with me. Probably because I don't have the spirit for that, probably because I dreamed of us winning and didn't wanted to rush... I though we had all our life.

 

The first competition Amira did, was a dressage one and I wasn't the rider. When I was asked if I wanted to compete with her, I said a firm no but that if someone else was willing to try it's chance, it was okay for me. It was around our first year together, and I felt it was a bad idea... she was still stubborn. Spoiler alert: she was unwilling on that day and the girl who took her finished in cries.

The second one was an obstacle course, I said I was okay to compete, but warned everyone that it would not be easy. I was said that she jumped very well and there will be no problem. I was aware that she jumped very well, but also that she have a special character and I didn't feel like "it would be no problem".
I did the first turn (luckily) but got stuck on the obstacle n°8 because she didn't wanted to jump it, at that point I said to the staff that I needed to pass it, or she'll never ever would. They said I couldn't and that I had to left the ring... she never ever jumped that obstacle for the next peoples who had her that day to compete. 

The third was a intern competition, obstacle again, on my stables. I was more than happy to participate, as I felt I was ready for competition at that point of our relationship. We won the 1rst place. But that was not a competition with prizes and ribbons, just congratulations and the pride to finally have won something with Amira.I though it wasn't our last, that I was on a roll for that ribbon I was hoping for. But in fact, it was our last chance and I didn't know.

When plans were made to compete with Kalinka, I said to Eva that maybe she will win that ribbon I was dreaming for. Eva said to me that she will try, but she promized me nothing.
Last week-end, on her third dressage competition... Kalinka won a 3rd place and so, a ribbon!

I don't know when I will be the rider to won a ribon with Kalinka, but that doesn't matters, she's got one already at the dawn of our adventure!

Congratulation to Eva and Kalinka for such a quick accomplishment!

On a side note, I am very excited to show a knabstrupper in dressage competition, thoses are an unknown breed and deserve more spotlight! It's planned for this year that she'll compete a whole season... are you interrested for more report about that?

For the moment, she got compliments from the judges. I wish I showed Amira more, she could have been an ambassador for the spotted horses but now, it's up to Kalinka to do it for her.

Bonus Grumpy Pony (yes I cannot get over the post-button braid look):

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

To speak about what followed the first year with Kalinka, I need to open a bracket (

Around 2019, I met Eva. She's got her (horse) riding instructor degree and was at that moment, willing to find people to gave them riding classes. As she was a long date, close friend of my BF it was obvious we'll have to met..., she gave me a few advice with Amira and rode her. Even if we didn't really knew each other, we became friends (not close friends, but good friends) pretty quickly.

Here's a picture I took of her and Amira

Here's a picture she took of me and Amira

A few time after, I moved location and I regretted we couldn't have more lesson together, but well that's life. I was happy to have met her and we didn't lost contact.

  ) I close the bracket

We are in spring 2024 and I'm about to have my knabstrupper back with me, with a unfinished training (Kalinka was still missing proper canter) and the need of a strong supervisory to enjoy my dream horse in secure. It's why, in the (very) few options I got, Eva came back in my mind like an evidence.
So I contacted her, explaining my problem and she said she was willing to help. WHAT A RELIEF. The dream was back on tracks!

 

In may 2024 Kalinka moved stables, to get at Eva's place. Still far from me, but closer from Sabrina's place. And it's best than having her in a stable near me, were I don't know the professionals.

She started working on Kalinka, in order to know her and estimate the challenge, things clicked between them, she loved the mare. She even said she was really (really) willing to show her in dressage competition.

July 2024 we enter Kalinka du Granit Rose in a dressage competition in a nearby barn, for us, it's the fire test 🔥... we both agreed that if she pass it, she'll pass everything. It was the perfect occasion to test:

 

-If she'll travel good with someone else than a professional transporter and in a small van.

-If she'll behave well in a place she didn't know.

-If she'll behave well with horses she didn't know and on a crowded ring.

-If she'll be zen and not stressed in the whole thing (cold-minded).
-If she'll be appreciated by the judges, despite her unusual color.

Oh yes, we were excited to see what will happend! And I was excited at the idea that if she passes all this, she definely was more trustable that I though she was in regard of the catastrophic experience Sabrina has with her.

Kalinka definely was stellar on the transport, she didn't hesitated to hop on the van and patiently waited until she was unloaded in the unknown. She was not stressed at all about that new place, and was easy to handle to the warm-up ring. Even if she wasn't ready on canter, we saw she could do well.

 

First time ever in such circomstances and see how she goes...

Then it was her time to show, and she showed her best! Like she's done that her whole life.

 

Of course, the canter was problematic and she lost a lot of points with it, but we were so proud!

 

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Video on instagram with some music on...

Vidéo on youtube without music (sorry)

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She got an encouraging note from the judges, everyone was happy about that day and she confirmed her good-minded attitude. It was truly my first relief about our future together.

Past that point, we started to built our relationship, I took riding lesson with Eva and really started to feel what will be our difficulties on saddle and what we needed to work together...

If Excalibur was definely too much cold-blooded for me (what a pain), Kalinka is probably a little bit too much hot-blooded for me. Amira was just the perfect in between, she was cold-minded with just what you need of blood to deliver the goods - it's just SO HARD to replace the perfect match for you, let me tell you that!

So well, I worked (still works on that) on getting more confidence and get used to that new way of riding (once again) and at least, I enjoyed it (still enjoy it).

What helped me the best were our hacking (trail walks outside)... I just discovered a good mare that you can trust, with a sure foot and that is not impressed easily.

In the end, the most problematic part is probably the aggressive/dangerous behavior she can show (rarely) in some very specific circumstances and that's why as she's more difficult on hand than ridden, I concentrate on relating the ridden part for now.
But mostly, she's a doll and we are off a good start together - thank to Eva for that part of the job!

Our  first real canter archieved! (january 2025)

I cannot wait to see what the future will brings us... I'm happy to have bet on the dream pony so far!

 

(bonus post with Kalinka second dressage competition coming soon 👀 )

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 💕

The (pur)chase of a dream...

When I was a kid, I was already obsessed by horses and got two books about them, that are still today my main horses books. In thoses books, I putted post-it on the horses breeds I would like to own in my life, and if today I've removed them, the pages are still sticky.
There's one page that is sticky and that have obsessed me all thoses years...

 I kinda liked this one too...

 But my preference went to...

If you wonder how a rare and pretty unknow (even more when I was a child) breed came to have my preference; I have to explain that every time we went on holidays on another country than mine (Belgium) with my parents, child me took the books and looked at the local breeds of that country. It happened that we went to Denmark once... and then a spotty obsession started in my mind.

*

March 2023, yes that's going to be a story from the past.
It was clear to me that Excalibur was not going to be the pony for me, I had planned though the winter to sell him by the spring. To be honest, I was about to surrender on owning horses for riding practice. I spoke to many friends, explaining my little girl dream of owning a knabstrupper, they pointed out that my previous searches for a new horse 2 years ago kind of highlighted that it was nearly impossible to find one. Or even a horse with a right size for me in LP color.

April 2023, my eyes were on horses ad., when something catched my attention: was it an ad. for a knabstrupper mare? in France? was it even possible? I jumped on the pm and sent one to the vendor asking for the location and details. While waiting for the reply, I sent a message to my best friends, including Sabrina (who's a horse trainer). Everyone was like "it's too good to be true"... then the reply came... that prized mare was in Britany.
Darn, that's far from where I live. I asked for the exact place in Britany, was said the Pink Granite Coast and did a google map... that was a 15h trip from my place. From all the places in France, it has to be the farest possible from mine.

I explained the problem to Sabrina. She's in the center of France instead of me, so normally well placed to goes everywhere easily, she looked on google map too and went back with: it's still a 8h trip from her place. Okay, I've found a knabstrupper in France but it has to be the farest ever.
That mare wasn't going to stay long in the market. We both knew that.
Sabrina said we can go together, but... she's got a vet appointement for a sale that week. I looked at the calendar, I would be able to be at Sabrina's place the next day, and we got roughtly 32h to go see the mare and came back before the famous appointement. We were warned by the vendor the mare already got some visit planned on the week-end, and we wanted to be the first ones so... no choice, it was crazy but I took an appointement with the vendor.

Program: we drove all night, see the mare and drove back all night again. Sleeping? Eating? It's only for the weaks.

The next day, I took the train in the morning, and was at Sabrina's place in the afternoon (the quickest I could do). We had planned to drive all night and to met the vendor and her precious mare by the morning.
Sabrina wanted to go with her AX (old car model) - because she's like that, and we started our journey. Everything went fine, until we stopped for the first break... the car wasn't willing to start normally and Sabrina was only able to get it move because it's an old model with a starter on it... it complicated the whole trip a bit more, we weren't sure anymore it would not finish with a failure from the car but no way to quit the quest now.

After a long night ride, few breaks, we were there: in the pink granite coast, in front of a young spotted mare. Yes, it wasn't my plan to buy such a young horse, she was still a filly (2 years old, going on her 3 in june)... but it was a mare... a purebred knabstrupper... and a leopard color (cherry on top). How on earth could I say no to such an opportunity?

Because she's too young to be even broke, we already knew it was more a visit to have a feeling on the beast. Sabrina asked if she could lunge her, to see her temper and have an overall idea. She told me it would be difficult to be sure on such a young horse... but well...

It was instantanely clear it had character and was not going to be an easy one.

But Sabrina is experimented with young horses, so she did not gave up. I was looking at that fat filly beeing a bit nasty, wondering if I would be able to work with her, then she understood quickly what was asked and was a bit more cooperative.

Sabrina gave me the lead, asking me to try the mare myself, of course I asked nothing difficult, we just walked together. It looked a lot like my purchase visit to Amira, just some lunge with an inexperimented horse. I already knew I loved that little mare.

We took a long time to talk with the vendor, as she was also the breeder. I was able to see the mother of that filly and I said I would contact her later with my decision.
It was already a bit late in the afternoon, we were exhausted and hungry and needed to find a garage for the AX... we had little time before us, because we had to hit the road again soon.

Me and Sabrina ended in a restaurant specializing in crêpes, after all we were in Britany! I was torn, we talked about that dream of mine and that specific one of a kind mare, Sabrina was not thrilled but she already knew I was going to go for it. She said many times nothing was sure with a young horse. That the mare have a lot of temper and a bad character. I was talking about how difficult Amira was at the start.
I saw a picture of Queen Elisabeth behind me, she always have been my idol and I said to Sabrina that "if I had the Queen approval, nothing could stop me".

(yes that's the face of someone who hadn't slept for a while...)

On the counter of the restaurant, I put a tip into an unicorn shaped piggy bank for the server. I knew it's a sign, the universe was trying to sent me a message.
Then we headed to a garage for the car. The guy was like "you are crazy people to have done such a road with an old car like this" - we laughed, he looked at the car, found the problem and said he would do it's best to find a replacement piece for it (wich is difficult) but he'd need a few hours.
We went on the dunes nearby and slept 2h on the side of a road, there was just nothing we can do to beat the tiredness anymore.

(best place to sleep)

 

We we were awaken by our phones, went back to the garage. The guy was laughing with other clients he had put on hold to work on Sabrina's AX. He explained he was able to change the filter, but the other piece was not foundable. But that we should be able to get back on the starter like we did on the way out.

The return trip let us discover what we haven't seen by night: how beautiful the pink granite coast is (breyer shooting coming soon to illustrate).
It was a true discovery for me, I'm not a big fan of the sea but.. that's one of the most beautiful place I've ever seen. We snapped a few pictures, ate an ice-cream on a touristic place and hitted the road again. We needed to be back at Sabrina's place on the next morning.

 

 

(Rough translation: Britany, Pink Granit Coast, April 2023.
The car have 31 years and 235000km on the counter.
Only one full tank of gas and one half for 800km with a 43l tank.
Everything with only 4 speeds on the gearbox. Who said it better?
18 years with an AX - and she's not tired of it)

We were back around 6am and slept a few before 9am. While Sabrina was at her sale appointement for one of her horse, I told the vendor by the phone I was willing to do a vet check for her filly.
We just did the quickest road trip of our life and had slept around 4/5hours in around 32h. We were exhausted and spent the rest of the day in bed until it was time to feed the horses in the evening.

*

The vet check happened around 1 week later, I had to go back to the Pink Granite Coast for it, but this time I went with my mother and we planned a few days there. I did breyer pictures and bought a horse.

And just like that, my childhood dream of a knabstrupper horse was fullfilled.