her that you’re not going to change, that you’re not going to fall off, that you’re not going to get mad at her. We have worked for two years and now she hasn’t run backwards for months. I took her to an event, got a fourth, double clean, and 32 percent in dressage. She’s like a western cow pony now. I sold her to a student who is so soft spoken, never gets tense, and won’t push her to the point where she gets nervous. Fergie is more in the princess category. She is more gelding-


like in that you don’t see a lot of personality and she doesn’t have attitude, so you won’t know she was a mare in that respect. But she can get her feelings hurt if I come down on her. You can visually see that she gets her feelings hurt if she doesn’t do well. She’s an overachiever, so you have to be careful. We are a lot alike. If we don’t feel confident together, it doesn’t work out so well. If we are both feeling almost cocky, it goes well.


John French and Vida Blue win the Second Year Green Hunter Championship at the 2006 WIHS. Photo by Al Cook


example, Fergie is not marish, but she is more emotional in that she gets nervous or tense on the flat. You have to be careful not to overdo it. ■ JAN: Geldings are more suited for riding than stallions and


mares because they don’t have hormones and don’t think about breeding. They usually go along with everything. There are ones that are dull or nutty, but generally they are easier for Joe average to deal with. I have a young mare from Germany, Rosenzauber (Rotson),


owned by Amanda Harlan. She was with a well known trainer who hated her. He said she was bitchy. For me she is almost my favorite horse. She’s smart and works for you. She is a lap dog, a schmoozer. But I feel that if you go down the wrong path with her, she will say ”this is not for me.” I’ve never had to put my foot down because she has no issues. But if you push it, her response may be, ‘if you don’t ask me nicely, I won’t do it.” The intelligent, sensitive mares are ones you have to be


careful with. You must be patient and even tempered. You can’t force it. Learning patience is part of what you learn when you ride.


WT: How would you describe working with different types of mares?


■ JOHN: You never want to start a fight with the dominant,


bully, pushy mares because you probably won’t win. With sensitive, flighty mares you have to be reinforcing and tell them they’re doing a good job and get them to really like you. Then you have the cranky mares that really don’t like their job. ■ ALLIE: I had a mare off the track that ran backwards more


than she ran forwards. You had to convince her you wouldn’t abandon her. You’d hold her hand, so to speak, and convince


WT: Are mares better at one part of your sport than others? For example, I’ve heard people say that mares are not as good at canter pirouettes because of the shape of their pelvis.


■ JOHN: I think they’re better jumpers because some mares have that fight instinct. If you don’t under ride them and make


Jan Ebeling riding Rafalca in the Grand Prix. Photo courtesy of Amy Ebeling


Warmbloods Today 57


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