REALISTIC CHOICES Although Donavan is no longer being actively collected, Wendy continues to offer excellent frozen semen for those who want to breed their mares to him. Last year, when his was 25, was the final season he was collected, she says. Concerned about the resulting stresses and their effects on an older horse, she decided it was time to stop. “He’s so much more than a business for me,” she explains. After purchasing him, she quickly understood, she
says, that her prized horse was not going to compete internationally. His age—he was 15 years old when they brought him to Wisconsin—was against him. In addition, Wendy says, they were simply not in a position to cover the costs of international competition. So working with JJ, they focused on competing him regionally. He was also an active sire. That decision, Wendy explains now, was not without financial and professional risks. “It was scary to spend so much money at first,” she says. “From the start, Donavan’s ads in the various publications were every bit as big as the top stallions. Where I saw a full page ad, I placed one too. I wanted the same impact. I had to show the horse community how I felt about him!” At the same time, juggling competition and
collection schedules made JJ’s life more complicated. “When the competition scores were a little lower than I’d hoped, JJ would reassure me. ‘How many elite Hanoverian stallions are out there competing?’ she’d ask.” Highlights of the pair’s competitive partnership include their 2003 Sorensen Park (Wisconsin) Dressage win at Grand Prix with a score of 65.8% and an I-II score
“I think he really liked working with women. I guess he’s just a ladies’ man!”
of nearly 71% the previous year at the same venue. During and after his competitive career, JJ also took
Donavan to expos around the Midwest and in the East, Wendy says. “Many times he was out performing Grand Prix freestyles demonstrating dressage for cowboys and kids and their parents. He danced his heart out for them. And they would stand and cheer,” she remembers. “We wanted to advance the notion that dressage truly is for everyone.”
EASTWARD HO! Now that Donavan is fully retired, both Wendy and JJ are moving into new phases of their lives. In late 2008, Wendy and her husband left Wisconsin and moved to Maryland’s eastern shore, in search of a more temperate climate and more connections. Both attended college in the region and her husband also taught at his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. There they established Kent Island Sporthorses. They have recently reduced the herd and limited their own breeding program, a goal to free up more time for travel and family. Wendy says her last Donavan foal is expected this
spring. “But,” she adds with a laugh, “never say never!” About the same time, JJ was also considering a
move. She had been temporarily riding and training in Pennsylvania with Donavan taking a break from Wisconsin’s infamous weather and enjoying increased access to top trainers. She decided the time was right in her career to make a more permanent move to the East coast. When she alerted the Costellos, she found out about their plans to move allowing their partnership to continue and blossom even more.
JJ and Donavan in “negotiation.” Photo by MJ Costello
NEW BEGINNINGS Thanks to their experience with Donavan, the Costellos partnered to purchase another stallion, this time an Oldenburg. Rosall (who stands at Hassler Dressage) is a smaller horse and more in keeping with current tastes among breeders who want to produce horses easier for both professionals and adult amateurs—often smaller women—to ride. JJ is now actively competing Rosall (by Rosario/Akzent II) and dreams of Olympic opportunities with him. Wendy is now focusing her considerable energy on
Warmbloods Today 25
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