“But so much more than breeding goes into the
final product of what a horse will end up being able to do, such as how they are brought along.”
positively frightened of everything, but I think he does things for me because he’s such a pleaser. He’s also drop dead gorgeous: everyone who sees him wants him, no matter if they’re a dressage rider, eventer or show jumper. He’s amazing, but he doesn’t know it—he’s shy and sweet.” Though Sharon was taking her time with Shu,
Wiley encouraged her to move him up to Intermediate this spring. “I wasn’t sure he was ready, and she’s very protective, so it was hilarious that she was the one encouraging me on,” says Sharon. “This spring he won The Fork and Fair Hill—it’s funny how they surprise you. Now I’m probably going to do the two-star at Bromont, or he might wait until the fall. He’s young, so I don’t feel a big rush. He’s only seven.” While Wylie
handles much of the early training herself, once her horses are broken in she sends them out to dressage or event riders to further their educations. “I can’t say enough about how good Sharon is with the young horses, how patient she is building their confidence. It’s like little kids going to kindergarten: you want them to learn to read and be inspired and get a solid background, and Sharon is a master at that. As big as Shu is, he lacked confidence, and she really turned him around. She practically had to hold his hand, and he has totally dedicated himself to her.”
Horse Trials, bred him and gave him to me; she is about as special a person as you could ever come across. We do an annual fundraiser and she volunteered the first year to be the secretary four years ago. It’s a lot of work, and so I wanted to do something for her. One day she said, ‘Well, I have a young horse and he’s kind of naughty and no one will get on him…’ and that’s where it started. He’s unbelievably special: he’s cheeky and thinks a lot of himself, and he’s not for everybody, but I feel so lucky.” Dale confides
that she originally
Top: Sharon and Wundermaske before their jog at the Jersey Fresh CCI***. Bottom: Sharon on Wundermaske at The Fork (NC) in April 2013.
bred Wundermaske to be her upper level dressage horse. “But he wanted more of a challenge than going around the arena in circles,” she explains. “He needed to be challenged with something he enjoys, as he was naughty confined to the arena. Sharon can feel the strengths and personality of the horse or rider she’s working with; it’s not about Sharon and conceding to what she wants. Wundermaske
was a round peg in a square hole before, and now it works well because Sharon is working with his talent to bring it to its greatest point.” Dale kept him with Sharon for a year and then,
Wundermaske With his distinctive white face, Wundermaske (German for “Phantom” ), stands out from the crowd. The ten-year-old bay Hanoverian/Thoroughbred gelding by Weltbekannt out of Deer Rose has already shown that he is more than just a pretty face. “Wundermaske is beyond special; he is a super, super horse,” says Sharon. “Dale Clabaugh, who ran Menfelt
24 July/August 2013
lacking the finances to keep him in training, gifted Wundermaske to Sharon. “I thought for sure she was going to tell me to sell him, but that’s not what she wanted—she gave him to me, and that doesn’t happen every day!” Sharon says. “I’ll do my best to make sure that this horse becomes as special as he can be.” Wundermaske moved up to Advanced level this season and has also achieved successful results. “The more interesting and complicated a course, the better he
© Amber Heintzberger 2013
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