POINT OF VIEW
arena. I immediately borrowed all the money my fam- ily would loan me and bought him. A bigger sucker than myself offered me to double my money a week later but I was already seeing Olympic dressage rings in our future, so I turned the offer down. Four years later, the horse proved himself incapable of ever do- ing a decent flying change in spite of his fabulous trot. (I understood later that dressage ability has little to do with beautiful trots.) He once jumped over a seven-foot deer gate out hunting, but couldn’t jump a four-foot course clean under the saddle of one of the best riders in the world. He looked like a million dollars across country, but did not have the guts to go the distance around a three day one-star course. Eventually I sold him as a very good-looking hunter to a lady (the one with whom he jumped the deer gate), for the money I had bought him for. Movement is not everything, but a character made of
courage and patience, responsiveness and sanity is very valuable.
The Genetic Dimension If you are trying to breed a good horse, the study of pedigrees in relation to performance should be your bedroom, bathroom and airplane reading material. Yet, when you are buying a riding horse, parentage does not matter a bit. I know a breeder of Andalusians (rightly reputed to
be the sweetest of horses) whose wife is an older lady quite terrified of riding. Because she loves her hus- band of 45 years, she wants to share with him what he loves most. In spite of trying, she could not get along with any of the great horses they bred and ended up trusting only one horse: a National Show Horse (Ara- bian-Saddlebred cross) who was not only pretty but was incredibly kind and calm. Her story demonstrates how important it is to buy the horse that’s right, whatever his color or his breed. That said, if you want to compete a horse seriously in the Olympic disciplines, “blood” matters as it will trump everything else. It is blood (genetics coming from a hot-blooded breed, such as Thoroughbred, Arabian or Iberian) that will provide the energy and courage needed for the repeated efforts on show days.
The Talent Dimension It is funny how arbitrary expectations have a way of ruining our plans with horses. Years ago I bought a big Irish horse to do dressage (my chosen form of tor- ture). Though he was quite successful and won lots
76 March/April 2018 Special Horses – Past and Present
Horses who are really good at their jobs often have very strong personalities. Their riders need to be respectful of them but must also demonstrate and prove they are worthy of the horse’s respect. Finding such a horse takes an open heart, enough awareness to know something special when we see it and the willingness to take a little risk. I have been blessed with great relationships with several
such strong horses. Some I owned, others I trained. I would like to share my memories of them with you.
Aoto was a
Lusitano stal- lion at the Na- tional Stud of Alter (Portugal) whose amaz- ing sensitivity and generosity I have never ex- perienced in an- other horse since. I rode him for more than three years and he taught me the true meaning of the lightness of the aids. He was aged and blind in one eye and was often ridden by my teacher’s daughter, aged seven or eight at the time. She could do tempis and passage with him while she laughed in the saddle, yet he did not tolerate a rider with clenched legs and tight reins. If ridden well, he would do absolutely everything with slack reins and loose, hanging legs, always giving great energy and perfect obedience. I have tried to duplicate those feelings with many horses since that time, but I have succeeded only rarely. Novilheiro was
Aoto, an Alter Real stallion, ridden by my recently departed teacher Dom Jose Athayde at the National Stud Gala in 1973.
probably the most exceptional horse I have owned, win- ning in three differ- ent sports and siring a multitude of excel- lent babies. He was his own ‘person’ and carried on his career with two other riders that I hand-picked for him. After becoming a Grand Prix dressage horse, he evented up to the Intermediate level and competed
My Lusitano stallion Novilheiro, win- ning a class at Olympia around 1983. He was the leading money earner in British show jumping at that time and won many international classes from Spruce Meadows to Berlin, Rot- terdam and Hickstead and many oth- er hallowed showgrounds. He started his career as my Grand Prix dressage horse and evented before going on to show jumping. He retired sound and went on to a long career at stud.
JP Collection JP Collection
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