I’m back from L.A. and I’ve _found a horse_! An amazing horse. A magical horse. I’m not going to post pictures just yet because I still have to get through the vet check. I don’t think there is going to be a problem, but I’d rather err on the side of caution.
His name is Vento da Broga. He’s a five year old grey Lusitano stallion, although grey doesn’t really capture it. He is almost snow white already. I’ll have to wear dark glasses to look at him by the time he’s ten. He’s going to just glow. If someone had told me five days ago that I was going to be riding and buying a five year old stallion I would have thought they were smoking crack, but these Lusitanos aren’t like other horses.
My coach told me she was so grateful when I said I was wedded to the idea of another warm blood. I even mentioned Lusitanos to her because I had seen a few in Germany when I went on the trip that brought Steppi into my life, and I thought they were so beautiful. Little did I know she has trained seven of them, and thinks they are the most perfect horse. Part of her reason for wanting to show me Lusitanos is that I’m not very tall, and being mounted on these enormous horses doesn’t make for either a good picture or an easy ride. I really have to work to control the body on a seventeen or eighteen hand horse. Let me tell you, a eight meter circle on a horse that big feels like you are trying to turn a train with the outside muscles in your thigh. It’s actually painful.
Lauren was telling me that the Lusitano is called The Centaur in Portugal because they bond so closely to their rider. They are also very smart, very brave and very quick because they are used in bull fighting, and the breeders still act as if these horses are going to be ridden into battle. They put a premium on brains, bravery and temperment. She also told me that riding a Lusitano was like dancing with a really great partner.
And it was absolutely true. With Vento I would think “half-pass” and he would do it, or “shoulder-in”, and he’d do it. The lightest application of my thigh would bring the desired result, and I kept my lower leg off him most of the time. Unlike the big warmbloods who you “tell” to do something, you have a conversation with a Lusitano. These horses also have the most amazing motor. Vento just goes without me constantly tapping him with the lower leg or whip, and using my seat to send him forward. In fact I mostly used my seat to slow him down, to respond to the tempo I was setting.
After my second ride I even took him off on a cruise around the property. I’ve had two horses who were pretty nervous on the trail, so I was a bit tense, but he had me relaxing within moments. I returned to the ring where two more stallions were being worked, and rode in on my stallion. Not one of the horses even flicked an ear at the other. Again, Lauren and Keith told me that at the Portuguese horse fair there are hundreds and hundreds of stallions (they tend not to ride the mares. Mares are for breeding, it’s all very machismo), and thousands of people with these horses wending their way through the crowds. And when they tie them up they just string up a rope and tie the horses to the rope. So you’ll see a line of 8 or 10 stallions tied up side by side to a rope.
A few more burbles about Vento. He was imported from Brazil. Vento means “wind”. Da Broga is the name of the facility where he was bred. He’s a very curious horse. They often rent out Brookside for parties, and one day there was an event where there were large tethered balloon bouquets Vento thought these were cool so he marched over to inspect the balloons. Linda was riding him and said there was no stopping him. After eyes the balloons he then stuck his head in among them, and proceeded to bat them around with his nose. After he got bored with that he marched back to the arena. If Pi had seen a balloon bouquet he would have been heading for the next county.
Anyway, I’ll stop raving. I’ve been in contact with the vets and it looks like I won’t be able to arrange for the vetting until next week. *sigh*
Melinda
