Dear Rita,
I can’t believe it is the middle of April! I have actually started planning my trip to Gladstone for this summer. While I am chipping away at the logistics, I would like to tell you about the second horse I would bring along in the best possible of all worlds where money is not an issue: Winyamaro.
Winyamaro is a 10-year-old gelding-who-believes-he-is-a-stallion, by Walt Disney out of a Trapper x Gotz dam. If you know Hanoverian breeding, you will be able to predict this horse’s exterior and interior simply from the bloodline. He is typical of his pedigree.
Yep, he is flashy chestnut with more chrome and bling than a 1960 Thunderbird. He is cheeky, cocky and too sexy for his shirt. The most dangerous place in the arena during Winyamaro’s workout is between himself and the mirror. Don’t block the view. He is Fonzi trapped in a horse’s body.
“W” can also move. He has super elasticity and impulsion in all three gaits. He is smart, decisive and totally confident both at home and at a show. And he likes to show off, which can be a plus factor when the chips are down and you need to make an impression.
So the only factor besides money holding me back this summer is his age. He is still a bit young and inexperienced. In fact, W has not even started in the international Grand Prix yet. I’ve been keeping him at the national level since his Grand Prix debut last summer, trying to work out some strength, balance and frame issues before I take him to his first international start.
I’m getting closer, Rita. Last weekend at a CDN in northern Germany, I took the wrong approach in the warm-up and did not get the test I wanted in the GP. This was the same problem that had cropped up a few months ago in Neumuenster having to do with frame and balance—so I gave myself a kick in the backside, stayed up all night working on the problem in my mind, and viola—a different warm-up and super results in the GPS on the next day. We even won the class, which makes the space between W and the mirror a virtual minefield this week.
That was the second GP level test that we have won thus far. Combined with a few higher placings in Grand Prix freestyles, W’s resume does not look so bad for such a young horse. My plan is to show him once or twice more in national competitions and then start international by the end of May. The Germans have a nice saying in this situation: Tee trinken und abwarten.
Drink tea and wait. Let come what will come. I’ve made my plans; we will see what happens.
The training is going well on all my horses at home, and I am making tentative show plans for several international starts in May and June. I say tentative only because money is a real issue for me this summer with a long trip to the USA and all my expenses at home to cover while I am away. So, I’m not sure I will be able to travel to the shows I would normally choose to go to in order to best prepare my horses for Gladstone and beyond. I’m still working on it though.
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I really want to bring Winyamaro with me to Gladstone this summer, even though I think he is a bit young to be a serious contender for the WEG in Kentucky. But I know he is a good reserve horse to have on hand, and I do believe he is a contender for London, which makes him good for American dressage. Cadillac is, of course, my first priority. But if I come up with some new sponsorship in the next few months, W will get on that plane with us.
Then, I could show all my American fans his PINK Freestyle! This is one of the freestyles produced by Natalie Ciappara that I mentioned in a previous blog. W has come a long way in his strength and carriage since this was filmed last October when he was still 9 years old. So please forgive our occasional bloopers and enjoy this freestyle debut!
I’m Catherine Haddad and I’m sayin it like it is in Vechta, Germany.
Training Tip of the Day: Make a plan. Be flexible.
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