Horses, dreams, thoughts and goals
By Allyson McNeill

   Watching a dressage test is like watching poetry in motion. The movements ebb and flow like the ocean tides and hold my interest like no other discipline. It is pure artistry to watch the horse and rider barreling down the diagonal in an extended trot - proud and magnificent, a witness to the horse's power yet knowing that with just the slightest shift, the horse’s demeanor will totally change. The rider sits and the pair floats off into a three-loop serpentine. The communication between the pair is obvious. They are in-tune with one another, speaking the silent language of will and control. Control not in the bad sense but in the sense of the magnificent control of an athlete. It does not matter if the pair is schooling at home or under the pressure of the show ring, the poetry is there. Even at the lower levels, the rider and the horse seem to move together as one; truly communicating.  I had to learn how to communicate with a horse like that. The dressage riders I have had the pleasure (privilege) to be around make that poetry look simple and effortless. Boy was I in for a surprise. The first and hardest lesson I had to learn was that not all horses want to prance around in the dressage arena. My first horse was a gorgeous quarter horse - does that tell you something? He was silver with black mane and tail and had the talent but his will was very different from mine. His was much stronger. After too many fights and way too many tears, he went to live with a cowboy. I hope he is happy [or not!].

    I kept buying the wrong horse. Next came Casey, then Dinna, then General and then ... You know the story. I was always looking for that schoolmaster that would teach me everything they knew. I almost gave up until I found Tina. My eternal gratitude goes out to the young rider whose talent outgrew Tina and let her come to my pasture. She is stubborn and lugging and very aloof when she wants to be. BUT when I hit the right buttons - we speak the language of poets. There are tears with Tina. But they are tears of joy because she has allowed me a glimpse into that world of which I so want to be a part. But the problem with Tina is that she is older and dressage is so hard on horse's body. Tina is coming twenty and has the aches and stiffness that age carries. I know she has more years left in her but it is time to start looking.

    My favorite horse [and my biggest dressage heartbreak] is Sierra. An Appaloosa/ Thoroughbred cross that absolutely floats when you lead her. Her top line is a result of the best Appaloosa Breeding. On the bottom her great-grandfather won the Kentucky Derby. I just knew she was "The One". Sierra looks like a Palomino but is really a Dunn, complete with a dorsal stripe from the tip of her ears to the top of her tail. She has a fine little head, a great build and a personality that just wont quit. Unfortunately she hates dressage, plain and simple . NO way does she want you in her face and she gets tired with too many circles and loops... Maybe if she had started as a youngster ... but by the time I got her at five it was just too late. Don’t get me wrong. I think Sierra could do it if she really wanted. Maybe it would be different if she had a rider that was more talented than I. But, when you have to force the issue all the time it takes the poetry out of the equation. That left the problem of coming up with the money it would take to buy a really nice, mostly trained dressage horse. That was not going to happen anytime soon.

    For some reason, I had the harebrained idea that just maybe her baby could do it. The idea of having her bred had been boiling around in the back of my mind since I got her. My information was that her first colt had very promising movement and a great temperament. He is really more hunter than dressage but the dreaded thought still popped into my brain, "Hey, mares are good for more than one thing".

    My instructor has a lovely Swedish warmblood stallion who produces wonderful babies. Sometimes before my lesson I sit and watch the pair work. Together they are the poetry you see in your mind when you close you eyes and envision your best test. I know how hard they work to make even the hardest movements look effortless and free. Eureka - Daddy. His babies are striking. They have the bright eyed intelligence and floaty movement that is so important in a dressage prospect. More importantly to me, they have wonderful dispositions. At the time, it made sense that this was the way I would get my dressage horse without having to up front the cost of a mature horse. I reasoned that over time I could do it.

    Next hurdle was having to convince the husband that "we" needed a baby. Now, keep in mind that I have just enough horse experience to make me dangerous. The husband has even less - but he does not know that and I am not telling him. After a lot of discussing and probably more whining, "we" decided to go for it. Last May Sierra went off to the Vet's barn for a little artificial romance. She was mostly alright with her little vacation except the band of hairy goats that lived behind her turn-out. She really hated those goats! It was hard not having her on the farm, but I knew that the prize was worth the pain. The pregnancy was confirmed about one month later. Sierra went back to the vet's farm for her first ultrasound. I was holding her head, my husband was closer to the screen. I knew things were over the top when I just about knocked poor hubby down to get a look at the "volley ball". The expression on the face of the Vet's wife over my behavior said it all. Well, you would be excited too. We kept riding for a while but have stopped now. In late November, we split the pasture to get her off the fescue. Now Sierra can go in and out of her stall at leisure to get out of the sun and weather. She spends a lot of time sunning.

    Its late January now. The waiting is very, very difficult. Sometimes Sierra looks like she is about to explode, but other times she looks pretty normal. Early on I bought a stethoscope to listen to the baby's heart beat - still have not heard it but my vet got a big laugh from it. Sierra alternates between being very dewey and to being downright cranky. She is not interested in being blanketed or having anyone mess around with her belly. It is funny to watch her stamp her back foot and try to reach around to knock you down with her head. I have driven everyone from my husband, to my neighbors and my even my blacksmith crazy with my obsessing about her condition - does she look pregnant to you, is she about to colic, how long do you think she will carry??? Come late April - the real journey will begin. It is all very exciting and a whole lot scary!

Allyson S. McNeill, February 2006