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Well, I guess it is fair to say that my friend Maren sure did a great job picking a
quiet and peaceful neighbourhood finding her new home in sunny California, LA
:-)
Visiting Maren and getting to travel parts of the west coast with her to
finally learn about equestrian breeding and getting to see some of the barns and
places I had already heard so much about sure was the highlight of this summer
to me.
Having had my all "german equestrian hat" on all those years I greatly
appreciated to finally have a chance to learn about how a "horse-life" is
practized in a foreign country and I enjoyed having had the chance to get to see
wonderful horses and - of course - the people who belong to them. Making
new friends while sharing the same passion suddenly makes the world a much
smaller place and oceans in between all of the sudden loose their meaning.
I came home with my head and heart full of
new impressions and figured it might be a nice idea
to share them with whoever might be
interested to hear about it. So here it goes:
the peaceful neighbourhood
Our
very first trip was to Auffinger Farms,
home of Mary and Steve Jensen and their finest breed of arabian and
trakehner horses. Maren had arranged for a
breeders
meeting at Auffinger Farms earlier this year and I had heard so much about
that meeting, Mary's and Steve's hospitality and how much fun everybody had back
in spring, I really couldn't wait to get there, meeting them myself and getting
to see their wonderful horses. And Mary and Steve sure did a wondeful job
-again- now making me feel "home" at
their farm immediately. At some point I told them that before I had gotten into
warmblood breeding I was severly "infected" by "arabitis", a desease that can barely be cured once caught,
but never actually had had
love at first sight - meeting Windsong
a chance to ever get to ride an arabian horse... You
should have seen that smile rising up on Steve's face, and sure enough, the plan
was set, I was to get to ride an arabian horse...
He
introduced me to Windsong, the most beautiful arabian mare, and I guess it was
love at first sight when I met her so I was all excited about having the
pleasure to ride her! Even in retroperspective it is not too much said that
those trailrides along with Steve on
"Jag", his bay arabian breeding
stallion, still are one of the most precious rememberances I keep alive about my
visit to the States that summer. Trailriding the southern californian canyons
and climbing up and down through vineyards and grape
plants was a completely new experience to me and Steve had a hard job to do
preventing me from picking some of those grapefruits and grapes growing all
along our trails oh so invitingly to me. Most unsual thing for a typical german
who gets to know these fruits from the supermarket only :-)
I still can't tell what made me feel more happy: The
fact that Steve asked for another trailride together prior to our departure the
very next morning or Windsong who would already whinney at me when I came to the
stall the next day. so when we finally had to leave it was with a tear in
my eye - thank you Mary and Steve for making my stay at your place such a
wonderful time worth 
remembering!
Steve and "Jag"
Auffinger Farms' inviting landscape
beautiful "Peanut" (up) and
the trakehner stallion "Pavi" (below)
Our next stop was only half an hour away at Pam Duffy's farm Sunsprite
Warmbloods. If it hadn't been for the hot californian sun and the sprinklers on
the sand paddocks I would have thought I stood in the middle of my home area,
the Münsterland... as at Pam's farm you meet the most prestigeous warmblood
lines of nowadays northern german breeding areas: horses of hannoverian,
oldenburg and trakehner breed dominate the scene and most prominent names like
Weltmeyer, Esprit, Rubinstein, Hohenstein, Feiner Stern or Balout de Rouet
describe their descent best. I was already impressed when I got to learn about
some thorough bred mares who were also part of the family, providing for the
necessary t.b.-influence at Sunsprite Warmbloods and this really got me excited!
Wasn't this exactly what I am aiming for myself within my own modest breeding
concept when adding a t.b.-mare to my little herd in order to set base for some
well considered future damelines consisting of the ideal mix of prestigeous w.b.
held up by strong refinery genes -?
Danica by Donnerprinz x Rubinstein ("mum" on the left)
I could have walked around the paddocks and stalls for hours and
hours, learning more about Pam's horses, but our schedule was kind of tight and
Pam and Don did their very best holding us back at the dinner table enjoying
wonderful food and talk, and of course we left way behind our planned departure
but
I wouldn't want to miss a single moment of it!
A couple of days later I was given the chance to go see Leonidas, the grey
Trakehner stallion who had just been approved by the german verband for breeding
"overseas", too. I was so curious to get to see this horse since he had alraedy
made it to a somewhat "prominent" status given that he is the only Trakehner
stallion the german verband ever approved while "abroad". Also, his bloodlines (Condus
x Ramzes) make him very special even in my eyes, the eyes of a "non" Trakehner
breeder since this is also the only direct Ramzes grandson still out there and
available for breeding. That alone would make him a personality amongst
horse-celebrities already, but Leonidas also comes up with a prestigous
track-record as a dressage horse, having been long listed for the
Athens
Olympics in 2004.
So
I owe it entirely to my friend Karim who would take me to
Keenridge Farm, home
of Hilda Gurney, and yet another place and person I had respectfully learned so
much about before as Keenridge Farm was also part of the breeders tour which
Maren had arranged for back in spring and I can only recommend reading
Maren's
story, too, to fully sum up and describe the value of the bloodlines and
succesful sport horses that can be found at Hilda's farm. To me, it was an
experience of lasting impressions and I gratefully appreciate the time Hilda
took to show me around the farm and learn about the sport horses and brood mares.
The highlight, of course, was the presentation of Leonidas and one could tell
the spirit and power driving this stallion to what he had become: founder of one
of the most succesful sport horse families in the US as Hilda along with her
partner Mary Conankos have just made it on top of the USDF breeders
championships 2005 and this is entirely owed to Leonidas offspring and following
generations. Congratulations, Hilda and Leonidas!
My
next trip took me up north, to Hollister CA, visiting my long-time email-friend
Terry Esteban at her farm
Cadenced
Sporthorses. Having heard so much about Devon Heir and Terry's broodmares I
was keen on finally geeting to see them all in person. Devon is barend at Willy
Art's DG Barn for professional training and showing him in the public. Willy
took the time to give us a wonderful presentation of Devon in hand and under
saddle. When he noticed that I had my camera with me he would simply let him
stand in front of us -completely free as you can see in one of those pictures-
and Devon did his "magic": He would simply let his charme melt into the
camera - i still can't get my eyes off those fotos of him... what a cool horse,
what a stunning impression he made! Than Willy rode him and this was a
convincing prove that this stallion sure is in the right hands at Willy's place.
It was just how you want a young four year old horse being ridden, softly but
constant rein connection at any time, not asking too much of such potent but
young horse, still developing those three super gaites under saddle with the
horse being comfortable at any time. I loved it! And I was delighted to hear
that short after my visit Devon, who had already been licensed by the
hannoverian verband in the US, was also accepted by the oldenburg verband. I now
keep my fingers crossed for Terry and Devon that this stallion recieves the
mares he deserves in order to prove his quality as an exquisit breeding stallion
in the US.
Devon Heir by De Niro x Rubinstein, doing his "magic"
Home at
Terry's place I got the full "barn tour" visiting each horse and learning
about it's descent and bloodlines. Terry keeps an impressive collection of
mainly hannoverian and oldenburg brood mares and most interesting to me was
having the chance to also see some of those mare's offspring, that way you can
really value the quality of a broodmare best. Sure enough, I lost my heart
immediately to Lina, a 2 year old bay Landkoenig-daughter out
of Terry's Wesley-dam. Hadn't I known better I had never thought Lina was only
two, she looks like the perfect, ready-to-go sport horse to me and I was about
to take a saddle on her and ride her off and away immediatley... Just the way I
want a mutlitalented athletic horse look and move - plus, her super character
immediately blew me off - she would trustingly follow me around wherever I went
and it did take some efforts to convince her from
Lina by Landkönig trotting and cantering around,
but what she showed there, specially when trotting through the high dry bushes
having to lift up her feet and move like a show horse was of excellent balance,
push and swing. All the way back down south, along Highway One, I found myself
caluclating costs having her and Windsong share a container and ship them over
Terry and I
to germany... just another way of californian dreamin' I guess.
Ever
since the movie "Seabiscuit" was released Terry had urged me to go get the video
and watch it - since it was all about the spirit of american race culture and
race horses - thoroughbred horses, just the way we love them best. I had told
Maren all about it and she found out that "earlybirds" are welcome at the
Santa Anita race track to watch the training from the terrasse while breakfast
is served. What a magic morning! - if getting up at 6 in order to be there at 7
is what you aim to be doing at your weekends... And of course, America wouldn't
be America if there hadn't even been a Seabiscuit-train-trolley tour taking visitors
through the entire area including a stop at the Seabiscuit stall and monument...
However, we preferred to do it our way and went straight to the sunny terrasse,
terribly eager to get some large hot coffe and pancakes in order to get our body
systems work at that time in the morning - still chilly out there but to the
convenience of the "eralybird" visitors the terrasse tables were warmed by
gas-heaters and we found ourselves completely spoiled by one of the most
magnificant views you could ever imagine: beautiful race horses being trained
right in front of you at one of the most famous race tracks in the world and the
entire scenario being overwhelmingly topped by the sun softly rising up over the
californian mountains in the background, thus tipping the entire scenario into
the smoothest shining sunlight - and Maren and I sitting there at our warmed
terrasse tables
enjoying a most welcome pancake and orange juice breakfast while letting our
eyes go - what a way to start a day! It was purest magic at its best and we
truly enjoyed watching lots and lots of ambitious young horses being shown at
what nature has created them for: straight forward canter!
We
crowned
that day meeting Karim for dinner at night at the
Derby Restaurant in Arcadia, a
place a friend had strongly recommanded going to when really wanting to absorb
the "spirit of Seabiscuit" - and I bet Karim must have been at least a little
envy when we told him all about our magic morning at the race track while
enjoing a wonderful dinner at the "Derby". The place was initially bought by
George Wolff, the jockey who rode Seabiscuit in the "Race of the Century" when
meeting on War Admiral - the catchy athmosphere is still there and I couldn't
have wished for a better place for my farewell dinner (and no, I am not
sponsored by the Derby Restaurant :-)
the three of us, Maren, Karim and myself
Well, as everything in real life even the perfect vacation has to come to an
end. So Maren and I resumed my visit to southern california stopping by at the
L.A. Equestrian center, yet another place I had heard of so much before and I
really wanted to see how a sport horse rider in california would barn and train
his horse, whatever discipline. I was pretty impressed by the simple size of it
and the mutlitude of horses and disciplines that are being trained and shown
there. And while I was sitting in my plane taking me back home to germany (having
to leave Windsong and Lina where they were, after all :-) I decided to take off
my all german hat of equestrian attitudes and experiences as there sure is a
different world out there where sport horse breeding and riding are being lived
for, maybe slightly different in certain aspects compared to what one is used to
when having grown up in a differnet country of different climate and different
prepostitions - but surely a place and an entire horse life worth living
for!
I took so much from this trip, and it is not just about horses but also the
people who are with them and new friends I have made, I want to take the chance
and gratitude this page to all the wonderful humans I have met on my trip, all
of them welcoming me, the stranger who was just visiting, sharing their homes
and horses with me, and I want to say thank you to all of you for having made
this vacation so special to me - a time worth remembering at any time when back
home in old germany. It will be a different Sabine from now on.
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