Meet Princess L’Heureux, aka Penny, the itchiest horse I’ve ever met in my life.
The last time I went to my parents and stopped by the barn for a visit, Penny was awfully happy to see me. Mom and I were making our way down the barn aisle and checking out some of the new horses along the way. I happened to stop to talk to the horse in the stall next to Penny. She couldn’t see me, but she heard me. And started nickering. And didn’t stop until I came to her stall. I opened the door and walked in. And instead of getting a nose in my face or sniffed greeting, Penny walked away from the door and pivoted on her forehand until her side was right next to me. She about knocked me over. She was saying loud and clear, “SCRATCH ME!” When I hesitated she flexed her head around and looked at me with ears perked as if to say, “please?”
Her favorite spots are the sides of her withers, along the edges of her spine, and just above her flank (oh, and her female parts behind her belly — she lets out the funniest squeals if you use the soft rubber curry there and gets mad when you stop). If you start scratching those spots, she about falls over in utter bliss. Literally. She’s come really close a few times. She twists her head to the side, shoves out her upper lip as far as it can go, bulges her side into the scratching, and lifts her back leg. No joke. She’s even imitated the dog thing on occasion where she flexes her head around, lifts her back leg and gets it going.
If you scratch her withers and she’d rather be scratched on her flank, she takes a few steps forward until you’re scratching just the right spot. If she gets tired of that one, she’ll back up so you can get another one.
For being the itchiest horse in the world, Penny sure hates to be brushed. She pins her ears and moves around constantly when you use a hard or soft brush. But if you break out the metal shedding blade, she’s in heaven. And she never wants you stop. She’s so goofy about it that it’s always fun.
The only problem with the itchy queen is that if you oblige her and scratch, she feels like she needs to scratch you back. It’s especially dangerous if you are standing near her head while someone else is scratching her. Horse teeth are big. Very big.
Fortunately at our last visit, Penny decided to about face to have her other side scratched, and returned the favor on the wall instead.
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The alternate is Leslie Morse and her stallion Kingston. Courtney’s other mount, Idocus, and Steffen’s Lombardi placed fourth and fifth respectively, and will also go along for the trip to Hong Kong as back-up mounts. Michael Barisone and Neruda, who placed seventh, may also get to make the trip to the Beijing Olympics (all equestrian events are being held in Hong Kong, however).
The riders for the Olympic dressage team will be made official after they are approved by both the United States Equestrian Federation selection committee and the US Olympic Committee.
The USEF is responsible for developing and administering the Olympic selection criteria. Their selections must ultimately be approved by the US Olympic Committee. There are also a handful of committees within the USEF that oversee Olympic selection, allowing for a system of checks and balances to ensure that the best human and horse athletes are chosen.
Short lists for the show jumping and eventing Olympic teams must be named by June 30; final selections are required by July 15. The USEF expects to name the final riders in these two events in early July.
Over the next month, I will profile each of the US Olympic riders and their horses, as well as some of the top competitors from other countries.
July 1, 2008 Update:
The USEF has officially approved the nominations for the 2008 Olympic Dressage Team. Here’s their press release:
USEF Names Nominated Entry for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Dressage
Release: July 01 2008
By Joanie Morris
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved the following nominated entry for the Dressage Team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong. Final entries will be made to the USOC on July 15, 2008.
The following riders are ranked based on their performance after the USEF Selection Trials for Dressage:
6. Leslie Morse/46/Beverly Hills, CA/Kingston/16/Dutch Warmblood/S/Leslie Morse and Laura Petroff
7. Michael Barisone/44/Califon, NJ/Neruda/13/Dutch Warmblood/G/Jane Suwalsky
8. Sue Blinks/48/Encinitas, CA/Mark/14/Dutch Warmblood/G/Leatherdale Farms and Louise Leatherdale
9. Lisa Wilcox/41/West Palm Beach, FL/Naomi/13/Dutch Warmblood/M/Janet Bell
10. George Williams/42/Delaware, OH/Rocher/17/Westphalian/M/Joann and Charles Smith
11. Kristina Harrison-Naness/36/Burbank, CA/Rociero XV/13/Pura Raza Espanol/S/Margaret Carrera
Because of where Peters and King-Dye are ranked with their second horses, Lombardi and Idocus can be used as substitute horses for those riders if needed. Leslie Morse has been named as the alternate rider and will travel with the team to Hong Kong.
The top five riders and the top seven horses will fly to Aachen, Germany on July 10 where they will enter quarantine on July 17.
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While almost all of the Olympic events are being held in Beijing this August, the equestrian dressage, show jumping, and eventing competitions are taking place in Hong Kong. For one, Hong Kong could provide better facilities for the horses, riders, and spectators and their unique needs. Two, Beijing couldn’t offer the necessary quarantine protocols, which are mostly required for the equines to get back into their home countries.
So Hong Kong, a 3-hour flight from the rest of the festivities, stepped up to offer state-of-the-art venues for equestrian competition.
An article on TheHorse.com quotes the club’s deputy chairman T. Brian Stevenson as saying “The Hong Kong Jockey Club made the decision to build the best venues for the Olympic horses and riders to support Beijing’s vision of staging the best Olympics and, even though we had less than two years to achieve it, we believe that we’ve more than lived up to the task.”
Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue at Sha Tin
25 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin, New Territories.
The newest racetrack in Hong Kong is found at Sha Tin, which will be the site of most of the Olympic equestrian competition.
All dressage and show jumping events will be held at Sha Tin. Hong Kong hired Australian architectural firm Timothy Court & Company, which also designed the equestrian facilities for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, to convert the Hong Kong Sports Institute and Penfold Park.
The arena is 100×80 meters with all sand footing. It has seating for 18,000 spectators.
The venue also includes air conditioned stabling for up to 200 horses, an equine clinic and farriery, 13 training arenas including one that is air conditioned, a cross-country training track, gallop track, and a bridle path on the Sha Tin racecourse infield — and that’s just for the horses. An air conditioned building will house management headquarters, VIP reception area, and accommodations for the grooms. There are four equine cooling stations with misting tents and lots of cold water for use with horses following training or competition. These cooling stations will be very much needed in the extreme heat and humidity of this season in Hong Kong.
The club’s equine hospital will also be on call throughout the event to handle any injuries and illnesses while the racing laboratory will test samples from the horses.
Training Facilities
Sha Tin Racecourse, Sha Tin, New Territories.
The 13 training areas are at the Sha Tin racecourse and include 3 general practice arenas (two sand, one grass); 4 jumping/dressage arenas; 1 jumping arena; 4 dressage arenas; and 1 indoor air-conditioned arena. There are 3 training facilities for cross country including an 800-meter turf training track, an 800-meter riverside galloping track, and a 1,000 meter all-weather bridle path.
Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue at Beas River
Beas River Country Club, Sheung Shui, New Territories
Hong Kong Golf Club, Lot No.1, Fan Kam Road, New Territories
The cross-country phase of eventing will be held at the Beas River Country Club and Hong Kong Golf Club. Here, a 5.7 kilometer, 10 meter wide cross country will be constructed. This venue includes warm-up and cool-down areas and a temporary stable block for up to 80 horses.
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Dressage, eventing, and show jumping were first incorporated into the Olympic games in 1900 and have been going strong ever since. For the first few decades, only military officers were allowed to compete in eventing, while civilians could saddle up for dressage and show jumping. Today, the top rider and horse pairs in the country are sent to compete for individual and team gold.
Equestrian events at the Olympics are the only sports that involve animals, and one of the few where men and women compete as equals.
While the 2008 Olympics are being held in Beijing, China, all equestrian events will be in Hong Kong due to quarantine issues and the availability of appropriate facilities.
Dressage at the Olympics
Four days of the Olympic games are devoted to dressage. The word dressage comes from the French language and translates as “training.” With roots in the European battleground, dressage is often explained as “ballet for horses.” Horses must perform a series of set moves with subtle cues from their riders. Each pair completes three rounds. The first two are set routines that all riders must follow and the third is a freestyle that is individually choreographed and set to music. Judges score the horse and rider pairs on each move as well as a few general characteristics such as the horse’s movement and the rider’s form and ability. Each country may send four horse and rider pairs to the Olympics.
US Olympic dressage teams have captured six medals: five bronze and one silver. Four of those have been at the most recent Olympic games. Hiram Tuttle, who took bronze in 1932, is the only American rider to win an individual medal in dressage.
Anky van Grunsven & Keltec Salinero, 2004 Individual Gold Medalists, Freestyle Dressage (Anky also won gold in 2000 and silver is 1996 in this event)
Show Jumping at the Olympics
Show jumping requires horse and rider to navigate a course of approximately 15 jumps within a certain time limit and without any faults. Horses gain faults by knocking down rails on fences, refusing to jump a fence, or by going over the time limit. They are disqualified for taking jumps in the wrong order or refusing to jump three times. The fences vary in height and width.
Typically in show jumping there is one round followed by a jump-off if needed. If more than one horse and rider pair who jumps “clean” (or doesn’t incur any faults), all of them then compete in a jump-off round. There are fewer jumps and more difficult paths. All Olympic riders compete in the first round on the first show jumping day; the second day features two rounds of team competition. The total of these three rounds act as qualifiers for the individual event, which is made up of two more rounds. Riders start from scratch in these two individual rounds; if any of them are tied following the second round, a jump-off is held.
Seven US riders have medaled in the individual show jumping event and the US also has seven team medals; including four gold between the two.
Roderigo Pessoa and Loro Piana Tomboy clinche individual gold in 2004 Olympic Games
Eventing at the Olympics
Eventing consists of three rounds: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Riders compete in one round each of dressage and show jumping, similar to the main events described above. The cross-country phase consists of a timed course over a series of natural obstacles such as ditches, hedges, logs, coops, and hills.
The top 25 riders progress to a second round of all three events to determine the individual medal winners.
US riders have won 11 medals in individual eventing and 12 medals in team eventing.
2008 Olympic Games
The 2008 Summer Olympic Games will be held in Beijing on August 8-24. the US Equestrian Team for the Olympics will be chosen July 15. I’ll continue to post news and information about the equestrian events including info about the riders and horses, television schedule, and overview of the events during the actual Games.
There are trainers for every discipline, of every personality, and with all kinds of philosophies and experience. It can be a chore to find the one with whom you connect best, who gets the best out of you, and who supports you in the way that you expect. But in all reality, the best horseback riding instructor you will ever have is the horse himself.
If all you ever ride are push-button, well-trained horses, you’ll know how to look pretty and use your aids correctly, but you won’t know how to really ride. It’s the horses that challenge you who most improve your riding ability and your confidence.
My Long Line Of Bad Horses
I can only think of one push-button horse I’ve ever been on in my entire life. And it was probably one of the most boring rides ever, too. From the time I was little, the only way I got to ride was to ride the bad horses nobody else wanted. I’m so glad we didn’t have the money to spend on expensive show horses who were already trained and knew their jobs. I certainly wouldn’t be the rider I am today!
It’s not that they were bad all the time. And none of them misbehaved in a dangerous or out-of-control way. But they made me work for everything I got out of them. They challenged my authority, challenged my strength, challenged my ability.
It started with Smoke when I was just 9 years old. His owner didn’t know much about horses and couldn’t do a thing with him, so my mom and sisters and I had a horse we could ride for free. He was the smartest horse I’ve ever known, and really made me work for everything. I very distinctly remember the summer I was 10, and I had to retrieve Smoke from the field by myself. It was hot, and he had about 300 flies and a few bees bugging him. He was tossing his head and stomping his feet and throwing a fit at the gate. And my rotten mother sent me out with his halter and absolutely refused to help me. I cried and whined and threw a fit because I was scared out of my pants (and couldn’t reach his head). But eventually I got him.
There was my girl Penny, who is about the spookiest horse I’ve ever ridden. And boy did she make me develop a seat that could stay with anything, whether I was ready or not (and even better, not panic).
There was Beauty, the overly strong and round black pony that nobody wanted to ride who would grab the bit between her teeth and take off. With my puny arms at the age of 12, I didn’t have much chance other than to learn to use some leverage.
There was a long line of thoroughbreds, many off the track, who had lots of energy that required channeling. They were all highly sensitive and taught me to use light aids and to stay calm and relaxed no matter what.
Now there’s Marahute, who behaves like an angel for children and won’t do a thing unless you really know how to make her if you actually know how to ride. For a long time she refused to walk when you got on her. She’d plant all four feet and refuse to move for a good 5-10 minutes … until it was her idea. Then she’d step off smartly and be fine. I finally figured out how to beat her at her game. Just a few rides ago, I started getting in the saddle and doing some lateral flexion, backing, and turns on the forehand. Now, all she wants to do is walk the second I’m on her back. With her, I’m learning to play the mental game.
Bad Horses Are Great Opportunites to Really Learn
This reminds of one of my favorite movies, Evan Almighty (which is surprisingly tasteful). In it, God (Morgan Freeman) is talking to Evan/Noah’s wife and says this:
If somebody prays for patience, do they get patience — or opportunities to practice patience?
If somebody prays for a family to get closer, do they get fuzzy feelings, or opportunities to love each other?
Similarly, if you want to learn how to bend a horse, you learn better on a horse who won’t do it than on one who will. So much of learning to ride is that feeling when using all of the correct aids in the right way at the right time actually works. I’m a firm believer that good riding is something you have to feel, not just understand in your mind.
A horse who likes to be difficult isn’t always going to place highly in the show ring, but he sure is going to teach you how to be a good rider.
When things are going perfectly and you are having issues with your horse, don’t get frustrated … and don’t expect to fix things over night. It takes time, and energy, and good rides and bad rides. One thing you can be sure of is that when you do finally fix the issue, you will be a much better rider than if you hadn’t had to deal with it in the first place!
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One thing I like about being home by myself is that I can leave my bedroom door open and let my kitties come sleep with me. Rooney is usually all over that one. But the first night Ben was gone, my college roommate came over for the night and those little traitors both slept with her. And they just pester me at ridiculously early morning hours until I have to shut them out anyway.
Typical cats, refusing to do what you want them to do … or even what you expect them to do based on past behavior.
While my friendly, cuddly boy Rooney acts more like a dog than a cat, Luna is all diva kitty. We’ve had her since she was just eight weeks old. It’s been fun to watch her grow up and change and develop.
When I first saw this video last summer, I just about died. It has Luna as a kitten written all over it. If you’ve ever raised a kitten, you’ll get a huge kick out of this.
The Mean Kitty Song
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July 3, 2008 
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