I came to riding as an adult. My parents thought I would "grow out of it", my husband feels if they had just bought me the #@*&! pony, he would not be sharing his life with 8 horses as the "reluctant farmer". I pinch myself daily because I still can't believe I have horses in my "backyard"!

I owned four "starter" horses, one at a time, that were patient and kind and let me make all those beginning mistakes one makes without killing myself! When the time came to replace my last horsey partner I felt I had the time to do it "once more". We had tried to make dressage horses out of a number of wonderful mounts. None of which were bred to do the job. We made great inroads, but it was always a uphill battle. With the option to start fresh we decided to look into breeds bred to do dressage. I'm only 5'2, and had already done the 16,3h. monster thing. I wanted a horse I could mount from the ground if necessary, and look like a balanced picture. Just for "fun" we looked into the Lipizzans, never for a moment thinking they would be a possibility, but when you dream, dream BIG! Much to our surprise, you CAN buy a Lipizzan. Infact they are still very reasonably priced. My partner in crime found her horse first. A bay, gelding. (Apollo is the Billy Crystal of Lipizzans!) My turn next.

I did not start out thinking "Stallion", I was thinking "Gelding", but life has often plopped me onto amazing detours. Mares were also not in the plans, but more on that later.

In a small ad, two Lipizzans were offered for sale. A hard luck story with soap opera script. Of course these horses had to come home to me! Plan "A" Geld, and Sell the "Extra" one. NOT. The young (for a Lipizzan) stallion was so sweet. He truly was a boy looking for a job, any job. Willing and funny, personality to spare, he seemed to say " Hi, your mine, now lets get to this riding thing!" The mare was broken. Heart and body. I do not know what her story is. I may not want to know. I do know she grieved for a year over the loss of her previous owner. I was allowed to be her caregiver. She had nothing more she was willing to give me.

Fast forward several years. Magic is going well under saddle. Cierra, Magic's sister, and I have come to an understanding, and developed a good level of trust. Cierra is a poster child of what NOT to do with a Lipizzan. Working with a trainer who had lots of experience with "broken" Lipizzans, and other breeds, we went back to the beginning with her. She was a dream to ride. Floating trot, and rocking horse canter. One only needed to think, and she responded. We had come so far. What ever happened to Cierra before I bought her can only be guessed at. She has what we call her "flashbacks". One day before our lesson I bent over to pick up a rock in the arena. With out warning she went up and over. Scrambling to her feet she stood there shaking, there was no horse behind the eyes of my frightened mare. It took several seconds for her to "come back". I had seen her "sunfish" before, we had made such progress we thought it was behind us. Riding her was not worth the risk to horse or rider. I never saddled her again. Cierra was broken..........but she gave us the beautiful filly Carmella. Cierra is gone now, but I indulged her as best as anyone could until it was time for her to leave us. On a sunny day in the tall green grass without fear, and with her hard earned trust I stodd with her for her last journey.

Life is funny, first I fall into two Lipizzans, neither one the gelding of my plans, then I run into a trainer (Stephanie Wagner ) who has worked with the breed, then I get invited to drive to San Francisco to ride with Karl Mikolka. ( see Karl Mikolka ) Karl has more knowledge of classical dressage and the Lipizzan than anyone in the US. And another twist in the "can you believe it ?" Stephanie worked with Karl for years! Blows me away!! So, the support for my horses is unbelievably deep!! Another "pinch" me moment! Lastly, my poor husband could not have known what he was getting into when he offered to move out of the "planned development" we had lived in for 18 years, and onto 5 acres. Engineer turned farmer is a story in itself.

Back to "Magic". He came with that barn name. I did not care for it. However he lived up to the name, and more! He was my gelding in stallion attire.

Magic was better behaved away from home than at home, and he was very good at home, I was always amazed at how he took things in stride. He lived in the barn with all his girls, his son, and the old gelding. I have had school field trips come to see the Lipizzans, and he patiently stood for all 45 little hands to pet the "White Stallion". He went to the Albany Horse Expo, and had flash pictures taken with children holding balloons. He shared a trailer with another young Lipizzan stallion, to San Francisco and back without any of the studdy behavior one would expect from 2 stallions. He allowed me to take time off from riding, and happily pick up where we left off, without missing a beat. Magic.