Ruben
Ruben
dob. 05-28-97
What can I say about Ruben! He's big, beautiful, black and kind beyond belief. I bought him sight-unseen over the internet and had the great fortune to actually get what I was promised. My friends tell me I was lucky since the horse world is full of dishonest dealers, and as I become more experienced in this field I realize just how right they are. But Ruben is like a dream come true, a puppy dog in horse clothing. He comes to me when I call him out of the field and gives eager kisses with his soft warm muzzle as a greeting. Actually, this is a trick I taught him to get a little snack but it still warms my heart, especially when he does it without looking for the carrot. These days Ruben is being professionally schooled in dressage and competes at 3rd Level with his trainer, Candy Allen. During slow times he allows me to take him in the show ring at Training Level and he can actually make me look good! Who knows what the future holds for him.
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| Ruben at Compass Rose Farm | First show with me |
Current Events 2007
Current Events 2004
March
14 - Today Ruben made his 2004 debut in dressage at the annual VADA/NOVA Spring
Fling competition held at Morvan Park in Leesburg, Virginia. In spite of a
long cold winter with weather that constantly forced the cancellation of
training sessions, Ruben and Donna still managed to bring home two first place
ribbons and the high score award for Second Level. Ruben is such a
ham! When the bell rings for him to enter the show ring, he becomes the
"star" for the moment! He struts his stuff with such confidence
that you would swear he knew all eyes were on him.
I think he has a bright future as a show horse because he truly loves the
limelight.
April
10 - Once again Ruben gave us all reason to be proud when he won 2 second place
ribbons at the VADA/NOVA Spring Dressage show. Against fierce competition
he gave a great demonstration of his talents when he managed to beat Teade 392,
one of only 17 approved breeding Friesian stallions in the United States.
Teade is considered an up and coming star in the dressage world so it is really
meaningful that Ruben beat him. Go Ruben!
October
10 - Wow, what a day Ruben had! Sunday was the CDCTA/VADA Challenge show
at Compass Rose Farm and Ruben was truly the star. He rode in the musical
freestyle with his trainer, Donna Gatchell, and received a winning score of 72
points. But later he and I rode Training Level Test 4 and I got a 67.6,
the high score of the show (freestyle marks don't count for high score).
This gave our team, the CR Ponies Dance, an advantage and we managed to easily
overcome the competition. My teammates of the day were Susan
on Eclipse, Rachel on Phalen, and Karen on Soccer. Donna trains us all and
I think she must be very proud of herself since we all gave stellar
performances that reflected well on her skills as a coach.
October
25 - Today there's much cause for celebration , Ruben and his entourage just
returned from the 22nd Annual BLM Memorial Championship Finals held in
Lexington, Virginia laden with ribbons. We arrived at the show grounds on
Wednesday surrounded by fog, drizzle and cool temperatures but this didn't
dampen out spirits. Although the odds were against us everybody believed
the best horse-rider team would win and in my mind that was Ruben and
Donna. Thursday was reserved for warm-up rides and Ruben won a red ribbon
in his Musical Freestyle competition. He went on to get a 1st place in
Second Level Test 3 with a score of 69, the high score of the day for Second
Level rides. Some of us were euphoric, what would Friday bring!
Well, this was when we discovered that prejudice against Friesians doing
dressage really did exist. Three of the four judges who scored Ruben's
next 2 rides gave him marks in the 50's. At this point the continued
clouds and dampness began to depress me and I went to bed Friday night with a
more realistic understanding of what we would up against the next evening.
Saturday dawned just like the previous three days, cold and ugly, but sleep is
rejuvenating and once again I could envision a great finish for Ruben in
the Second Level Musical Freestyle. By 8:30PM, Ruben's scheduled
performance time, the tension level was about as high as it can get. Most
of the other talented competitors had finished and only three horses remained to
strut their stuff. But Ruben is the consummate showman, err showhorse,
and he and Donna gave a great performance to the evening audience. Dancing to
music from Ladyhawk they convinced the judges that Friesians really can do
dressage and won the Second Level Musical Freestyle Championship. Although
we left Lexington on Sunday under overcast skies the sun was shining brightly
for some of us!
October
31 - Today just happens to be Halloween and also the last day of Ruben's
competitive season as a 2nd Level dressage horse. Morvan Park Equestrian
Center in Leesburg, Virginia hosted the 5th Annual USDF Adult Team
Championships and, as usual, our boy showed what Friesians are made of, he won
the 2nd Level Musical Freestyle with an astonishing score of
75.417%! He also received a high score for the VADA team competition but
this was anti-climactic compared to his Freestyle ride. Kenny and I
floated home in great spirits to face the ghosts and goblins on All Hallows Eve.
Current Events 2005
