Wine, art, some cheese, and friendships. What do they have in common? They all get better with time – just like the Senior Superstars we’re celebrating on YourDressage throughout the month of March!
Here, a rider from Region 7 tells us about her once-in-a-lifetime Lusitano stallion, Xerez, who carried her up the levels one year at a time, earning many accolades along the way!
By Janice Cline
After a lifetime of riding dressage, I completed my first Grand Prix test at the age of 65 with my Lusitano stallion, Xerez, who is 23.
Our journey together began 13 years earlier, when my trainer convinced me to buy a trained horse. I saw Xerez’s stunning photos on Facebook, and I fell in love.
At the time, I had a stressful full-time job and a commute, but I rode as much as possible. We showed one level each year, starting at Third Level. I had never shown above Second Level before that. My trainer then showed Xerez through the FEI levels, and he did his first Grand Prix at seventeen years old.
I was lucky to retire at age 62, which allowed me to ride every day. I got through Intermediate-1 at age 63, Intermediate-2 at 64, and finally, Grand Prix at 65.
My goal was to earn my USDF Gold Medal – I haven’t achieved that goal yet. I do now have two Grand Prix rides, but the scores were not above 60%. In the end, Xerez’s health took precedence over my goal. I DID, however, earn my FEI-level Master’s Challenge Award in 2024.
Xerez is a saint. He’s so safe, and was always ready to work at shows or clinics. We did several musical freestyles in costume, which was a blast. Xerez would wear anything.
In 2024, I found a retirement home for Xerez. He is sound and still trying his best to do FEI-level work, but he was no longer excited about dressage. I decided that the DEl Mar Dressage Opener in February of 2025 would be his last show.
In January my friend Donna and I realized that Donna and Xerez’s combined age would qualify them for The Dressage Foundation’s Century Club – an opportunity too good to ignore. On February 14th, 2025, Donna and Xerez completed their Century Club ride at Grand Prix.
Two weeks later, Xerez moved to his new owner, Jaz Ranch, in Utah. He is now a Lusitano breeding stallion with a band of mares, green grass, and a territory of his own. It is his dream life.
