Tesoro, My Greatest Treasure

Heavy Hitters! Throughout the month of December, we are featuring heavy horses and heavy breed crosses!

Did you know that dressage riders who choose a heavy hitter as their mounts are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the Draft Cross Breeders & Owners Association (among several others!) is a participating organization?

Here, a Region 7 adult amateur shares her return to riding after her career and family took priority, and how an unexpected partner got her back in the show ring!

By Cindy Gumber

Riding has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I took my first lesson at five years old, and have never looked back. Growing up, I always rode lighter horses, like Thoroughbreds and racing Quarter Horses. But my passion for dressage was born when my then-show horse began excelling in the dressage phase of eventing. I decided to stop eventing, and pour my heart and soul into the sport of dressage. 

In the pursuit of learning, I had the opportunity to be a working student through high school and college for some great trainers who continued to foster my love for dressage. After graduating from college, I tried to keep the passion alive as life changed and my horses got older.

When I was about ready to give riding a real shot again after career moves and multiple kids joined the scene, my show horse had to be retired. I was devastated and did not think I would be able to make everything fall into place again with a new horse. I also wasn’t sure I’d be able to find the time as a mom with a full-time corporate job. 

Then, I saw the ad for Tesoro.

When I began my horse shopping adventure, my stipulations included: good mind, safe, and talented enough if I decided I wanted to show (granted, I didn’t want any part of it at that point in my life). 

Coincidentally, Tesoro was living about a mile away from my house, at a western trainer’s farm. I can remember driving by this ranch multiple times and commenting on what a cool-looking horse he was, all the while without knowing that one day he would be mine. 

I went to try him a few times and, on a leap of faith, jumped in with both feet by purchasing him. Being a draft cross, he is different from anything I have ever owned, size-wise. For the first year I owned him, Tesoro lived in a pasture at a nearby boarding facility so I could continue to take lessons with him. 

After a year of ownership, my family and I made the decision that, due to life circumstances, we needed to bring Tesoro home. I took that summer to focus on building our partnership and took a step back from lessons. Winter hit us hard, and through a string of miscommunications, my lack of understanding how to train a horse of his size, and Tesoro having a back injury that we didn’t know about, we had some rides that rocked both of our confidence.

When I started retaking lessons under the watchful eye of Cindy Ramirez-Smith, we were in a program that was a better fit for my lifestyle as a busy working mom. My goal was to have a safe and confident horse whom I could continue to ride alone at home. 

But in the beginning, I could barely get on and walk my horse without a cross-country vest and a very scared look on my face, because of the happenings in the few months prior. Cindy reminded me that partnership is not just about what happens in the saddle; she reintroduced the groundwork that was a large part of my childhood roots with horses. 

Through months of determination, fixing the physical ailments with Tesoro, and pure grit, we graduated from the roundpen. The groundwork and every small goal achieved under saddle allowed me to believe in myself as a rider again, which in turn led me to believe in Tesoro.

Tesoro and I have had a huge support team behind us throughout our journey, and none of this would be possible without them! From my college roommate, who would sit on my Pivo and talk to me as I climbed onto Tesoro during the hard times riding solo at home, to my supportive family, trainers, vets, farriers, and saddle fitters – we owe you.

Throughout the journey with Tesoro, I have learned many lessons: how to be 100% present; how to have patience in all situations. But quite possibly, the most important lesson is to have confidence in all that I do as a horsewoman. I often talk about the phrase, “Do it anyway,” and nothing could ring truer throughout our time together. I cannot tell you the number of times I sat on that arena rail trying to talk myself into getting on, or the number of times I had a hard day at work, but knew I had to let it go before I got to the barn.

People say that everything happens for a reason, and I can tell you that Tesoro is exactly what I needed. He pushes me to slow down and be present in all aspects of my life, from my corporate finance job to motherhood. The grit and determination he has demanded of me have allowed me to ensure I make the time for him, which enables me to be a better mom, employee, boss, and human. 

Remember earlier when I mentioned I did not want to show? That went out the window when I recognized how special this horse was! In September 2025, after a six-year hiatus and two babies, I decided to participate in a schooling show. We had only been out of the round pen a few months at this point, and did not have high expectations. Regardless, Tesoro exceeded them. He was extremely well-behaved right off the trailer and made it through his tests. 

Because he was so well behaved, we decided to give it another shot in October at a slightly larger show and facility. Tesoro and I improved our accuracy and scores at this show by multiple percentage points. 

Throughout these few show experiences with him, I have fallen back in love with the sport that has always brought me so much joy. 

This year, Tesoro and I are aiming to qualify to compete at a Regional Adult Amateur Competition, and have a fun first show season together. Hopefully, in the next few years, we will earn my USDF Bronze Medal (shhh, he doesn’t know how much work this will be yet! 😉).

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would own a draft cross, never mind one that we found at a western trainer’s just a mile from my house. However, the sky is the limit with this one! If you are looking for your next partner, I would most definitely not pass up the wonderful draft crosses out there. Tesoro is gentle, great with the kids, a ROCKSTAR in new show environments, always tries his hardest to understand what we are asking of him, and has a larger-than-life personality!