An adult amateur enjoys the ride with a pinto who was not exactly what she was looking for, but who has surpassed all her hopes and is now competing at the FEI levels with her trainer!
By Peggy O’Keeffe
Whenever Dice enters the freestyle ring, it is to the song Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat & Tears, specifically the phrase, “Ride a painted pony let the spinnin’ wheels spin.” I figured since I had a horse with a bold black and white overo coat, we might as well state the obvious.
So, how did I end up with a pinto? Prior to purchasing Dice, I had the wonderful opportunity to lease my trainer’s retired Grand Prix horse, Sheveron. I rode Shevy for eight amazing years until he was ready for full time retirement, and I will be forever grateful to Sandy Tull and Sheveron for all they taught me.
When it was time for me to find a new horse, Shevy was too special, and I could not bring myself to look at any bay horses, thus eliminating a significant portion of the sales pool. I did think that a horse with color might be fun, so I started looking for a buckskin, or perhaps even a palomino. I was on a tight budget and, at the time, my husband was 85 and my mother was 92, so a safe mount was an absolute must.
I tried out several horses but after riding a Grand Prix horse it was difficult going back to the Training and First Level horses that I could afford. After searching for several months, I gave myself until the end of September to find a horse and if I wasn’t successful, I would wait until spring when more horses would become available.
I had seen an ad for Dice but didn’t really consider him; I wasn’t looking for a pinto, especially one with so much white. More concerning, Dice was only five years old. I really needed a safe horse, not one that had only been under saddle for a year. A friend who knew Dice thought that we would be a good fit and suggested that I go see him. I eventually did.
It wasn’t love at first sight, but I felt that this was a horse that could get me to my goal of competing at Second Level plus a flying change, and he was very safe. Dice is not a very forward thinking horse so, his idea of a spook is to stop and put his head up! His owner offered me a three-week trial, which sealed the deal.
I wish I could say that when I brought Dice home everything went smoothly. There were long periods of time when I didn’t ride due to the passing of my husband and later my mother. And then there was Covid. Life finally settled down and Dice began to make nice progress, and I started to think about possibly showing. And then IT happened. Dice started stopping for no apparent reason, refusing to go forward. Riding ceased to be fun. We checked everything and eventually I decided that perhaps Dice would be happier doing Western dressage. So, I took Dice to a cowgirl trainer to make the switch to western and sell him.
Dice was not a fan of the western saddle, nor the spurs that often go along with it. After a tornado hit the barn, tearing off the roof above his stall, I decided to try riding Dice again. Whatever the reason, Dice was back to his old self and a pleasure to ride once again. The barn where we were stabled, however, was in disarray and the indoor arena was mostly destroyed. It was at that time that I made the decision to take Dice to Six Oaks Farm and USDF Gold Medalist trainer Janelle Deisig. The rest, as they say, is history.
Dice and Janelle immediately hit it off. After only ten weeks of limited training, we took Dice to a recognized show where he earned second place in his first show at First Level, and won the class the following day. I still had thoughts of showing Dice myself, but watching the connection between Janelle and Dice grow, combined with my own issues with back and hip pain, made the decision to keep the team together pretty easy. It helps when your trainer loves your horse as much as you do!
I also discovered something I never thought possible: I thoroughly enjoy watching someone else (Janelle, specifically) show my horse. As an amateur, I don’t possess the skillset to train and compete a horse to the upper levels, and as an owner, I want to give Dice the best chance to reach his potential, which is way beyond my original goal of Second Level with a flying change! Last year Janelle and Dice competed at Fourth Level and Prix St. Georges (PSG). This coming summer they will debut at Intermediate 1.
While I wasn’t searching for a pinto, I must admit that having a “non-traditional” dressage horse is fun. My original concern that conservative dressage judges would not be thrilled to have my boldly “painted pony” come down the centerline quickly dissipated. Because of his unique coloring, everyone knows Dice and he has developed a fan club, which continues to help me make many new friends. It’s also nice when members of my non-horsey family come to the show as they have no trouble finding Dice in a crowded warm-up ring.
That said, keeping all that white clean down to the pink skin – not so much fun.
Now, for a very brief explanation of Paint and pinto horses. Paint horses are considered a breed, descending from Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines and usually have a spotted coat. Dice is pinto, which is not a breed but a color. He is a grandson of Art Deco, a black and white pinto Dutch Warmblood stallion. Dice’s sire was a Dutch/Arabian cross and his dam was a registered paint. Because of his spots, Dice was eligible to be registered with the American Pinto Horse Association; his registered name is Pair A Dice. That said, most people refer to Dice as a Paint.
I frequently receive questions about Dice’s coat pattern, which is called overo. In general overo colored horses have a solid color down their back (no white crossing the spine) and their spots have an irregular shape, looking like an impressionist painting. I find that people enjoy looking for shapes in Dice’s spots. According to Janelle’s mother there is a roaring lion head on Dice’s left flank; someone else found part of a mitten on his right flank, appropriate for a horse from Michigan, known also as the mitten state because of its shape.
We are currently in the process of setting our 2026 show schedule, so if you are at a Waterloo Hunt Dressage Show (Region 2) this summer, watch for Janelle and Dice, and be sure to come over and say “Hi!”
