This June we are highlighting the Lavish Lusitano on YourDressage!
Did you know that riders who choose a member of this handsome breed as their dressage mounts are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program? The International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association and the US Lusitano Association Inc. are participating organizations!
After 30 years of dreaming of horse ownership, a Region 5 adult amateur found her perfect partner in a green prospect all the way across the country.
By Kelly Minor
Owning a horse had been a dream for me ever since I was a little girl.
I started riding at age eight, but there’s no doubt that my love for horses began way before that. I’m honestly not sure where it came from, though, since I’m the only horse person in my family. Even though he didn’t ride, I was lucky my dad also loved horses, and he knew my first riding instructor from high school. That’s where my riding journey began.
I started riding in the hunter/jumper ring, as many of us do, and transitioned to dressage shortly thereafter. I was blessed to ride my instructor’s Welsh/Arabian cross, and he taught me the basics of Training Level dressage. I rode lesson horses on and off throughout the years, being that I wasn’t in a position to own. I would have done anything to have my own horse, but the expenses surrounding them just didn’t make it possible at the time. For many years, it was just a dream.
The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) allowed me to continue riding in college, but since they didn’t offer dressage I found myself back in the hunter ring. I quickly learned that wasn’t where I wanted to be. I rode anytime I could because I love to ride, but dressage was really where my heart was.
Years later, after moving to Arizona and riding lesson horses and having a couple of short leases, I found myself having lost two mounts to injury within a week. I badly wanted to purchase my own horse, and with my husband’s blessing I finally had the green light! It may have taken almost thirty years, but I was finally buying a horse.
I really thought it would take a year – or more – to find my perfect match, so I made an “In Search Of” post on Facebook in a couple of horse groups, and prepared myself for a long search.
Within a few weeks, I received a message from someone who was on the opposite side of the country from me. She was in Vermont and I was in Arizona, and her horse hadn’t even been officially put on the market yet. She had seen my post, and contacted me, thinking I could be his perfect person.
Named for his Fourth of July birthday, N’Dependence was a four-year-old buckskin Associação Portuguesa de Criadores do Cavalo Puro Sangue Lusitano (APSL) gelding. At a compact 15 hands, he’s the color of a golden nugget, with a bright white star and a black mane and tail. This boy looked like he had literally walked out of my dreams and into my life!
I knew from the moment I saw his photo that he’d be mine, barring any physical problems in vetting. His owner had given him a different barn name, but before I even met him he was already “Indy” in my mind.
My friend and I flew to Vermont a couple of weeks later to meet him. It was like he was meant to be mine – I’m originally from New Jersey, and it turns out Indy was bred in Bedford, Pennsylvania, which is only a short 45 minutes from where my husband grew up. I passed through this town every other weekend for two years when I would go to visit my husband.
Another strange coincidence? Indy’s previous owner’s last name is the same as my maiden last name!
Indy’s previous owner had worked with him on ground basics, so he was well-mannered and brave, but he’d only had 19 rides under saddle, and absolutely zero bridle or bit training. Even though I’d never owned a horse before, or trained one to accept a bit or bridle, I wasn’t going to let that deter me. I’ve learned this breed is extremely sensitive and late to bloom, so the trick is slow and steady to help him understand.
I was the second person to ever ride him, and since he had not worn a bridle or a bit yet, I test rode him in a halter and reins! He was such a good baby to be trustworthy enough to be ridden without a bridle and a bit.
Indy arrived in Arizona just two short weeks later, and we slowly introduced a bridle and bit. We started first with a soft rubber bit, which taught me a lot about his mouth in general. He has a low palate, thick fleshy tongue, and sharp bars, so it took quite a while for me to find the type of bit he’d need to be comfortable. Without a lot of room in his mouth, a thinner ported bit seems to be his preference.
He is so willing and eager to please that sometimes he tries a little too hard. He also definitely lives up to his namesake, as this boy has an incredibly independent mind. He prefers his own ideas, so oftentimes I have to persuade him to believe the answers I’m looking for are his idea. If I ask him for one thing, Indy is the type of horse to throw five possible answers at me, and sometimes none of those answers are right. He often thinks the goal is just to get from A to B and it’s taken a lot of encouragement from me to teach him to slow down and listen.
Training Level work has been a big hurdle for him, as his initial response to anything he doesn’t understand is to tense up and brace. Teaching him to relax and move at a slower pace has helped him learn to use his body in a way that never occurred to him. Trusting the process and staying on his timeline has helped him overcome a lot of those initial issues. In return, the trust he has in me has helped the two of us progress through First and Second Levels.
Indy turns nine this July 4th, and we recently received our first qualifying score at Third Level for my USDF Bronze Medal. He’s beginning to become more solid in collection, and is schooling a few of the Fourth Level movements.
Having only ridden up to First Level dressage in schooling shows before purchasing him, Indy has taught me to be both a better rider and horsewoman. He can come off as difficult to train because he’s so eager, but he’s so incredibly quick witted that he’s taught me to be patient, and to be more in tune with him. I’ve come to learn that he’s often giving me feedback before I’ve even asked the question. He’s very quick to react, which seems to be a Lusitano trait, and it’s been challenging to teach him not to overreact to the aids. Constant positive reinforcement is helping him get there.
Outside of the competition arena Indy is confident on the desert trails, both in groups and by himself. I hope to one day introduce him to a western saddle, and take him on some mountain trails in Wyoming and Idaho. To keep him from getting bored, I’d also like to introduce him to some working equitation exercises as he becomes more solid in his Third Level work. Lusitanos are extremely versatile horses, and I’d like to show Indy a world outside of dressage, as I think introducing them to other disciplines and exercises helps build confidence.
Indy is super sweet and sensitive, and I think that can be said for the breed in general. I’d encourage anyone wanting to learn dressage to consider a Lusitano. They are naturally built for collection, and possess the agility needed for the more difficult movements. They will walk through fire for you, if you help them find their confidence and give them a reason to trust you.
Indy himself has already accomplished one dream for me by being the good boy he is, and giving me the privilege to own him. . Every day that I get to spend with him is a gift, and it’s a wonderful bonus that he’s helped his amateur owner reach Third Level, essentially from scratch. I’ve simply loved the journey, and Indy definitely possesses the talent to get to Grand Prix. He has taught me so much about refining my own riding skills and, even though he’s the first horse I’ve owned, I have faith our partnership will take us to the very top.
