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!
A region 1 rider shares how her Lusitano/Hackney cross mare helped her find her independence in the saddle again following a traumatic brain injury.
By Darcey Juzwiak
Some things are just meant to be. That’s how I feel about my partnership with my Lusitano/Hackney cross Venetia Star, or “Vivi,” as she’s known around the barn. Vivi is a 15.1-hand, 15-year-old black mare by Rumbero (IALHA) and out of a Hackney mare. She is opinionated, very safe, but spicy and fancy enough to make every ride an adventure.
On September 11th, 2020, I was in a serious car accident. I was “T-boned,” and my vehicle spun around, flipping several times before it landed upside down. As a result, I was unable to ride for a year and a half due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) incurred from the accident. The recovery has been a long, hard journey.
I met Vivi in Wellington, Florida, in 2022. I began riding her when we realized that my current horse was no longer an appropriate partner for me and my current condition. Initially, I was only able to ride on a lunge line for 15 minutes before I would become dizzy and nauseous.
Vivi had been shipped from her trainer’s farm in Pennsylvania to Wellington to be sold. By chance, she ended up at the same barn where my horse was boarded for the season. As such, I had the good fortune to be able to lease Vivi for a month before purchasing her. In that month’s time, I was able to venture off the lunge line, and start to return to normal rides.
My good friend Paula Keller was very patient and kind, helping me with basic horse care that I knew how to do, but was unable to do at the time. For example, picking Vivi’s feet was not possible for me at that time, as my brain did not tolerate me bending over. Paula patiently gave me lunge lessons, helping me progress to riding independently again.
The first time my husband, Jim, saw me ride off the lunge line after my accident, he became very emotional. We had not been sure that would ever happen again. I could not yet canter a 20-meter circle, but I was riding independently, and I trusted Vivi to take care of me. The sitting trot would not happen for four more years, but I was happy to be back in the saddle again with my new partner.
Initially, my days after the accident consisted of sitting in a quiet house with sunglasses and a hat on. The only exercise I was allowed to do was walking outside for twenty minutes in all weather conditions. I never missed a single day.
In my second year of recovery, I began vision therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. While I was in Wellington, I worked on my therapy on my own every day, meeting weekly over Zoom to check my progress with my vision therapist. Zoom meeting days left me feeling ill and unable to drive or ride. I also had monthly virtual meetings with Dr. Schaller, a specialist in concussions and TBIs.
I could drive to the barn and the grocery store, but didn’t venture out of my little square. Friends would pick me up for events like Friday Night Lights, and I still wore earplugs when in loud restaurants or crowds. Noise and lights were still troublesome.
Vivi is particular about “her people.” She is very much a one-person horse, and she loves being groomed and fussed over. She has a beautiful, thick tail, and will stand forever while I work to get every strand looking perfect for her.
It is hard to explain what Vivi means to me; she gave me my riding life back, which includes a lot more than just exercise. My husband is an equine surgeon who loves her almost as much as I do, and keeps her healthy and happy. Our rides are now full of shoulder-ins, half-passes, tempi changes, sitting that big fancy trot, treats, and lots of pats on the neck, often with a “great job, Vivi!”
Vivi goes to Florida, and my trainer, Katie Snowdin, and all the people in the barn say that Vivi is their favorite. She is talented, beautiful, opinionated, and so very lovable.
Vivi makes the barn a happy place.
