Taz goes Handorf!
As you all know, December of 2009 brought a new stallion to our barn - Tzigane *Pb*. Although we had never met this horse in person, we had great confidence in the people at Trakehner Sires International who had this great export/import idea in the first place, and knew that his owner, Kim Hunter, wanted to find a long-term solution for his breeding career.
After his approval by the Trakehner Verband in Germany, his quarantine, a long flight, customs in Europe and endless nights of watching videos on the Internet, "Taz" stepped off the trailer at Majenfelde. And it was truly love at first sight! For all of us, except of course of the ruling king of Majenfelde, E.H. Manrico, who is just appalled that some dude who doesn't even speak proper German thinks he's the new star in the barn!
Tzigane is 12 years old in 2010 and has been competing for most of his life - a fact that doesn't necessarily make it easier to find all those buttons and tricks for his new rider. However, the outstanding temperament of Taz make him a joy to work with, and our Krümel is especially successful with him. Relaxation is a great part of our work with Taz, as seen here:
Obviously, a new stallion needs to prove himself. All the more so if he comes with a performance record from a different country and is an entirely new face in Germany. The Trakehner fans wanted to see him first hand and because we had little time and much to accomplish, the plan for Taz' first two months was quickly agreed upon: arrival, training, Handorf. The lovely abscess that Taz had developed about 10 days ago was definitely not part of this elaborate plan and really cost us about 10 years of our collective lives! And yet again, it is his temperament and willingness to perform that makes Taz stand apart, and we're relieved and very happy to report that he did very well in Handorf.
Taz' rider Helmut Schrant came extra for this one performance, and only ride Taz twice before we had to enter the lion's den. We did have a great time with him though - so much fun!! And finally, with the arrival of Taz's owner Kim on wednesday, we were now a full team of Taz people - all on the margin of freaking out of course since the Horse Gods didn't seem to be on our side this time. How much preparation does a horse need that knows a lot, but also had to go through so much lately? Not so much as it turnes out ...
We found some all American music and had Taz work on a routine that began with "Born in the USA" and ended with the Beach Boys and during one especially fun dinner, we also thought that some patriotism would suit Handorf just well. Krümel and Taz learned to grab a huge American Flag out of my hand - at a full canter! Since you only have to show this horse once, we were soon up to two flags, changing of flags without reins in hand, and flying changes in the middle of it ...
Thank you Petra and Bernd Wilhelmer in Münster for the wonderful video!!
Taz the show jumper impresses mostly with his very economic way of jumping - he wastes not an inch, but clears any hight that way. He is also extremely fast and can be turned on a plate, literally. We firmly believe that this is what makes a great jumper one that can win and stay sound at the same time. So finally in Handorf, after a nice jumping round with Helmut, Krümel got on board and the two presented their "Flag Routine", which was enthusiastically celebrated by the crowd. We received so much great feedback, phone calls and emails from breeders that came to watch, and are just excited and very thankful for this opportunity.
Next saturday, we will present our horses at our own stallion show, with yet another performance by Helmut, and new tricks by Krümel and Taz of course. And of course we still love our Manrico, who will be presented in a dressage freestyle once more. We think that we have an unbeatable combo in the barn with these two, and are now eagerly awaiting the new season - foals, Taz back in competition, and hopefully many mares for our Golden Duo!! Stay tuned!
Photos by Jutta Bauernschmitt
