I am looking for information on top jumpers or grand prix horses that had a late start or had mediocre beginnings before finding their way to success in the show ring. I am hoping some of the COTH members will have some great articles to share or stories they remember about various horses.
Snowman. Also just about every OTTB who jumped around at top levels in decades past.
2 Likes
The iconic Michael Matz comes to mind. He had no junior career at all but went to the very top of the sport and then to the top of another sport (racing) when he retired from show jumping. https://www.noellefloyd.com/blogs/sport/what-being-a-good-horseman-means-to-olympic-show-jumper-turned-racehorse-trainer-michael-matz
1 Like
Judgment was very spooky about the water when Beezie got him from Michael Matz. I think there are some articles on it, I think I remember reading they tried clicker training.
Navalo de Poheton was a failed adult jumper or something like that, I think, before jumping at the FEI level with Andy Kocher. But I don’t know what his career as a young horse was.
Shutterfly was notoriously spooky and sensitive and had a bad record as a young horse. I think he was 8 or 9 before it started to come together.
Christallo comes to mind as one that was very difficult, too.
2 Likes
Richard Spooner has a bunch of clinic videos on Youtube and in one of them he talks about how Cristallo was a horse that just constantly fought him and that’s what made Richard love him. His reasoning was “If he fights against the fences even just half as much as he fights against me, we’ll never knock a rail.” He also said the first time he got on and Cristallo didn’t fight him was the last time he rode him and he retired him.
Weighing in from some different disciplines - Verdades was very difficult as a young horse and Laura Graves almost sold him. She fell off and broke her back the first time she wore spurs on him because he was so reactive: https://horsenetwork.com/2016/06/13-things-you-didn-t-know-about-laura-graves-superstar-verdades/
From the eventing world, there are tons of OTTBs who have been restarted and gone on to the top of the sport. Donner is one of the best-known, this article has a photo of him looking completely scruffy at age 4 - https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/can-you-tell-upper-level-event-prospect !
Going back a ways, but Nautical had a late start. I think he was18 at the Pan Am games.
Hickstead was notoriously difficult as a young horse. If you haven’t watched the documentary about him, I highly recommend it. It’s a great watch!
1 Like
Special Ed (Canadian jumper with Jill Henselwood) was a failed dressage horse before becoming a top horse including team Silver at Beijing
Cylana comes to mind!
Nona Garson’s Rhythmical was a former Russian cavalry horse who was once traded for washing machines. He ended up jumping at the 2000 Olympics
1 Like
There is a video feature about John and Beezie using clicker training. I think it might have been in association with a Spruce Meadow broadcast. I remember being so impressed then seeing the horse go around the GP ring and take the water. It might be archived on the spruce site or perhaps their You Tube page.
1 Like
Laura Kraut’s first big horse, Simba Run, went through a whole bunch of top riders because he was a horrible rooter and would just yank people out of the saddle. She somehow lived with it, and I think they were reserves for our Olympic Team.
perhaps one of them but the one I saw was more specific to re-training the water jump. But no matter, it left me with a strong positive feeling about what a true trainer can be.
Oh you’re right, I think that clip I posted wasn’t actually what I intended. Spruce Meadows has a longer feature on him that I think has more about that whole process.
