Promise, the older of the two, attended her 3rd show this past weekend. When she scored 68% in her first test, I was quite pleased--it was her best performance yet, and she had no major mistakes. (A few transitions could have used better balance, but hey--doesn't that happen to the best of us at times?) Then she came back and did Training Level Test 4, improved on the problem spots, and laid down a 70%. I was thrilled. She wasn't satisfied. On Sunday, she repeated Training Level Test 3 (just the one test because I figured with the heat and it being a two day show, she'd be tired), she nailed it... every bit of it, and won High Point with a 74.4%!!! I'm still floating sky high on that one.
Then, we started Quila's other daughter, three year-old Pik's Margarita, in training this week. What a darling "The Little Terrorist" has turned out to be... She is the sweetest, easiest youngster we've ever worked with! You'd think she'd had a bit in her mouth a thousand times before, she took it so easily and once it was in, she showed no reaction. AND, when we asked to her to lunge, it took all of 15 seconds for her to figure out what it was that we wanted, and for her to agree that it was a perfectly reasonable thing for us to want her to do. I daresay, if she'd had the strength, we could have placed a saddle and girth on her today, then put a rider on her back, and she would not have batted an eye--not as long as we told her she was a good girl and gave her a scratch on the forehead. She lives for praise and extra love and attention. It breaks my heart that I have to sell her, but the reality of the number of horses I own (and particularly the number of horses that require my attention and the fact that God has only given me 24 hours in a day) has become painfully obvious, and I'm having trouble keeping up with Quila and Facet right now. I've realized adding Endor to the list will be beyond me, so a junior rider at our barn is going to get a few extra rides on him (which should do her riding career wonders while her young horse is learning the ropes) during those periods when Susan is too busy with college. I will MAKE time for Promise this Fall, but there is no way in heck that I could manage Margarita, too, even if I do retire Quila. No way. And I can't forget that I've got Vittoria growing up out in the pasture, too.(And what kind of sense would it make to have two full sisters, anyway? Because really, it would be a choice between Vittoria and Margarita... and Vittoria has Facet in her, too. Oh, I hate this. I truly do... Why can't I have everything--the old my cake and eat it, too, syndrome). The best I can hope for, I guess, is a home where Margarita will get the love and affection I would give her, and I hope it will be someone that appreciates her talent and that will show her. (And that lives close by, so I can watch her grow. In a perfect world, they would get help from Jürgen, so I would know that she's getting the right training and progressing according to the correct methods...)
Just look at the two photos. You can see how identical Promise and Margarita are... same active hindleg, and Margarita will develop the same lovely topline. I whispered in Quila's ear that I would breed her again this spring--I'll bet you can guess which stallion I picked.
There are links to videos of Promise's SUPER TEST and Margarita's SECOND DAY LUNGEING here.
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