Valdai
Breeding Fine Sporthorses
-Striving for Excellence
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Breeding Fine Sporthorses -Striving for Excellence
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Resident Senior Citizen. Known
and beloved as Grand Papa…or Uncle Dini…24 years young--Valdai is a much
beloved member of the ranch staff. He
willingly baby-sits all new weanlings during those first pitiful days when
they’ve been pulled from their mama’s side and thrust into the reality of no
more mamas’ milk… time to grow up. He
patiently endures their screaming, kicking and overall bad behavior…in fact he
seems to thrive on reassuring them…nuzzling and gently grooming to help soothe
their little hearts. His squeals of indignation and small kicks when they try to
nurse are not too ferocious…just enough to let them know what acceptable
behavior is and what isn’t. On
other days…other months… he gets duty with the yearlings…long past the
weanling stage…but still in need of supervision and a little guidance
regarding how to be a grown-up horse...lessons in herd behavior…plus a few fun
lessons in how to con your humans into a cookie or carrot treat. What would we do without him.
For those of you who knew Valdai in his glory days…when he left Romania
on the black market (refrigerators and motor bikes went back in the horse
van…so I hear)…found himself in Jo Hinneman’s barn in Germany no less,
given into the charge of a young American student (current American S
Judge--Shirley Rector) who fell for his charming ways (hotter than hell…but
boy could he move!)…he came to live in America and became a part of the
history of dressage in this country… this
facet of his personality may be hard to believe.
Valdai…the “hot”ride… came to me as a Grand Prix
schoolmaster…and he is still the schoolmaster supreme… but to my baby
equines. Guess he got it all out in
his younger days…for we know therein lies a gentle soul…leaving his kindness
and “big heart” a legacy for years to come. Click on any photo to Enlarge |
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