All about Dante
Dante first came to me in November of 2005. My first horse passed away due to colic and it was decided that I needed a project horse. Dante became that project. Dante was afraid of just about everything. Tacking up took almost an hour and riding took even longer. I spent more time with my butt on the floor then in the saddle. Slowly but surely, I started to show him that not everything was going to kill him, and he showed me that life was ok without my first horse.
Dante didn't have a fun life before he came to me. His former trainers didn't understand him and he didn't understand them. So things didn't go well, he resorted to bucking everyone and being mean. So, Dante and I spent almost 6 months together relearning everything. Tacking up, working under saddle and on a lunge line, jumping, and going to new places. The first several horse shows were mostly spent trying to catch Dante after he tossed me for the umpteenth time and trying not to run over the judge (its true, I almost ran over the judge several times in under saddle classes) But things slowly got better. We went to our first rated show together (a first for both or us) It was the greatest day ever. We walked away with a ribbon from every classes in our division and only had 1 refusal in a warm up class.
I bought Dante the week after that show, and we have been together ever since. It hasn't always been pretty, but in the end we always find a way to work through it. Dante and I went to our first A rated show in 2009 and placed 2nd in the under saddle class. We jumped a couple of Maclay style courses at 3ft and placed in both of them. That was one of my greatest moments with him. One of my other favorite moments with him was a few years ago, we went to a schooling show. We entered 6 classes together and won every class. This moment is not my favorite because we brought home all blues, but because we were a perfect team that day and everything was perfect. That was a great day. I love the feeling of jumping over the big fences with him. Its tons of fun for him and it feels like I'm truly flying.
2011
Dante and I are now starting our newest adventure. College, together. I am going to school for Equine Management and I have plans to join the school riding team. Dante will be coming with me enjoying a much more relaxing life style. It will be really nice having him down here with me. I will have someplace to go and relax when things get stressful. Plus I will be able to ride whenever I want, which is like everyday!
I hope to be able to go to a few more shows with him and maybe ride in the bigger classes (we have been doing 2 feet 6 inches at rated shows) I plan on having him forever. He is my hero, my love, my life.
In the late summer of 2011, Dante and I moved to to a new barn. Dante settled into his new home really well. He has several new friends and found a new girlfriend! Although Dante and I won't be going to any shows any time soon, I still get out there to ride him every chance I get. He really enjoys his life of relaxation and being pampered!!!
In the spring of 2012, I groomed at a dressage show. That was the first time I had ever been to a dressage show, and I loved it! On the way home (after some convincing from my trainer and boss) I decided to enter Dante and I into a dressage show! We have been training in dressage all summer now and it is going great! I will let you know how the show goes :)
At the beginning on August 2012, Dante and I competed in our first Dressage show. We ended up having to show Intro, due to time problems, but we rocked it! (sort of) We learned a ton that weekend and found some new things to work on, but overall it was great. I can't wait to do another one!!! We scored a 60% in our last test of the weekend!!!! Go Dante!!! (Not bad for the horse they said would never do Dressage)
In the late summer of 2013, Dante got a burr stuck in his right eye which resulted in a massive infection, multiple corneal ulcers and permanent damage to the cornea, pupil and other internal structures. After several months of aggressive treatment, Dante is finally on the mend. There is still some out of control pigment in the cornea that will recede with time, but Dante is left with damage that will severely limit his vision. He is finally able to return to work and is starting some retraining with me to help Dante cope with his limited vision. He can see lights and shadows in the right eye which tends to make him spooky, but we are dealing with it one day at a time and are hopeful that with time he will adjust and be a happy, confident horse again.
January 2014: A new chapter for Dante. His eye is completely healed, the out of control pigment never went away, but that helped Dante in the long run because it helps prevent shadows from being a problem. He has returned to work when the weather cooperates and is back to his normal self. He has no usable vision in the right eye due to the scar being so large and can now only see some shadows on super bright days, but it doesn't bother him anymore. Dante can still do everything he could before, but just a little differently. We still jump, now he just needs a little leg to give him confidence, we are working as hard as ever on dressage working towards 1st level and he spends his days not even noticing he can't see on the right. Although sometimes he forgets he has a right hip and runs it into walls :)
December 2014
This starts the final chapter in Dante's short, but well loved life.
An injury to his shoulder and wither proved too much for the big guy to handle. Constant pain and mobility problems lead us to helping him over the rainbow.
He is missed everyday.
RIP Dante 2000 - 2014
Dante didn't have a fun life before he came to me. His former trainers didn't understand him and he didn't understand them. So things didn't go well, he resorted to bucking everyone and being mean. So, Dante and I spent almost 6 months together relearning everything. Tacking up, working under saddle and on a lunge line, jumping, and going to new places. The first several horse shows were mostly spent trying to catch Dante after he tossed me for the umpteenth time and trying not to run over the judge (its true, I almost ran over the judge several times in under saddle classes) But things slowly got better. We went to our first rated show together (a first for both or us) It was the greatest day ever. We walked away with a ribbon from every classes in our division and only had 1 refusal in a warm up class.
I bought Dante the week after that show, and we have been together ever since. It hasn't always been pretty, but in the end we always find a way to work through it. Dante and I went to our first A rated show in 2009 and placed 2nd in the under saddle class. We jumped a couple of Maclay style courses at 3ft and placed in both of them. That was one of my greatest moments with him. One of my other favorite moments with him was a few years ago, we went to a schooling show. We entered 6 classes together and won every class. This moment is not my favorite because we brought home all blues, but because we were a perfect team that day and everything was perfect. That was a great day. I love the feeling of jumping over the big fences with him. Its tons of fun for him and it feels like I'm truly flying.
2011
Dante and I are now starting our newest adventure. College, together. I am going to school for Equine Management and I have plans to join the school riding team. Dante will be coming with me enjoying a much more relaxing life style. It will be really nice having him down here with me. I will have someplace to go and relax when things get stressful. Plus I will be able to ride whenever I want, which is like everyday!
I hope to be able to go to a few more shows with him and maybe ride in the bigger classes (we have been doing 2 feet 6 inches at rated shows) I plan on having him forever. He is my hero, my love, my life.
In the late summer of 2011, Dante and I moved to to a new barn. Dante settled into his new home really well. He has several new friends and found a new girlfriend! Although Dante and I won't be going to any shows any time soon, I still get out there to ride him every chance I get. He really enjoys his life of relaxation and being pampered!!!
In the spring of 2012, I groomed at a dressage show. That was the first time I had ever been to a dressage show, and I loved it! On the way home (after some convincing from my trainer and boss) I decided to enter Dante and I into a dressage show! We have been training in dressage all summer now and it is going great! I will let you know how the show goes :)
At the beginning on August 2012, Dante and I competed in our first Dressage show. We ended up having to show Intro, due to time problems, but we rocked it! (sort of) We learned a ton that weekend and found some new things to work on, but overall it was great. I can't wait to do another one!!! We scored a 60% in our last test of the weekend!!!! Go Dante!!! (Not bad for the horse they said would never do Dressage)
In the late summer of 2013, Dante got a burr stuck in his right eye which resulted in a massive infection, multiple corneal ulcers and permanent damage to the cornea, pupil and other internal structures. After several months of aggressive treatment, Dante is finally on the mend. There is still some out of control pigment in the cornea that will recede with time, but Dante is left with damage that will severely limit his vision. He is finally able to return to work and is starting some retraining with me to help Dante cope with his limited vision. He can see lights and shadows in the right eye which tends to make him spooky, but we are dealing with it one day at a time and are hopeful that with time he will adjust and be a happy, confident horse again.
January 2014: A new chapter for Dante. His eye is completely healed, the out of control pigment never went away, but that helped Dante in the long run because it helps prevent shadows from being a problem. He has returned to work when the weather cooperates and is back to his normal self. He has no usable vision in the right eye due to the scar being so large and can now only see some shadows on super bright days, but it doesn't bother him anymore. Dante can still do everything he could before, but just a little differently. We still jump, now he just needs a little leg to give him confidence, we are working as hard as ever on dressage working towards 1st level and he spends his days not even noticing he can't see on the right. Although sometimes he forgets he has a right hip and runs it into walls :)
December 2014
This starts the final chapter in Dante's short, but well loved life.
An injury to his shoulder and wither proved too much for the big guy to handle. Constant pain and mobility problems lead us to helping him over the rainbow.
He is missed everyday.
RIP Dante 2000 - 2014
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