November 2009: One of my favorite stories about Suki at Kelly's occurred out in the paddock. One morning while Kelly was cleaning an adjacent paddock Suki "danced" in her own paddock. Kelly always described it as Suki's "floaty trot", which is her passage. Suki offers this gait freely at liberty, and it is a sight to behold. Even now as I write this I can picture it in my mind. She was never "taught" to passage, it just comes naturally, as it did to both of her parents. Sometimes under saddle Suki offered her passage and I always allowed it before asking her to move forward again. There is no better feeling in the world than sitting to this lovely gait. It is indeed, dancing.
That morning Kelly started to sing "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story as Suki danced around her paddock. When Kelly stopped singing Suki went over to the fence and nudged Kelly. Without thinking, Kelly reached across and stroked Suki's face telling her what a pretty girl she is. Suki reached further and allowed Kelly to reach up and scratch her sensitive ears; the first time since the fire. Overwhelmed with emotion, Kelly began to cry. This was a tremendous breakthrough! Then Kelly went back to singing, and Suki went back to dancing!
December 10, 2011
I love the music from the Nutcracker. The fluid notes stir memories of the many Nutcracker ballets that I danced in. Most classical music does that to me, especially that of the ballets of my past. I often find myself choreographing pieces in my mind wishing I could bring them to life on stage. It has been many years since I have danced (not counting the dancing around my house!)but the spirit has never left me. That is probably what ultimately brought me to the sport of dressage. I started my riding like many children in the Northeastern US do, with hunters, jumpers and equitation. After a brief foray into eventing it was the beauty and discipline of dressage that grabbed my heart. Many refer to it as "ballet on horseback", so I guess it was destiny!
While all equestrian disciplines require a partnership and bond between human and horse, it is upper level dressage that truly exemplifies dancing. So I close my eyes now and picture my two divas dancing to the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy
On July 9, 2009, my beloved dressage horse Amiritta (AKA Suki) was critically burned when her barn caught fire. Suki's survival and recovery are considered miraculous. Her courage has made her an inspiration to people around the world. This is the story of our journey.....
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