Rudolf aka "Banderas"
Rudolf’s Stats:
Height: 16.2 hands
Weight: 1,200 lbs
Color: Black
Bred: Belgian Warmblood
Sex: Gelding
Age: 15
Rudolf has been the first horse I have ever owned that actually knows what he is doing, more so than myself at times. I have owned him for six years and am thankful for him every time I ride him. He has had a lot of excellent training through out the years. He was imported as a six year old stallion from Belgian to the United States and had been shown in Argentina and European countries. I bought him from a man who rode for the Spanish Olympic and World Cup teams. Pretty awesome.
I met Rudolf the summer of 2005 at the Kentucky Horse Park. I had been looking for a new jumper for well over a year but did not find anything that I meshed with. Unlike Sparky, it was not love at first sight with Rudolf. I thought he was plain looking since he was black with no bold markings on his face and he walked with no assertion down from the barn to the ring where I was going to try him. He was also a lot smaller than Camelot (my gray junior hunter) and J.R. (my first jumper, dark bay with a lot of white) which didn’t do it for me. But once I rode him and felt how broke he was and the way he used his body over the jumps my opinion of him changed dramatically and quickly.
Rudolf is very unique in that he is very lazy while hacking but the second you ask him to jump or have him in traffic at a horse show he instantly turns into this hot horse out of nowhere. I am either spurring him to death or asking him settle down, there is not a lot of in between with him. It took well over a year for me to get use to him, but it has taught me so much and has made me a very confident rider. He is also very schooled in dressage which makes him even more fun to ride as he knows a lot of the upper level movements. For those who do not know what dressage is, it is the art of dancing with your horse though many different lateral movements.
I used to show Rudolf at least two weeks out of every month until this summer when I found a job and needed to start to really focusing on my future. Also, with being a grad student the time I have to ride is not what it was like while I was an undergrad. I will still do some showing on him but it will sadly be limited. He is a very competitive horse in the 3’6 – 3’9 jumper divisions.
Rudolf has never been someone’s “pet” before I owned him. He was always the horse that was used more as a stepping stone for riders and would usually only be at a barn for a year before he was sold to the next rider. When I got him he was very cold and somewhat lifeless. He would bite me and was not trusting of me what so ever. But after owning him for several years and spending time loving and caring for him he has grown to trust me. He is a lovely kind boy. Like Sparky I will never sell him. He is very special to me.
Height: 16.2 hands
Weight: 1,200 lbs
Color: Black
Bred: Belgian Warmblood
Sex: Gelding
Age: 15
Rudolf has been the first horse I have ever owned that actually knows what he is doing, more so than myself at times. I have owned him for six years and am thankful for him every time I ride him. He has had a lot of excellent training through out the years. He was imported as a six year old stallion from Belgian to the United States and had been shown in Argentina and European countries. I bought him from a man who rode for the Spanish Olympic and World Cup teams. Pretty awesome.
I met Rudolf the summer of 2005 at the Kentucky Horse Park. I had been looking for a new jumper for well over a year but did not find anything that I meshed with. Unlike Sparky, it was not love at first sight with Rudolf. I thought he was plain looking since he was black with no bold markings on his face and he walked with no assertion down from the barn to the ring where I was going to try him. He was also a lot smaller than Camelot (my gray junior hunter) and J.R. (my first jumper, dark bay with a lot of white) which didn’t do it for me. But once I rode him and felt how broke he was and the way he used his body over the jumps my opinion of him changed dramatically and quickly.
Rudolf is very unique in that he is very lazy while hacking but the second you ask him to jump or have him in traffic at a horse show he instantly turns into this hot horse out of nowhere. I am either spurring him to death or asking him settle down, there is not a lot of in between with him. It took well over a year for me to get use to him, but it has taught me so much and has made me a very confident rider. He is also very schooled in dressage which makes him even more fun to ride as he knows a lot of the upper level movements. For those who do not know what dressage is, it is the art of dancing with your horse though many different lateral movements.
I used to show Rudolf at least two weeks out of every month until this summer when I found a job and needed to start to really focusing on my future. Also, with being a grad student the time I have to ride is not what it was like while I was an undergrad. I will still do some showing on him but it will sadly be limited. He is a very competitive horse in the 3’6 – 3’9 jumper divisions.
Rudolf has never been someone’s “pet” before I owned him. He was always the horse that was used more as a stepping stone for riders and would usually only be at a barn for a year before he was sold to the next rider. When I got him he was very cold and somewhat lifeless. He would bite me and was not trusting of me what so ever. But after owning him for several years and spending time loving and caring for him he has grown to trust me. He is a lovely kind boy. Like Sparky I will never sell him. He is very special to me.
