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Dear Irene ,

 

Finally a formal update on Lightning Jack HW --  in the Barn, we have decided to call him Hans (Hansie) which, I have come to understand is another name for Jack!   Hansie is more beautiful than his pictures and his temperament is simply the best.   We have been pretty shocked by how level-headed he is about all the new things around him.   He is not bothered by much at all whether under saddle or walking around outside -- he doesn't want to leave the fields when we take him to graze after his workout, but who can blame him?!   He knows us already and seems very happy to be around us and part of our gang.   He is sweet, beautiful, sensible, and learns quickly.  I couldn't be happier with him.  He is everything you said – and more.  We will send you pictures as his training progresses. Special thanks to Tanja for sending him over so beautifully.  His bay coat was/is covered with dapples, his feet, mane and tail were all healthy, trimmed and vibrant. Thank you for your help, time and honesty.  

All the best,

Alix

 

I am the lucky person who has "Hansie" (Lightning Jack HW) in training. As a rather conservative professional, I wasn't too keen on importing a horse sight unseen. By all means, I liked the photos and video presentation of Hansie on the website, and it all looked intriguing. But, not having seen the horse in person made me very uneasy. An incidental conversation with you, Irene , revealed that our riding and training background went back to the same trainer in Germany . My intuition told me that we were in good hands and sure enough, Irene and Tanja, Hansie is so far everything you described him to be. Not only that, he is a wonderful young horse who was started the good old fashion German way, solid, all along the training scale. There is no hidden agenda, there are no short cuts in that training. He is simply solid. I am looking forward to having him in training, and hope to do him justice out there in the dressage rings!

 

Sincerely,

Sybille

Irene,

It's been a while but wanted to let you know how Donna Doria is doing (we call her Tinkerbell because she is such a girl). It took her a while to settle into her new home and we've been so busy that I haven't had time to update you.
She is doing so well. She is a beautiful mare and the most wonderful thing about her is her temperament. She runs to the gate when I go to get her; she's so excited to be "played" with. She grooms me while I groom her and will plant her face into your chest; she is very affectionate and I am nuts about her. We are taking her training slowly; partly because we have had such lousy weather (flood or extreme heat) and because I have been so busy. She is coming along well though and we think she will be ready to show by spring.
Thank you Irene; I truly love this mare.
Jennifer

Hello Irene!

Here comes a report from Walk of Fame. It was very exciting to buy a horse, only from the website! So when she came I was a little bit nervous, what have we bought? But I can only say, she is the most fantastic little mare! (with very big ears) She must be something big in the dressage-world. We really love this horse, she is amazing, and her stable name is Angel, that says everything! (I hope) Very kind and best regards

Liselotte and Karl from Sweden

Hello Irene.

Fürstentanz is absolutely wonderful. He is such a good boy, and my daughter Kelly loves him very much. Kelly says that he is so sweet and easy to handle. We can’t wait to get out and show him off. Next year is the Danish Championship for 4 year olds, and Kelly will definitely start him. He feels already right at home. He is such a delight. Of course we will stay in touch and brief you with results and send pictures.
Yours sincerely, Anne and Kelly.

Hello Irene,

Yes, I have ridden High Quality HW several times now.  He is a delight.  Such a love bug.  Tanja has done a very good job with him.  Tell her he has settled very well.  He has a big appetite.  He is getting a lots of attention, and he eats it up.

(I think he grew taller already!).  I love him.  We will do well together…  I’ll keep you updated from time to time.

 

Hi Irene,  Saw your horse on DreamHorse.com...looked at your website...just had to compliment you and your trainers...WOW!  What really nice, nice horses with such extensions and propulsion.  WOW again!  Not looking to buy but had to say your program is awesome!

Connie

Sunny, (Sandjour Hit) is doing wonderful.  His behavior continues to amaze me.  He just turned 3 a week ago and he is just so reasonable.  I was lucky to have 4 training sessions with Ingo Menze.  Ingo just got on Sunny and without any effort made him look like a star. It was the first time I had seen him ridden in the flesh. WOW he looked great, and he is just a baby. We have started venturing out too.  He is so good about seeing new places and things.  I think trail riding him this summer will be no problem.  The possibilities are endless.

Thank you so much.  Holly 

Hi Irene-

 Just a quick note to tell you how well Calito (now called “Calito WF)  is doing, and how happy we are with our purchase through you! He has a great attitude, and everything just comes easily to him. His trainer ( Paige Finnegan ) adores him. He is everything you said, and more. When we bought him in mid-January, you advertised him as a 2nd / 3rd level horse that had the ability to advance. He had a single change in each direction, but he had never done a pirouette or a tempi change. He showed a green PSG in mid-April, but still scored 63% and placed 4th. Last weekend at t GMHA he did PSG and Intermediate- I and got better each day. Although a new pair, Paige and Calito WF are becoming a “team.” Paige now knows that Calito WF needs very little warm up. He does best if you just take him out of the stall, do 10 minutes of warm-up and go!! The results of last weekend were as follows:  

Day

Date

Level

Score

Placing

Friday

6/15/07

PSG

63.125

4th place  

Saturday

6/16/07

Inter-I

65. 375

3rd place  

Sunday

6/17/07

Inter-I

67.625

1st place  

 Calito WF was FEI reserve champion of the show!!!! He has already qualified for the Region 8 Championships at PSG. We expect him to qualify at Intermediate-1 too since he needs only one more score at one more show. Paige is also working on a freestyle. I will send pictures when I get them. The nice thing is that Calito WF has learned everything without pushing. He behaves the same way at the shows as he is as home…always a perfect gentleman. 

What a nice horse!

 

 

Jill on her web site:

EMC Ramina
REGAZZONI / RAVALLO

Well, I noticed that I'm breeding stupendous athletes with them as youngsters.  Meanwhile, I'm somehow still riding still riding
my
18 year old TB gelding.  What's THAT all about?!


So I was lucky to find Ramina.  I pretty much ordered my best friend and my trainer to get in the car the very next day to beat several other people who were coming to see her.  We drove down to meet her, and I bought her on the spot!  

The first time I asked her to canter, her hind end went
down and her withers came up in the front and we smoothly
transitioned into a fabulous balanced canter... HOLY COW! I was in SHOCK!  I'm headed for the Olympics after all!


Ramina is in foal to the Hotline for 2008 so she will be an
Elite Mare.  After that, this mare is for ME!

 

Hi Irene: Sorry to take so long to get back to you. Dormellosohn (we call him "D") is doing great, I'm getting his stall and fencing ready to bring him home at the end of the month so every spare minute is busy. I have taken him to 2 schooling dressage shows and despite being a little silly (he's still a baby) he has won 2 classes and placed second in 2 classes with a reserve high score of the show. His scores have been from 61-69%. I've attached a photo from our last show. I've just been showing training level to get him used to going away from home but plan on getting him out first level soon and maybe the FEI 5 year old test if his canter gets a little stronger. Kris
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Another home run! We love working with you. Baer is a wonderful horse. He has settled in nicely, and he is a perfect match for Andrea. Thanks for thinking of us. She is enjoying him tremendously, and learning a lot. This sale never would have happened if you had not been so diligent and detail oriented. As when we bought Calito, you were there (in a nice way) every step of the way. I hope we work together many more times in the future. Should you ever need a reference, please do not hesitate to have them call me.

Lynn

 Irene:  Thank you so much for the opportunity to purchase "Sunny" (Sandjour Hit).  As you are aware I was absolutely not going to purchase a horse sight unseen and even my trainer told me to be patient, that I did not have to rush. That is until he saw Sunny. He wasted no time in telling me to write the check.  Of course that was after several of the horses we were interested in were sold before we could even speak up.  We so appreciate you seeking out a horse to suit my needs and to offer him to me first.  Sunny is everything that was promised.  Wonderfully bred, drop dead gorgeous and what a mover.  He is so well behaved for any horse no less a coming 3 year old.   He walked right off the Van and on to my trailer for another 3 hours of travel. He was unloaded at night to a barn full of my friends oohing and ahhhing. He never even flinched. He also had to go for a saddle fitting just 2 days after he arrived. Again he loaded perfectly and was such a gentleman at another barn. I have great expectations for him as he is filling the shoes of my FEI competition horse who has been injured.  It was very difficult for me to make the move to buy a horse.  I know that you recognized that and found just the perfect one.  Thank you for that and for keeping me so well informed every step of the way including Sunny's gelding and extra month stay in Germany . You made the whole process so easy.  Please come and visit us soon so you can see us from the start.  I suspect that Sunny will change much before we come out in public next year.  

Holly

Royal Touch - I had a lesson with Deb Dean-Smith last week and she thinks he is FABULOUS - great gaits, great brain and lovely to look at.  She thinks he'll be ready to do the 4 year old young horse test by June or July - we'll see. Riding him is such fun - he's focused and unbelievably comfortable - not your typical 4 year old. He is a wonderful horse. I am so lucky! Many, many thanks, Irene,

Cathy  

HI IRENE, CARMINO IS DOING GREAT. HE HAS SETTLED IN VERY WELL. HE IS STILL IN LOVE WITH THE OLD PONY. HE CAN'T LEAVE HIS SIDE WHEN THEY ARE OUT IN THE BIG FIELD. HE IS JUMPING AROUND SMALL COURSES AND LOVES IT. I MIGHT TAKE HIM TO A SHOW NEXT WEEKEND. I WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES. THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP. HE REALLY IS A NICE BOY! 

DONYA

Hi Irene,

 Magic is doing great.  He is a pleasure to have!   I will try and get you some pictures.  I have not showed him yet, I have so much to learn, I am hoping to show him next year.  Right now Magic actually knows a lot more about dressage then I do.  

MICHELLE

 

Roman is wonderful....the trainer can get everything out of him that you said he had, so I know his level of training is exactly what you quoted to me!  I'm thrilled with him and the potential that I have in learning on him!  He is very patient with me and has not gotten upset at all that I'm learning, so that's wonderful!  Such suspension...his walk is a 10!!!  The gal that I ride with is a Judge...so that helps to know what I can expect to receive!  You have been a wonderful partner in purchasing something "SIGHT-UNSEEN" and have been more than helpful in my fears as a FIRST TIME importer of anything.  I'm looking to many additional years of learning on Roman and I am pleased as punch with my purchase....:-)

Bobbie

 

Hi Irene-

Just wanted to give you an update on Royal Touch. We have been roaming
the the dirt roads and hills of Vermont. He is amazing! He often leads
the way if there is something scary - no one can believe he's only
coming 4.
He's progressing in his training and if all continues to go well,
he'll go to his first schooling show in early May. He has the
combination of internal calm and sensitivity to the aids that one
always hopes for and seldom finds.
Yesterday, I got on him without lunging him first - he didn't put a foot wrong.
I have you to thank for such a star!

Kindest regards,
Cathy

Hi Irene-

 I just want to let you know that Calito is doing very well, and quite loved at our farm. He has quite the character!! Attached is a photo of Dov on him from last weekend. He is a bit “deep” in the full body photo of him walking, but you can see how nice his body looks. 

Best regards,

Lynn

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Dear Irene:
When Royal Touch stood quietly at the quarantine station while I put on his shipping boots and then walked on the trailer without a
moment's hesitation, I knew I had a great partner. He continues to amaze me. He won't be 4 until the end of April but has better manners than the other horses in the barn all of whom are older. He sure loves attention (and carrots) and nickers when he hears my voice. He's very curious and likes to investigate - even scary things like snowmobiles! He wants to be friends with everyone who comes to the barn, people and horses alike. What a pleasure he is to ride. True to your description, he's not hot but is sensitive to the leg. He stays on task for a long time without being distracted - if only he he could teach my kids to do the same! I have you to thank, Irene, for this wonderful horse. It was quite a leap of faith for me to buy a horse sight unseen based on a few video clips and your representations but I could not be happier. In stead of being stressful, you made the buying process a pleasure. Could that be possible? The picture is another of the first day I got on - Frodo (Royal Touch) looks as if he's been doing this forever! I had a great ride today! His canter is fabulous! He just gets better every day! Warmest regards,
Cathy

My experience with Irene when selling my horse Baer was very good.  She was right up front about everything and there were no hidden issues.  The thing that amazed me the most in my dealings with Irene was how fast everything transpired!  I've known Irene for awhile and spoke to her about my horse being for sale and literally within 2-3 days she had found a buyer!  I was amazed!  My horse went to a wonderful new owner that I keep in touch with on a regular basis and I couldn't be happier! 

Kelly

Dear Irene,

So here is my "one year update" on my sweet mare, Ramina HW. I can truthfully tell you that she is absolutely the best, the most wonderful, the most amazing mare on the entire PLANET!!

As you know, the judges at the Hanoverian inspections last fall accepted her as an elite mare candidate with an rideability score of 8.5. They also commented "this mare looks like she is really fun to ride!". Then she was accepted for the AHS Young horse symposium in Jacksonville last month, and as usual was perfect. Scott Hassler, in his remarks after their session, said his recommendation was that this mare go directly to 3rd level, and that she truly looked like a very fun horse to ride. See any pattern here??? 
So now Ramina is home and her job is to be my best friend. I rode her last Sunday and Monday pretty hard dressage, dressage lesson Tuesday, dressage lesson Wednesday, off Thursday, dressage lesson Friday ~ a lot of work. So Saturday she and I just went off and
cantered through the woods and GALLOPED up and down the hills. She had this attitude like "I have no clue why we are doing these strange things, but WHATEVER!" She is SO MUCH FUN!!!! I know she could go all the way (Scott Hassler said 'this mare WILL piaffe') but I want to do so many different things with her. I have high hopes we will be fox hunting next year. I feel so good and
confident when I'm on her.

Thanks again for a wonderful horse!
Jill


I stumbled upon Calito on your web-site while checking out another horse for a client. As I viewed the description, photos and video clips, I was struck by his similarity to a special horse, long gone, that I considered a “horse of a lifetime.” I bought him sight unseen within 3 hours of first logging on to your site. Surely this is a record for risk-taking, but the story does have a happy ending. When Calito arrived in our barn, he was EXACTLY as I had hoped, maybe better.

 Thanks again for all your help. You made the process so easy, from start to finish. Numerous phone calls and emails were exchanged between us within a short period of time. You were always prompt and courteous. I know that I asked a lot of you, but you never made me feel I asked too much. Your attention to detail is great. The descriptions on your site were full and accurate. There were many pictures. They gave me a good feel for Calito’s conformation and type. The videos clips were just enough to show me what I needed to see. You arranged the vet check to my specifications, and then promptly emailed the digital x-rays and vet report for my second opinion. When your normal shipper was not available for 2 weeks, you found another reputable shipper able to ship right away. Although it was not your normal protocol, you purchased Gastro Guard at my request, and made sure it was administered prior to shipping. When the shipper forgot to take it with him, you found a way to get more product to NY Quarantine, and made sure it was administered each day!  This was way over the call of duty. I could not have asked for a better agent. In the 6 weeks since we first communicated, we are now in the process of completing our second sale together. Once again, you were 100% professional, 100% of the time. I will be happy to work with you in the future!!

 Lynn

Irene,

I am writing this letter to you that is as sincere as a person could possibly be that comes directly from the heart! From the moment that I saw Dream Boy, I really loved this horse! I have had two not so good experiences with horse shopping over the past 2 1/2 years and was very reluctant to do it a third time. From the first contact that I had with you via email and then through the phone there was always no pressure and you gave the straight facts and answered all the questions that I had regarding the horse. After I made the decision and then decided not to purchase and then to purchase you were always more then helpful and pleasant. I felt no pressure to buy the horse and again you continued to answer questions and keep me abreast as to what was transpiring.

Buying this horse was an absolute dream come true. You made the very stressful situation of buying a horse very calming. The vetting and the report came  very easily and my vet and my second opinion vet was very pleased with the information that was provided to them. I asked for pictures of his feet for my farrier and the next day they were there! Everyone I talk to is amazed at the ease and joy and the release of anxiety during this stressful time. Transportation was arranged through Dutta and the office was very helpful in informing me of how my horse was doing and the status of release of the horse from quarantine. They also were very helpful in getting a shipper to come to the Midwest in the middle of winter on a non traditional route for that time of year. When my Dream Boy arrived at 3:30 in the morning, there was so much anxiety in the air. I had purchased a just coming 4 year old off a website!! Yikes, what did I do!! He came off the trailer in beautiful shape, he was happy, alert and beautiful! He walked through a very long aisle with blankets strew everywhere, heaters blazing, horse calling, and was not worried at all. This horse walked in a huge coverall with snow falling off, workers sweeping aisle, a loose horse in the aisle, heaters and fans rattling and he is just as willing as can be. The first ride went just as well, for a young horse, you could not ask for a nicer, gentler creature.

Dream Boy also has wonderful gaits, a wonderful walk, a springy trot and a canter that you could not have ever wished for. He is smart, alert and very easily trainable. He has already learned that a good boy turns to the rider after finishing and gets sugar after just two short rides. I would recommend Irene finding you the perfect horse for anyone. Give her the details of what you are looking for and let her find for you the horse that you have always dreamed of. Dream Boy was every bit what she said he was and more. This is not going to be my third horse that is for sale. My nine year old son has claimed him as he to was able to walk the horse around the farm and is begging to ride him. It is winter here and the wind is howling and horses are a bit fresh, Dream Boy who we now call (MCDreamy at the barn) is our Dream Boy and is settling in wonderfully! Please use my name as a reference, I am more then happy to recommend you and I will and have told my friends far and wide about my new horse and my experience.

Sincerely, Deana 

 

 Hi Irene,

I was just thinking about you too!  I have been riding Fly Away HW (Finesse) every week and I just love everything about him.  Gina really is enjoying training him and has been happy with his progress.  I would like to show him this year at training, however, I might have Gina take him to his first show to see how he does.  He has become everyone's favorite at the barn.  People can't believe that he is so good at such a young age. Everyone keeps telling me how I lucked out with him!  Thank you again, I am very happy, especially that he passed his vet check!  Take care, Yvonne

Welcome, Lamborghini!

Lamborghini, or Boghi, as he is affectionately known, arrived in May from Germany to fill our hearts with hope and optimism for the future. As great an athlete as he is, it is his personality that has already permanently attached him to us. He has brought laughter to us when we needed it most.

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Boghi pranced off the trailer after his several thousand mile journey from Germany, completely unfazed and seemingly as excited about being here as we were to have him. Lamborghini is a 4 year old 16.2 h Westfalen gelding with fabulous breeding including Linaro, Florestan, and Mon Cheri, as well as his dam and grand-dam both being State Premium mares! He has more energy and exuberance than he knows what to do with but he always tries to be a good boy and wants to please his people. He is sure to put a smile on your face with his curiosity and schoolboy charm. He is absolutely hilarious to watch interacting with.....well.....everything!

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Boghi thrives on attention and will do anything to get it! He has enormous talent for all the FEI movements and Elaine can't wait to show him! His training is coming along well and even though he was started late, Lamborghini should be ready by spring to give the best 5 year olds in the country a run for their money. Watch for him to make his mark in the show ring in 2007!!! Special thanks to Ruth (again!) for helping bring this amazing horse to Lake Norman Dressage.

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Update on Skywalker HW

The little boy is great! We had a freak snowstorm last week- 16 inches in 24hrs! very unusual for us to get snow at all. We had no power for a few days so I took a ton of pictures. He was hilarious in the snow- fascinated with all the 'white stuff', he kept dunking his head in it and playing with the snow. I had to turn his "uncle" out with him for a bit everyday to keep them both entertained- they were funny, racing around. His temperament just continues to amaze me! Funny, as I had been told Sandro Hit's were quite hot! He's as sensible as they come- I cant wait until he is old enough to ride.

Catherine

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Hello Irene,

 I have thought of writing you so many times to tell you how well Donicello is doing and how happy he seems to be! In the first few months we did a lot of work to help him develop a steady tempo and calm down, as he was pretty nervous at first. In the first few months I had lovely rides on him and learned to trust him and his astonishing movement. Cello's original trainer here is the granddaughter of Carl-Heinrich Asmis who brought dressage to America . She did very detailed work with him and he was doing very well. Sadly she announced she was going off to write a book so I moved him into full training at Portola Valley Training Center , the best equestrian facility around and very nearby me. I chose his new trainer specifically because she really appreciates Thoroughbred-types and big, forward movers, and she is patient and gentle.  He seems to have totally "clicked" at the new barn and with his new trainer and is exactly the horse you described to me -- very sensitive yet calm, even around other horses who are acting out or big trucks going by. I took him on a trail ride today in the crisp Fall air, even under a highway overpass and he was calm, curious, and always leading the pack. I rode him on a loose rein the whole time! It was great to feel I could really relax with him and that he was enjoying himself do much. His movement is truly magnificent, and he is extremely intelligent and affectionate and sweet. He is the horse I dreamed of! Right now I am not pushing him to advance too quickly in dressage, but continuing to let him relax and use his body, building his top line. He reaches way down with his neck and stretches his back -- it is really something, and he seems to enjoy the freedom after all the collected work we have been doing. He really turns heads at this barn full of extraordinarily expensive horses.  I love telling people how I found him on the internet and bought him sight unseen. I will hopefully have the chance to refer clients to you. Do you have any brochures I could have? One of the trainers there is a World Cup competitor, Nicole Perry.  He is a magnificent horse, head and shoulders above others in his talent, looks and personality. He is very gifted and with limitless potential. My goal is to give him a happy, long life and support him in achieving his full potential. Thank you for all of your care in the process. We are a great match! People say we even look alike!  

Suzan

 

Hi Irene

 

I know we spoke on the phone today, as I wanted to tell as fast as I could of the joy I felt when I had my first ride on "Step Up" . I also wanted to send you in writing what I felt so that you could share with others. I have been riding Dressage for 33 years, and training Dressage horses for 21 years. Never once over that time have I felt an animal underneath me as I did when I sat on "Step Up'. I have ridden many talented horses of all levels over the years, but I can honestly say they have not compared. From the moment I picked up the reins he was right there for me. I rode a very short time and than had to stop because I burst into tears. I continued to ride through the tears, and I felt like I was floating with perfect connection. I could not believe it, am I dreaming. This is only what you read about as what it should feel like. This could be my horse of a lifetime! I rode back to the barn still crying, and when I got there my assistant was concerned that something was very wrong. I told her no, something is very right!. Thank you Irene, I cannot say this enough!  

 

Tracey

 

 

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