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Ali Abdulla Abdul Wahid
Ali Abdulla Abdul Wahid - UAE
A Year in Our Lives
In December 2001, while attending the NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City with good friend & client Dusti Worbets, we both got totally caught up in `Reining Fever`. So much so, that during the 2 year old NRHA Futurity Prospect Sale, Dusti`s hand left her lap for one split second and she became the new owner of `Cowboy`s Delight". Panic and extreme excitement hit us all at once! It`s still very hard to explain even though we have told the story hundreds of time. To me, it was one of those unattainable dreams, that you`d never dare let yourself dream .... that came true in a matter of minutes .... we hick Canadians, were going to take home a horse from the National Reining Horse Association Futurity Sale, eh !!
Earlier in the day, Dusti had talked to Tim McQuay about a filly called `Rosalie Dun It`. This gorgeous buckskin daughter of the great Hollywood Dun It, had definitely caught Dusti`s eye. She had a great head, which, for anyone who knows Dusti, means EVERYTHING, she was small, she was also calm and well started, as we saw in her video. The only real problem with her was that she was going to be sold at the NRHA Prospect Sale for about $25,000 US according to Mr. McQuay. Dusti was heart broken, that`s just too much money, when switched to Canadian funds for a 2 year old ... she wasn`t quite that feverish. We watched Rosalie come up on the auction block, early in the sale, and go for $23,500 US. Of all the Prospect Sale horses, none other caught Dusti`s fancy that I knew of. So our short lived fantasy of buying a horse here and bringing it back the next year, to show in the Futurity, was over. Oh well, there was still so much to see and experience! I left Dusti at the auction and headed to the Trainer`s ring to watch for more hot, new training techniques.
About an hour later, I returned to the Auction ring, the place was packed with people. Bleachers rose up to the left and right of a center ring, at ground level there were 30 rows of chairs filled plus about a 20 foot width at the back filled with long line of standing people. Suddenly, I hear Dusti calling my name, but can`t see where she is for about 5 minutes, "Lynda, Lynda, Lynda Smith! ....." finally I focus on her, up at the top of the bleachers on the left. "Look at page 67 in your book", she says, so I turn to the page and read about a bay filly by Dual Peppy .... out of a Hollywood Dun It daughter. "Ya, what?", I say to Dusti, because 1) she`s bay? Dusti really wanted buckskin and 2) Dual Peppy? he`s a cowhorse? Dusti yells back over the crowd, "She`s got a nice head!", oh, of course, that`ll make her a great Reiner, I sarcastically though. I said "She`s bay", Dusti`s reply, "I could like a bay". "Do you like her ?" she yells back. Do I like her?, I haven`t seen her. "Do you like her?", comes the question again, just as the filly is being lead on to the auction block. I jump up to try and see over the crowd, but it`s no use, I run down the row a bit to try and find a clearing to see through, no luck. I ran back towards Dusti`s bleacher as the bidding began. This time I jumped higher, I could see her ears ... they were cute. "Do you LIKE her?", and I could tell this was the last time that Dusti was going to ask. Time stopped for a second ... and my mind whirled `say yes, she`ll buy the horse, it`s here at this big sale it can`t be a bad horse? they`d never let a bad horse in, right? ... as time started again I said, "YES, I LIKE HER" ... just as I got the last word out, Dusti`s hand left her lap. As soon, as her raised hand hit high in the air, "SOLD !", bellowed through the speakers.
I wasn`t even sure if Dusti was the buyer, or if we had missed her. The bidding didn`t go on for very long and they sold the horse at about a 1/4 the price of the others. Dusti was the buyer, they tracked her down and got her to sign the papers. "What a steal", I said, Dusti was ecstatic. "I bought a horse! I can`t believe it!" We hurriedly tried to find the filly`s stall, finding Dusti`s husband, Roy, along the way. By the time we got to the stall, the water bucket, hay net, blankets, halter, lead .... everything was being immediately removed. The previous owner was a person of few words but gave a brief history of her training and life up until now. The filly was really cute ... my first impression. Then she whirled and pinned her ears at Dusti as she went to pat her. She wouldn`t let us touch her legs and her back was covered in bumps that looked like hives. She was not a happy horse at all. Roy left us to purchase her a bale of hay and find a water bucket. Dusti and I went from `ecstatic` to `oh, my what have we done`. My favorite line, from Dusti at this time was, "Oh, well I don`t have to like her, she`s all yours Lynda". We took her out of the stall, because I wanted to watch her move. As we got into an open area and I started to lunge her, we noticed her right hind was blown up like a balloon ... she was very lame.
Roy returned with food, water and a new blankie for our little girl and then we left her alone. That evening was the highlight Open Futurity Finals, an outstanding performance to say the least. That year, the APHA stallion, RR Star took home the big cheque. We talked to a few people about `Cowboy`s Delight` as we were trying to find her a ride home to Canada, and found out that during her try out sessions, the filly couldn`t or wouldn`t stop. She was rumored to have been with a rough trainer, which wouldn`t have been good for such a sensitive horse. Oh well, we`ll get her home to Canada and fix her all up, be positive.
After a 43 hour drive to Calgary with Cody Sapergia, Dusti and Roy picked her up and added another 14 hour trek through snow and ice to Maple Ridge. The poor filly literally fell out of the trailer. First on our agenda, after getting her home, was to get her name changed. `Cowboy`s Delight`, (what were they thinking? ... oh wait, they weren`t thinking) became `Lacy`s Dun Dual`n` to more reflect her impressive parentage. I spent the first 2 months with Lacy, doubting my ability as a trainer. I was try to find all the "buttons" that her previous trainer would have put on her, with no luck at all. What a huge waste of time and I`m sure a very confusing time for Lacy. Who was I to be riding this expensive, extremely well bred horse ? She should be with Shawna Sapergia, or some who would take her back to Oklahoma and do very well in the Futurity. Was I wasting this fabulous horse? Was Dusti wasting her money on us? On the positive side, Lacy was sound, and her attitude fresh and happy. I was truly falling in love with the horse and her with me.
My self doubt was huge until I was teaching someone one day. She was a green rider on a green horse. The horse was started by someone other than herself and she had real problems moving on with the horse. The rider was stuck in the `old trainer` mode. I kept telling her that the horse was hers now... she would be riding it from now on and that the horse needed to learn to respond to her cues, and her way of riding. She couldn`t keep blaming herself if the horse didn`t respond, saying things like "that must not be the right cue", "the trainer could get him to do it so I must be doing it wrong". The rider needed to learn to be assertive and confident in her own abilities, so that the horse would gain confidence in her. Once the horse had confidence in the rider`s abilities, then the pair could progress ..... hello, wake up call ..... that`s exactly what I needed to do with Lacy! I should practice what I preach more often.
The month`s flew by, the pressure to be very successful with this horse was building. The training was progressing well though, Lacy`s lead changes were awesome and her circling was very exciting to ride. I had stopping ground troubles where I worked, and her stops totally lacked confidence anyway, the bad ground didn`t help. Right from the beginning there were rearing issues at the word WHOA. She was either scared or had just learn to avoid the stop by rearing. When things did occasionally go right, this mare folded in half and hit the dirt with incredible grace and style ... why couldn`t I get it consistent? I took a clinic with Lacy and Bob Avila in February of 2002. The clinic boosted my confidence levels once again. Bob re-enforced that I was on the right track with her. He told me to keep it slow and build confidence. He reminded that this horse had to last, beyond the Futurity, and that rushing anything, would always take longer.
During the spring months, Lacy`s spins became lightning fast, especially to the right. Her circles and the speed control gear down was awesome. She had "the look" as they would say. She always loped with a level top line, looked happy about her job and tried really hard for me, except in the stop. So for the stops I started way back at square one. Body position, brakes, whoa, give to the bridle, back up .... all over again, right from the walk, to the jog, to the trot and finally to the lope. On August 1st, I received notice to move to a new barn immediately ... 3 days before our first Futurity show in Armstrong, BC. Just a little added stress to the already stressful situation. Everyone had heard by now that Lynda Smith was going to Futurity a horse in Oklahoma, and that their "coming out party" would be in Armstrong. I was very confident in every part of her patterning except the stops ... and how can you really show a reining horse without stops? Oh well, carry on, "do the best you can with what you`ve got", wise advice from trainer, Kevin Pole. In Armstrong, the morning before the first go of the Futurity, I had a paid warm up. I casually walked this beautiful horse into the arena, planning to keep the routine light and easy going. I was calm and happy to be there, I thought. As we approached center, she just started to rear !! Up and Up, I was totally shocked .... just what exactly had gone on in this mare`s life before me? Now, I was in a panic. I had to show that evening ... do I ride the heck out of her? or try to build confidence and keep it easy going? I did keep my cool and we had pretty good first go, we were in the money. The second go wasn`t quite as good but we weren`t dead last.
The summer proceed way too fast and still no solid stops. At a few shows, we did okay but only posted 68`s and 69`s, not near enough for the NRHA Futurity. Not that we ever expected to win, nowhere near it, but to do well would be great. Dusti, meanwhile, was very supportive. She was busy planning the huge trip, how they would haul, where they would stop and board her, it was going to be a 5 day road trip with 12 hours of driving each day. We were both getting excited about the whole thing, regardless of Lacy`s stopping issues. By October 1st, my nights began to get sleepless. All the worst case scenarios would surface at 3 am. What if I went off pattern? Can you imagine going off pattern after your owner has paid $2000 US in entry fees, $1000`s in training, the hauling, the flights, the hotels... I had no idea how much money that was but I knew that it was a lot, and the very last thing that I ever wanted to do was to let Dusti down after all she had done for me. Without Dusti`s encouragement, support and this horse, I would still be in Maple Ridge not Oklahoma. I pushed myself to be positive ... my 3 teenagers were listening to a lot of Eminem at the time .... `If you had, one shot, one opportunity .. to seize everything you ever wanted .. for one moment .. would you capture it? ..or let it slip? ...... You better lose yourself in the moment, you own it, don`t never let it go, you`ve got one shot, do not miss your chance to go, `cause opportunity comes but once in a lifetime, you better lose yourself in the moment` ..... this was going to be my moment, it may never come again, and I was going to make the very best of it.
We all arrived simultaneously in Oklahoma City, the only difference was that I had spent 5 hours on a plane and Dusti, Roy and Lacy had spent 5 days on the road. The trip came off without a hitch, Lacy traveled like a real trooper. The Oklahoma State Fair grounds are huge, thank goodness we were here last year to watch, because it takes forever to find your way around. I had about 3 days to let Lacy and myself settle into Futurity life. Right, like I "settled" into anything. The apprehension was growing, or was it excitement, or was I going to be ill? I kept telling myself that the footing would be fabulous, Lacy would slide a little and that`s all we needed. When I saddled her up and rode into the famous red dirt for our first warm up, I was definitely holding back the tears. I just can`t explain the thrill of living a dream moment ... life is good, life is very good. Within minutes I was loping circles with the World`s best horsemen and do you know what ... I felt good, I felt great, I didn`t feel too out of place ... I could belong here. I loped circles for a very long time, enjoying the moment, seizing it and owning it.
Lynda Smith and Lacy`s Dun Dual`n scored in both of their Go`s at the 2002 NRHA Open 3 Year Old Futurity. The pair won numerous Open Championships in 2003, as Lacy matured into a fine 4 year old. She still has stopping issues that flair up from time to to time. This was not evident at the Prince George Ride`n`Slide where the duo won the Intermediate Open with a 71, were Reserve Champions Limited Open with 72.5 and Reserve Champions in the Morrison Bronze Open with an incredible 73.5. Most recently, they won the Novice Horse Open Championship at the PRHA Slide In at Chilliwack, BC.
A Year in Our Lives
In December 2001, while attending the NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City with good friend & client Dusti Worbets, we both got totally caught up in `Reining Fever`. So much so, that during the 2 year old NRHA Futurity Prospect Sale, Dusti`s hand left her lap for one split second and she became the new owner of `Cowboy`s Delight". Panic and extreme excitement hit us all at once! It`s still very hard to explain even though we have told the story hundreds of time. To me, it was one of those unattainable dreams, that you`d never dare let yourself dream .... that came true in a matter of minutes .... we hick Canadians, were going to take home a horse from the National Reining Horse Association Futurity Sale, eh !!
Earlier in the day, Dusti had talked to Tim McQuay about a filly called `Rosalie Dun It`. This gorgeous buckskin daughter of the great Hollywood Dun It, had definitely caught Dusti`s eye. She had a great head, which, for anyone who knows Dusti, means EVERYTHING, she was small, she was also calm and well started, as we saw in her video. The only real problem with her was that she was going to be sold at the NRHA Prospect Sale for about $25,000 US according to Mr. McQuay. Dusti was heart broken, that`s just too much money, when switched to Canadian funds for a 2 year old ... she wasn`t quite that feverish. We watched Rosalie come up on the auction block, early in the sale, and go for $23,500 US. Of all the Prospect Sale horses, none other caught Dusti`s fancy that I knew of. So our short lived fantasy of buying a horse here and bringing it back the next year, to show in the Futurity, was over. Oh well, there was still so much to see and experience! I left Dusti at the auction and headed to the Trainer`s ring to watch for more hot, new training techniques.
About an hour later, I returned to the Auction ring, the place was packed with people. Bleachers rose up to the left and right of a center ring, at ground level there were 30 rows of chairs filled plus about a 20 foot width at the back filled with long line of standing people. Suddenly, I hear Dusti calling my name, but can`t see where she is for about 5 minutes, "Lynda, Lynda, Lynda Smith! ....." finally I focus on her, up at the top of the bleachers on the left. "Look at page 67 in your book", she says, so I turn to the page and read about a bay filly by Dual Peppy .... out of a Hollywood Dun It daughter. "Ya, what?", I say to Dusti, because 1) she`s bay? Dusti really wanted buckskin and 2) Dual Peppy? he`s a cowhorse? Dusti yells back over the crowd, "She`s got a nice head!", oh, of course, that`ll make her a great Reiner, I sarcastically though. I said "She`s bay", Dusti`s reply, "I could like a bay". "Do you like her ?" she yells back. Do I like her?, I haven`t seen her. "Do you like her?", comes the question again, just as the filly is being lead on to the auction block. I jump up to try and see over the crowd, but it`s no use, I run down the row a bit to try and find a clearing to see through, no luck. I ran back towards Dusti`s bleacher as the bidding began. This time I jumped higher, I could see her ears ... they were cute. "Do you LIKE her?", and I could tell this was the last time that Dusti was going to ask. Time stopped for a second ... and my mind whirled `say yes, she`ll buy the horse, it`s here at this big sale it can`t be a bad horse? they`d never let a bad horse in, right? ... as time started again I said, "YES, I LIKE HER" ... just as I got the last word out, Dusti`s hand left her lap. As soon, as her raised hand hit high in the air, "SOLD !", bellowed through the speakers.
I wasn`t even sure if Dusti was the buyer, or if we had missed her. The bidding didn`t go on for very long and they sold the horse at about a 1/4 the price of the others. Dusti was the buyer, they tracked her down and got her to sign the papers. "What a steal", I said, Dusti was ecstatic. "I bought a horse! I can`t believe it!" We hurriedly tried to find the filly`s stall, finding Dusti`s husband, Roy, along the way. By the time we got to the stall, the water bucket, hay net, blankets, halter, lead .... everything was being immediately removed. The previous owner was a person of few words but gave a brief history of her training and life up until now. The filly was really cute ... my first impression. Then she whirled and pinned her ears at Dusti as she went to pat her. She wouldn`t let us touch her legs and her back was covered in bumps that looked like hives. She was not a happy horse at all. Roy left us to purchase her a bale of hay and find a water bucket. Dusti and I went from `ecstatic` to `oh, my what have we done`. My favorite line, from Dusti at this time was, "Oh, well I don`t have to like her, she`s all yours Lynda". We took her out of the stall, because I wanted to watch her move. As we got into an open area and I started to lunge her, we noticed her right hind was blown up like a balloon ... she was very lame.
Roy returned with food, water and a new blankie for our little girl and then we left her alone. That evening was the highlight Open Futurity Finals, an outstanding performance to say the least. That year, the APHA stallion, RR Star took home the big cheque. We talked to a few people about `Cowboy`s Delight` as we were trying to find her a ride home to Canada, and found out that during her try out sessions, the filly couldn`t or wouldn`t stop. She was rumored to have been with a rough trainer, which wouldn`t have been good for such a sensitive horse. Oh well, we`ll get her home to Canada and fix her all up, be positive.
After a 43 hour drive to Calgary with Cody Sapergia, Dusti and Roy picked her up and added another 14 hour trek through snow and ice to Maple Ridge. The poor filly literally fell out of the trailer. First on our agenda, after getting her home, was to get her name changed. `Cowboy`s Delight`, (what were they thinking? ... oh wait, they weren`t thinking) became `Lacy`s Dun Dual`n` to more reflect her impressive parentage. I spent the first 2 months with Lacy, doubting my ability as a trainer. I was try to find all the "buttons" that her previous trainer would have put on her, with no luck at all. What a huge waste of time and I`m sure a very confusing time for Lacy. Who was I to be riding this expensive, extremely well bred horse ? She should be with Shawna Sapergia, or some who would take her back to Oklahoma and do very well in the Futurity. Was I wasting this fabulous horse? Was Dusti wasting her money on us? On the positive side, Lacy was sound, and her attitude fresh and happy. I was truly falling in love with the horse and her with me.
My self doubt was huge until I was teaching someone one day. She was a green rider on a green horse. The horse was started by someone other than herself and she had real problems moving on with the horse. The rider was stuck in the `old trainer` mode. I kept telling her that the horse was hers now... she would be riding it from now on and that the horse needed to learn to respond to her cues, and her way of riding. She couldn`t keep blaming herself if the horse didn`t respond, saying things like "that must not be the right cue", "the trainer could get him to do it so I must be doing it wrong". The rider needed to learn to be assertive and confident in her own abilities, so that the horse would gain confidence in her. Once the horse had confidence in the rider`s abilities, then the pair could progress ..... hello, wake up call ..... that`s exactly what I needed to do with Lacy! I should practice what I preach more often.
The month`s flew by, the pressure to be very successful with this horse was building. The training was progressing well though, Lacy`s lead changes were awesome and her circling was very exciting to ride. I had stopping ground troubles where I worked, and her stops totally lacked confidence anyway, the bad ground didn`t help. Right from the beginning there were rearing issues at the word WHOA. She was either scared or had just learn to avoid the stop by rearing. When things did occasionally go right, this mare folded in half and hit the dirt with incredible grace and style ... why couldn`t I get it consistent? I took a clinic with Lacy and Bob Avila in February of 2002. The clinic boosted my confidence levels once again. Bob re-enforced that I was on the right track with her. He told me to keep it slow and build confidence. He reminded that this horse had to last, beyond the Futurity, and that rushing anything, would always take longer.
During the spring months, Lacy`s spins became lightning fast, especially to the right. Her circles and the speed control gear down was awesome. She had "the look" as they would say. She always loped with a level top line, looked happy about her job and tried really hard for me, except in the stop. So for the stops I started way back at square one. Body position, brakes, whoa, give to the bridle, back up .... all over again, right from the walk, to the jog, to the trot and finally to the lope. On August 1st, I received notice to move to a new barn immediately ... 3 days before our first Futurity show in Armstrong, BC. Just a little added stress to the already stressful situation. Everyone had heard by now that Lynda Smith was going to Futurity a horse in Oklahoma, and that their "coming out party" would be in Armstrong. I was very confident in every part of her patterning except the stops ... and how can you really show a reining horse without stops? Oh well, carry on, "do the best you can with what you`ve got", wise advice from trainer, Kevin Pole. In Armstrong, the morning before the first go of the Futurity, I had a paid warm up. I casually walked this beautiful horse into the arena, planning to keep the routine light and easy going. I was calm and happy to be there, I thought. As we approached center, she just started to rear !! Up and Up, I was totally shocked .... just what exactly had gone on in this mare`s life before me? Now, I was in a panic. I had to show that evening ... do I ride the heck out of her? or try to build confidence and keep it easy going? I did keep my cool and we had pretty good first go, we were in the money. The second go wasn`t quite as good but we weren`t dead last.
The summer proceed way too fast and still no solid stops. At a few shows, we did okay but only posted 68`s and 69`s, not near enough for the NRHA Futurity. Not that we ever expected to win, nowhere near it, but to do well would be great. Dusti, meanwhile, was very supportive. She was busy planning the huge trip, how they would haul, where they would stop and board her, it was going to be a 5 day road trip with 12 hours of driving each day. We were both getting excited about the whole thing, regardless of Lacy`s stopping issues. By October 1st, my nights began to get sleepless. All the worst case scenarios would surface at 3 am. What if I went off pattern? Can you imagine going off pattern after your owner has paid $2000 US in entry fees, $1000`s in training, the hauling, the flights, the hotels... I had no idea how much money that was but I knew that it was a lot, and the very last thing that I ever wanted to do was to let Dusti down after all she had done for me. Without Dusti`s encouragement, support and this horse, I would still be in Maple Ridge not Oklahoma. I pushed myself to be positive ... my 3 teenagers were listening to a lot of Eminem at the time .... `If you had, one shot, one opportunity .. to seize everything you ever wanted .. for one moment .. would you capture it? ..or let it slip? ...... You better lose yourself in the moment, you own it, don`t never let it go, you`ve got one shot, do not miss your chance to go, `cause opportunity comes but once in a lifetime, you better lose yourself in the moment` ..... this was going to be my moment, it may never come again, and I was going to make the very best of it.
We all arrived simultaneously in Oklahoma City, the only difference was that I had spent 5 hours on a plane and Dusti, Roy and Lacy had spent 5 days on the road. The trip came off without a hitch, Lacy traveled like a real trooper. The Oklahoma State Fair grounds are huge, thank goodness we were here last year to watch, because it takes forever to find your way around. I had about 3 days to let Lacy and myself settle into Futurity life. Right, like I "settled" into anything. The apprehension was growing, or was it excitement, or was I going to be ill? I kept telling myself that the footing would be fabulous, Lacy would slide a little and that`s all we needed. When I saddled her up and rode into the famous red dirt for our first warm up, I was definitely holding back the tears. I just can`t explain the thrill of living a dream moment ... life is good, life is very good. Within minutes I was loping circles with the World`s best horsemen and do you know what ... I felt good, I felt great, I didn`t feel too out of place ... I could belong here. I loped circles for a very long time, enjoying the moment, seizing it and owning it.
Lynda Smith and Lacy`s Dun Dual`n scored in both of their Go`s at the 2002 NRHA Open 3 Year Old Futurity. The pair won numerous Open Championships in 2003, as Lacy matured into a fine 4 year old. She still has stopping issues that flair up from time to to time. This was not evident at the Prince George Ride`n`Slide where the duo won the Intermediate Open with a 71, were Reserve Champions Limited Open with 72.5 and Reserve Champions in the Morrison Bronze Open with an incredible 73.5. Most recently, they won the Novice Horse Open Championship at the PRHA Slide In at Chilliwack, BC.
