It really was a good time of year to visit Dubai the weather was beautiful and mild. The sky was a perfect pale blue with not a cloud in sight. Tadhg stood in jeans and his long-sleeved T that said \u201cBarbaro\u201d down one arm. This shirt was one of his favorites because in his mind the loss of Barbaro and Eight Bells was the beginning of his disillusionment with the racing industry. What a wild ride the last 12 months had been. He\u2019d quit training for other people the year before and had slowly started selling off his string almost without thinking his eye had turned on each one with what they\u2019d do in retirement. If he didn\u2019t think they\u2019d transfer well he\u2019d sold them. He still was trying to sell them and yet here he was looking at the flashy chestnut mare in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He ran a practiced hand over the long legs of the mare. She was by no means a delicate flower. At 17 hands you had to wonder how she could get out her own way, and well since he was here looking at her as an eventing prospect, she obviously could not. He had in his head the idea of a perfect mount. As with most things with him, appearance mattered. Trip was a great horse but he was bland in appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnaha taqfiz\u201d Rafiq started to speak<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEnglish please,\u201d He interrupted and smiled over at Ivy and gave her a little wink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, sorry.\u201d Rafiq did a little duck with his head and continued in English \u201cShe jumps everything she can get enough strides to get off the ground. I\u2019d consider selling her in France for hurdles, but she also is slow.\u201d Rafiq frowned a little at the admission. \u201cShe\u2019ll learn to get out of her own way eventually.\u201d He continued \u201cShe\u2019s only three and the big ones mature slow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWas she raced at all at 2?\u201d Tadge asked, as he turned back to run his hands over every inch of the mare slowly. He\u2019d croon softly at her when he hit a ticklish spot. She was good on the ground manners like any trained thoroughbred was. She also had a very kind eye Her flashy looks had really caught his eye, and she was leggy, which meant he would not look awkward on her. Trip was a great horse to ride but he was still just a little spooky. The idea occurred to him that he\u2019d send him to Ivy when she had an opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo\u201d the man replied \u201cAnd at three she has been lackluster. Her pedigree is filled with endurance. I had hoped I injected speed as well but no, and in fact, I seem to have bred that the speed away.\u201d He finally cracked a grin a little. \u201cWhen we were bringing her on, she loved the days she could run for long and never sprint. Maybe lazy but Hasam should have been able to get something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s got a nice eye and good bone,\u201d Tadhg said matter of factly. \u201cBut she\u2019s gonna need a fair bit of dexterity and speed to run a cross country course. And more than a fair bit of dexterity for Dressage.\u201d he patted the neck of the giant chestnut mare that seemed hell-bent on erasing the common prejudice against the type. He looked over at Ivy,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThoughts?\u201d He asked her, genuinely happy for the 2nd opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ivy squinted as she drew imaginary lines across the mare\u2019s body. \u201cHer shoulder and hip have nice complementary angles, and her chest and barrel suggest that she has good endurance.\u201d She smiled at Rafiq, \u201cbut that\u2019s already been mentioned. The angles of her hocks and pasterns are nice. She looks like a good one. But it also depends on what\u2019s going on in her head. She hasn\u2019t been entirely successful \u2013 how\u2019s her try? Does she ever seem discouraged?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA good point. Rafiq tack her up and I\u2019ll exercise her. See if she\u2019ll breeze and how she tries.\u201d In response, Rafiq speaks some words to a groom who leads the mare off to be tacked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rafiq says a quick sentence in Arabic to Tadhg and in response, Tadhg gives him a bland look \u201cNot that long my friend. I promise not to fall off.\u201d he said flatly. \u201cDo you happen to know if the Vet is on the track? If she seems right in the head I\u2019ll want her checked and a look at her records\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In short order, the groom, led the horse and people to the track, At 9 am most of the early risers were in already about a couple of horses were still out. Rafiq gave Tadge a leg up and he moved off at a trot and then into a canter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ivy watched her trot away. It was rhythmic and fluid, with nice reach. That told Ivy that her joints were sound. The canter was a bit hesitant, but soon she stretched out to work. Her hooves fell in all the right places. She was straight, with no interference or sloppiness. She may not have been fast on the track, but it wasn\u2019t because she was unbalanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tadgh thought she felt sound and even underneath him. Her ears were pricked and she was clearly having fun. So he asked for a 2nd gear and she responded to the request, he put her into a fast canter for a bit, settling into what he figured was a cross country pace, and let her go, to see how far she\u2019d get before starting to feel tired under him. After a little bit of confusion, the mare responded and settled into the unfamiliar pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her ear flicked back and forth, listening to his reassurance and requests. She was willing to try anything he asked as long as he gave her time to figure it out. He spent time letting her run comfortably and then picking her up and in to see how she collected. Racehorses didn\u2019t ride like normal mounts and had a lot of retraining and rehabilitating before she\u2019d be ready for a show ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far, he liked the flashy chestnut. She didn\u2019t seem to be laboring under his weight. When she started to slow, he dropped her to a trot and zig, zagged on the way back to see how supple she felt. She slowed to a walk and did a couple of figure eights before he hopped down of the mare. It could be she\u2019d make an ideal mount for him in a year or two. Maybe she\u2019d go all the way to the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIvy, what did you think of her movement from the ground?\u201d He asked her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe had a nice rhythm, with good reach. From what I could see, she tracked up straight, so she won\u2019t ding herself, even if she doesn\u2019t quite know what to do with her legs. Nice mover, she just needs to grow into herself. You\u2019re right, sometimes it takes a bigger horse a while to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He reached for Ivy\u2019s hand as he spoke with Rafiq about the horse. The men fell into Arabic as they haggled about her. Hands gesturing to the mare expressively as they spoke. His Arabic was not quite fluid but it was better than Rafiq\u2019s English. Five grand for the mare providing the medical check and paperwork went through was decided and then Rafiq offered them a meal with his family. Rafiq walked away to take care of the vet and start the paperwork,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry about lapsing into Arabic, but his English isn\u2019t as good as my Arabic.\u201d He brushed a bit of hair off her face and then smiled. \u201cHe\u2019s invited us to a meal with his family. Usually, the food is very traditional and it\u2019s sure to be delicious. His wife is lovely and speaks fair English and he has children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSounds like a lovely way to spend the afternoon.\u201d Ivy wasn\u2019t one to turn down a lunch invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After getting Ivy settled into the classic Porsche he\u2019d rented, he rolled the top back and they headed back to the Hotel from Rafig\u2019s home. Lunch had been spectacular, Fatimah and her family had made Al Machboos and as always it was delicious. He liked food of all kinds, from beer and pizza to Fancy French restaurants filled with decadence. Admittedly most of his food came from restaurants. He didn\u2019t cook for himself and the homecooked meal had been very appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was enjoying the way Ivy just seemed to take everything in stride, even wrapping her hair in a scarf while they were out and about. He chuckled as she knotted said scarf over her hair when she saw that he was putting the top down. He was a spontaneous person and often he listened to his heart rather than his head. This time it had paid off, his spur of the moment invitation for her to come along had been a stroke of brilliance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited about Sunshine,\u201d He said. The barn name fit the flashy mare \u201cShe rode like a dream and was excited to be working. Good listener and in a couple of years she\u2019ll be brilliant.\u201d he said as let the engine roar to life. \u201cFive thousand us was probably more than I should have gone but I like what I like\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like your extravagant or anything\u201d Ivy replied, making pointed eye contact with the dashboard of the rented sports car. \u201cEither that or you\u2019re showing off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy not both?\u201d He answered honestly and then he sped off, the wind around their faces making conversation undesirable. Bugs in the mouth were unpleasant. He glanced at Ivy and she was looking wide-eyed at all the sights. He took the long way to the hotel so she could see as much as she could.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A trip to Dubai It really was a good time of year to visit Dubai the weather was beautiful and mild. The sky was a perfect pale blue with not a cloud in sight. Tadhg stood in jeans and his long-sleeved T that said \u201cBarbaro\u201d down one arm. This shirt was one of his favorites […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":263,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwide.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/151"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/151\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmullhollanddesign.com\/stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}