819 - Dorothy Minter and Pedro

Team #819 Dorothy Minter and Pedro

Team #819: Dorothy Minter and Pedro 
From: Yardley, Pennsylvania 
Ages: 81 & 27 
Combined Age: 101 
Test: Training Level Test 3 

I grew up in Miami and loved horses. My dad bought me a horse when I was thirteen years old. He was three years old and named Sinbad. I showed him Western pleasure, English pleasure, working and handy horse hunter, and jumpers. He did it all.  In 1960, I went to Florida State University, got married, and had four children before moving to Pennsylvania. 

The move ignited my desire to find a horse and start riding again.  One of my horses was Gonzales, who was long-listed for the Olympic Games in Atlanta with Jessica Ransehousen in dressage. Many years and horses later, I needed a young horse to bring along.  I wanted a young horse so I didn’t have to retrain or deal with lameness issues.  A friend was going to Europe horse shopping.  She brought back a video of a wonderful young horse named Pedro.  She said he was sensible with three nice gaits.  I took a chance and bought him.  However, despite my belief that young horses would not have lameness issues, he did.  It was a shame because he loved doing dressage and was very fancy.  He would just be lame off and on, so various treatments were tried. He has spent most of his life coming back from various injuries. Whatever happened to him happened before I got him.   

Pedro is a lovely horse, and I feel privileged to have been able to ride a horse of his caliber and temperament.  He is kind and funny.  Everybody loves him and loves riding him.  He has taught me a lot. My now vet, Dr. Greg Staller helped me to keep him sound and I can still enjoy riding him. I can’t do the harder upper-level movements with him, but he, even so, is a fabulous horse to ride. He was very excited about our Century Club ride and was perfect as always earning a score of 74.  Maybe we might even do it again, God willing.