Fields Nominations Results

Extreme Robyn

Sire
Extreme Three
Dam
Petra Robyn
Born
2015 Mare
Location
Queenstown
Present Roll
Sport Horse

See HRNZ Information for Extreme Robyn

  

This is our Standardbred story!

Looking for a horse to add to our family, we started looking on trade me around March this year.

Introducing 'The Family' living in Queenstown:

Ulrich (Uli) & Carmen-born and bred in Germany, both had taken to riding in their childhood and never really stopped riding until moving to Aotearoa 15 years ago.

Felix- now rising 12 year old, born and bred in New Zealand was absolutely adamant he wanted to start riding when he was 9 and ever since then has had lessons and a winter lease pony with A M Equestrian in Arrowtown. Felix gained experience with shows, dressage tests, show jumping and this year a first hunting season, all with 'his' beloved 5 year old Gypsy Cob 'Connie' who is owned by A M Equestrian and works there as a school pony.

Felix and Connie started their journey together both very green and grew into a formidable team, earning ribbons and sharing loads of joy. No small shoes to fill for his own first horse.

While we saw quite a few horses to spark our interest, the proximity of Lyra being in Invercargill made her the first we actually went to view.
We knew nothing about Standardbreds and actually had to look up what 'SB' meant.

And that’s how it begins.

It was a bit of a rainy Monday and still drizzling when we arrived in Hannah’s driveway. We saw three horses, Lyra is in the back paddock, resting, facing away from us.

We met Hannah and took Lyra in for a ride. She was a very quiet horse, obedient, somewhat reserved, and not in any way interested in the pieces of carrot we pulled out of our pockets!

We watch Hannah tie her up, give her a quick brush and put the saddle on. All smoothly going, Lyra is quite within her own little shell. Uli is already taken by her balanced proportions, beautiful colour, calm demeanour and soft expression which is only disrupted by 'empty chomping' from time to time and some 'zooming out', with her eyes set somewhere into the distance.

Lucky for us the rain had stopped and we watched Hannah ride her. They were going really well together and after a few minutes it was my turn to give it a go, before Felix would have a turn. Lyra was easy going for a young horse not long under the saddle, comfortable in trot and in walk willing to try when I asked her for a few steps sideways. I was impressed.

What was not working for me is sustaining her canter. Handing her over to our son Felix I told him that she felt really safe to ride. To Hannah I said that I really liked Lyra but didn't know whether the canter would work for Felix. That was shortly before, after a quick round of trot, he started cantering her with ease and then did a few jumps. That was pretty much it, Felix loved her, saying he felt so safe on her.

Lyra had a lot going for her and we could see her potential. After only such a short period off the race track and under the saddle, she was doing so well, trying her best.

Hannah was exceptional in her way showing Lyra to us, explaining everything about HERO, answering our questions and coming forward with any information important to us to make an informed decision. And, in hindsight, we can even more appreciate what a brilliant rider she is!

We had not really planned to buy the first horse that we look at.

However, after sleeping on it and some serious family talk on pros and cons, in which Felix said 'I don’t want a finished product' (sometimes they say things) we all agreed to be 'all in' and make Lyra a member of the family, if Hannah would give her to us.

On April 18th, 2021 we picked Lyra up and took her to her new home in the Speargrass Flats of Queenstown.

Story shared by Ulrich, Carmen and Felix

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