Meet Blu

Blu is an Oldenburg gelding who was bred and born in Germany in 1993. Blu’s sire is the Oldenburg stallion Insider was was by the foundation stallion Inschallah. Inschalla was an Anglo Arab, and Blu’s mom thinks his little ears and regal neck came from him.

Blu and his mom

Blu was imported to the United States as a young dressage horse when he was five years old. He was purchased by a gentleman who showed him extensively on the Florida circuit. He was then purchased and dearly loved by the person who eventually sold him to his mom.

Blu

Blu and his mom sharing a quiet moment

Blu’s mom had a lifelong dream to ride horses. She fulfilled her lifelong wish of being Annie Oakley and National Velvet when she began taking riding lessons after her twin daughters were born. Blu’s mom started off riding in the hunter/jumper world, but a fall while jumping resulted in a fractured arm. She quickly  realized that caring for twin toddlers with a broken arm was not something she cared to repeat and she decided she needed to learn to ride better and to have more control of the horse. This led her to taking a few dressage lessons, and she was immediately enthralled by, and dedicated to, the sport of dressage.

Blu, "the Professor," teaching his mom

 Blu’s mom had been riding for over 30 years when Blu entered her life.  At the time she owned a 9 year old Trakehner who had a lot of promise as a dressage horse, but suffered some serious career limiting tendon injuries. Her dreams of competing with him were thwarted. After a lot of deliberation she made the decision to look for a second horse. This was not an easy decision to make as her horse time was limited and she survived on a relatively small horse budget.

Blu and Digby

Blu and Sebastian

Blu

As fate would have it, she stumbled upon Blu the very evening she made her decision to look for a second horse. She went to the Dreamhorse website, and Blu popped up immediately in the search. By chance she found his ad on the first day it was posted. He was for sale in Florida, and his mom was in Massachusetts, so she had to make plans to get there to see him. There was also another person already booked to see him, so she had to wait anxiously to make her plans. Thankfully, the other person decided she was not a match with Blu, and his future mom went to Florida to meet him. She said the deal was done as soon as she laid eyes on him, and ten years ago she and Blu became a permanent team.

Blu and Sam 

Nemo, B-Rad and Blu

Blu’s mom nicknamed him “The Professor” because, from their first ride together, he taught her so much.  Prior to owning Blu her horses had always been very green or lacked the ability to progress beyond second level. Now she found herself riding an Intermediare I schoolmaster who wanted to teach her how to ride correctly.

Blu

Blu and Sebastian

Blu

Blu’s mom said he was very kind when she rode him. If she asked him for something the right way he would do exactly as she asked. If she flubbed her aides he did nothing and would just keep trucking around at whatever pace she had set. She said he was not a complete saint and he could really get on the muscle at times, but she learned over time that she could trust that he wasn’t going to do anything to hurt or scare her. Blu taught her how to really be present for every moment and every stride when she was riding, and in return he taught her how to ride canter pirouettes, tempi changes and passage.

Blu and B-Rad

Blu and Johnny

Blu and B-Rad

Blu was also a gift that his mom shared with others. She let other people at her barn ride Blu so they could have the opportunity to feel what it was like to ride a highly trained horse.  She also let her trainer show Blu so she could earn her scores for her silver medal.

Blu and B-Rad grooming

Taco, B-Rad and Blu

Blu and Johnny being silly

Blu’s mom enjoyed riding, training, hacking and showing with Blu. After a few years he started to become stressed out by trailer rides. He would get off the trailer lethargic, and he would hardly eat hay in his stall or graze on their handwalks. But the moment he got home from a show his spark and his appetite would return. After this happened at two shows in a row, his mom made the decision to retire Blu from showing. His mom felt that he had taught her and others so much and had always been so generous it was unfair to force him to continue doing something he no longer enjoyed.  She continued to ride and learn from The Professor, but she no longer asked him to go to shows.

Blu and Digby playing

Blu and B-Rad

Blu, Murphy and Happy

When I asked Blu’s mom if she had a particular memory that stood out to her with Blu, she said she was riding him at home one day and decided to really go for it in an extended canter. She half-halted him into the corner, and then let him go for it into his big extended canter. She said she could feel Blu’s sheer delight when she really let him go, and that to her it felt like flying.  

Blu and Taco

Blu and Digby grooming

Taco and Blu

 Blu was diagnosed with kissing spine about a year after she purchased him. With the help and coordination of her vet and farrier she was able to keep Blu comfortable and happy in his work for several years. Eventually Blu started to show his mom that he was no longer comfortable in his work, and she knew it was time for the next chapter in his life, retirement.  Fortunately for us Blu’s mom was friends with one of our clients, and we were given the privilege of hosting Blu in his retirement.  Blu made the trip from Massachusetts to Tennessee to join us at Paradigm Farms.

Blu and B-Rad

Blu and B-Rad grooming

Blu and Lighty

Blu was a little uncertain about things when he first arrived. He was very polite and very easy to handle, and he was immediately drawn to all of the green grass awaiting him when he went out in a paddock. When we put him in a temporary paddock in his future pasture he was slow at first to interact with the other horses over the fence. However, he found his confidence over a couple of days, and once that happened he quickly began to integrate himself into both his family group and the retired life. After years of solo turnout Blu embraced every opportunity to graze, run, play and interact with the other horses. He found a BFF in B-Rad, and they are frequent companions.  Blu has spent the last four years with us enjoying every minute of the retired life that he worked hard to earn.

Blu and friends on the run

Blu and friends enjoying another perfect day in retirement

Blu and B-Rad

We hope you have enjoyed meeting Blu!