In the fall of 2007, my Mom, sister, and I fell in love with a registered Cleveland Bay/ Thoroughbred cross mare named Idle Secret. We had almost given up finding a horse to replace a grand master named Falcon, my first horse who had taught us all what it meant to dance while riding. The first time we saw Secret ridden by  Jennifer Sponseller we were impressed by her lilting gaits, particularly her slinky, fluid walk. With such beautiful movement we knew the potential in this mare made her a definite keeper. Plus, Secret has a very sweet expression with soft eyes and big, expressive ears that we couldn’t resist.

Secret is a born foxhunter and nothing makes her happier than to gallop through the fields flying over fences with the group right behind the hounds. This gave her a pretty good background for the eventing world my family loves so we had pretty high hopes that she’d love the cross country phase. With the suspension and power behind those high quality gaits and stellar action we had no doubts she would dazzle the dressage arena. However, convincing Secret to be enthusiastic about this new job was quite difficult. Although she has big talent and big prospects, Secret is not a generous horse. She has the cleverness to evade every aid my Mom and I can use and makes you work your brain, body, and intuition for every step for even a basic dressage movement. She was just oh so bored by simple things like straightness and balance. Having trouble in the dressage arena translated into the jumping phases as well, as Secret’s stubbornness made finding balance and pacing a constant struggle on course and in the field. I can’t begin to record how many times we have bulldozed through rails and standards because she and I were having an argument over who was right. Eventually though, Secret began to realize working with us rather than against us was much more fun, and we had patient instructors to help us all the way. By the end of our first year, Secret was strong competitive presence with sub-30 dressage scores, clean and fast jumping rounds, and smooth cross country rides, hinting at the just the beginning of her talent. As my Mom puts it, “Secret’s smart enough to cheat on every footfall and talented enough to make it worth your while to learn how to ride every hoof beat. Now, she’s moving on in her lateral work and starting to learn flying changes. The balance and strength she has developed is evident as the jumps are getting bigger, the turns are getting tighter, and we’re galloping around the cross country field faster.”

All this factors into two things that makes Secret invaluable to me: Secret is one of those precious horses that teaches you to be a better rider, and that you can be successful with no matter what your goals are. Secret has engaged me to mature my riding and to hone my horse sense. She also brings out success in me. I work hard, but riding this mare has given me the most pleasure I’ve ever experienced with a horse, and a lot of it is due to being privileged enough to work with such a talented mare.

Secret and I have learned a lot from our participation in Pony Club. Being members of the Iron Bridge Hunt Pony Club, we have competed in Dressage, Show Jumping, and Eventing at all different levels. Also we get the benefits of working with a wonderful co-DC Rumsey Keefe, who has helped my Mom and I work with Secret in dressage and jumping lessons of all kinds. Pony Club hasn’t been our only teacher though. My Mom and I have gone to many events on our own that have all been part of the process of turning Secret into the star she is.

Secret is every bit the teacher and the athlete Falcon was, and after having a 2^nd place winning trip to the USPC Nationals in the summer of 2009, Secret has become the competitor my Mom and I have always hoped for. Also, my Mom and I had the honor of accepting a generous award sponsored by the Cleveland Bay Association, recognizing Secret and our hard work. Secret now has a beautiful new name-plated halter donated by Phyllis Loupot from College Station, Texas and Gabrielle Gordon from Keller, Texas that will look stunning on her at all our shows.

This season, Secret is going to carry my Mom through her first try at the Training level, and it’s wonderful to see my Mom’s confidence in her grow every week. The next three years while I am at college, Secret will always be there to take me on a great trail ride around Brook Grove Farm whenever I’m home. Until those unique weekends though, my Mom gets the privilege of racing through hunter pace circuits with Secret. Better believe though that if I get the chance, I’ll steal Secret away from my Mom to get at least one high, fast round in.

Idle Secret  PB 4342
Idlehour Yorktown  (purebred) 103USA x  Lyka's Secret (TB)
Owner/Rider  Lara Magill, Kensington, MD
Breeder: Paul Hostetter of Steamboat Springs, Colorado  USA