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Featured Rider - Ursula Brush |
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Ursula Brush (Part 1 of a 4 Part Series)
Bru Maguire is a Bay Irish Sport Horse (IRL) gelding, 17.2 h.h., 1997.
Cavalier - Catania.
Rider: Ursula Brush, Pataskala, Ohio.
Owner: Acacia Brush, Pataskala, Ohio.
Rolex is only a short four months away and I have already been hard at work preparing for my second trip to Kentucky. Through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Teroerde, I was able to train with Isabel Judet in France this fall. The experience overseas helped my dressage and gave me a fresh perspective on training.
At the moment, I am still based at my parents’ farm in Pataskala, Ohio. In a few days, however, my horse, Bru, and I will be heading for Southern Pines, North Carolina for winter training with John Williams. As we have taken a little break for Christmas and New Years, Bru is anxious to get on with more serious training in Southern Pines. Since we devoted this fall almost entirely to working on dressage, Bru has already jumped his pasture fence several times in hopes of reminding me that we need to start jumping again. At 17.2 hands and with a personality to match his large size, Bru doesn’t have to try too hard to command attention.
My sister, Acacia, found Bru at the yard of Chris Ryan, M.F.H. and huntsman of the Scarteen Hunt in Ireland. Even then at four years old, Bru seemed to have a passion for cross-country. Acacia always knew that one day he’d be a four-star horse. She competed him successfully at the CCI* and CIC** levels before passing the ride along to me when she left for college.
There is no doubt that Bru loves galloping and jumping cross-country. He is incredibly brave and eagerly plunges into water jumps, leaps over ditches, and skips up banks. His over-enthusiasm for cross-country makes up for his lack of enthusiasm in dressage. Perhaps he doesn’t see the purpose of circles and figures crammed into a tiny space when there are plenty of fields and trails to explore elsewhere. Nevertheless, our main focus in training continues to be dressage. In addition, this month I am planning to attend several dressage and jumper shows as well as continue our conditioning work for our first horse trial of the season in February.
Ursula & Bru
