What do you get when you pack the winning gaits,
athleticism, and temperament of a Hanoverian into the compact, flexible body of
a pony? If you are lucky, you get a ride like Sweet Rock Solid.
“This pony
moves just like a warmblood but in a pony body. He has wonderful ability for
collection. His gaits improve and change,” says Bailey Cook, who rides and
trains Sweet Rock Solid (registered name Stibby-Me). “This is every bit as good
a ride as you are going to get on a $50,000 warmblood.”
Bailey
should know. Currently the On-Site Instructor and Dressage Trainer for Cresent
Farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina, Bailey is a USDF Bronze and Silver
Medalist, a USDF Certified Instructor training through Fourth Level and a
member of the faculty of the USDF certification program.
“My own
horse is a Hanoverian-Thoroughbred cross, and I am showing him at the Prix St
George. I adore him. He has a wonderful personality, but he is harder to ride,”
Bailey laughs. “He is lazier and bigger, and I often think when I am riding
Sweet Rock Solid that if only my horse was this responsive, my life would be so
much easier!”
Sweet Rock
Solid was born in Germany in 2002. He started his show career by placing second
in the National Championships in Hannover. With high marks for elasticity and
free jumping and an overall score of 8.1, he lost by 1/10th of a
point to half brother, Southern Comfort.
Now just 6
years old, this pony is starting to turn heads and win competitions stateside.
Described by the Oldenburg Horse Breeders’ Society as “….fantastic in the open
dressage classes at the Raleigh, North Carolina CDI show,” Sweet Rock Solid
scored 68.9% and won the High Score Championship Award for Second Level in
2008.
Owner and
well-known breeder Louise Rascoe describes her Hanoverian Riding Pony as having
“very nice movement, very talented jumping, and gaits comparable to a
warmblood.” Louise, who imported the pony to the US in 2005, says Sweet Rock
Solid is also “outgoing, very friendly, quick to learn.”
Louise owns Longview Farm and has been breeding warmbloods for more than 20 years. About 3 years ago, she decided to move to Hanoverian Sport Ponies and commissioned good friend and internationally know equestrian, Britta Johnston to find the perfect stallion. Britta earned her bronze metal from the German Riding Federation at 13 and her silver medal at 16. She has 23 years of experience in classical German dressage and imports German sport horses through her company, Britta Johnston International Sport horses. As a result of Britta’s endeavors, Sweet Rock Solid now stands at stud at Louise’s farm.
“I have kept his stud fee fairly low. I collect him here so I can do it at a reasonable cost versus having him collected by a reproduction center. I want to make it as reasonable as I can for people who breed to him.”
Louise, who could charge quite a bit more, makes all these concessions because she feels the Hanoverian Sport Pony offers the best of both worlds for baby boomers who still want to compete but don’t want to wrestle with a 17-hand horse any more. “Sweet Rock Solid has big gaits, competitive gaits. He can do dressage, jumping. He is multi-talented. I think he is the wave of the future.”
Louise saw the same future that two internationally known equestrians—Karen O’Connor and Lendon Gray—did. Gray trained and rode Seldom Seen, who competed in the Olympics. O’Conner owned Theodore “Teddy” O’Connor, and together they competed in the Rolex, the only four star, three-day event in the US. Teddy and O’Connor also made the short list for the 2008 Olympics.
These ponies opened the door that Sweet Rock Solid is now walking through. He is just beginning his competitive career, but who knows? Someday, you might see Sweet Rock Solid on the Olympic short list too.
To get a glance at his lineage or to get more information about Sweet Rock Solid’s stud fees, visit longviewfarm.us or email Louise Rascoe at longviewfarm_3000@yahoo.com.
