Langley rider Gloria Schriever says her horse Hilton may have been considered too small by another rider, but he turned to be just the right size for her.
After the pair recorded their first-ever Concours de Dressage International (CDI: International Dressage Event) win at Langley’s Thunderbird Show Park on Saturday, July 30, with a personal best of 69.6 per cent, Schriever explained she found Hilton through a friend in Portugal, who had imported him from Spain as a yearling but found the gelding was too small for her.
“And that was perfect for me,” said Gloria, who describes herself as five feet tall, “on the dot.”
Schriever, 36, may be the one in the saddle, but she’ll be the first to say Hilton belongs to her mom, Iris, in the stable.
“Everybody in our stable knows I’m the rider, but my mom is his person. He bonded with her immediately. Even today, she gets him ready in the stable at home, but also at the show. She’s his number one person, his number one fan.”
“We always joke when [Hilton] comes out of the ring, ‘Oh, my mom’s so happy. Her boy did so well!’ And she’ll say, ‘My girl did well, too,’” laughed Gloria Schriever.
Schriever and Hilton placed first in the CDI1 FEI Intermediate I at tbird, presented by Winifred Steinkopf Hall, Gordon & Wendy Christoff, and Blue Heron Farm.
“Because of his Portuguese influence, the pirouettes were easy and they were definitely one of our highlights,” Schriever said.
”They’re quite solid, so I can usually go into the ring and I know he knows what to do when we go into the pirouette.”
In fact, the biggest challenge for Hilton wasn’t in the saddle at all, Schriever explained.
“Coming to a CDI and being stalled for almost a week, that’s always a big challenge for him mentally, because he basically lives outside at our house,” she explained, noting that Hilton has a busy mind and a busy mouth. At home, they keep him entertained with multiple Jolly Balls in his paddock and an assortment of hanging toys in his shelter.
“He can’t wear blankets. He can’t wear stable wraps, because he will take them off. He’s a Houdini! He has a huge personality.”
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