Ardent is the unquestioned herd leader at Black Bay Farm. A powerful Hanoverian gelding, Dee Dee (as we call him), is a benign leader, keeping the other horses in line using just his body language. When we brought our frisky colt Udaulo from Holland, he put a hurting on our largest gelding, Tanner, who is over 17 hands. Tanner is still terrified of Udaulo. Yet when Udauo was introduced to Dee Dee, a short flick of Dee Dee's head was enough to say, "I am the leader here and I brook no shenanigans." Ever since then, Udaulo has been like Dee Dee's pet.

          Dee Dee moves like a dream--sometimes like a ghost horse in a nightmare. Although he used to have a wild streak, he has competed at third level in rated dressage shows and was ridden and praised by Olympic hopeful Michael Barisone during my tenure as Michael's pupil in Palm Beach County years ago.

          As a 1989 colt, his wild days are over and Pete has taken him on as his project. Pete's avowed goal is to ride him every day, asking for nothing unusual or different-- just a calm ride through the trail. . Some light saddlebags filled with treats for the two of them, some shade, some fodder, a book--sounds like a pretty nice retirement.

          And yes, Dee Dee is a true black bay. We named the farm after him.

A Boy and His Horse