by Caroline Duff-Riddell.

9 yo Bay TB Gelding, Competing EM dressage, Novice eventing & E-Grade Jumping.
By Fair Season out of an Over the Air Mare.

On the one hand Magic is a big, bouncing boisterous 16:2HH TB while on the other hand he is a tiny timid sensitive little fellow who needs to be handled very gently and very carefully. This makes him somewhat tricky to deal with since you don't always know who he is going to be on a given day.

I would also say that Magic is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and it often takes him quite a while to learn new things but... once he learns he tries so hard to do it right and be good. I suspect that my greatest mistake in riding him is not to praise him enough. If I confuse him he is likely to get into a total tizz and then we really have to back right off and try again next week.

I bought him primarily to event but a tendency to buck me off every time we jumped from a canter and a bit of a flair for dressage meant that we have spent more time in the dressage ring than was originally anticipated. Thus, five years after buying him as a 3 year old he is graded elementary dressage but has been competing at EM level. I will grade him EM as soon as we get the flying changes established.

He has done a bit of eventing at Novice level and as long as I don't do something stupid like take the wrong course he is often placed quite well - usually due to a good start in the dressage.

He has competed a couple of times at E-Grade jumping (I don't fall off quite so often now) and has a lovely big careful jump but he is a little timid and needs to be encouraged all the way by his rider. I haven't jumped him for the last year but will probably do a bit next year.

He really is the ultimate competition horse for an all round rider and can always be trusted to give his best at shows. I often think that he produces better work in a dressage test than we produce at home. While being quite a sensitive horse with a marked tendency to go off his feed he seems to relish the attention he gets when we go to shows.

Magic is not always an easy horse to keep and periodically over the years it has been necessary to resort to alternative methods of management. For instance he is never locked into a stable, he has a small area outside his stable where he is free to come and go as he pleases.

In summer I have found that use of Fenugreek helps to keep his appetite up or he is inclined to go off his feed and lose condition. In September I hope to travel him up to JHB for the FEI competition and currently I am experimenting with herbs to see if they may help him cope with the stress of the journey.

As you have no doubt gathered Magic is the pride and joy of my life. I am privileged to own such a horse and he is definitely one of those "special once in a lifetime" horses.