Belle Izarra Z "Queen Zee"
- Sarah Elebert
- May 28, 2019
- 4 min read
This could be a long one folks so I apologise in advance...but I suppose I should just start from the beginning.
In 2012, just as myself & Madison (a horse that I had broken & produced myself) were ready to make our eventing debut, she had a career ending field accident. I found myself kicked off the starting block & back to square one. All that work, gone. It was a tough pill to swallow but while she had to retire, it wasn't going to stop me. Delay me? yes. So in June 2012, we went to the Cavan sales in search of a nice 3 year old (assuming anything older would be out of budget). I had several marked in the program and among them I had also marked Zarra. Her pedigree was of interest to us. Upon meeting her, she looked like a green 5yo but I liked her attitude to the work. She also evoked strong feelings of nostalgia with her almost black coat and white star... black beauty*sniff*.
She came into the sales ring and probably being a mare, 5 years old with no significant CV, bidding was slow. As a result, we got her for a very reasonable price and as it turned out, a real bargain!
We began our eventing careers together in 2013, taking our time at EI90 & then EI100. We were both green & didn't always getting the results we wanted but she always brought me home safe and proved herself to be a very consistent & safe cross country horse!
Fast forward to April 2015 & we entered our first International CCI2*-S (Previously CIC1*) in Ballindenisk, Co. Cork. There, we were chasing our final qualification for Tattersalls International in June & we got it!
Having always seen Tattersalls as the pinnacle of eventing in Ireland, it was a dream come true to ride there #cliche *eyeroll*. We completed 2015 and returned again in 2016, quietly confident that we could be more competitive. Zarra was on top form and my goal was for a top 10 finish.
She warmed up for dressage nicely & we were ready. We started well but 3 minutes in, Zarra began to sneeze and throw her head. Thinking that something had flown up her nose or that she had been stung, I nursed her through the rest of the movements. She was clearly still upset but stayed obedient & even halted square at the end before diving down for a scratch... what a trooper!
At the stables, we checked her over & with nothing visible we put it down to just plain bad luck! Showing no adverse effects, she went on to give me a great XC ride, clear, inside the time but due to the poor dressage & some poles on the final day, we were nowhere near our target of a top ten finish.
Back at home, she had a holiday but on her return, it seemed she still had the itchy nose... WTF?! Following veterinary advice, we spent months monitoring her in different conditions, trying products & reducing pieces of her tack one by one. None of which seemed to make a difference. As it was only present during exercise, it seemed that once her blood got going, so did the itch! This resulted in a very upset & frustrated horse (&rider!) when being ridden. Her muscles were tight and she was often distracted to the point of boiling over, my horse was not happy! After a full veterinary work up, she was declared a super fit & healthy horse! However, by process of elimination, the cause of the itch had been put down to an acute onset of headshaking. No cure. We were gutted & I was facing having to retire another horse prematurely.
Regardless of what the future held for Zarra's career (or mine for that matter), my priority was getting her feeling comfortable & happy again.
Firstly, we addressed the secondary symptoms of this disorder, her muscle tension & soreness. Niamh from Equine Therapies Ireland worked on her on a regular basis & we had stretches & homework to do between visits. Niamh's work with Zarra got her to a point where I could ride her without her becoming so frustrated. While she still wanted to scratch & rub her nose, I was able to work her through the tense moments & work her in a way that helped relax & stretch her muscles. We practiced ignoring the itch, allowing her to scratch when needed & ultimately, we worked very hard making a "non-issue" of the issue... the irony!
As part of her management, I was advised to add a magnesium based supplement to her feed. I currently have her on Horse First Relax me and being designed to calm a nervous horse, it has a positive effect on the horse's nervous system. I have found that this helps her to focus during her workouts and just takes the 'edge off'.
With things back moving in the right direction, in September '17, we registered with SJI and added some showjumping points to her CV. To keep the itching to a minimum, I would warm her up on a long rein, (looking very unprofessional) and then I would pick up the reins and go jump a double clear! Unorthodox but it worked!
Never losing her love of cross country, last year Zarra became 'super-nanny' to the young horses. With my 'super-groom' Emma on board, she showed them how it's done. This new partnership has grown from strength to strength & together they will compete in some Junior classes this summer. I am so excited to see them have fun eventing with no pressure.
Could a comeback for myself & Zarra be on the cards down the line?... who knows!
While we will carry on hoping for a miracle cure, I am just so happy and grateful that all is not lost. She is such a special horse to me as without her & the journey we have been on together, I would not be doing what I am today. No matter what, We are a team... My #1 , Always x
Please note that the people / products mentioned in this blog post have genuinely been just what has worked for us thus far. This post has been in no way sponsored.
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