Barbi Breen-Gurley and Vindicator (CA)
Team #878: Barbi Breen-Gurley and Vindicator
From: Los Osos, California
Ages: 78 & 23
Combined Age: 101
Test: Grand Prix
Photo by A.J.S.K. Photography
On May 3, I rode a Century Club ride on my horse Vindicator (aka Vin) that I trained through the levels from when he was a three-year-old. He is a Dutch Warmblood gelding, now 23 years old, and the eighth horse I’ve trained up to the Grand Prix level.
I rode a Century Club ride a couple of years ago on a student’s Third Level horse…not thinking I might be able to ride one on Vin a few years later. I stopped competing with him in 2020 because he developed Cushing’s, but last year I decided to bring him back and start doing serious work on him. Little did I know how much he would enjoy it, just like he used to.
As I led Vin to the trailer, the day before the show, he jumped in with enthusiasm! He was followed by HappyM (my current GP horse) and WillitVF (my Prix St. George horse). During our warm-up and throughout our ride, I felt unusually eager energy from him. I had tears in my eyes as Vin performed with noble effort, an honest and beautiful Grand Prix! It felt so satisfying to share this accomplishment with Vin after riding him up through the levels, and being awarded at local, state, and national competitions with him for the last 20 years. I am so proud to have trained my own horse and ridden him at Grand Prix for our Century Club ride.
