Jane Kluczkowski and Urucum HM (MI)
Team #897: Jane Kluczkowski and Urucum HM
From: Harbor Springs, Michigan
Ages: 75 & 25
Combined Ages: 100
Test: Training Level Freestyle
I grew up in rural Indiana and loved riding my Quarter Horse. Never had a lesson, just hung on to that big saddle horn. Life and family intervened for the next 50 years. When I turned 65, facing retirement, I told my husband I was going to buy a truck, a horse trailer, and a horse.
The horse turned out to be a gorgeous chestnut Lusitano stallion with a flaxen mane and tail. He was a dressage schoolmaster. I wasn’t sure what a Lusitano was, nor dressage. I was pretty sure I did not need a stallion (he was gelded), but why not start with a schoolmaster? His name was Urucum HM (Uri). He was born in Brazil and was 15 years old.
This was probably a recipe for disaster; however, Uri “tolerated” his amateur owner (cookies helped). He became my best buddy. Most life decisions over the next 10 years were made with Uri foremost in mind. We even settled on a small farm in Ocala, FL, primarily for him. Fortunately, the area had plenty of golf courses for the husband.
At 25 years old. Uri is still in good health. He is a proud, confident, and noble boy. A real gem to his breed. Those of us who know him always say, “It is Uri’s world, and we are just in it.”
Photo by 119 Studio
