The rider of a 19.3hh warmblood who reached two hands bigger than she had expected believes he could still have some growing to do.
Oldenburg Dante Weltino gelding Dhisney (Walt) was about 17hh when Paige Ervin bought him as a three-year-old, and does not seem to have stopped growing since.
“We though he might max out at 17.3hh, maybe 18hh,” 5’8” Paige told H&H. “But he just kept going and going. But he’s all in proportion so until you have something next to him for perspective, you don’t know how big he is – and warmblood breeders I know say he might not stop growing till he’s nine or 10.”
Paige, from Maryland, US, said Walt’s sire is about 17hh and his dam about 16.1hh.
“But she seems to throw large, male offspring; I think the height comes from her.”
Paige said she has ridden since childhood but before she bought Walt, had not been able to for some years as she was injured, and developed a degenerative neurological condition. She had two spinal-cord stimulators fitted, and doctors told her she should set goals, things she had done in the past and would like to again.
“I had a lot of issues, not being able to ride, and the doctor said he wanted me to. We all agreed maybe I shouldn’t jump any more, but when you’re nine feet in the air, that’s kind of redundant, so he’s my physical therapy.”
Walt next to a 16.3hh travelling companion
Paige said she gained weight as a result of her injury and surgeries, so was looking for a horse of at least 17hh when she found Walt.
“He’s my heart horse,” she said. “Something clicked as soon as I saw him; I’ve never felt like this about a horse before.”
Paige has now owned Walt for four years, and as her riding had dwindled even before her long break owing to the injury, she said she and he grew together, so his size is normal to her.
But she has had to cater for it.
“He doesn’t fit in a regular trailer so we had to get a custom one built, and now he’s outgrown that,” she said. “I work for an incredible woman who’s in the US Hunter Jumper Association hall of fame, and all her clients say ‘That’s the tallest horse I’ve ever seen’. I say ‘Me too’.
“In rugs, he’s in 87” [7’3”], which aren’t custom but they look like miniskirts on him, and he has double extra-large bell boots and I had to have a custom bridle made. He’s in proportion, just tall, so draught stuff doesn’t fit.”
Riding out on the trails can be a challenge, Paige added, as her friends on horses three hands smaller can duck to avoid low branches “but I can only duck so far”.
Picture by Bruce Harbin of InFocusbyBruce photography
“When you ride in arenas with mirrors, you can never see yourself; you get cut off at the chest,” she added. “And he can step over kick-boards so you have to be careful, but these things are all normal to me now. And he’s just a gentle, gentle giant. An eight-year-old has ridden him, and my husband, who doesn’t know how to ride, has ridden him. He’s goofy but so forgiving and he deserves a better rider than I am, but he’s mine and I love him so much. He’s awesome.”
And Paige said as Walt is only tall rather than long, and in proportion, he works in balance and adjusts his long stride as necessary.
“People come up to me and say they love me and hate me at the same time, as they can’t complain a 10m circle is too hard on their 15.2hh!” she said. “But we’re now working on medium and extended trot, and he goes across the diagonal in about six strides.”
The pair have had success in dressage competitions, scoring 75% and 74% in their first two US Dressage Federation tests, and are now aiming to step up a level, and have recently jumped for the first time.
“I love that horse so much,” Paige said. “My husband Joe says he’s very comfortable with where he is in the relationship; he wasn’t prepared for how much it would all cost but he’s getting over it. I was once offered $300,000 for Walt and I thought it was a joke. It was only after the people left, I was told they weren’t joking. And Joe doesn’t like to talk about that!”
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