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The Road Less Traveled
By
Tracy Williams
"Show me your horse, and I will tell you who you are."
- old english saying
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Wiser words were never spoken, for the care we extend to the
defenseless reveals the measure of who we are. Out of the fullness
of our hearts overflows either the compassion that enriches
the lives of others or the selfishness that guards our own interests
above all else. A true reflection of the saying is the relationship
between Ivory Pal and Rafael Valle. The horse is a golden giant
with an ivory mane skimming his shoulders, a carved measure
of power and gentleness, blended pride and humility, and an
undefeatable spirit. The man is composed of a sensitivity mindful
of character and emotion, boundless humility, and strength to
stand resolutely with what he holds dear. The two reflect each
other. |
Dreams of Pegasus
Many people can isolate that specific second when they realized
the truth about Santa Claus - that defining moment of childhood
when visions of sugarplums fade into reality. With his childhood
dreams steeped in horses, Rafael Valle's "Santa Claus story"
has a different twist. "My first disappointment in life
was when my sister said Pegasus didn't exist," he explains
with a laugh. Although born in Nicaragua, Rafael grew up in
Miami, Fla., a city life far removed from his musings of winged
horses. Nevertheless, every summer he would escape from the
city streets to a simpler world - his uncle's ranch back in
Nicaragua. Although his cousins questioned his sanity, Rafael
was up at dawn on this working farm, bringing in the cattle,
checking the rice fields and spending every waking moment in
the saddle. "For some reason, horses have always responded
to me even when I was a kid," Rafael says. Although given
horses no one else would ride, Rafael never failed to rise to
the challenge, and his unhurried approach reaped a harvest.
The secret was not in the saddle; it was on the ground in hours
of grooming, handling and building trust, and the horse would
always respond. Unfortunately, political conflict |
Ivory
Pal proves that he loves to perform complex movements by practicing
them on his own time. For example, he will perform this Spanish
Walk while taking a relaxing stroll around his farm.
Photo by Sheila, Equus Unlimited |
ended
his summer riding when he was 15 years old. Fast forward several
years and after a 14-year stint in the military, Rafael is now
a successful supervisor for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
although he is still tied to the memories of his summers in
the saddle. Several years ago, Rafael resolved to return to
his roots and find his dream horse even though he hadn't ridden
steadily since his Nicaraguan summers.
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A
Frayed Spirit
Waiting in the wings was the golden Tennessee Walking Horse,
Ivory Pal, and he was unraveling. Stall confinement since he
was 6 months old had prevented his muscles and bones from naturally
strengthening as he matured, weakening his body and threatening
his spirit. He had resisted traditional training methods until
his trainers claimed he lacked a gait and tried forcing it with
pads. "They padded him so tightly there was a big indentation
in his hoof where the metal bands held the pads in place,"
says Rafael, who spent three years working with a farrier to
get Ivory Pal's hooves back to normal. But even these more extreme
training efforts fell flat. "Some horses do cooperate out
of fear, but Ivory Pal wouldn't have anything to do with it,"
says Rafael. "He's too proud and too sensitive." Thus,
the trainers concluded incorrectly that he couldn't perform.
Meanwhile, Rafael searched for an Andalusian like the ranch
horses of his youth. He had no interest in another breed, yet
somehow he found himself walking down the aisle of a Tennessee
Walking Horse barn. "Off to the right was this horse,"
remembers Rafael as he struggles with the emotion in his voice.
"My wife and I were walking by, and this horse just looked
up at us. It was Ivory Pal, and he captured me. After we saw
him, we couldn't look at any other horse; there was an instant
connection with him."
A New Beginning
Rafael hadn't ridden since his childhood and had no professional
training, yet on his own he resolved to peel back the layers
of damage to allow Ivory Pal room to emerge. Instead of the
traditional methods Ivory Pal loathed, he opted for a different
approach - natural horsemanship inspired by his friends, Cliff
and |
After
years of careful conditioning, Rafael and Ivory Pal are now
able to perform physically demanding tricks, such as this rear,
with perfect technique. Photo by Bobbie Whitman
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Barbara Ray. "Cliff and Barbara were ahead of their time,
believing in the natural way of gaited horses," says Rafael.
"It's more about developing his mind, and then the body
will come." Accordingly, the first step was to lay the
foundation - replacing Ivory Pal's mental scars with a covering
of trust. To this end, Rafael drew on basic leadership principles
he garnered while leading soldiers during his military career
and applied them to horses. According to Rafael, the first is
leading your horse by example; horses sense emotion, so they
must feel your assurance to follow you confidently. The second
rule, he explained, is to take care of your horse's needs -
both emotional and physical. The physical is simply basic care:
food, water, shelter and so forth. To meet the emotional, Rafael
had to cultivate a friendship on the ground before he attempted
one in the saddle. "Even to this day before I get on his
back, I spend time just rubbing on him, leading him in the barn,
rubbing his nose, rubbing his eyes," Rafael says. Before
he could lead Ivory Pal anywhere, he had to prove he was worthy
to be followed.
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Stone
by stone, the foundation settled, and training could begin.
Rafael learned the elements of good riding by taking classical
dressage lessons from Laurie Wolf and transferred his knowledge
to training Pal. "She really helped me become a better
rider, and thus (Ivory Pal) could achieve his full potential,"
says Rafael. In addition, he had to strengthen Ivory Pal's
poor physical condition before asking him to perform the signature
Walking Horse gaits. "He was very weak; he had no muscle
tone," Rafael says. With versatility as his creed, he
taught Ivory Pal to perform a variety of disciplines. "I
figured the more he could do, the more coordination he would
have," says Rafael. "It's like an athlete. To run
a marathon, you just don't go and run distance. You need to
run sprints, do some weight-lifting, some swimming, etc."
Thus, Ivory Pal has been trained in English and Western disciplines:
halter, trail, dressage, horse dancing, barrel racing, pole
bending, tricks and, of course, gaited movements. "He
responded to everything and still does; he thinks it's a game,"
says Rafael, who uses techniques from Pat Parelli, John Lyons
and Clinton Anderson in his
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Ivory Pal with Rafael.
Photo by Sheila, Equus Unlimited |
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training.
He establishes his main goal and breaks it down into a series
of steps that he reinforces through repetition and reward
rather than punishment, believing that this allows Ivory Pal
to focus on the task at hand rather than where the next whip
is coming from. "He's very compulsive about getting stuff
done right on his own," says Rafael. "One time my
neighbor called me and said, 'Hey, your horse is doing something
funny out there in the field.' He was out there practicing
his bow."
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A
Point to Prove
The scope of their relationship broadened after Rafael witnessed
a sored stallion at a gaited show. Originally, he'd had no intention
to show, but after that horrific sight, he sought to prove winning
can be accomplished another way. "Let's hit the show ring
and make a point," said Rafael. "We'll start showing,
have fun, and show people that you can go in the show ring and
have respect for the animal." Initially the pair met shock
and criticism over their unorthodox ways, for Ivory Pal wore
only a simple snaffle bit and showed barefoot. "You're
too gentle with that horse," one trainer cautioned. "When
he sees you, he lights up; it's like you are his buddy. He's
supposed to fear you." Rafael merely pocketed the intended
insult as his dearest compliment. In their two year show career,
Ivory Pal gathered an extensive record of awards (see sidebar
for details), which Rafael handles with characteristic humility.
"It was |
With his show career at an end, Ivory Pal now
performs exhibitions, which allows him the chance to meet and
greet the crowds that flock to see him.
Photo by Stunning Image Photography. |
never
about me or him getting blue ribbons. It was all about him making
a point," he says. The statement is made: one can use natural
methods, value the animal more than the prize and walk away
with a title made sweeter by the honorable means of attaining
it. Rafael has since retired his horse from the show world.
"What else does he have to prove?" he asks. Instead,
they will learn new skills for the sheer joy of it and perform
them in coordination with music at benefits and exhibitions
to the delight of the crowd. . "Ivory Pal understands he
is an ambassador for his breed and for horses in general,"
Rafael says. "I want him to be the people's horse."
In addition, Ivory Pal is in the midst of his second breeding
season at Ivory Knoll Ranch in Citra, Fla. Due to his talent
and temperament, he is in high demand, but Rafael is breeding
selectively to "approved homes and mares" to avoid
barns suspected of using questionable training methods.
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All
the Difference
To this day, Rafael shares his and Ivory Pal's story with a
sheen of tears in his eyes. Regardless of the part he played
in the success of the tale, Rafael refuses to accept praise.
"Ivory Pal is the one that deserves the credit because
of what he had to overcome," he says. "The only thing
I did was treat him with respect, let him gain back his dignity
and provide an environment where he could blossom and reach
his full potential." But the truth remains. Like a fairy
tale, Ivory Pal waited to be uncovered, a vein of gold encrusted
in the dark rock. And when he was, a bridge was forged between
a broken horse and a gentle man who promised something more
to a tired heart that had lost hope. They have walked a road
less traveled, but the destination could not have been reached
by a different path. "Once a horse knows that you are never
going to let him down, he will give you his heart," says
Rafael. "Ivory Pal knows that I'll never let him down."
And that has made all the difference.
| Pillars
of Support |
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Rafael
and Ivory Pal have achieved success both in and out
of the show ring. While the essence of it stems from
their relationship, it also gains life from their support
system. Every step of the journey, Rafael has had Stefanie,
his wife of 15 years. From financial support to emotional
support, Stefanie has upheld Rafael's dream no matter
the circumstances. "I could not have done it without
her," he says.
On
the business side, he has Gail Shrine, Ivory Pal's manager
and most vocal advocate. "It's hard to find in
any business someone that has a passion for what they
do and is honest at the same time, and Gail is both,"
Rafael says. Rafael, Ivory Pal, Stefanie and Gail (joined
with the two labs, Yogi and Simba) are knit together
by the trials they have overcome and the satisfaction
they are reaping from Ivory Pal's success.
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| Swearing
by Seminole |
| Seminole
was an instant choice for Rafael and Ivory Pal. "I
didn't consider anything else; it was automatic,"
he says. Ivory Pal thrives on Spillers
Safety First Performance Pellets, a low starch feed
enriched with beet pulp, a highly digestible source of
fiber. To further increase palatability, Rafael waters
the pellets to soften them and even warms them into a
mash in the winter. Because Ivory Pal is an easy keeper,
Rafael prefers his dietary calories to come from fiber
rather than molasses, and he claims it is such a good
feed, he doesn't need to change a thing whether at home
or traveling. Convinced of its virtues, Rafael eagerly
converts people to the feed. "It's good when you
can believe in a product; you have great results, and
you can share it with people," he says. |
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| Ivory
Pal's Awards |
| 2004-2005
FOSH Horse of the year
2005
North American Pleasure Walking Horse Championships
High Point Grand Champion
2005
North American Pleasure Walking Horse Championships
English Working Trail Pleasure Champion
2005
North American Pleasure Walking Horse Championships
Western Working Trail Pleasure Reserve Champion
2004-2005
FOSH Southeastern U.S. Grand Champion
For
a complete list of Ivory Pal's awards, view more pictures
and read more details about this remarkable stallion,
visit his website at: www.ivoryknollranch.com.
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Ivory Pal makes himself at home with Rafael and his canine buddies.
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Tracy
Williams, a native New Mexican, recently graduated from
Colorado State University with degrees in both Equine
Science and Journalism. For the time being, she is the
new editorial intern at ec while she contemplates moving
permanently to Florida and leaving the Western mountains
and chiles behind.
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