Germany-based Jadasa Jablonowski is a talented horse trainer and graphic designer fondly known by many as Dasi. Despite only having the seven-year-old bay mare, Got The Lucky Touch in the barn at Dasi Show Horses for a month before the show, Dasi won the very prestigious European Championship title in the Senior Western Pleasure in impressive fashion with wins under three judges.
“Stella” is owned by Annie Gravett of England. “Jamie Zuidema found Stella for me and she arrived from the United States just before Christmas last year,” said Gravett. “I kept her home until taking her to Dasi at the beginning of July of this year.”
In the world of horse showing, winning such a high profile title, the equivalent to a World Championship in the United States, after so little time with a horse is virtually unheard of… unless you and that horse just happen to “click.”
However, it was not love at first ride for Dasi and Stella. They did not click right off the bat, which makes this win even more of a surprise and that much sweeter.
“To tell you the truth, the first time I rode her I thought, ‘not my kind of horse,’” Dasi told us. “But, then after a couple of rides, I started to like her, and, after a couple of weeks, I started to love her. She has a very good heart and soul. Riding her every day is very rewarding. It’s hard to explain, but it’s almost like the more I like her, the harder she tries for me.”
It is Stella’s heart and soul that Dasi partially credits with helping them to the top of the judges’ cards in the class.
“I was not very happy with my run in the prelims so my goal was to improve on that ride and show her to the best of her ability. She was as good as she could be in the finals, and I was very happy with that,” she said.
Dasi and Stella’s final run was only the third time they had ever entered the ring together, and Dasi shared that there were about five other horses on her own radar that she thought could be the winner.
“When they announced fourth place, and I was still standing, I was already thrilled. Then, I won and it took me a moment to believe it. I would have never thought I would have won the Europeans on her this year,” Dasi said.
If the combination of a short prep time and a rocky start didn’t make the win sweet enough, the fact that this is the first win for Dasi in the western pleasure at the European Championships certainly put it over the top as icing on the cake.
“I’ve won the hunter under saddle, the western riding, and the horsemanship (as an Amateur),” she said, “but never the western pleasure. This is a very special win for me.”
As far as Stella, you can just take one look at her see what makes this mare stand out. “She has an incredible top line and legs that float for days,” Dasi said. “Stella also likes to show with her ears up and lets everyone know how much she loves her job.”
“She really is just a happy horse,” said Dasi.
Until it comes time for her to get her picture taken…
With such a bright future ahead, Stella just may have to get used to getting her ears up for the cameras, too.
“The plan is to add some all-around events to her over the winter and slowly start showing her in other events next year,” Dasi said. “Annie, her owner, is the sweetest and most fun person. She loves Stella to the moon and back. She does everything for this horse and takes the best care of her. She is showing her in Novice and Select Western Pleasure.”
Gravett adds, “I am so thrilled with the win and so happy she is with Dasi so she can reach her full potential in Europe.”
Up next for the duo is the German Championships (Q16) at Aachen in October.
“There is so much more in there still,” Dasi says. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Dasi would like to thank owner Annie Gravett for trusting her with Stella and her entire team including farrier, Michael Mazurek; physiotherapist, Nicola Klein; vet, Dr. Heinrich Koller; chiropractors Gesa Meier-Bidmon and Nicole Schanzmann; and barn owner, Roman Feichtner.
Dasi would like to give special thanks to Bianca Raedler for all her help at the show and Mirko Müller for watching her ride at home. She would also like to thank her clients who made this show so much fun and her mentors and teachers, Jason Martin, Charlie Cole, and Michael Colvin who never stop believing in her.
Last but not least, “I would like to thank my Mom for always being there for me and for being my biggest fan even if she does not understand what I’m doing,” Dasi says and laughs.
Congratulations, Dasi!
CLICK HERE to view Dasi’s ads, designed by Dasi Graphic Design in the August issue of GoMag
