Testimonials

When I decided early this year that it was time to look for a younger dressage horse, there was no question in my mind that it had to be an Iberian stallion, either Lusitano or Andalusian. I have had Lusitano stallions for years and I love their character, looks and movements. After some research on the internet, I found myself hooked on Dawn’s website. The descriptions, pictures and especially videos are really helpful to narrow down the choices.

When I emailed Dawn, she responded immediately with detailed answers to all my questions. I much appreciated her honesty in telling me that one of the horses I expressed an interest in had gotten into some bad habits after having been spoiled by his owner. We had about a month of intensive email exchanges and Dawn never got tired (at least, never showed it!) of my to-ing and fro-ing between several horses. In the end, I had shortlisted some 6 horses I wanted to see during my visit to Spain. Dawn picked me up from the airport in Malaga and for the next two days she and her business partner in Spain, Carola, drove me around all over the place to visit my favorites from the website plus some others. When some of the horses proved to be a little too much horse for me, Dawn encouraged me not to lose heart, and indeed, the third horse I tried was very nice. He was certainly a candidate, but I did not yet feel that special attraction. However, as soon as I sat on the fourth horse, I knew I had found my match. When he was running free in the yard he looked fierce, a powerful black beauty. However, under the saddle he was the gentlest, most comfortable ride. His name Terrible certainly did not suit him, so I renamed him Tranquilo. He certainly did his new name justice during his 9-day trip by trailer and plane from the south of Spain via Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur to the Philippines, where he arrived some 10 days ago. Since his arrival I visited him several times in his quarantine farm and he never showed any sign of stress. From day one, he was his happy, friendly and relaxed self, eating and drinking well and loving attention. He is quite a hit with his caretakers at the farm who can’t believe that a stallion can be so sweet.

Selecting and buying a horse is quite an adventure. With Dawn and Carola I felt in safe hands throughout the process. I am most grateful to Dawn for helping select the right horse for me. I am also most grateful to Carola for keeping an eye on Tranquilo during the months that he remained in Spain, keeping me informed of his progress through the wonderful pictures and videos she took of him, and last but not least, dealing with all the requirements for exporting the horse from Spain to the Philippines. I can highly recommend Dawn and Carola to anyone looking for a quality PRE or Lusitano horse.