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Wesserwolfe Tane Born - 1997
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When Tane first to arrived he was like a wayward and rebellious teenager.
Coming to me was his last chance as several riders had already given up on him.
Some thought he was untrainable.
My first view of Wesserwolfe Tane showed that he was certainly an imposing sight.
He was well over seventeen hands high and built as solid as the Gisborne hills where he originally came from.
It did not take many rides, to find out why I had been given the half shares in this horse. I would have a full view of his forehead while straddling him on his back and if I tried to change this, he would suddenly go sideways, race off towards the nearest fence line and get precariously close to it. Turning him was like steering a ship with a broken rudder. Tane’s other favourite trick was to stop dead and defiantly refuse to move any further. It was like saying, “I will not move, unless we do it my way!” If I made any attempt to make him go, he would simply stand up on his hind legs like a grizzly bear in a menacing mood. I don't know who would be more threatening. Tane had certainly mastered the art of intimidation and used it with great effect to demonstrate who he thought should be boss. Throughout my past years I have encountered several problematical horses and just like the ones that I have successfully turned around, there was an extremely tough exterior to break into, but somewhere deep within there was a softer side. Most of the antics performed were done to win arguments rather than to get rid or injure me. He was like a kid that had no trust in humans and being tough was his way of survival. My goals were to gain his trust but he also had to respect my wishes. These contradictory goals required considerable compromise to attain even the slightest improvement. I couldn't succeed with only one of them, I had to earn both. Tane looked for a way to win every single issue, but was too sensitive to take any sort of punishment. Whenever I was too soft he would get the better of me and I would have a new problem to sort out. If I were ever too tough, he would throw his usual tantrum that created an even bigger problem. I had to keep a razor thin middle ground, between being too soft or too tough. Each ride required a negotiation, if we managed to reach a deal then we were able to perform reasonably well, but if the negotiations broke down the results were catastrophic. Jumping was a whole new element. It was something Tane really enjoyed and showed great potential to jump huge fences. Although he would happily leap over any fence put in front of him, there was a difference of opinion on how we went between fences. I preferred a nice flowing rhythm, that would give the impression to anyone watching that I was riding well, but Tane believed there was only one way for jumping; full speed ahead. The first few classes I rode him at shows had me steering him approximately towards the next fence, where he would then charge at it, fly over it like a hurdler and finally dash off after landing like a freight train with failed brakes. One solution was to enter higher classes to challenge him and to get him thinking. He still managed to charge around 1.25m classes with insolent ease, despite all protestations from on top of his back. At home with the assistance of his co owner Gael Schultz, we continually worked on control in flatwork and over jumps. Progress was painstakingly slow but eventually we started to see some signs of improvement. Midway through my second season I decided to enter him in lower level national Grand Prixs (1 star Grand Prixs). These classes were about 1.40 in height. At this height he was unable to defiantly race around the course and jump clear, but it took him a few classes to realise this. Unfortunately this made things worse, as he started to worry and blame me for the pain caused by hitting fences. During the start of our third season together, I decided to go back to 1.25m. By this stage his flatwork had progressed and was getting more consistent and reliable. I was now able to placate him and get him listening to me even in the most demanding environments. The best way to tell if your horse is well trained is when it still listens to you despite several distracting incidents happening around the both of you. After managing to string a few clear rounds I competed at the 1.40 level again. It took a few more attempts but we achieved our first Grand Prix placing during mid season. More importantly I had finally got Tane to realise that this sport of Showjumping requires a team effort and mutual co-operation was essential for our success. His intense competitive spirit could now be channelled into jumping clears instead of being competing against me. Tane will always be a difficult horse to ride and train, but he is now unable to hide is softer side. He likes being praised for good efforts and loves a peppermint after every ride. His incredible will power and extraordinary talent bodes for a big career at national and possibly international levels. This gives me great excitement for our prospects over the next few years. |
| Wessrewolfe Tane | Wesserwolfe | ||
| Unknown | |||
| Date | Show | Class | Height | Place |
| 22-Feb-09 | Hopuhopu Showjumping | Cathay Pacific Grand Prix | 1.40 | 1st |
| 21-Feb-09 | Hopuhopu Showjumping | Horse Mini Prix | 1.25 | 1st |
| 11-Jan-09 | Showjumping Waitemata New Year Festival | World Cup Qualifier NZ League | 1.60 | 6th |
| 04-Jan-09 | Kaipara Hunt Minicircuit | Open Horse | 1.30 | 1st |
| 15-Nov-08 | Auckland Showjumping | Horse | 1.35 | 2nd |
| 08-Nov-08 | Showjumping Waikato | Open Horse | 1.45 | 7th |
| 22-Feb-08 | Platinum Homes 3 Star Show | Welcome Stakes | 1.3 | 5th |
| 28-Jan-08 | Hopuhopu Showjumping | Cathay Pacific 1 Star Grand Prix | 1.45 | 1st |
| 27-Jan-08 | Hopuhopu Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.20 | 5th |
| 01-Dec-07 | Bayleys Tauranga Championships | Open Horse | 1.30 | 3rd |
| 30-Nov-07 | Bayleys Tauranga Championships | Bayleys Championship | 1.40 | 1st |
| 06-Oct-07 | Eastern Bay Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.30 | 4th |
| 30-Sep-07 | Rotorua Showjumping Spring Show | Donaghy's One Star Grand Prix | 1.45 | 3rd |
| 29-Sep-07 | Rotorua Showjumping Spring Show | Open Horse | 1.30 | 4th |
| 26-Aug-07 | Woodhill Sands Winter Show | Open Horse | 1.30 | 1st |
| 26-Aug-07 | Woodhill Sands Winter Show | Open Horse | 1.20 | 2nd |
| 14-Mar-07 | Kelt Capital Horse of the year | Norwood Gold Cup | 1.45 | 8th |
| 03-Mar-07 | Ideal Garages 2 Star Champs | Newstalk ZB Welcome Stakes | 1.25 | 5th |
| 21-Jan-07 | Counties Manukaui Showjumping | Cathay Pacific Grand Prix * | 1.45 | 4th |
| 07-Jan-07 | Kaipara Hunt Show | Open Horse | 1.30 | 2nd |
| 07-Jan-07 | Kaipara Hunt Show | Open Horse | 1.20 | 3rd |
| 12-Nov-06 | Auckland Showjumping Spring Show | Horse Mini Prix | 1.25 | 1st |
| 11-Nov-06 | Auckland Showjumping Spring Show | Welcome Stakes Horse | 1.20 | 8th |
| 05-Nov-06 | Cambridge Festival of showjumping | Horse Champ | 1.25 | 7th |
| 05-Mar-06 | Waikato Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.20 | 4th |
| 05-Mar-06 | Waikato Showjumping | Alan Harwood Memorial | 1.35 | 2nd |
| 04-Feb-06 | Waitangi Weekend Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.30 | 8th |
| 21-Jan-06 | Waikato Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.20 | 1st |
| 21-Jan-06 | Waikato Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.25 | 4th |
| 26-Nov-05 | Tauranga World cup showjumping | Open Horse | 1.25 | 7th |
| 30-Oct-05 | Waikato Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.25 | 5th |
| 23-Oct-05 | Waitemata Minicircuit | Open Horse | 1.10 | 2nd |
| 23-Oct-05 | Waitemata Minicircuit | Open Horse | 1.20 | 2nd |
| 09-Oct-05 | Kaipara Hunt Show | Open Horse | 1.10 | 1st |
| 06-Mar-05 | Waikato Showjumping | Horse Don Lleweln Memorial | 1.25 | 7th |
| 26-Feb-05 | Eastern Bay Dery Championships | Open Horse | 1.20 | 6th |
| 17-Dec-04 | Taupo Christmas Classic 2004 | Open Horse | 1.10 | 1st= |
| 06-Nov-04 | Cambridge Festival of Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.05 | 1st= |
| 19-Sep-04 | New Zealand Gold Indoor Series | Open Horse | 1.00 | 3rd |
| 08-Aug-04 | Kaipara Hunt Winter Showjumping | Open Horse | 1.05 | 4th |