Who is Kody?

“Somehow, I expected him to be…bigger.” –Liz McMaster

My personal driving horse is Kody, a 33.5” nine year old AMHR/AMHA gelding I bought from a friend in July of 2004. She’d picked him up as a summer project and had only had him a couple of weeks when I met him. Still a stallion, he thought he was king of the world and Kelly was rapidly teaching him his manners as well as breaking him to drive. I fell in love with him and with my parents’ help brought him home. He had been raised from a weanling as a children’s pet, staked out on a dog chain during the day or in a stall to keep him from screaming at the neighbor's mares. It had apparently been so long since he’d been free that he literally did not remember how to canter-- we had to teach him on a lunge line. It took two years to get him balanced enough to stop cross-leading on a circle but watching him go from hopping along as stiff as a board with his hind feet together, head flung up in the air and hindquarters on the outside of the circle to flowing along smooth and round in a perfect hunter pony canter has been a wonderful process. He got gelded that fall and now jumps, does driven dressage, is learning to handle marathon obstacles at speed, and in winter of '07 he added sleigh bells and log-pulling to his resume. He is even a harness model for two different companies! Kody has the heart of a lion-- absolutely nothing phases this little guy and “work ethic” does not even begin to cover it.

He has wonderful hunter movement and his sorrel color helps him to look like a Morgan in miniature when he is driving. I wish he was big enough for a child to ride because he’d make a fantastic hunter pony. He much prefers cantering to trotting and has a very smooth, collected working canter. Good thing I wanted to do CDE’s! It’s the one discipline where a driving horse is expected to canter regularly.

As Kody and I have bonded and really begun to understand each other things have progressed quickly. Now when I drive him I have the confidence that comes from knowing your partner will be right where you expect him to be, doing his part and trusting you to do the same. Kody and I have been together before and will hopefully be together for a long time to come. Watch for us at NW area CDE's!

2004

Purchased Kody in July

Happ’s Intro to CDE Clinic in August

Windy Tides local show- 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 3^rd

Volunteered and schooled at Happ’s VSE DT-T!

2005

Happ’s Intro to CDE Clinic in Spring

Stormer’s schooling day at Happ’s

Pacific Crown AMHR show

Happ’s CDE: 4^th in Training level Single VSE

Happ’s VSE DT-T!: Went HC, scored 4^th or so in dressage

2006

Lessons with Lisa Eckhardt

Stormer’s schooling day at Happ’s

Happ’s May ADT: 2^nd in Training level, all sizes

Stoneybrook DT: 1^st Training level Single VSE, “Best Dressage”

Happ’s CDE: 1^st of 13 Training level single VSE’s

Spanaway AMHR show: 1^st in Obstacle Driving, 2^nd in jumper, 4^th/5^th in Liberty out of 18

Beavercreek CDE: 2^nd Training level Single VSE

*Two month layoff for respiratory illness, missed Lincoln Creek*

LB Ocean Drive in Long Beach, OR

Happ’s VSE DT-T!: 5^th out of 16 on Saturday, 6^th on Sunday

2007

Resumed steady training with Lisa Eckhardt in January

Schooled at the Happ's Cabin Fever Escape clinic in March

Ram Tap CDE (Fresno, CA): 4^th in Training level VSE

Happ's CDE Schooling Event: no ribbons given but got a dressage score in the 70's for our first Prelim test and did well in the other phases. Beginning canter work.

Pacific Crown AMHR show:

Happ's CDE: 4^th of 7 Prelim single VSE's, fastest time in Dry Gulch hazard

Equestrian Institute ADT in Duvall, WA: 1^st in Preliminary single VSE with a dressage score of 39!

Evergreen AMHR show: 3^rd of 24 in Liberty!

Beavercreek CDE: Eliminated, still received Best Prelim VSE Dressage Score award.

Lincoln Creek CDE: 3^rd of 6 Prelim single VSE's

Oregon State Fair: 1^st in Reinsmanship against large horses

LB/NW Beachdriver's Ocean Drive in Long Beach, OR

Happ's VSE Driving Trials Twice!: Saturday- 2^nd of 4 Prelim single VSE's, 2007 Prelim Happ's Challenge winner, fastest cones time of anyone on either day, fastest in every hazard but one and second in that one. Sunday- 1^st of 4 Prelim single VSE's, Most Improved Prelim VSE, Best Overall Prelim VSE. Fastest in three of five hazards and second in the other two, all times faster than Saturday's. One ball down in cones at Intermediate clearances.

October: Finally had splitting procedure performed on his medial patellar ligaments in an attempt to alleviate Kody's patellar fixation (locking stifle). Leia attended the National Drive in Lexington KY while he was home recovering.

November: Made first short post-surgical outing at Equestrian Institute recreational drive at Ft. Lewis.

2008

Resumed steady training with Lisa Eckhardt in January

Attended Equestrian Institute recreational drive at Ft. Lewis in February.

Western Whips and Wheels February ADT: 4^th of 5 Preliminary entries, all sizes. Leia organized free clinic/drive day for NW Beach Driver's Group on Sunday.

NWMHC clinic in Longview, WA: Kody served as demonstration horse for Leia's harness fitting seminar and attended clinics the next day.

Happ's ADT: Entries full, took Kody to school on Sunday. Had medial patellar ligament desmotomy performed on St. Patrick's Day on the way home.

Happ's CDE Schooling Weekend: Schooled Kody lightly on Saturday, volunteered as dressage steward on Sunday then drove him afterwards.

Pacific Crown AMHR show: Missed Western class, entered Open County just for pictures. No liberty or jumper due to surgery, first attempt at Amateur Obstacle in Hand. 

Cavalcade of Ponies AMHR show: 2^nd in Open Western Country Pleasure and Reserve in Stakes, 2^nd/3^rd of four in Obstacle Driving, 4^th in Obstacle in Hand, 1^st in Adult Jumper. Cheerfully refused to be caught in liberty.

Happ's CDE: 1^st of 6 Prelim single VSE's, 3^rd dressage/1^st marathon/4^th cones. Also Mis-Happ's Award for losing a tire in the first hazard. Fastest in the water for the first time!

Inavale CDE: 1^st of 4 Limit Prelim single VSE's, 1^st dressage/1^st marathon/double-clean cones. 

Beavercreek CDE: 1^st of 3 Prelim single VSE's, 1^st dressage/2^nd marathon by less than one point/2^nd cones. Best Dressage, Best Prelim VSE Overall.

Evergreen AMHR show: Kody cleaned up! One judge placed him 1^st in every Western Country Pleasure class, the other no worse than 3^rd. 1^st in Jumper, Stakes Champion out of 6, great liberty run.

LB/NW Beachdriver's Ocean Drive in Long Beach, OR

Happ's VSE Driving Trials Twice!: Saturday- 6^th of 7 Prelim single VSE's, would have been second and gotten the Happ's Challenge again if his mama hadn't made a totally avoidable timing error at the end of the marathon. Sunday- 1^st of 11 Prelim single VSE's, Most Improved Prelim VSE, Best Overall Prelim VSE.

October: Evergreen Miniature Horse Club's 2008 Preliminary Combined Driving and Western Country Pleasure Under Champion!

November: Had a terrible trailer accident on I-5 on the way to the Happ's ADT. Leia and Kody unhurt but the truck was totaled and the trailer was in for repairs until March '09. No lessons, competitions, clinics, or other outings until trailer returned.

2009

Happ's ADT in February: 2nd of 3 Prelim VSE's, beaten by Wanda's pair. Kody unable to turn right in hazards, seemed lame afterwards.

NWMHC clinic in Longview, WA: Kody served as demonstration horse for Leia's second harness fitting seminar and attended clinics the next day.

*Kody laid off for the rest of the year due to back injury probably sustained in January.*

Leia navigated for VSE pair and a Prelim Welsh at Happ's, took pictures at Cavalcade of Ponies and volunteered at Inavale. Mostly, she missed Kody.