Before and After

So we have come a long way since our first show last year. Gigi has gained a lot of weight and muscle and filled out very nicely. Overall right now she is doing very well. She is still forward most of the time, but there are good days and bad days. Mostly what I am working on is exercises to build up her body. My theory with this is the more in shape she is the more comfortably she will move, and the better she will look! The stronger her body is, the easier it will be to get her mind to relax.

I have jumped her up to 2'9 now and we can course at 2ft to 2'3 (mostly verticals, not as comfortable with oxers yet). As you can see in the bottom photo she doesn't jump very evenly yet. This was about a 2'6 oxer and her knees aren't even. We have been doing some gymnastic exercises but she hasn't been very fond of them. Last week I tried doing a trot pole to a crossrail, no stride to a small vertical and two strides to a small vertical but she was having a very difficult time with it. She did it eventually, after I took out the trot pole and let her canter in. I know gymnastics are supposed to start from the trot. This is something we will work on.

She is much more relaxed going to the right than the left, which I think is really weird for an ex-racehorse. My trainer thinks she is just over going to the left because of her long race career. She still pulls at the bit, especially when I do a strong half halt at the canter. She has also started over bridling to avoid my hands and to avoid the bit. We may need to switch up her bit again soon to try to get her more comfortable. Right now she is in a jointed Uxter Kimberwick.

This is us jumping in June:

Gigi - Race horse to Show horse!

In Fall 2011 Gigi began her new career as my show horse. We are registered with the Inland Empire Hunter Jumper association and went to our first show in October 2011. The show was held at Industry Hills Equestrian Center in Industry, CA in a large indoor arena. Though still a little out of shape, Gigi was a trooper. We showed in four under saddle classes (no jumping for us at this show). We managed to get a fourth and a sixth in two equitation classes. Gigi was a little excited in the arena, she was going so fast we basically lapped all the other ponies. Hopefully with more show experience she will get a little more calm and comfortable in the arena.

Our first show

Our second show was early December 2011 at Pepperglen Farms in Norco, CA. Gigi was better behaved at this show than the first show. We competed in the Green Rider division which included two jumping rounds and two flat classes. Gigi was still a little excited to be in the ring and was very quick in the flat classes but over all she did a great job. We managed to take home four second place ribbons and we were reserve champion in our division.

Tired after a long day!

One thing we will be working on is entering and exiting the arena at shows. Gigi goes in the ring fine the first time but she figures out that going in the arena means work! She had to follow other horses into the ring or be lead in by hand for the remainder of the day, which is very inconvenient for me as a rider. I don't like having to force her to go into the arena but I also don't want to keep the judge waiting!!!

Since our last show, Gigi got a long break from training through the holidays. My new goal is to work her at least five days a week to gear up for the next show at the end of March. Also, we are beginning lessons with my trainer starting this week, which will hopefully help a lot with jumping! I purchased a new video camera to film practices and shows to study what we look like to the judge. Videos and pictures to be posted soon!

Copyright Benoit Photo

Speaking of pictures, I contacted the track photographer who shoots races at all the local race tracks. I ordered 8x10 photos of Gigi in the winner circle. It took awhile for the photographer to get back to me on the prices and availability of the photos but I just heard today that they are ready to be shipped! I will be getting those sometime this week!

Elevator Gail: A History

Elevator Gail known as Gigi is a 1995 bay Thoroughbred mare. I purchased her in late Spring 2011. This is not the beginning of her story though, just the beginning of where I came into the picture. When I met Gigi she had already had a fairly successful racing career, had been a momma four times, and had been retrained for a new career.

I found an ad for a "Cute and Confident Hunter Mare" on a horse classifieds website for good price within my budget. I called up the owner and arranged to meet Gigi. My parents and I drove two hours to Cherry Valley, California after I got off work on a Friday. By the time we arrived it was dark and Gigi's owners had to turn on construction flood lights for me to ride her in their arena. I was told Gigi was "off the track." She had been retired from racing to become a broodmare sometime around 2001. After looking up her race records I found out she was raced for many years and earned over $100,000 in purse money. Though she only won four times during her track career, she was what the track people call "in the money" a lot. In other words she would place second or third consistently.

I rode her in the dark, did some lead changes, and jumped some fences. Gigi turned out to be a good little mare. Standing only 15.3 hh it was hard to imagine her having such a long race career. She does have some champions in her blood including the great Mr. Prospector who was the sire to many champions.

Her previous owners said that they had owned her for six years. When they first got her she was to be retrained for jumping and dressage. They called her Gigi because of the way she would hop over fences like the skunk Pepe le Pew, from Looney Toons, hopped through flower beds. They wanted to give her a french name, a la Pepe le Pew, and her barn name became Gigi. Though Gigi had been put into training, she kept gaining weight and her old owner said they had the vet out to check on her. Turns out Gigi was pregnant and about to drop her foal! About two weeks later she gave birth to a little bay filly who was named SheWonTheWest but was called EchoInTheElevator by her old owners. They wanted to register the filly with the latter name but it was too many letters for the Jockey Club registry. Her owners said SheWonTheWest went on to be a successful Eventer.

Gigi also got her registered name in a unique way. There used to be a lady named Gail who ran the Turf Club elevators at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park racetracks. This lady was known as Elevator Gail. Sometime around 1995 a trainer promised the original Elevator Gail he would name a racehorse after her. Gigi was the lucky filly, named and registered Elevator Gail with the Jockey Club Registry. By looking up Elevator Gail in the Jockey Club registry I found her pedigree, race records, and foaling information. I learned that SheWonTheWest was not her first filly. Gigi had been a dam to four foals total. Two colts and two fillies.

And thus began my relationship with Gigi also known as Elevator Gail.

This photo was taken the first week I had Gigi at our first barn in Anaheim, CA