Spontano 2006 - Ready for a quiet life

Well, trying to roll back the ears (see below) is risky and we are aware of the gamble we take. After a 16-month lay-off through injury Spontano has recently joined his old team-mates in Hannover-Langenhagen for what we hope will be an exciting season 2006. He is slowly being brought along, and hopefully might be fit to race in the spring. We will add pictures here as the season unfolds and hope to give you an behind-the-scenes view of his build-up (and races, as they come!) - fingers crossed!
PS: Just noted two white spots on both his front legs in the 2nd photo: they are not, in any way, injury-related.

Do I look like a proper racehorse? - Spontano Jan. 2006:
A youthfull-loooking 10-year-old!

Spontano is working along nicely and continues to show all his positive attributes at home: he is eager to work, loves his training regime and -routine, AND he is the apple of his lass´s eye. On a recent visit we saw him carrying her through driving rain but he still had his little ears pricked!
A start in march becomes a distinct possibility.

March 2006

28.03.2006

It was not meant to be!
Trying to start all over again with Sponti raised some sceptic voices among friends, and we are sad to report that reality proved them right: Spontano aggrivated a new niggeling injury to his front legs, and we took the -still difficult- decision to retire him for good. An operation would have been necessary to even think about a further racing career, let alone start one; but we feel now that is was not meant to be and time for Spontano the Racehorse has clearly run out. After spending so many exciting seasons with Spontano it is very hard to let him go, but we do not say good-bye to him at all. Spontano gave his all for us in 6 great season´s of racing, so now it is our turn to give something back to him - namely a good retirement. Germany does not have any offcial retirement or rehoming center´s, and finding a good and reliable new owner is very difficult. We feel, however, that we are not prepared to part with Spontano at all as he clearly is a family member, and are very happy to report that we close yet another circle of life: Spontano retires to Klosterhof Lohe, so joining his father Kondor on this idylic studfarm (not that both care one bit; but it IS a nice thought :) . He will be turned out daily with a group of about 6 horses, with even female company as well. Once his legs grow clear again, Sponti is fit&well to be a proper hack and will be ridden out too. Through the years we got to know Spontano well: he is a friend, the reliable mate one shares his pint in a Pub with, and he loves nothing more than company! He certainly will have enough of that now, and we will certainly report about his retirement in due course.

September 2006

Sponti had a summer to relax and enjoy (mind you, he is enjoying it still!), and made friends with the oldest member of the pack: Betsy Bay, age 26. Both horses clearly have a huge affection for each other, and can be seen together all the time. Sponti had to shrugg off some kind of infectious virus (could that be a love-bug??), however, and looks a bit weak at present. But we promise new photos as soon as he can give himself justice again!

With Sponti, 3rd of october 2006

Sponti re-homed March 2007

Also we always considered Sponti as being too young to just be out in the field; and we clearly lacked space and time to ride him out daily; we never actively looked for a new home for him - until his new "owner" found him without us. The phonecall of a young woman named Carola came out of the blue, and after many more phonecalls and emails and photos and more talk we agreed to let Sponti go to be what he longed to be all the time - a true friend and partner for someone! So Sponti has now his own human-being for exclusive use; the sad point it that he is far away really, so visiting him will be restricted. Sponti lives with four mates, has an open stable and a big field, and is ridden for pleasure daily. He had to adjust to his new life, and did not like the puddles at first, but we think he looks very professional with his new outfit,
and he is the apple of Carola´s eye:

Updates 2008

Reading through Spontis paragraph again I just noted the word "eye" in a prominent place in the section above; sadly it is Spontanos eye that is subject of the latest update on his behalf, and for all the wrong reasons.
Spontano settled in nicely with Carola, who visited us last summer and was amazed to learn how popular our Sponti still is. We took her racing in Hamburg and introduced her to almost everybody as "Spontano´s new owner", and people fell over backwards to tell her what a grand horse he was, and jockey Andreas Helfenbein happily recalled his win on him and posed for a photo. We all grew a couple of centimeters :) !!
So Sponti was merrily adjusting to his new life, until on the 15th of feb.08 Carola found him in his field, in obvious distress. It emerged that he had injured his right eye badly (even though we still really don´t know what happend), and vets had no other option than to remove it.
So our Golden Boy with his big bright eyes is now a bit worse for wear, but, as Carola pointed out, still "the most handsome horse, but only from the left side". The latest news is that Sponti, being the clever boy he is, is adjusting again really well, and is already ridden out again, relying a little bit more on his partner Carola. We breath a sigh of relief, and wish both the best for all the years ahead of them.