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Les Oswald and Just Call Me Chili competing in junior heading at the 2006 World Show. |
It’s human nature to constantly seek that diamond in the rough; that rare jewel derived from humble origins. According to AQHA Professional Horseman, Les Oswald of Chualar, California, it’s a rare discovery.
“There are some horses that just don’t have what it takes,” Les said. “You don’t take a big rock and make it into a diamond.”
Ability is not easy to deduce. Talent cannot be assessed solely upon visual appearance. The horse can be a beautiful mover or be perfectly put together but still not make it in the show ring. Les thinks the single most important trait in a successful show horse is determination.
“It’s a horse’s try, their will, their heart,” Les said. “You can sometimes take a horse that’s not very talented but has a lot of try, and you can go on to win with the horse. Or you can take a horse with a ton of talent but doesn’t have the willingness to go on and be a winner. That’s where we came up with that saying: You can’t make a diamond out of a rock.”
It is natural to assume a horse’s pedigree is an indicator of ability. However, that just is not the case. They might be predisposed to a certain discipline but you never know.
“Even if they’re bred for it that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen,” Les said.
For some horses, all it takes is a bit of time for their talent to develop and shine through.They just need the opportunity.
“Some horses that I don’t think they are going to have it, we keep giving them a chance and they do kind of turn into what we are looking for,” Les said.
Sometimes, the horse has the will but doesn’t understand what is expected. The mind has to catch up with the body. After going through the motions repeatedly, it finally understands this is what it should have been doing all along.
“The light bulb just kind of switches on,” Les said. “It’s like one day he kind of figures it out and you just go on from there.”
Success in the horse show world usually requires a lot of money and time. Les does not want to disappoint his customers or cause them undue expense if the ability is not there. It is in no way derogatory to the horse.
“If I don’t think that the horse has got it, there’s no sense spending all that money and all that time,” Les said. “Instead of saying the horse isn’t any good; it’s just not a diamond. People understand that. A customer that’s not really into the horse industry can understand that slang. Then they are like ‘OK, now we’ve figured out where you are coming up with that.’
