Posted; February 23, 2006

2006 Ocala Winter II Horse Trials at the Florida Horse Park

Pregnancy Does Little to Slow Pace of Eventer Darrah Alexander - Page 2 - By Shaneen Kohler

Alexander started riding again about two weeks after Trenton was born. “I only rode my horse and started slow…It all went really well. Some people say, ‘Aren’t you worried (about riding and jumping) now, being a mom?’ And I tell them everything is actually more rewarding now. It is better. It makes everything more fulfilling.”

Alexander got Law And Order, and 8-year-old English Thoroughbred, three years ago through Suzie Randal. His sire, Criminal Law, has produced a couple of four-star horses, which is where Alexander hopes to take Law And Order. “I am hoping this horse is going to be the next one. He is going to be the best horse I have had to date. He is fantastic,” said Alexander. “He is like Michael Jordan, a real athlete and real comfortable with himself, even though he didn’t used to be.” Alexander said Law And Order had a tough time figured out where all his parts were and how to make them work together.

Alexander is aiming for a two-star in the spring, perhaps Jersey Fresh, and anticipates a move up to the Advanced Level in the fall “if he is ready.”

As for the husband allergies to horses: “He limits his interaction with the horses to show days and stays in New York during the winter. Some people were amazed when then heard I was pregnant because they didn’t even know I was married,” laughed Alexander.

SIDEBAR
If Darrah Alexander could change one thing about how horse trials are run, she would make some adjustments in the dressage ring. “They shouldn’t be the deciding factor.” She said she had a student get run out of the dressage ring because his horse “was funky…He went down centerline, turned left and crossed the diagonal, then the judge ran him out of the ring,” said Alexander. “And when you are done, you’re done.”

She feels that if a judge has a concern about a horse, he/she should let you know at the end of your test, giving you the opportunity to speak with a vet and have your horse inspected. “Maybe there is something wrong, but the vet should be telling them that. I think that would be more fair, for everyone.”

In the example she cited, she said there was not anything wrong with the horse. “He was fine… It was silly.”