IVOOR | 26 YEAR DUTCH WARMBLOOD GELDING | CORPUS CHRISTI,TX

Ritz, Ivoor, is a Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by A.A. Snijders in the Netherlands. His sire is Expo, his dam is Veronie. Ritz lives at home with him Mom Renee, personal farrier extraordinaire, partner in crime Spot, and goat Bruce. 

Ritz is a Prix St Georges “school master” horse who was given to Renee when he was retired. She says, “He is not a super affectionate thing, however, very kind and fun to ride. I’ve learned a lot from him so far. I will be a much better rider for having the chance to have him teach me.”  Even at the prime age of 26  Ritz still enjoys regular rides, he gets a regular 20 minute workout and is completely sound and barley breaks a sweat! Renee says that he acts so much healthier when he gets his regular exercise.

Here is a little about how the two of them met, “Ivoor has been with me 3 years. His last owner, Patricia Pulliam, gave him to me before she moved to the mountains of Colarado. She felt the weather there would be too harsh for him. After getting to know him, she was absolutely right. Mrs. Pulliam gave Ivoor to myself and my boyfriend who had been his farrier for a few years.”

This cultured old man loves eating bananas! That is a first for me.

Back in his day Ritz was an accomplished Dressage horse. Renee says, “his greatest moment was when he took care of a friend of mine during her breast cancer treatment. She was really missing riding her own horses. Together with Ivoor, we got her back in the saddle. He walked and trotted the arena as if he knew he need to take extra care. They both seemed to glow after that ride. I’m not a sappy person either… it was amazing to watch!”

Renee had horses her whole life. So when people always ask… were you raised in a barn? The answer is yes! She tried a bunch a different disciplines over the year plus some amazing trail riding in Washington state. Lately, she has been focusing on Dressage. “Horses are a way of life that keep me grounded.”

“Less is more almost always with horses. We as people tend to forget that.”-Renee

I always ask what each owner’s favorite moment with their horse is, and I can say I totally relate to this one, “Every morning when I feed… those are my favorite moments!”

Ivoor’s best friend is a goat named Bruce. They are stuck to each other like glue even though they fight like cats and dogs. Bruce came to live with Renee after being turned in to animal control because his past owner painted him pink and tied him in their front yard! He was raised in these people laundry room… Bruce had a bit of an identity crisis when he came to live with them. “He once ran into my living room and I couldn’t catch him!! We ran circles around my couch for 5 minutes before I could get him out the door. He now knows he’s a goat and loves to be scratched!”

Karinda K Equine Photography is a Texas equine photographer located in Montgomery, TX. Karinda creates timeless portraits of you with your beloved horses, and other farm animals. Serving locally Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas communities. KEP also serves Wellington and Ocala, Florida, Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, Aiken, South Carolina, Tryon, North Carolina, and Norco and Woodside, California and their surrounding communities.