Umberto Strives For HOY

The first full weekend of 2012 kicked off with a chilly but exciting schooling Dressage show at Cooper Ranch.   New competitors mixed with veterans as they tested from Introductory level all the way up to Grand Prix.  Walking around the immaculate grounds, I’m always mesmerized by the sleek, clipped horses and their dapper riders.  A beautiful silvery horse moved through the warm-up arena and caught my eye, stepping gracefully and bending at his rider’s invisible command.  His name is Umberto, aka “Bernie”, and he is one of the Horse Of The Year nominees with the Las Vegas Chapter of the California Dressage Society (LVCCDS).  I caught up with his owner, Kara Pack, who admits it has been a relationship of ups-and-downs.  But after years of “couples counseling”, they are finally a successful team and the sky is the limit.