This season, we’re following along with Peru’s Diego Farje and his new ride, EQ Scorpio, a part of the newly-formed Equestly Horses program. This series is brought to you in partnership with Equestly, purveyors of the best riding apparel and outerwear out there — trust us, we’ve tested it! To catch up on more Equestly Stories, click here.
Diego Farje and EQ Scorpio. Photo by Carlos Hernandéz, COO of Equestly.
We’re back with another update on Head Rider for Boyd Martin, Diego Farje, and his new horse, EQ Scorpio, a 3-year-old Argentinian Sporthorse owned by Carlos Hernandéz and Sam Potter of Equestly. When we caught up with Carlos, Sam, and Diego last month, Scorpio had just arrived from Argentina and was starting to settle into life at Windurra USA. Since then, Diego has been working hard to gain Scorpio’s trust and build a relationship with this outwardly fiery, but inwardly sweet, powerhouse of a horse.
What’s it like to take a baby horse with 5* potential to his first-ever horse show? Well, Carlos, Sam, and Diego found out recently when Diego and Scorpio tackled their first Beginner Novice event. Sometimes, horses that show the most promise for the top levels are also horses that aren’t exactly as easy-going as your average amateur horse, both mentally and physically. This doesn’t always play to your favor when you’re taking said smart, sensitive horse to his first horse show. Overall, Scorpio and Diego had a wonderful first outing that accomplished their goals: to give this baby horse confidence and to keep all four feet in the dressage ring.
The last time Scorpio was on a trailer, he traveled for two days straight to get to Pennsylvania from Argentina. It’s understandable that our intrepid baby horse would be a little hesitant to get back in the ominous metal box. “I don’t think he has ever been in a trailer where he walks on straight and then has to back down the ramp, so I thought it was going to be harder than it was. I mean, the last time he traveled he was on a trailer for two days. He was snorting and still a bit afraid. Like, ‘I don’t want to do that again,’” Diego said. “I just stayed patient and waited for him to trust me that everything was going to be okay. It only took like five minutes; it was way easier than I thought. But then I got to the show and was like, ‘Uhhh, I don’t think he knows how to back down the ramp…’”
Diego Farje on board EQ Scorpio with Equestly CEO Sam Potter at their first competition, Plantation Field Horse Trials. Photo by Carlos Hernandéz, COO of Equestly.
With a little bit of extra patience and loving encouragement, Scorpio slowly backed his way off the trailer and they were in business. Carlos, Sam, and Diego really wanted to give Scorpio the full horse show experience without the pressure of pushing for results. So, naturally, Scorpio joined them for a tour of the show grounds and even grabbed lunch with the Equestly crew. “We brought Scorpio with us to see the food truck and everything and all the horses around it. He wasn’t overwhelmed. He was really, really calm,” Diego recounts.
Despite his initial cool demeanor while taking in the show grounds, Diego was still expecting Scorpio to show his true fiery colors under saddle. “I got into the dressage warm-up one hour before it was my time because I thought I would need to really calm him down before we got into the dressage ring, but he was fine. He was just like any other horse.”
Their only goal for dressage was to keep all four feet inside the ring. Not only did the pair achieve that, but they also nailed their Beginner Novice test to earn a score in the low 30s. Not bad for Scorpio’s first time treading the boards!
The real excitement started when Diego took Scorpio into the show jumping warm-up. “We almost ended up in the bushes,” Diego said, laughing. “He just spooked and bolted and there were bushes in front of us and I thought we were going to end up in them, but he just stopped right in front of them, like nothing happened, and just did a perfect halt. It was so funny, everyone around us was laughing.”
Once in the show jumping arena, Scorpio made it all the way around the course with just a few rails down and some awkward baby moments. The pair withdrew before cross country as they’d planned. Since Scorpio is only three with less than a month of training under his belt, Diego is taking things slow and steady. “Performance is gonna come with time and patience, but it’s good for him to get this kind of experience in a big environment so he feels more comfortable,” said Diego. “Getting his confidence up is our only goal at horse shows for right now.”
Diego’s philosophy of taking things slow, putting as little pressure on Scorpio as possible, and building his confidence is paying off. When Scorpio first came to Windurra USA he was essentially unhandleable. As an uber-sensitive baby horse, he had been completely overwhelmed by the stress of travel and the new environment. “When he first arrived, he was really scared because of the long trip to the United States and he is just so sensitive,” Diego said. “For some horses, the travel would have been fine, but for a horse like him, he got scared of dealing with people and became really reactive.”
Diego Farje and EQ Scorpio at their first competition, Plantation Field Horse Trials. Photo by Carlos Hernandéz, COO of Equestly.
The big bay gelding became completely withdrawn. He wouldn’t put his head out of the stall, wouldn’t let anyone catch him in the field, and trusted no one. “He didn’t even want treats. Believe me, I bought carrots. I bought different expensive treats. And nothing,” Diego said. “One day I tried to give him a treat and he actually took it from me. So the first thing I did was go to the store and buy a huge bag of the same treat that he liked and started working with that.”
Diego took an almost meditative approach to winning Scorpio’s trust. In an effort to get the horse to trust him, he would spend all of his spare time sitting in Scorpio’s stall next to his hay. He patiently waited for Scorpio to come to him on his own terms. “At first he was like, ‘What are you doing?’ Then he started approaching me and getting confident that I wasn’t going to do anything bad. When he did approach me I started cuddling him and he slowly became more relaxed.”
The hours spent patiently sitting in Scorpio’s stall, on top of an already busy schedule working Boyd’s horses and client horses, were well worth the time spent. Diego credits that slow, no-pressure approach to why Scorpio did so well at his first show. “I tried to develop a system where Scorpio could feel comfortable doing what we want him to do,” Diego said.
Scorpio’s sensitive and reactive nature means that slight pressure from Diego is more than enough. But it also means that setting boundaries and clear communication both on the ground and under saddle are more important than ever. “He’s like a baby. Just like a kid, he needs to learn what’s good and what’s not good, so I have to be very clear,” Diego said. “Scorpio is really sensitive. When I do have to correct him, I need to be really smart and accurate in the timing.”
If Scorpio shows that he’s becoming overwhelmed or uncomfortable, Diego instantly pumps the brakes. “For example, if he is afraid of one spot in the ring, I immediately walk. Stop everything,” Diego said. “I go to the same spot again, just walking and letting him look at it. I tell him, ‘Okay, it’s fine.’ And when he gets it, I walk it a couple more times. I could pressure him through it, but instead, when he gives me a good feeling, I listen to him. Then I just go back to doing whatever we were doing when we stopped, like nothing happened.”
Diego Farje and EQ Scorpio at their first competition. Photo by Carlos Hernandéz, COO of Equestly.
Taking breaks to give Scorpio the time he needs to process what he’s learning is a big part of Diego’s program. “Sometimes if you drill something 100 times to force them to understand it, that just makes the situation worse,” Diego said. “If you’re working on something new, work on it a little bit and then move on to something easier. Then, at the end of the ride, do it one more time, very gently, just to double check that he learned it, and then be done.”
“As a trainer, you always have a plan and you kind of want to stick with that plan. But sometimes things happen during the working session and you probably won’t reach your goal but you might get really close,” Diego explained. “Sometimes it’s better to stop one step before your goal then drill the exercise trying to reach a goal when it is not going to happen in that session.”
Like a little kid learning a new sport, Diego just wants Scorpio to learn to love the work he does, which means making it feel more like play, than hard work. “I think the most important thing for a horse training-wise is to enjoy the job. They need to feel like they’re playing, like everything is enjoyable, that it’s a good experience, that they can have fun.”
Diego believes that the most successful horses are those who love working with their rider and who truly enjoy their job. He hopes to cultivate both that feeling of partnership and that attitude in Scorpio. For now, it’s clear that the bromance is blossoming for this pair. In Diego’s own words, “I’m just obsessed with him.” While Scorpio is slowly coming to trust Diego, he hasn’t told Diego he loves him– yet.
All kidding aside, it’s clear that there is so much love between this horse and his rider and I can’t wait to see what they’re up to next month.
