JJ Tate Proves Gideon is a Jack-of-All-Tradesfeatured
JJ Tate and Gideon. Photo by Richard Malmgren.
A cheeky 15.2-hand ¾ Connemara gelding and his 5’11” trainer have no time for nay-sayers. Nine-year-old Kynymont Gunsmoke’s Gideon and Grand Prix rider JJ Tate earned a 71.105 percent in the Open Intermediaire II at the Tryon Spring CDI3* and National Show, proving that good things do, indeed, come in small packages.
“He was amazing,” Tate said. “He’s got the fancy, international trot.”
Tate said she always warms-up her horses with a “normal” trot.
“He really looks like a pony with a choppy little trot,” she said. “And then, all of a sudden you put him together, and he floats on a cloud. He’s got this power trot that’s just amazing. I worked with Bo Jena a little bit and he started to call him the ‘Mini-Toti,’ which is short for ‘Totilas,’ because the first time Bo ever saw Totilas, he moved like a pony.”
JJ Tate and Gideon. Photo by Richard Malmgren.
Tate provided a laundry list of Gideon’s positive attributes longer than he is tall.
“He’s got an amazing temperament,” she said. We call him ‘The Cheeky Pony’ or ‘The Super Pony.’ He’s got a bigger than life personality. He’s in charge and he tries 100 percent every day. He’s wonderful. He learns everything really eagerly. I can ride him on the polo field, I can ride him in the woods, he goes in the turnout. He’s so special and he’s going to be an ambassador for the breed.”
JJ Tate and Gideon. Photo by Richard Malmgren.
Gideon is owned by Pam Liddell of Kynymont Connemaras in Pennsylvania. She has sent several horses to Tate including a breeding stallion who is Gideon’s half-brother and a mare named Sophie who is also doing I-2 and heading toward the Grand Prix. Lidell is starting to breed some Connemara/warmblood crosses to produce more horses like Gideon, who is part Canadian Warmblood.
JJ Tate and Gideon. Photo by Richard Malmgren.
“I think the Connemara breed is one of the most under-utilized breeds in the country,” Tate added. “The athleticism, the gaits, the sensitivity and the agility all combine with the sanity. You just can’t get better than that. They have good, hearty legs, super feet and they are very elegant. All the ones we have ridden for Pam are really good in the connection and uncomplicated in the back. They have active hind legs and they jump. They’re a jack-of-all-trades. I think they’re the amateur dream horse. They are handy. They really seek a relationship with the rider. They’ve got a sensitive nerve too, and you can get so much out of them. They’re big movers in little bodies. I wish every kid and smaller lady I had who didn’t have a giant bank account could look into this breed.”
JJ Tate and Gideon. Photo by Richard Malmgren.
Gideon’s ambassadorship for the Connemara breed originating from Ireland includes winning at Regional championships and going to the USDF U.S. Dressage Finals. In 2016, he placed in the Top 20 in the country for the Developing Prix St. Georges. Tate hopes to qualify for the Developing Grand Prix Championships for 8-10-year-olds at Lamplight.
“Today he felt just wonderful,” she said. “He is so much fun. I’ll hopefully do the Open Grand Prix on him and then, I think Pam wants to ride him.”
