Recognizing a Diamond in the Rough

The story of Laendler C (Google Empire x Numero-Uno) is one that could have just as easily had a different outcome. Spotted in a field as an unhandled youngster, ‘Felix’s’ story is of a diamond-in-the rough being recognized by the keen eyes of an experienced horsewoman and her husband and developed to the Grand Prix ring. Against all odds, in a industry with a proven formula of importing big-name bloodlines and young horse development in a program with top professionals, a two-year-old found in a field and trained by talented amateurs has found success against the big guns.

Cheryl Schatz and her husband, Graham Vollick, operate a small breeding and boarding facility north of Schomberg, ON. The pair have been involved involved for many years in the breeding and development of registered Canadian Sport Horses out of their Cherham Farm ‒ many of their youngsters having graduated from success showing on the line to performance careers. The pair are no strangers to hard work, having always done the foundational training on their horses themselves at home; Graham even handled their horses when showing on the line.

In 2016, Schatz received a call from a local breeder looking to sell some Canadian-bred Dutch Warmbloods. In a field of yearlings, a handful of broodmares, a stallion, and even a bull and some cows, a dark grey two-year-old caught her eye.

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Cheryl, Ashlyn and Graham.

“He was not for sale, and to be honest he was quite a smallish horse with nothing that screamed ‘I am special’,” recalls Schatz “…until I saw him canter and jump over a small creek in the paddock. He had the most balanced canter I had ever seen, and I knew right then and there that he was something special.”

The young horse had never seen the inside of a stall or been handled in anyway, and was slightly feral, according to Schatz, but something about the horse spoke to her. They returned the next day, took a chance and bought him.

Involved in the development of Felix since the very beginning is Ashyln Trevelyan, an experienced amateur rider who had helped Schatz and Vollick with a young jumper in the past. She loved the atmosphere at their facility so much that shortly thereafter brought her own Grand Prix horse to board at their farm.

Trevelyan has been integral in the development of Felix, balancing his training with her work as a full-time real estate agent. “Ashlyn is a gifted rider with natural talent,” says Schatz. “She is a true amateur rider who has done all of the work with Felix on her own, with no coaches involved … just all of us!”

As Felix had received little-to-no handling as a young horse, Schatz remembers that it took a bit of time to get him accustomed to being in a program. “There was lots and lots of daily turnout and quiet, consistent, positive training,” she says. “He had never been inside a barn or even had his feet picked up, but when Ashlyn started riding him as a late three-year-old, he showed us his trainability and willingness to please.”

Felix and Ashlyn began showing in the five-, six- and seven-year-old Young Horse Development classes with great success and now, as an eight-year-old, Felix has exceeded the expectations of even his biggest fans. In June, the pair led the victory gallop in the $25,000 Stuart’s Equipment Cup Grand Prix at the Caledon Equestrian Park ‒ and they were the only pair to complete the course with no faults.

“I am still pinching myself after the win,” says Trevelyan. “It has been a long journey and winning the class was a full-circle moment for us; it made me really appreciate everything that led to that moment.”

With plans to compete in FEI classes in the future, Felix and his connections have shown that sometimes a keen eye for a horse and a good gut feeling can come out on top.