IMA PRINCESS OLENA

This page was created in the memory of our adored mare, Princess. We miss her a lot, her memory cannot be erased, this page is dedicated to her and tells her story.

Photo : Princess a few months old

Princess, dignified daughter of IMA DAZZELENA, international champion of reining, cutting and working cow horse, herself an excellent reining mare, passed away in September 2000, after a transrectal scan test.

She came to live with us, she was still a tiny little filly and yet, at her young age, she had a remarkable mental and look. She was having fun, doing stops and rollbacks. She was playing with our dogs. We were the happy owners of an exceptionnal filly, and we were so proud...

She was very gentle, lively, very affectionate, and easy going. We lived intense moments, it was amazing to see her. Then, she grew up and it was time for her working, we drove her to our trainers. The separation was hard, despite the little distance that separated us from her, we missed her presence at home. Even our other horses, that we all love so much, could not fill the empty space. Princess had something else, you cannot explain this with simple words. The breaking in itself did not last 30 minutes. She was very docile. After the apprenticeship, realizing she was progressing very fast, we decided to train her for reining competitions, for 2 years. In order to teach her the life of a champion, we went with her, where little halter shows were happening, knowing really well she had no chance to win a big price, because her morphology did not match this kind of competition. Nevertheless, she won two halter prices, then a few third places in her short career. Her behavior during the shows was exemplary, once in the coral, in front of the judges, she stayed still. Transports did not stress her out, she was very calm and serene. When the day of her first reining competition arrived, we were probably more stressed out than she was. We will remember all our life long her first entry into the class: a slight hesitation in front of the judge and it was over. She won her first cup and later her first reining Appaloosa championship.We were so proud of her. Never she can participe on the European Championship...

One day, her trainer told us she was showing uneasiness signs under the saddle. These signs corresponded with her days of heat. One day, an osteopath, who was visiting, touched her sides and said she probably had a cyst at the ovary. This is the stupidest thing ever heard,but at the time we trusted these "so called doctors" who pretend they know everything...

He suggested we checked the state of her ovaries, with a transrectal scan, with a veterinary. A scan ? Is it common ? We were not conscious it could be risky. Therefore, we agreed on doing it.

We love her so much, she is allways on our mind. Never we forgot her !