Text © World of Showjumping

We continue our popular series ‘That Special Bond’, this time around moving on to speak with the grooms. Johanna Burtsoff, who used to travel the world with Laura Kraut’s equine superstars, tells us about a certain spotted pony that holds a very special place in her heart.

“The special one is Cedric. He was always special; he is just such a good pony with a big heart! I travelled the world with him for ten years; it was a long time together. Now, Cedric is happily retired in England.

Cedric was always scared of everything, and therefore it was the coolest feeling when he learned to trust me and followed me everywhere. However, when you were sitting on him, it was a different story! He was not going to take you anywhere; he was so spooky. It is only now that I don’t have him anymore, that I really realize how complicated some things were with him.

Cedric was the sweetest thing ever. While he never intentionally did any harm to anyone, he just had such a strong flight instinct – if he saw something scary, he just needed to get away. And in those moments, it did not matter who was trying to stop him and that is why he got in trouble sometimes.

He never liked open spaces on a high, so the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010 with the warm-up on top of a hill with carriages passing by was a challenge – I think during that week we were there, he did not once go all the way to the end of that warm-up.

When Cedric got more routine at shows, he really knew when it mattered – before a big class he would get so focused. He was not interested in anything, not even treats: He knew he had to perform and be at his best. Afterwards, when he would come out of the ring, all the stress was gone and he would literally go through everyone’s pockets to look for treats. It felt like he was making sure everyone had seen how great he had jumped. Cedric truly knew the name of the game!

In the beginning, only Laura and her sister rode him – and later on I did too. 

Because Cedric is so small, traveling was super easy for him. In the truck, I usually left my horses loose – the American way – and he always turned around and wanted to stand with his head in the opposite direction of the other horses. In the plane, he was never scared – wherever you went, he was a super easy traveller. I can’t believe how many times he has flown over the Atlantic!

At the showgrounds, Cedric was everyone’s favourite, everyone loved him. He is a small, spotted pony – so it was easy to recognize him and there was always fans around to pet him. And he loved the attention – as long as it was after being in the ring, and not before.

I have to say that my best memory with him was when we decided to retire him and turned him out with another horse. They were so happy! It was as if he got the prize for all the hard work he had done. Seeing Cedric happy in the field after all we had been through, was an emotional moment. The team gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 was for sure another great moment. We got it right at the first try!”

“When I started working for Laura, the horse I had a lot to do with and did my first shows with was Le Prestige St Lois. He went on to be sold to Kevin Staut and had a very successful career with him. Whenever I saw Le Prestige at shows afterwards, I wished we still had him. He was the first horse that I had a longer relationship with that jumped the bigger classes. As a personality he was super shy and that actually made it rewarding to work with him – once you got to do more with him, he trusted you.”

“The hardest to get to know would have to be Zeremonie. We got her when she was six, and from the beginning she was really difficult. It took a long time for her to really grow into her body. I never really got a connection with her: She was there, and she was pleased to see me if I came with food, but I never really found out how to make her happy – apart from letting her run like crazy. It was weird, because even when she started jumping the bigger classes, it was just about tacking her up and bringing her to the ring. Zeremonie always tried her best, but I felt useless; I felt like I could not help her enough.”

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