Pontifex Van de Debbehoeve, a four-year-old gelding by Cum Laude, made his showring debut in Texas earlier this year, earning scores as high as 72%. Pontifex, out of the Rosario mare Blondison, was bred by G. Koks and is owned and ridden by Amatey Wensel of Bartonville, TX.
In our interview below, Wensel gave ISF the inside scoop on what it’s like bringing up the big, talented young horse
When and how did you find Pontifex and what was your first impression?
AW: I bought him in May 2023. I saw him in a video on Facebook. It was only about a 30-second clip of his trot. I had looked at so many videos of so many young horses, but he was the one that gave me butterflies! Once I saw that his walk and canter were fabulous too, I bought him sight unseen from Peter de Boer in The Netherlands.
I've always thought people must be crazy to buy a horse without sitting on him, much less not seeing him in person, but now I've joined the club! I was able to go see him last July for a few days and I felt very fortunate that he actually looked even better in person and felt amazing under saddle. Peter kept him through the summer as I didn't want to import him in the middle of our Texas summer heat. He arrived in Texas on September 1, 2023.
What is Pontifex like at home? Does he have a barn name?
AW: I tried to find a cool barn name, but couldn't find any "P" names I really liked, so he's just called Ponti! He has such a cute and fun personality! He is really bold and confident and likes to go investigate things.
If there is an item lying around that most horses would spook at, Ponti likes to go see if it's edible. He is just so much fun to ride and gives the best feeling under saddle. He loves having a good roll in the dirt. If I hand-walk him in an arena, at some point, he's going to drop down and sneak in a good roll!
What is his typical schedule?
AW: He goes out to his paddock from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and then I ride him. I usually ride about four times per week. I do short sessions and try to do a variety of things with him to make it fun. We have a trail around the barn property that Ponti really likes and we also do some cavaletti poles sometimes.
I also took him to a clinic recently that focused on riding confidently outside of the arena, hosted by Jack Leiser Horsemanship. By day three, Ponti was moving cattle around a huge pasture as the wind whipped around us.
Ponti has just begun his show career. What does he think about showing?
So far he has gone to two shows here in Region 9. I had no idea what to expect from him at the first show. It was a large showground with a lot to look at for a young horse. He was tense at first, but settled into the work and completed some Training Level classes with good scores. At the second show, Ponti acted like he already knew what showing was all about and behaved perfectly, scoring up to 72%.
Do you have specific goals you're aiming for?
AW: He's very tall at 17.3 hands so I'm expecting him to take a while to mature and develop. For now, I'd like to just keep focusing on the basics of rhythm, relaxation, suppleness and a good response to my leg. I've learned from my older horse that when those things are in place, the movements themselves become easy. I'm lucky that he is pretty relaxed in new places and trailers like a pro, so that makes my life with him much easier.
I've read that Cum Laude has a lovely temperament and he has passed that onto Ponti, along with his beautiful movement! The ultimate goal will be to make him into a Grand Prix horse.
Pontifex lives at Rockgate Equestrian where Wensel is an assistant trainer under Courtney Mohler.
