Wendy Judd, the Canadian member of Team Poulsen, had a roller coaster ride since becoming a member of the Bespoke Farm gang but she’s thankful she’s one of us. She knew of Ruth from her online presence and, when a social media post popped up in the summer of 2018 to say there was a stall available at Bespoke, Wendy jumped on it.
“Once I had spoken to Ruth, I wasn’t looking back,” she said. “I knew enough about her online and, to me, it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Although, I have to say, I was a little nervous as it got closer. I was excited all summer and then I started to get nervous, but I was confident that my horse was going to be in the best place.”
I’ve learned lots of stuff while riding over the years, and Ruth has taken all the pieces of the puzzle, put them together, and made the puzzle way bigger and better.
Wendy Judd
Wendy and her husband, Ken, were tired of the winters in Orilla, Ontario, and Wendy wanted a chance to regroup and reconnect with her Friesian, Durk Wv, while at Ruth’s. He arrived in Florida two days before Thanksgiving.
On February 28, the unthinkable happened to Durk, and Wendy lost him to colic from scar tissue that had ruptured in a compromised area of his colon. She was in Canada at the time.
“It was out of anybody’s control,” she said. “It didn’t present like a serious colic or anything. His heart rate and temperature were normal. Ruth and the girls really know the horses and they knew something was wrong and they took him to the vet. Even though the vet said they couldn’t really find anything, when Ruth told me about it, she said she knew there was something wrong. I think it’s because they are so personalized in their care of the horses and really get to know each horse as an individual. So when something’s not right, they know; they have that instinct because they know the animals so deeply.”
Wendy said she was overwhelmed with the love she received from Team Poulsen.
“The amount of support and the caring from everyone was like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “And you know something? I’d only been there for a couple months. It was unbelievable. Just unbelievable. The amount of support was incredible. I can’t express in words how grateful I am.”
The Bespoke-based Team Poulsen brought orchids in honor of Durk and Ruth tied them to the large tree in the arena. The orchid tree was blooming with a multi-colored variety of blossoms when everyone left in May that year and everybody is looking forward to see how it looks after the hot, humid summer.
Wendy took some time to heal before looking for another horse. With Ruth’s help, she found a handsome 4-year-old P.R.E. at Hampton Green Farms in Florida and Faraon Americano HGF became the newest member of Team Poulsen. He traveled to Vermont for the summer and Wendy was able to ride him while there for the East Hill Farm Dressage Camp: Part I, where she received the coveted crown, the award for being the camp’s Dressage Queen.
“You know, it’s a funny thing,” Wendy said. “I’ve learned lots of stuff while riding over the years, and Ruth has taken all the pieces of the puzzle, put them together, and made the puzzle way bigger and better. It’s amazing that she’s given me so much in such a short period of time in terms of education and knowledge. I’m moving forward in my understanding of things that I was told but never understood what they meant or the biomechanics. You know, she’s such an in-depth teacher. Durk and I reconnected and had the most amazing time before he left us.”
“I can’t believe how my riding has changed from one week to the next week. It’s unbelievable.”
Looking for a new training plan? Ruth occasionally has training slots become available. Contact Ruth directly at vibaek@aol.com to be added to her Vermont or Florida waitlist. In the meanwhile, sign up for the newsletter to get first alerts on openings!
