Life first. Truth always. Potential opens.
_edited.jpg)
TURBO
Registered name: Desert Justice
IALHA Registration #: 23737 (S/P)
Sire: Areli Xaureo
2021 Andalusian gelding
15.3 hh
Price: $34,000 CAD
GST applicable to Canadian buyers
Location: Smithers, BC
Andalusian gelding with presence, power, sensitivity, and a bright, willing mind.
Turbo has a strong foundation and is a versatile riding horse with dressage, Working Equitation, and trail experience.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT TURBO
Turbo has presence.
He is beautiful, expressive, and powerful, with big gaits that are easy to sit.
What I love most is how connected he is. He wants to be with me. His intelligence and desire to find the right answer make him a joy to train.
He is very playful with the other horses - there is life in him — a bright, willing horse with beauty, sensitivity, and heart.
HORSE HISTORY
Turbo came to me in January 2025 as a four-year-old with quality, sensitivity, and a lot of natural ability.
I understand he was raised with limited early handling, free range in a herd. By the time I bought him, he had been handled, but was still very careful about people he didn't know.
That early sensitivity is part of Turbo. I don't see it as a flaw. In my work, it has become one of his strengths: he is aware, connected and responsive.
After a few months of groundwork, I started him under saddle in the spring of 2025. In his first year of ridden work, I followed the classical young-horse principle of allowing the neck to stay as free as possible, while he found his balance and confidence.
I know him well - not from a short sale preparation period, but from spending time with him and helping him through the stages of becoming a riding horse.
last updated date: October 24, 2026
CURRENT WORK
Turbo is on the brink of something exciting.
True collection, the power of the horse,
built on a foundation that makes it real.
He has not been diminished in the training. Turbo is allowed and encouraged to show what's alive in him, and to find our own expression together, as horse and rider.
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT
Symmetry, strength, flexibility
- body and mind prepared for life.
-
all lateral work in w/t/c
-
counter canter
-
starting medium gaits
-
canter/halt transitions
-
started on flying changes
-
starting piaffe training in hand
REAL-WORLD WORK
Foundation for real life
-
hauling to events and new places, stands calm in the trailer alone
-
trail training - wildlife, traffic, mountains. Alone or with others
-
showed Second Level dressage (reserve high point in a schooling show)
WORKING EQUITATION
Precision, trust, obstacles
-
preparing L4/5
-
L 4 dressage test:
-
medium gaits
-
square halts
-
walk pirouettes
-
serpentine in canter
-
-
speed - schooling
RIDE FEEL
Turbo will line up at the mounting block, picking you up. He feels like he's waiting for you to mount, patiently, mindfully.
He is ready to listen, to work. The world may grab his attention here and there, but he comes back easily.
His energy is one of joy, of being happy to move - with you. I find him very physically easy to ride. There are no harsh movements, no physical force needed to communicate. He follows the seat. No need for specialized aids, his foundation makes the simple work accessible and real. His basics are not fragile. His advanced schooling is there, but it is built on top of simple, usable answers.
He can be quick to try to please, my feel to him is to steady him, to guide him into calm.
His trot is fluid, adjustable and easy to sit. His canter makes me smile. He is developing a lovely slow cadence and is classically Iberian in his posture and balance - raised head, hindquarters lowered - agile and powerful.
VIDEO
A window into life with Turbo:
an exuberant, joyful partnership.
...the fall air and mountains...moving as one...shared rhythm
the excitement and vibrant life that comes after the foundation is laid.
Excerpts from a schooling session with Turbo at the indoor arena in town. We are focusing on shifting the balance towards the hindquarters, increasing responsiveness and sharpness, and developing straightness and connection.
INTRO TO LIBERTY
Session #2, playing in the roundpen
WE L4 DRESSAGE
Schooling the test
I forgot he didn't have changes yet, so we did one when we missed the walk/canter lead...
WE DOUBLE SLALOM, SIDE PASS
Working on Ease of Handling
ON THE PAYROLL
Ponying a young horse from Turbo
INSIDE THE TRAINING - Spring 2026
A schooling session with voice-over explaining what I noticed, what I asked, and how I adjusted the work.
GOOD ON TRAILS?
Most people ask this as if it is a question of mileage — something that just shows up over time spent on trails.
For me, it's this: Is it the same horse everywhere?
I thoroughly prepare for the trails. Once the horse is solid in the arena, I take the work just outside the gate, until the feel is the same: same work, different place. Calm standing, walking at my speed on a loose rein, no strong ideas about which way to go. Once they are able to soften and keep the mind with me, I take the work down the trail. I go farther as they're ready, return, regroup, and go out again. The goal isn't distance — it's quality, connection. It's that a circle anywhere rides the same speed all the way around. It's a horse as willing to turn toward home as away.
It's the same as the arena, as anywhere. Same high standard: understanding, trust and true confidence.
These more sensitive and generous horses carry a real risk: pushing too quickly and overwhelming them can create a tension that lasts a lifetime.
I often don't ride out with other horses early on, not until I trust that if the others took off for some reason, my horse would be able to stay with me. That's the standard I hold everywhere: on a group trail ride, in a crowded warm-up arena… anywhere. I want my horse's attention on me, not on the other horses.
In this way, the whole world becomes my arena,
instead of the arena becoming my whole world.
DOES HE LOAD?
Is loading a trick, or is it an expression of the relationship?
For me, loading into a trailer is just leading. It is a direct reflection of our entire relationship.
If a horse trusts, understands how to yield to pressure, and knows that their effort will always be met with relief, walking into any trailer is simply another place to go.
I don't leave trailer confidence to chance. I make the trailer a familiar, quiet part of their daily life:
They learn to send into the trailer smoothly, turning trailering from an event into a routine non-issue.
A major cause of trailer stress isn't the hauling itself—it's being left alone while the other horse gets unloaded. When I haul to a venue or arena, I practice leaving one horse behind in the trailer.
Putting the time in upfront prevents panic, pawing, and lifelong trailer anxiety. It takes patience, but the result is a horse that doesn't just "load"—
they are genuinely calm, comfortable, and settled wherever the road takes us.
Turbo loads and hauls in any trailer, alone or with other horses, loose or tied.
BEST FIT
Turbo is best suited to a thoughtful, calm rider who values connection.
He is not yet a school master.
He is a bright, responsive young horse who is very aware of his rider. Like many Iberians, he gets his confidence from his person.
Turbo is not dull or automatic. He is sensitive and intelligent, and does best with feel, clarity, and quiet confidence from his rider. His basics are clear and usable; he does not need advanced riding to be enjoyed and to thrive.
With the right match, the partnership this horse offers could be amazing. He is special in his generosity.
WHEN TURBO COMES HOME
Support for the first weeks, if needed
I know Turbo.
I can help you start well together.
I believe most early questions are not failures.
Often, they are simple misunderstandings.
With a horse like Turbo, feel matters. Timing matters. Clarity matters. If the rider asks in a way he does not understand, he may worry or try too hard.
That is not a bad fit. That is a conversation that needs help.
Most buyers don't have questions. The transition is smooth.
But if something feels unclear, you can reach out.
I trained Turbo. I teach riders. I have the skills to help.
Depending on what is needed, support may include:
-
phone consultations
-
video review
-
online lessons
-
a video call so I can see what is happening
-
guidance around routines, expectations, and early work
-
in-person help, if practical
This is how I stand behind my work.
CURRENT CARE and VETERINARY NOTES
Turbo is barefoot, lives outside in a mixed herd. He has also lived alone in a pen with no issue.
He is in regular work: arena, trails, Working Equitation
He is bright, happy and full of life.
PPEs are welcome.
X-rays from December 2025 are available.
A stifle chip was found on x-ray and is being disclosed openly. My vet’s opinion is that it is not currently causing Turbo problems. Arthroscopic removal has been discussed as a possible preventative option if a buyer chooses to address it. Turbo’s price reflects this known finding.
Buyers are welcome to review the x-rays and veterinary information with their own vet.
INQUIRIES AND NEXT STEPS
Initial inquiries are handled through my sales agent, Kristen Olychuck.
If the horse seems suitable, the next step will be a conversation with me, followed by a scheduled test ride.
Test rides are arranged for serious, suitable buyers only.
Kristen can help with transport arrangements and export to the US
MEETING TURBO
Getting to Smithers
Smithers Airport has direct daily flights from Vancouver.
Car rentals operate right out of the terminal.
A great mountain town, an excellent place to spend a couple of days.
Test Ride
At the Smithers fairgrounds. The facility has an indoor arena, round pen, outdoor rings, and some trail access, so you can ride wherever it makes sense depending on the weather.
Because of how my horses are trained, they are always free to express what's alive in them each moment. I know them deeply, and the decision of whether this is the right match comes down to a shared understanding.
I've done this many times. If you're unsure -between the horse and I - we'll just know.
THE FOUNDATION
Life first. Truth always. Potential opens.
A horse learning to think, try, and offer something honestly.
You won't find a defined head carriage in the early work — it hasn't been earned yet, and I won't manufacture it before its time. I'd rather sacrifice the quick validation of "a look" - to enable the real foundation that makes a horse genuinely great later.
Leadership work to help him understand pressure, gymnastic work to help his ability to carry me.
Real roots to help Turbo live a full life with people.
I believe what draws us to horses is real: their freedom, grace, presence. The light in their eyes. The way they move when nothing is holding them back.
I'm not willing to train that out of a horse — this is my attempt to keep it, build on it if I can, so he stays what he already is:
an exuberant expression of Life.
This is what that looked like.
