It’s all in the name for MSU’s winning horse, MSU Magic J. Named after an athletic legend, he’s the newest member of the Spartans’ list of national champions.
Magic won the title of national dressage champion at the 34th annual International Arabian Horse Association National Championship Show in Louisville, Ky. last month.
But he wasn’t always such a cool competitor.
Marci Charest, an animal reproduction graduate student who showed Magic years before he was a national champion, said when they would get in the lineup at a show, he would always be very nervous and could never stay still.
“His lips would flap and smack and he would make noise and embarrass me,” she said.
The show was for purebred and half-bred Arabian horses. Dr. Hilary Clayton, who holds the endowed McPhail Dressage Chair in the College of Veterinary Medicine, rode Magic to his second level dressage national championship. In the semifinals they won awards for top 10 first level dressage and top 10 second level dressage, which is more difficult.
Dressage is a style where the horse is trained in obedience and precision of movement. Clayton, who practices with Magic about six times a week, said a good dressage horse moves athletically, is strong and supple and has a good rapport with the rider.
“It is like dancing on horseback,” she said.
Magic is a 9-year-old purebred Arabian gelding of Polish descent born at the MSU horse farm. He was initially trained by students at MSU and was used to give lessons to students in the Horse Management Program and on the equestrian team before he became a show horse.
Charest showed Magic in 1997 in the hunter-pleasure class.
“I learned a lot from him and managed to teach him a few things in the process,” she said. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with him.”
Charest said the switch to dressage was good for Magic.
“He always seems to work best when he is doing more difficult things,” she said.
Paula Hitzler, horse farm manager, said when they register and name the foals, they often use MSU themes.
“When I was at school in the early ’80s, Magic Johnson was at his prime here at MSU and we thought it would be really fun to name (the horse) MSU Magic J,” Hitzler said.
Hitzler said there were more than 2,300 horses at the show and they all had to get high qualifying scores in order to compete in the semifinal and final rounds. There were horses from all over the United States and some from Brazil and Australia.
“Getting a top 10 or better is extremely good,” she said.
Clayton said the horses compete individually and are judged entirely on their performance, not the rider’s. She said in competition the horses do a series of patterns at different gates and movements and each part of the pattern is judged and scored out of ten.
Clayton said Arabians are a very diverse breed that can do a lot of different types of competition.
“Magic just happens to be very talented at dressage,” she said. “Not all Arabians have that talent.”
Apparently the “magic” runs in the family. Hitzler said that Magic’s sire, GF Stowaway, was a multi-champion halter stallion.
“We decided last year that we would shoot for going to nationals as a goal for him,” Hitzler said.
Clayton said, it’s Magic’s third year in showing dressage.
“Magic’s in his prime,” she said. “Next year we hope to show him at a higher level.”
Hitzler said Magic has very unique movements for an Arabian.
“I think that’s why he is going to be very talented,” she said. “He’ll be a superstar someday.”
MELANIE MILONAS
