Remembering Brusally Panatela, 1985–2013

Brusally Panatela, who competed successfully to fourth level at Arizona Dressage Association and Arabian shows in the 1990s and early 2000s, died on September 6 at the age of 28, at Coronado Ranch Sporthorses in Tucson, Arizona. Over the years, she touched the lives of many Arizona dressage enthusiasts, from her breeder, Shelley Groom Trevor, to one of her last riders, Major-General Jonathan R. Burton, Olympic rider and noted judge (see here and here).

The young Brusally Panatela, at Brusally Ranch 

in Show Low, Arizona.

Half Arabian and half Trakehner, Panatela was a warmblood cross long before they became fashionable. In the mid-1970s, Panatela’s breeder, Shelley Groom Trevor, began taking lessons from dressage master Charles de Kunffy on Panatela’s Arabian sire, Brusally Orzetyn, a son of the famous racehorse Orzel. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Shelley and Orzetyn competed successfully up to Prix St. Georges level at a time when there were very few FEI horses of any breed in the state of Arizona. (Orzetyn was also named 1980 U.S. National Champion Third Level Dressage by the Arabian Horse Association.) Panatela’s dam, Korona, was one of the first Trakehners in Arizona. She was imported from France in the early 1980s by Misdee Wrigley, stepdaughter of Arabian breeder Tom Chauncey (owner of *Naborr), and later acquired by Shelley Trevor.

Above: Panatela's sire, Brusally Orzetyn (*Orzel x *Gontyna).

Below: Panatela's dam, Korona (Sobol x Kielcza).

Shelley started Panatela under saddle, then showed her at Training and First Level. It was during this time that I first rode fi0r-year-old Panatela in lessons with Shelley. Even at such a young age, this mare was a old soul. 

In 1992, Shelley decided to sell Panatela, and offered her to me. However, as a recently married young woman, I wasn’t in a position to buy her. Later that year, Panatela was purchased by an amateur rider, Carla Ferrara. While in Carla’s ownership, Panatela was trained by Julie Sodowsky, Beverly Rogers, Jeannette Schaeffer (now Redmond), and Ceinwen Muma. For many years, Carla greatly enjoyed riding and showing Panatela, and I made a point of keeping tabs on their appearances at various shows, and even visited a training session Panatela had with Bev Rogers in the mid-1990s.

Beverly Rogers riding Panatela.

In April 2001, I purchased Panatela from Carla and hauled her from Kendall Brookhart’s barn to my (then) home in Cave Creek. After so many years apart, it felt like a homecoming. A few weeks later, Panatela and I attended her sire Orzetyn’s twenty-fifth birthday party (featured in the Nov./Dec. 1996 issue of Arabian Visions magazine), where he and his various champion offspring got to sample the excellent carrot cake. 

Over the next three years, while in training with Valerie Crail, Panatela was an excellent FEI schoolmaster for me, and we enjoyed showing at nearby WestWorld as well as in Flagstaff, Arizona. In the Arabian division, Panatela and I won some classes at Third and Fourth Level and were also named Region 7 Reserve Champion Third Level Amateur Owner To Ride. This qualified us for the Arabian Nationals, but we didn't attend, as I hated to put Panatela (who was then 19) through the stress of traveling from Arizona to Idaho for the Arabian Sporthorse National Show.

Reunited after so long!

A few moments from those years stand out, such as the time that Valerie and I were on a post-lesson trail ride in a grassy park and the sprinklers suddenly came on. Panatela, who was clearly nervous and also hated water, responded well to my aids, stayed in the bridle, and gave me an amazing, impulsive passage as we dodged sprinkler heads on our way out of the park. Another memorable moment was watching Valerie ride Panatela in a lovely Third Level test judged by Bev Rogers (one of Panatela’s former trainers), who rewarded them with a very good score that won the class.

After she was retired from the show ring in 2004, Panatela lived out her days at my new home in Tucson, where she joined two other daughters of Brusally Orzetyn: LA Orzels Rose and GA Desert Storm. For a few more years, Panatela was ridden weekly by a friend, dressage rider Linda Mayro, who enjoyed doing lateral work, flying changes, piaffe, and other “fun stuff” on her. But it was not until 2009, when she was twenty-four, that Panatela carried her most famous rider, Major-General Jonathan Burton (see here and here), veteran of the 1956 Olympics in eventing. At the time of their ride, this horse and rider pair had a combined age of 114!

After that, Panatela gave occasional rides to visitors and spent the rest of her time in the company of her niece, Contessa Orzel, known as Tess, another chestnut warmblood cross, and the only other horse with whom she’d deign to be turned out. Shelley Trevor painted a portrait of aunt and niece, called Love, that appeared last year in Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine. Like Panatela, Tess is a quiet but opinionated red-headed mare. She, too, was easy to start under saddle, and there are times when I ride her that she feels and acts just like her aunt. This has been a source of comfort and, sometimes, amusement, in the wake of Panatela’s death.

Twenty-four years ago, when I first met Panatela, I had no idea she’d take me on such a journey, teach me so much, and introduce me to so many inspiring people. Thank you, Panatela, and godspeed. 

Love, painted by Shelley Groom Trevor (Chaille).