Australian eventer Ryan Wood prefers to make his own horses, and this year his hard work has come to fruition.

He completed his first Rolex Kentucky CCI**** riding McLovin and Fernhill Classic, picked up his first CCI*** win on Powell at Jersey Fresh (N.J.), then followed it up with the Jaguar Land Rover Bromont CCI*** (Quebec) title on Woodstock Bennett.

His most recent big win came on Powell again when he won the Nutrena/U.S. Eventing Association American Eventing Championships (N.C.) advanced division. 

Powell, a 10-year-old U.S.-bred Oldenburg gelding (Pablito—Dinara, Donnerwerth) has since become the star of the barn, and he’s headed to the Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International CCI*** (Md.) this week. (Make sure to follow along with all the Fair Hill news at www.coth.com.)

Owned by his breeder, Ilona English, and Wood, Powell has been in Wood’s program since the beginning. I got to meet the gentle giant and his groom of nearly two years, Hannah Sommer, while on a trip to the Plantation Field CIC*** (Pa.), where he and Wood placed 14th.

Here’s what you need to know about Powell:

• He lays low. “His personality doesn’t come out at first,” said Sommer. “He just kind of does his own thing, but he’s actually super sweet and super curious about everything. If I go in the paddock, and I have a hooded sweatshirt on, he’ll come over and be like, ‘what’s in the pockets?’ It’s really cool to get the opportunity to work with him.”

• He lives out 24/7. Powell lives about a mile from Wood’s base at Phillip Dutton’s True Prospect Farm because he likes to live out.

  “He lived in for a while but we just think he’s so much happier on the grass all the time,” said Sommer. “He really does enjoy it. He’s one of the few horses who’s calm enough that he can handle being out all the time. It doesn’t get him panicked or anything.”

  Powell gets fed in a small paddock with a shed near the barn, then goes to a larger private field for the rest of the day and night.

Powell’s home.

• His neighbor is an elderly retired horse named Chauncy.

  “He’ll stand in the corner of his shed, and Chauncy will be in the shed opposite. They’ll be like, listening to each other breathe! It’s kind of strange but they seem to be pretty good buddies, even through the wall,” said Sommer.

Powell (right) and Chauncy. 

•  Powell’s not a social butterfly. “He’s not always the biggest fan of other horses in his personal space. I think it’s partially because he’s so large. He definitely likes to have his friends nearby and visible,” she added.
• “His normal day, I’ll come and feed him and swap his paddocks and check him over. Normally around 10 he’ll get ridden. We tack him up over here and have a hack over to the ring to ride him.”

Powell and Hannah Sommer.

• He’s a gentle giant. At 17.3 hands, Powell is tall, leggy and angular. His head almost touches the barn ceiling when he’s in the cross-ties.

  “He wears a size 4 shoe. Bell boots are always a struggle to find! I think we have maybe one pair that actually fits him appropriately,” said Sommer. “But other than that, with boots, his cannons are actually pretty short compared to his size because he fits in normal horse-size boots. Halters and bridles, he’s much bigger than the other horses. Same with blankets. I think an 84” is a bit snug on him right now!”

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  “He always goes on the roomier side of the trailer,” she added. “You do sometimes have to make sure he doesn’t lift his head too high when he gets on. He’s good about it though. He knows his size. I think he was a little bit less aware of his size when I first started working here, and now he’s definitely grown into himself a little bit.”

• He’s a barn favorite. Sommer sees a special relationship between Powell and Wood from the ground.

  “Powell being one of Ryan’s favorites, he’ll make sure to give him extra carrots and double-check that he’s eaten enough throughout the day. It shows Ryan’s love of this horse a lot to see them together,” she said.

  “I think they have a really good relationship. I think it’s pretty stunning to watch them both go. He has such a presence in the ring,” said Sommer.

• He’s got a few interesting ideas about edibles. “He’s kind of a picky eater about most treats,” said Sommer.”He is the only horse we have in the barn that loves banana. Sometimes we’ll mash it up with his food.”