EC Blog: VS Rhythm N Booze ~ Meet Team Tink

Paige Barnett was doom scrolling through Facebook one night, admiring different horses for sale. “I knew that immersing myself in the pursuit of a new equine partner would be therapeutic and help me move through the grief of losing my parents this year,” she says, since she has always turned to her horses for solace.  It was that evening when she discovered Roland D’Alterio of Platinum Pleasure Horses.

But wait – Paige explains she is a person who mainly hails from the world of dressage.

“Sometimes the universe has other plans for you and nudges you in some direction that you’re completely oblivious, until…you’re there,” reveals Paige. “So, here I am, owning a western pleasure futurity prospect. The universe, I tell ya’.”

Read the rest of her witty and delightful blog below:

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VS Rhythm N Booze~ Meet Team Tink

I don’t know that I was really looking to buy a western pleasure horse. I come from the world of dressage, but I’ve also shown some ranch classes and have really enjoyed it. So, I was kind of trying to decide. Do I go back to dressage or do I keep going with the ranch?  As I found myself in analysis paralysis and vacillating between which do I pursue dressage or western, life happened.

Some pretty significant life events happened to our family. We lost our stepfather in February 2023 on Super Bowl Sunday. Dad said the Chiefs would win. But he was a huge Eagles fan. Go Iggles!

Then, to our dismay and disbelief, we lost our mother in July. Mom passed away after what would’ve been dad’s 81st birthday. Suffice it to say, it’s been an emotional year. And with that, as I’ve always done, I turned to my horses for solace. My 14 year old QH, Boomer, suffered a career-ending injury. Cash, my intro horse to the world of all things western, is now 20. So in my mind, the time had come to make a decision. Alas, I was still clueless. But I knew that immersing myself in the pursuit of a new equine partner would be therapeutic and help me move through the grief of losing my parents this year.

Sometimes the universe has other plans for you and nudges you in some direction that you’re completely oblivious, until…you’re there.  So, here I am, owning a western pleasure futurity prospect. You may ask yourself, “well, how did I get here?” (an homage to the Talking Heads – yes, I’m aging myself.)

I was doom scrolling through Facebook one night admiring different horses for sale and I came across a post by Roland D’Alterio of Platinum Pleasure Horses. He had a lovely gelding for sale. What caught my eye was how quietly Roland rode this horse on a counter lope through a set of poles. I immediately thought two things.  One, that’s a really rideable horse and two, that’s a really nice rider. I thought, “I need to go see this horse.” Mind you, this was all spontaneously happening. I really did not have a solid plan in mind and maybe that was for the better.

We set a time for me to come see the horse. Sadly, however, the horse would not be for me. But again, spontaneously, I said to Roland “You and I are going to have a horse together.” I have no idea what in the world possessed me to say that!  And then, my inside voice said, “Oh sh*t, I just committed myself to buying a horse. WTF, Barnett?” Again, the universe moves me in mysterious ways.

For days after we met, Roland kept sending me videos of two-year olds. Ultimately, we found Tink. Ironically, like me, Tink is a jersey chick. And yes, we have Jersey chick “tudes” to match. You got a problem wit’ dat?

Tink was bred by Deborah Spork of Highland Quarter Horses in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Tink was lightly started by Deborah’s son, Tom Spork and his wife Rande Pittman-Spork. Deborah and I briefly met when I first moved to Stockton, New Jersey. It’s not lost on me that Roland and I looked all over the country for two-year-olds but ended up with one from New Jersey. And, Tink was just a town away from me. Who knew that eight years later I’d be buying a two-year-old prospect from Deborah? That universe, I tell ya.

Tink arrived at Roland’s on March 2, 2024, and Roland has been lightly bringing her along ever since. With each day, Tink gets stronger and just keeps getting better. Roland and Tink are two peas in a pod. They really clicked. I think she’s a fairly confident filly.

We took her to the NJQHA Spring Breakout just to hang out. One would’ve thought she’d been there before. She’s great minded. Her only glitch, however, is to leave her be in her stall. But hey, we all need our space. After all, she is a Jersey chick.

Roland has said he’d rather ride a raunchy mare any day over a stubborn gelding, but there’s absolutely nothing raunchy about Tink under saddle. She’s a pro. Every day she comes quietly out of her stall to work. Roland loves her cadence, and her natural lift and push. Roland can drop the reins and Tink just keeps her rhythm. Roland has also observed that she isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. We are really enjoying seeing her progress. She’s been a joy.

Roland – though he may be young – he is, in my humble opinion, a gifted trainer. Mind you, I don’t say this lightly. I say this because I’ve been around the industry and have worked in many types of barns. I’ve directed summer camps, to riding and grooming for a 3-Day Olympic participant and I’ve dabbled in barn management consulting work for an FEI dressage trainer. I’ve done a little of everything, but mostly dressage. So I say this about Roland because I’ve bore witness to many trainers and methods.

The first thing I noticed about Roland was the softness of his countenance: quiet but confident. Like I always say, still waters run deep. And this quiet confidence is appreciated by the horses. They love him. It’s readily apparent. And that’s because he genuinely loves them too and is protective of their well being. They know this about him. And, so they give him everything they can.

But also, Roland is willing to learn from his horses. We were discussing a horse he has in training, and he said the horse made him re-think how to approach training that horse. Roland can read the room, so to speak.

Another impressive aspect is Roland will make decisions that are in the horse’s best interest. In May, Roland was at the Virginia Spring Breakout getting ready to show his 3 year old, No Doubt She’s Best in the Maiden 3y/o Futurity.  However, Roland opted to not show her. He felt it best to wait a bit longer due to a minor setback she had in March. A decision like this takes some trainers years of experience to know this is the right choice. For Roland, it comes naturally. Therein lies his gift. To me, this is the mark of a good horse person: always, always put the horse first.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that showing with Roland’s Platinum Pleasure Horse barn fam has been truly a great experience. Roland is laser focused on his clients. He works exceedingly hard to be sure everyone gets what they need. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sit down for a moment’s rest at a show. As a group, we all really like one another. Everyone pitches in and helps. And we all like to laugh and joke.

As time goes on and as I’ve come to know Roland, his horses, and his training style, it’s crystal clear to me that this was a “meant to be” situation. Buying Tink and having the opportunity to work with Roland has been a gift and an absolute joy. And, I have to believe this was a gift from my mom and dad making things happen in the universe.

As ever, Platinum Pleasure Horses; Roland D’Altetio, trainer and myself; Paige Barnett, owner will be pleased to present and show VS Rhythm N Booze aka Tink at the 2025 Virginia Maiden.

 

Written by Paige Barnett