Michael Featured in Modern Arabian Horse ... - Tranquillity Farm

y l.a. pomeroy
Michael and Arabian stallion Oration show
their winning form in Open Working Hunter
at the 2010 Sport Horse Nationals.
42 Modern arabian horse • Issue 2 / 2011

MikeDesiderio
It’s All in the Details
In every sport there are superlative athletes whose very names are synonymous with
their sport. Jordan. Gretzky. Federer, just to name a few. If the competitive career of
one Arabian horseman continues on the same trajectory that it has to date, the name
‘Michael Desiderio’ might do the same for defining excellence in equestrian sport.
The 20-year-old Desiderio has already enjoyed a riding
career most can only dream about. In just 10 seasons on
the Arabian breed show circuit, (beginning at age nine when
he won his frst title), Michael has won more combined
National Championships in performance. equitation and
halter than any other competitor, including an unprecedented
104 National and Reserve Championships (primarily
in Working Hunter and Hunt Seat Equitation). His 2005
AHA High Point Amateur Rider award, at age 15, also
made him the youngest ever to earn that honor.
The oldest son of Chester, New Jersey-based professional
horsemen Ricci and Stephanie Desiderio — whose own
accomplishments have helped put their showplace facility,
Tranquillity Farm, on the national map and where many
champion riders have been produced — Michael credits his
roots with instilling a strong foundation in horsemanship.
“I never had a pony. I started riding on horses. My frst
horse, Whimsey, taught me everything from walk-trotcanter
to jumping,” Michael recalls.
Ricci remembers those days, too: “Michael didn’t want
just walk-trot. At age fve, he was insisting on cross-rails. I
The early years,
left to right: Michael
and Half-Arabian TL
Foolin Around+//;
Michael on Arabian
Ser Imanask+// with
his family at Youth
Nationals; Michael
holds EWF Im Onfire
while his brother
Anthony poses with
the blue ribbon.
think he was 6 when we switched him at
Nationals to Working Hunters. Mike has
grown up crossing the country in a truck
and horse trailer, and we’ve never missed
a Youth Nationals.”
“He always had a good feel for a horse. He
had a good eye for jumping. Even as a kid,
he could make the overall picture look soft
and effortless.” The rest — including seven
consecutive equitation championships under
a variety of judges — as they say, is history.
Michael’s mother, Stephanie, had already proven herself
over fences, making her mark as a young competitor in the
hunter/jumper world at A-level venues like the venerable
‘National’ at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
And like father, like son, Ricci Desiderio grew up with
Arabian horses, and apprenticed under some of the best
in the business, including the Arabian trainer nicknamed,
The Master, Gene LaCroix.
In that perfect amalgam of attributes that breeders call
‘good bloodline,’ Michael’s talents have come to reflect
the best of both worlds. He not only has record-setting
achievements in the Arabian world with horses including
seven-time National Champion (eight if you count the
exhibition-only Sport Horse In-Hand Supreme Championship)
and ex-racing stallion, *Oration. He’s also
caught the eye of legendary trainer, U.S. Olympic show
jumping team Silver medalist and chef d’equipe, George
H. Morris.
By George
The horse world is a small one, especially in New Jersey,
where for decades the U.S. Equestrian Team’s Olympic
training facility was headquartered in Gladstone. While
Michael’s mom was growing up she often crossed bridle
paths with Morris, considered by many in international
show jumping as his generation’s leader within his sport.
So when Morris was looking for an assistant in 2009 to
work with him on a series of clinics being conducted across
the country, the Desiderio name may have rung familiar.
But it was what Mike could do as a rider, not who he
knew or who he came from, that earned him an ‘internship’
with the notoriously perfectionist horseman.
“I didn’t realize when I asked Mike to ride with me
that I knew his mother very well,” says Morris. “I chose
him because he showed a great empathy for his horse, had
Issue 2 / 2011 • Modern arabian horse 43

a great eye for the jump, and was both a brave and bold, yet
soft and strong, rider. He earned an A+ stamp of approval.”
You’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning to stay
a stride ahead of the U.S. show jumping coach. Mike
proved he could… and then some. No matter how early
George arose during the clinic tour, he’d fnd Mike already
dressed and waiting in the hotel lobby. “I hope he follows
in the footsteps of McLain (Ward,) Chris (Kappler), and
Beezie (Madden),” says Morris, referring to members of
prior U.S. Olympic Gold medal show jumping teams.
“In our dinner conversations about riding, I learned so
much,” says Mike. “One lesson I have taken away from
George has been paying attention to the ‘details.’ Details
are very important, from how you maintain the barn to
how you ride and clean your tack.” Mike has gone so far
as to adapt his own style to that of the Olympic and Pan
American Games veteran, who insists on polished boots
and spotless clothing.
But Mike’s foray into the world of Grand Prix show
jumping has not been limited to just one of its greatest
coaches. He’s worked with several top names in the dis-
Lynn Kaufman
Michael and his Grand
Prix jumper, Carthano Z,
a Holsteiner imported
from Belgium.
cipline, and like any good horseman, has approached each
as a learning opportunity.
“One thing I learned from Emil [Spadone, trainer of
hunter champion, GG Valentine] was how to sell horses.
Emil has a very good sales business and I interned there for
three years to learn how to train horses and represent sales.
Jimmy [Torano, Washington International Horse Show
Puissance winner, World Cup Final veteran, and owner of
importers, Jet Show Stables] is a very good rider and I was able
to get his input on my horses that we bought from Europe.
“Val [Renihan, whose students include a Capital
Challenge world champion and multiple ASPCA Medal
Maclay Regionals fnalists] was my ‘fne-tuning’ equitation
trainer when I was showing in big hunter/jumper divisions.
She was very detail-oriented, too.”
Mike says, “I am always working on my legs and their
position. This is very important when you ride because it
is one way you communicate with your horse. Another
thing I need to work on more is my flat work. I’d like to
improve because flat work is the basis for everything.”
Raising the Bar
Mike’s mentors have helped shape his evolution from an
Arabian breed show champion to a contender on the open
hunter/jumper circuits. He collected 20 wins to earn a
2009 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Show
Jumping Talent Search Gold medal, and the same year, at
the Devon (PA) Horse Show, he won the Pessoa/USEF
Hunter Seat Medal.
“Yes, I’ve met Rodrigo [Pessoa, the FEI Show Jumping
World Cup Finals champion whose family is namesake
of the Medal class]. He’s a good friend of Jimmy Torano.
Eventually,” Mike grins, “I’d like to ride against him. I
just need a couple of jumpers to be showing consistently
on the Grand Prix level.
“I have two different strings of horses: jumpers that I
show at the hunter/jumper shows, and for the Arabian
shows I had three horses, but just sold one of my hunters
to Sharon Milchovich. Sharon owns two jumpers I am
currently showing on the hunter/jumper circuit. For training
jumpers, I like to work them long just so they are in good
shape. For my hunters, they are in a different type of
condition. They do work hard but they get more breaks
in between and don’t work every day.”
“I don’t have any young prospects coming up right now,
but we are expecting two *Oration babies this spring,”
Mike says, referring to the bay French Arabian stallion who
44 Modern arabian horse • Issue 2 / 2011

Don Stine
Michael and
Oration showing
winning form
in Arabian
Sport Horse
Under Saddle.
has been his star partner since 2009, including most decorated
horse at this year’s Sport Horse Nationals. “One of
my next goals is to show Grand Prix level consistently.”
He considers his start with Arabians as an advantage over
other riders. “I was able to begin jumping lower height
fences at Arabian shows than I could at open competitions.
Also, my frst horse was a little hot, so the lessons she taught
me continue to help me with every horse I ride!”
Well-Rounded, Well-Grounded
The attention to detail that Mike has learned from
veteran horsemen translates into everything he does around
Tranquillity Farm. It’s not just about little fxes from in the
irons. It’s about being involved in the whole process of
presenting a smoothly running operation and program.
Just ask John Hardin, the farm’s manager and childhood
friend of Ricci Desiderio: “When Rick introduced me to
his family, Michael was very polite, respectful and friendly.
I frst noticed his devotion to the industry matched that of
his parents. He is very involved and he’s not afraid of hard
work, whether that means shoveling a trench or handraking
rocks to create a new paddock. Mike runs our Ford
3550 loader with the arena drag. He likes the footing to be
perfect before he rides. And he can run a Case 580 Super
L Backhoe and load a dump truck with the best of them!
“We’ve become good friends, be it working on projects
or shooting pool,” John says, adding, “He’s a really good
pool player. He takes competition very seriously, yet has
fun with a smile, win or lose. His self-confdence, as he
has become a young man, is apparent in most everything
he does. He can ride a dirt bike as well as a horse, and loves
to work on motorcycle engines in the shop with me.
“Mike is all abut peak performance. It’s a wonderful
attribute and part of why we get along so well. He loves
to have fun. And he does. But the guy certainly has good
self-discipline. He works hard and plays hard. I think he
has a healthy balance. We’re all really proud of Mike. He’s
the pride of the stable.”
Nowhere is that sense of pride greater than from his
parents. Ricci Desiderio is the frst to say his son has done
far more than follow in his boot steps: “He’s going to blow
right past me! He’s got huge dreams and goals compared
to mine at that age. He’s been getting great breaks, like
riding with George Morris, which will open new doors for
him. Despite all he’s won, he’s still humble.”
The same early-rising enthusiasm that impressed George
Morris is evidenced in Mike’s everyday show life. At Nationals,
Ricci recounted how his son, who would be showing
later that day, still arrived early to offer to help set up courses
for jumping and dressage. “The Canadian show steward
wrote a personal thank-you for his volunteering to help.”
Ricci continues, “Mike looks for advice, and is always
trying to do better for himself and his horses. He’s a perfectionist,
whether it’s washing the truck or riding a horse.
He’s never satisfed, but he is always content.”
As Mike Desiderio continues his evolution into a young
man with a burgeoning training business and Grand Prix
show jumping career, maybe that’s the secret to becoming
a great athlete. Striking that balance between the desire for
improvement and the contentment of self-confdence.
Of course, record-breaking performances help, too.
Now that Mike’s rewritten a few chapters of the Arabian
horse show world’s history books, a new horizon of Grand
Prix achievement beckons, potentially offering world titles
and medals of gold.
“Records need to be broken,” says his father. “They’re
important. They give people something to shoot for.” People
like Jordan or Gretzky or Federer or Phelps.
Desiderio. It’s got a nice ring to it. And maybe, someday,
Arabian horse people will be able to celebrate one of their
own even grabbing an Olympic ring.
Since her first byline in the 1970s, L.A. has served the horse
industry from FEI to 4-H, and oversaw news and publicity
for the USET and 1996 Olympics. The AHP Awards finalist
is contributing editor/internet radio show co-host for Holistic
Horse Media, media liaison for the Intercollegiate Horse
Show Association, and maintains a lively equine social media
network on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Issue 2 / 2011 • Modern arabian horse 45