Articles – Page 12 – EquestriSol

Conversations With Course Designers: Scott Starnes

By Erna Adelson and Jackie McFarland

A name we have seen printed in prize lists for many years, we caught up with Scott while he was designing courses in Parker, Colorado for the series of ‘A’ shows at the Colorado Horse Park.

HOW A SUMMER JOB CAN LEAD TO LEGENDARY OPPORTUNITIES
“It’s been a long, strange, trip,” says Starnes of his ascent to his current status as one of California’s well-known course designers. Not a competitive rider but rather a former collegiate defensive back, Starnes’ experience in the elite equine world was hard to come by, and is a testament to his work ethic, determination, and skill as a technical designer.

It all began with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when Coto de Caza was host to the Olympic pentathlon show jumping events. Starnes took what was supposed to be just a summer job as part of the set up crew and ended up having a knack for the assignment. Shortly afterward, he met the legendary Pamela Carruthers and upon her encouragement traveled to Spruce Meadows where he crewed and assisted with course design. During the next decade Starnes observed and drew inspiration from some of the finest in the field from Equitation Finals to Grand Prix, including Jon Doney, David Ballard, Richard Jeffrey, Leopoldo Palacios and Linda Allen. While assisting abroad, Starnes was also working his way up as a course designer in his own backyard, learning from Tommy Dendiu, Richard Keller and Michael Curtis about designing for hunters and equitation as well as jumpers. As the horse show schedule in southern California expanded, Starnes was gainfully employed and no longer
had time to spend summers in Spruce Meadows.

THE DIRECTION OF DESIGN – DERBYS & BEYOND
We asked about designing courses for the new USHJA Hunter Derby, a more recent addition to our ‘A’ rated shows that requires a designer’s imagination to create a demanding yet inviting course for hunters. Whereas an equitation medal final or grand prix have many of the same technical questions and distance challenges, the Hunter Derby has its own requirements. “It is supposed to be more like an actual foxhunt while maintaining traditional hunter style,” Starnes commented. “The class requires a completely different build, at least four height option jumps, 3’6” and 4’, plus handy options.” Only in its first year and growing in popularity, this class requires the skill of an experienced course designer and when done well is as awesome to watch as a great Grand Prix.

Certainly steeped in the system, Starnes is the first person to admit that his career path would be considered unconventional. “Nowadays course designing is regulated more strictly,” he says. “You need to apply for a license, attend a certain number of clinics, and design at least three grand prix courses every two years to maintain your certification.” He notes that the new guidelines require all course designers to get licensed which he feels helps to ensure the safety of both horses and riders and improves the sport for all involved.

FAVORITES & FUTURE
Though Starnes says that his most memorable assignments have been while crewing high-end events like the Olympics, World Cup and the Masters at Spruce Meadows because of the caliber of the designers and the athletes involved, he reveals that designing local and regional Medal Finals make him most happy. “I love designing at the Oaks because it’s home,” he says. Starnes is far from settled, though. With his FEI license pending, he may very well be back at the Olympics in London 2012, this time at the helm.

Conversations With Equestrians: Hannah Von Heidegger

By Laura Ware

This week, while we junior hunter riders were reduced to showing in the dirt arena at the far end of the horse show grounds, the pony kids took center stage, galloping around the open grass field that sits between the Grand Prix field and the food area. This was appropriate, however, as the Oaks Blenheim June Classic III was home to the Zone 10 Pony Hunter Finals.

Always a fun class to watch – those pony kids are so adorable and such amazing little riders – the Zone 10 Pony Finals is open to all pony/rider combinations, and has three phases: model, under saddle and over fences. Ribbons are awarded to twelfth place for each phase, along with a champion and reserve champion for each height section, and an overall champion and overall reserve champion.

This year’s overall and large pony champion was Hannah Von Heidegger on A Hoof and a Prayer. Along with A Hoof and a Prayer, Hannah, 11, rides several other ponies and horses, and was gracious enough to answer a few questions I had about this event.

Laura: How long have you been riding?
Hannah: I’ve been riding since I was three, and began showing in the short stirrup when I was six.

Laura: A Hoof and A Prayer is a large pony, how long have you been showing in the larges?
Hannah: I just started doing them at the beginning of this year.

Laura: Tell us a bit about your pony, A Hoof and a Prayer.
Hannah: I got A Hoof and a Prayer (his barn name is Happy) last fall, and started showing him this year. He is pretty smooth, has a long stride, likes long distances, and takes me to the jump a little bit. He’s a little different to ride than my other ponies because you have to keep more pace in the corners.

Laura: What is he best at doing?
Hannah: He’s best at jumping. He has a great jump!

Laura: Did you show any of your other ponies at Zone 10 Pony Finals? How did it go with them?
Hannah: I showed Simply Magical (in the mediums) as well as A Hoof and a Prayer. Simply Magical got an 86 in the model, and 86 in the hack, but in the jumping I got a score of 63. I had a little bit of a mishap. I moved up too much to the distance, and ended up chipping. So, on A Hoof and a Prayer, I tried to be a little more patient and visualized my course before I got on and imagined what it would look like in the ring.

Laura: That’s awesome that you were able to fix your mistakes and do so well on Happy! How are Simply Magical and A Hoof and a Prayer different?
Hannah:On Simply Magical you just have to stay steady through the whole course and can find the distance pretty easily. Simply Magical is also pretty slow, you have to make sure he doesn’t slow down too much in the corners, and that he doesn’t cross canter.
Laura: Do you have any strategies for modeling your ponies?
Hannah: I try to wait until the judge is a couple of horses away so my ponies don’t move when the judge is watching, and I make sure I have a cookie or mint in my hand to keep my ponies’ ears perked. Luckily, both my ponies are great modelers so they are not hard to model.

Laura: What do you think about riding on the grass?
Hannah: I like it! It’s different, because it is bigger, but it’s fun to be in such a big ring on a pony. You have to have more patience to ride on the big field, which makes it harder. Sometimes, if you’re impatient and try to chase down the jumps on the big field you end up chipping. They also had long bending lines in the courses, which I liked, because they tested your eye.

Laura: What are your riding goals for this year? The future?
Hannah: I’d really like to be champion on one of my ponies at Indoors this year. It would be great to be the first to win Zone 10 Pony Finals twice in a row. I would like to start in the junior hunters next year.

Thanks for your time, Hannah, congratulations, and good luck with your riding goals.

Laura Listens is brought to you by Laura Ware. Winner of the 2007 LAHSA Junior Medal Finals and a recipient of the 2008 WCAR Jumper Rider Grant, Laura rides with First Field Farm and often trains with Archie Cox. She is very successful in the all three disciplines on her own mounts as well as catch riding other horses.

West Coast Rider Will Simpson Headed To Hong Kong?

By Jackie McFarland

On Monday July 7th, four months after announcing the short list, the USEF Ad Hoc Committee on Selection will name the US Olympic Equestrian Team for Show Jumping. With only Aachen remaining for the short-listed ‘A’ Team, the pressure is on.

What Has Happened to Date:
On March 10, 2008 the USEF Ad Hoc Committee for selection chose six horse and rider combinations based on their performance in the Selection Trials and four other pairs were given a bye.

The six top performers included Laura Kraut, Nicole Shahanian-Simpson, Anne Kursinski on two horses, Charlie Jayne and Kate Levy.

Two top riders, McLain Ward on Sapphire and Beezie Madden on Authentic, were given byes before the trials began – meaning they were automatically chosen to be on the short list and did not have to compete in the trials. After two trials Jeffrey Welles and Armani were also given a bye. Will Simpson and El Campeon’s Carlsson Vom Dach were awarded the final bye after solid performances in all the trials with the exception of the last, where the horse was unable to compete.

These top ten were divided into two groups of five to participate on two European Tours before selecting the final team to represent the United States in Hong Kong this August.

Ad Hoc Selection Committee:
George Morris
Frank Chapot
Michael Endicott
Eric Hasbrook
Candice King (alternate selector)

Michael Endicott, who’s been on this committee since its inception six years ago, explained how they work. George and one selector are present at each event. “The entire committee discusses overall performance; everything from the jog to the jump. Essentially any details that would affect the team,” Mike explained. “It’s purely about performance, how this horse and rider will represent us.”

Will’s Will
We had the opportunity to speak to Will when he was home briefly after representing the USEF on a European Tour.

JM: What was the most challenging aspect to the European Tour?
WS: The language barrier was sometimes a challenge. In Germany they changed the order and put 6 horses ahead of me and I didn’t understand until I was already schooled and ready. Had to prepare again once I knew. Some shows run exactly on time, others run late – it seems to depend on the country.

JM: Tell us about Carlsson Vom Dach.
WS: We bought him in April of 2007. He’s 12 years old and at the peak of his career. We knew he was special and it started to show last summer at Spruce. Good at 1.40m, 1.45m and then we did three 1.50m Grand Prix in Europe, returned to Spruce for the Masters and when we came home we started to discuss the best plan. We did the three World Cup qualifiers – Del Mar, Las Vegas and LA National and then we trained on a variety of surfaces at home – grass, sand – we jumped some big courses.

JM: How do you feel about his performance in these high-pressure situations?
WS: We had only competed at 1.50m before heading to Wellington for the trials at 1.60m. He stepped right up. Went in and came out fresh. He came out of the European tour fresh – it’s an unknown whether a horse will go through the trial system and come out like he has. Every time we ask a question of him he has the right answer.

JM: Who helped you prepare for the trials?
WS: Roger, an excellent horseman who’s been grooming for me for 10 years, set jumps. Eva was also my ground person. She was in Europe too. And she’s attending law school.

JM: How was the team experience in Europe?
WS: The team had great camaraderie. I have a great relationship with Anne. Nicki makes a really good teammate. The kids came to Rome and we spent time together as a family.

JM: How does it feel now that the tour is over?
WS: It hasn’t sunk in yet. I feel very fortunate to have a wonderful horse that is really hot. I’m fortunate to even have a chance. I do feel that everything is right: right horse, right time. We are fit and ready.

As we anxiously await the news on July 7th, we wish Will all the best and thank him for his time.

Oxygen Is Hot For Horses And Humans

By Tammy Chipko

You have probably seen the ads for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy recently and may have wondered, “What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?”

Whether you own, ride or treat equine athletes, the use of increased atmospheric pressure for medical therapy is intriguing. To better understand the therapy and its value within the equine world, I have asked Geoff Pfeifer, who specializes in this type of therapy, to explain the uses and advantages of the treatment.

TC: What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)?
GP: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a treatment performed with high-pressure oxygen, which aids in the process of healing diseased or damaged tissues. It is based on the premise that healing is accelerated when more oxygen is made available to body tissues than the amount they are able to absorb under normal atmospheric conditions.

TC: Why is oxygen so important in the aid of repair and recovery?
GP: Under normal circumstances, oxygen is transported through the entire body by the red blood cells, which carry 98% of their capacity in oxygen. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, oxygen is dissolved into all the body’s fluids and tissues, and can also be carried to areas where the circulation is compromised or even blocked. Oxygen is important for the health of all cells in the body. The level of oxygen in the blood stream can be increased up to 15 times higher than normal which has dramatic effects on the cells and speeds up the body’s natural healing process.

TC: What type of results have you seen with HBOT in humans?
GP: (HBOT) has been used on people for many years with outstanding results. It can be used to reduce swelling, pain and can prevent Hypoxia of the traumatized tissues. There has been tremendous success with HBOT in treating sports related injuries. An example is Terrell Owens, a wide receiver who underwent HBOT after breaking his leg six weeks before the playoffs. The treatments sped up his recovery time significantly allowing him back to play a remarkable game. I trained with the doctors who utilized several innovative therapies to rehabilitate him in record time.

TC: HBOT is helping top athletes worldwide, so it makes sense that it would help our equine athletes, right?
GP: Absolutely! We have been using this treatment with horses for quite some time. We apply HBOT not only for bone, tendon, and ligament injuries but also for shipping and exercise recovery, tying up, burns and other trauma. We have found that HBOT radically increases blood flow to the area of injury. Stem cells are always in the blood circulation so when you increase circulation you increase the ability of stem cells to implant in the injured area and naturally repair the damage. HBOT can be used alone or as an adjunct or complement to other therapy’s such as shockwave treatment, stem cell surgery, acupuncture, and antibiotics.

TC: How did this specialized treatment center get started in California?
GP: Kellie Jean Cerin founded The Equine and Animal HBOT Center of Southern California in 2005. Kellie’s family had a medical background, and her husband Vladimir was a successful trainer of both Olympic athletes and racehorses. We first installed the best equipment available and then made sure that our technical staff of experienced horsemen and women were all extensively trained and certified. You can trust, therefore, that your horse will be cared for in an optimum way.

TC: How did you get involved with HBOT?
GP: When I worked as a Neuro-psychologist I recommended HBOT for the various types of brain injury, stroke and autistic patients that I worked to rehabilitate during those years. For people with brain damage HBOT was one of the few therapies that I saw produce beneficial results. Starting 30 years ago I began my training in a Chinese style of physical therapy, then later in Naturopathy and European Biological Medicine. I started treating a few race horse trainers about 10 years ago and anytime I’d pull a new machine or technique out of my “toolbox” I’d hear “We’ve got to try this on the horses!” Then 5 years ago they got me down to the track and I fell in love with the horses. I’ve done a series of equine retrainings for the past 5 years and bring several innovative rehabilitation methods to the horse world that are typically reserved for elite human athletes.

TC: It must be very rewarding for you when you see the results.
GP: Yes, it is definitely rewarding and that is why I’m extremely positive about HBOT. We have had so many people bring horses to us because the diagnosis was grim at best. When for various reasons all other treatments have failed, HBOT has been effective. Some years ago friends of Kellie’s (the owner) had a yearling with such a bad leg injury that the vet said to put him down. Kellie treated the yearling for free and, due to a course of HBOT and antibiotics, the young horse recovered fully. I will never forget watching this yearling out in the paddock jumping puddles after a rain when, shortly before the treatment, he could barely walk.

TC: Where can we get more information about this therapy?
GP: The Center has a booth at the Oaks Blenheim Summer Series where everyone can come and ask questions and perhaps try a little fun oxygen treatment. The hope is to help you and/or your equine athlete.

The Equine & Animal Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center is located in the city of Bradbury, about 7 miles from the Santa Anita Racetrack. Click here for their website and to watch a video on HBOT.

Geoff Pfeifer, Manager:
(310) 487-4654

ShowMom Tips For Working With Dad

By Kathy Keeley

Moms, daughters and tack stores seem to bring out the best and the worst in our relationships. Visiting the tack store together can be a unique experience. There are those trips when it is a shared experienced with smiles, thanks, and even good fun looking at the newest hot color for riding pants. Then there are those trips that become a tug of war between parent and child. Tough on the sales staff!

I recently visited a tack store at one of our shows and had an opportunity to watch a number of mother-daughter exchanges. Somehow the tack store has become not only a place to shop but a place where mother and daughter dynamics, both positive and negative, are on full display. We had a few supplies and a gift to pick up but mostly I think my daughter wanted to walk around checking out every section of the store. So I sat in a chair and watched.

Shopping Phases:

Pre-teen
As I reflect on tack store shopping with daughters, I think there are three distinct phases. Pre and early teens provide the greatest challenge. These riders are caught between stages of childhood and being a teenager. They have lots of opinions and have mostly decided they know more than their parents. They can be rude, loud, demanding and full of self importance one moment but clinging, quiet and needy for parent contact the next.

My approach to tack store shopping at this age is to avoid scenes and leave the child in the hands of another adult whose opinion the child would be more be more likely to respect. I once left my child with a clerk (prearranged plan) to outfit her for A Circuit showing. This was a time period when she never liked the color of the pants or the look of the helmet and when no color show shirt or jacket was acceptable. In short, she was being a pre-teen brat. The clerk did wonderfully, got her outfitted with humor and assistance from older riders in the store. All left the tack store smiling and without an unnecessary tug of war.

At this age, however, I still expected manners in the store. Any scene or loud demands caused me to leave with the credit card still in my purse – no clerk or other shoppers should have to experience our children’s bad behavior. I often watch and wish more of us expected some baseline of manners or civility from this age group.

Older Teens
The second group is the older teens – those riders with the confidence of ‘I know who I am and I know what I want.’ Shopping with them brings its own challenges since they definitely always know more than we do and seem to want only the best, latest, and most fashionable. They know what is in and what is out and will happily share that information with Mom who seems to be at least one season behind.

This is a great age to learn about budgeting, fads vs. trends, and needs vs. wants. If they get everything they want, how do they learn about what they need vs. just what they want at the moment?

Most are approaching a time when they will go off to college and the concept of living on a budget is a great one to learn. How many of those fads end up on the closet or horse trailer floor – how about buying things that will last more than a couple of horse shows?
Hunter and equitation classes tend to follow a rather conservative dress pattern so shopping for looking the part is often more important than shopping for the newest fad.

This age group has fewer scenes with Mom but this is the age when they would rather go to the tack store with barn friends or the trainer – it can be a time when Mom sits out the shopping experience to leave some space for growing up. I had my own shopping buddies – other moms who were in a similar space. We made up our own trips, guessed what the girls might pick out and generally enjoyed ourselves. It was also our time to catch up, share kid stories and exchange parenting tips.

Young Adults
The third age is the young adult amateurs – confident, calm and back to inviting the parent along to shop. They are comfortable in their own skin and actually like shopping with Mom. They probably also like the credit card in your purse since this comes off your budget and not theirs. These young women seem to know the value of what they have and understand that they don’t need as much stuff as they thought they did a couple of years before. They even pick out things, try them on and say I don’t really need that – how long have we waited to hear that phrase?

Tack stores are an important place to communicate your values. Ask your daughter to set an example by being considerate to both the accompanying parent and the sales staff. Poor behavior towards the parent, the trainer or the sales clerk is not acceptable. Courtesy, respect and appreciation are expected in the tack store as well as the show ring.

Teachable Moments Abound

Some examples:
– Set a budget for the week of showing to demonstrate how to create a budget and live within it.
– Note rude behavior when you witness it in others and discuss it,
at a later time, with your child.
– Explain the history of equitation and why dark jacket colors are the norm. Helmets must fit correctly for safety reasons – not to protect our hair. Think of all the helpful conversations you can generate out of a shopping trip.

Watch and Listen
Shopping trips can be good opportunities to step back and really observe our children. What are their tastes? How do they process and think about purchases? What values do they display? I would take a moment to watch and listen to opinions expressed as well as actions taken. Is it a good time to have a discussion on how their behavior is received and how it could affect their future? All parenting seems to be about strategy and finding the right moments for those many small conversations that shape our children into adults.

In the tack store – let’s be savvy show moms with great kids.

For more tips, resources and articles for ShowMoms, visit: ShowMom.com

Collective Thoughts On Equitation

By Laura Ware

LAFinals07 — Laura Ware, winner of the LAHJA Junior Medal in November, 2007. Photo © AC Custom Photo

Riding in the equitation as a junior is almost like a rite of passage. All the top junior riders, regardless of how many horses they own or show, choose to keep their feet in the equitation ring, as equitation is what prepares juniors to have success in the other show rings, and eventually in the high level show jumping classes such as Amateur Owner or Grand Prix. Looking at the previous junior winners of both local and national medal finals and seeing how many of them are now top Grand Prix riders is indeed impressive.

Although waking up at the crack of dawn to chase down medal points gets old (I think there’s a USEF law somewhere that states that all major medal classes must begin at or before 8 AM!), riding in the equitation ring teaches us discipline, proper position, and the ability to maintain poise and composure regardless of what is happening underneath us.

I cannot speak for all the other riders out there, but I think that practicing position gets tedious, and, although my equitation is far from perfect, it would definitely be significantly worse if I were not being judged on it multiple times at each horse show! I am a competitive person, and being scored on my style gives me the much-needed motivation to practice it.
Several riders who exhibit strength in the equitation, as well as in the hunter and/or jumper rings, were kind enough to tell me about their opinions on and experiences in the equitation and medal classes.

Junior rider Hilary Neff: Competing in equitation takes a lot of discipline and patience, but most importantly, it is always fun. Because this division is subjective, it can sometimes be frustrating. It is easy to feel like a judge “ripped you off”, but in the end, good ribbons and bad ribbons even out. I try to remember that the judge knows best 99.9% of the time.
It takes a long time to become a competent equitation rider, but every second is worth it in the end. Also, you have to have a strong relationship with your horse in order to be successful, which to me, is the best part of the sport.

Amateur rider Hannah Selleck: Competing as an adult in Amateur Equitation is similar to competing as a junior, except Adult Equitation is much less competitive. There’s not the pressure to go in and get WIHS points or to have to get a certain number of points to make it to Indoors. Now I just go and ride my best, and have a good time! I’m almost enjoying the equitation more now than I ever have before. I still love doing the USEF Talent Search and I do have a goal to get my gold medal. Even though this is a pretty important goal for me, I still just go into the ring and really enjoy myself. Having the perspective of formerly competing in the equitation as a junior and now as an amateur, I can really see how important equitation is to give riders a strong foundation of basic skills like position and form. I have definitely transferred these skills from the equitation classes to the jumper ring and have found the experience of the medal finals invaluable. Note from Laura: I’m especially curious about this, as my amateur days are looming near. Yikes!

Junior rider Tina DiLandri: By riding in the equitation, you find your best position and learn how to manipulate certain situations in the ring – it is the base of riding. Riding in the equitation classes has taught me patience. It definitely helps me succeed in the hunters and the jumpers as well.

From competing in the equitation ring I have learned that everything is not as easy as it looks. There needs to be a true connection from the horse to the rider. You can have one of the best horses in the world, but if you don’t know how to ride it’s not going to work.

During the George Morris seminar in Florida, he told me not to be an emotional rider. It is so true that if you overreact your horse is also going to overreact and not stay calm. If something happens, fix it in a nonchalant way and stay calm. Overall, just have fun!
Junior Rider (and article author) Laura Ware: I agree with this premise; equitation has taught me to maintain a proper position which will encourage my horse, whether hunter or jumper, to jump in the best form possible.

A Flat Jump: However the growth of the equitation division has created an irony. An ideal equitation horse is one that jumps flat and has little feel in the air so a rider can maintain the most conventional and attractive position. This is fine; it’s nice to be able to leave the ground and feel almost nothing in the air, but having a flat-jumping horse will probably not bring success in other arenas of this sport. This is kind of ironic because the whole purpose of equitation is to prepare riders for other arenas, which demand a good-jumping horse. Plus, if you ask me, detracting from the horse’s form eliminates part of the thrill of this sport. There is no better sensation than cantering up to a perfect distance and feeling your horse explode in the air. And shouldn’t good riders be able to maintain a solid position when a horse jumps well?

Rails: A very controversial issue that gets all of us riders and trainers and parents in a fit is the question of whether or not to penalize a downed rail in an equitation class or final. There are those who believe that a rail is a major error (the whole point of this sport is to jump over the fences without a fault) and should be penalized accordingly. Then there are those who feel that the rail should only be penalized if it is the rider’s error, since these classes do focus on the rider. I’ve always found this a bit confusing. A jumper receives four faults for a rail and a hunter will score no higher than a 50, regardless of whose fault it was. Why can’t there be a solution as simple as this for the equitation ring?

I could go on all day about the pros and cons of this division, but the challenge of a job well done and then being judged subjectively is part of what makes it fun. Having to guess as to the results of each class keeps us on our toes (and in our heels), eager to improve our performances.

So like my colleagues above say, remember that the good and bad ribbons even out, have goals but also have fun, learn to get connected with your horse and don’t be an emotional rider. Most of all, don’t let the subjectivity get to you – it’s all part of the lessons we learn time and again.

My Horse Tustin

By Laura Ware

Growing up around horses, I could handle watching them get sold. I could even handle watching them get hurt, and could usually keep a stiff upper lip when the vet would say that this particular horse was not going to be able to do its job anymore, but watching them die was something I had never had to deal with. None of the horses at my mother’s barn had ever encountered any life-threatening injuries, and even the school horses were sent off to an old friend’s stable when their time loomed near. This, however, all changed on March 17th.

TustinIndio2006 — Laura Ware and Tustin at HITS Indio 2006. Photo © Flying Horse Photography

My horse died. My horse Tustin, whom I purchased from Europe as a five year old, who took me from borderline terrifying rounds in the Modified Junior Jumpers to wins in the High Junior Jumpers, who tolerated my mistakes like an old school master even though he was barely eight years old, who would stand stock still as four-year-old riding school students (and myself, of course!) fawned over him, who would leave the ground from any distance at any jump without question, shattered his pastern bone in the turn-out.

This simply was not supposed to happen. This is my last junior year; we were supposed to qualify for Junior Young Riders together, and Prix Des States at Harrisburg, and maybe even Washington or Devon, and then, when this beloved, amazing horse could no longer do what I asked of him, he was going to be some lucky kid’s children’s jumper until he was at least 20 years old. All I’ve ever wanted was to become a Grand Prix rider, and after finally hitting the High Junior Jumper mark, I felt so incredibly close. I had so many dreams for myself and my little horse, and, in the time it takes to pull the plunger on a syringe, watching them all float away was unbelievably hard to deal with. Unfortunately, these things happen, and I’m glad I had the pleasure of owning and riding this very special horse. We grew by leaps and bounds together, and he was, and will probably always remain, my absolute favorite.

I don’t know how to say this without sounding cheesy, but receiving everyone’s condolences was wonderfully heartwarming. Hearing all these trainers and competitors and parents say how sorry they were gave me a great sense of belonging; people really do care. I look up to these trainers, and when the ones to whom I’d never really spoken (yet always admired from afar) came over and let me know how sorry they were, it made me feel good, like I wasn’t the only one who thought my little horse was great. I really wanted to be able to keep my feet in the jumper ring (hunters and equitation are fun, but nothing compares to going fast and jumping big!), so Archie Cox was kind enough to arrange for me to ride Marnix G, a horse who used to be in training with him, but is now at Joie Gatlin and Morley Abey’s barn. I got to show Marnix in the Low Junior Jumpers at the first two Oaks horse shows, and had a blast. Tustin was the only jumper I had ever ridden over anything bigger than 3’9”, so it was nice to be able to prove to myself that I am capable of successfully piloting a different horse over a decent-sized course.

I’m young and impatient and hate having to accept the fact that my goals are being delayed, but my parents have been generous enough to purchase another young jumper prospect. Hopefully this horse will eventually be able to take me back up to where I was, and will be able to stand the inevitable comparisons to his flawless predecessor. As the wise adults have been telling me, life goes on!

Susie Hutchison

By Tammy Chipko

I was privledged to interview one of the West Coast’s – actually the Nation’s – most renowned show jumping riders, Susie Hutchison.

Susie Hutchison is not only an icon of the show jumping world, but a truly charming person and an outstanding horseman. Her impressive show jumping accomplishments include winning Leading West Coast Rider and American Grand Prix Association Rider of the Year, competing as a member of both the United States Equestrian Team and the World Championship Team in The Hague, and riding in four World Cup Finals.

Among the names of her famous horses are Samsung Woodstock, ASAP, High Heels, Bugs Bunny and America I. She has won five cars competing over the years.

Some years ago, Susie was helping Marybeth Molt and teaching clinics in the Temecula area. When Marybeth heard Susie was looking to make a change of location, she offered her a 20-stall barn on 20 acres. It is a beautiful facility very close to Galloway Downs with riding trails and grass paddocks. Susie has run her full service training operation from Temecula for six years now. “I could not be happier!” Susie exclaimed, “We all get along great and I bought a house eight miles from the barn.”

Speaking highly of the two assistants who help her both at home and at shows, Susie said, “Britt Harley does a fabulous job with the young horses as well as with the equitation horses and riders. J.K. Williams works part time and covers things at home when I am on the road. Both girls are great and I am lucky to have them!”

susie_300 — Susie Hutchison and El Dorado 29’s Cantano. Photo © Maria Morgan for Captured Moment Photography

El Dorado 29’s Cantano
I noted that she had recently won some big classes with a horse named Cantano and asked Susie to tell us a little bit about this wonderful horse that looks to be on his way to a very successful career.

Imported as a stallion by a client of Sandy Aston’s, Cantano was started in the 1.00m classes. Sandy and his owner at the time asked Susie to ride Cantano in the six-year-old division of the west coast Young Jumper Finals and she accepted. Sandy, also a renowned horsewoman who has recognized and trained many a talented horse and rider, could see the potential of this pair and decided to ask the Iversons to purchase the young stallion for Susie to ride. Jim and Pat Iverson of El Dorado 29 have been involved in equestrian sport for many years. They also owned Southshore, a top Grand Prix horse piloted by Richard Spooner some years ago.

Since moving to Temecula, Susie has had the privilege of working with Sandy. With Susie as rider and Sandy as groundperson and consultant, this team has achieved success on horses for The Oaks, Jenny McLaughlin, Susie’s private clients and now the Iversons. “Sandy is an invaluable part of the team,” Susie said.

In less than two years, now eight years old, Cantano has advanced from the 1.00m to 1.45m.

Big Wins (and some lessons along the way)
Cantano did his first 1.45 m class at the Oaks Spring Classic II and handled it beautifully so they decided to give the Grand Prix a shot. Susie beamed, “He was fabulous and won the class!” Next stop on the mileage trail was Del Mar, always a good place to give a young horse experience in the indoor arena under the lights. In the night class, Cantano stopped at the liverpool jump, where there as a glaring reflection in the water from the lights. “I felt like saying to him, ‘Sorry, that startled me too!’’ In the next big class Susie made a rider error that caused a little problem at the skinny. By Saturday at Del Mar Susie and Cantano were in sync and won the $7,500 Open Jumper Class.

“This is how I think it will go with him for now – we will bounce back and forth a little between classes and he will let us know when to step up or step down. He is fun to ride and he loves the jump-offs. I am ecstatic since I have not had a horse in a while that wants to play the game like this. If he gets himself into a little trouble or to a place that I would rather not be, it’s like he says, ‘Don’t worry – I got it!’”

Bright Future
Susie’s future goals with him, of course, will depend on how things go, but she would like to compete in the eight year old finals and the Grand Prix series at Oaks-Blenheim this summer. “Maybe next year we’ll try to qualify for the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the year after that, the World Cup Finals. No matter what, I am having a wonderful time. It is fun to have a new jumper with these great characteristics. He is a cross between America I and Woodstock – it doesn’t get much better than that!”

Susie’s enthusiasm is contagious, you can feel the positive energy she exudes about this horse. Of course we would all love to see Susie and Cantano at the World Cup Finals, so we’ll keep an eye out and wish you both all the best!

Conversations With Equestrians: Mavis Spencer

By Laura Ware

One of the many important classes at The Oaks Spring Tournament was the $5,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, also the first North American Young Rider Trial. The North American Young Rider Championships is a competition consisting of two teams: an “A” team with 1.50 meter fences for riders ages 16-21, and a “B” or “junior” team with 1.40 meter fences for riders ages 14-18. Both teams consist of four riders and an alternate from each US Zone, each Canadian Province, Mexico and the Caribbean. This competition includes Eventing and Dressage along with Show Jumping, and is run under F.E.I. rules.

Making either of the teams is an honor, and is a highly sought after goal for many riders. Southern California rider Mavis Spencer, the winner of the first trial, was kind enough to speak with us.

Laura: When did you start doing the 1.40 meter classes?
Mavis: I started doing the 1.40m with my mare early last year but unfortunately she was off for a bit after. I was only able to ride her at Spruce and at the November LAEC show, in the 1.30m. At Pebble Beach last summer, though, I got to ride Paris Sellon’s junior jumper Syndication in the 1.40m and I was also given the ride aboard Francie Steinwedell’s horse Naranco. It was very helpful riding those two horses because they were both really experienced in the larger classes and it boosted my confidence a lot. I am so grateful to both those owners for allowing me to ride and show their horses.

Laura: Please tell us a bit about your horse.
Mavis: My horse’s name is Winea Van’t Vennehof. I bought her almost two years ago. and she had never shown before. We shipped her straight to Spruce, and started her in the 1.20m. As my trainer, Dick Carvin said, she was either going to crack or jump and never look back. I guess she really jumped into it! When I first bought her, she was very skittish and head-shy and also kind of point and shoot. Thanks to all the help I’ve gotten from my trainers, though, she is now awesome and really ride-able. She is very headstrong and mare-ish but she fights for me and I can always trust her to leave the ground and not have a second thought about it.

Laura: How did the course ride in the trial? What was the jump-off like?
Mavis: The course was designed by Leopoldo Palacios so there were some obvious challenges, but I thought it was a very fair. Seven in the jump-off, all good riders. Saer Coulter and Paris Sellon were both coming off of some big wins during the winter circuits, Brenna Riddel I’d seen during Spruce and she is a great rider, as is Alicia Jonsson who I had seen go in the Grand Prix the night before and in the Olympic Trials so I knew she would have experience jumping tougher tracks. Taylor Coe and Katie Gardner are both fast riders so my plan going in was to try for a clean round while leaving out strides in some places. The rounds went so quickly in the jump-off that when I went in to the ring I didn’t know what time or how many faults were leading. I saw the long galloping option to the first jump and just went with it. After the last jump I wasn’t sure where my round put me but I knew I was clean and fast. Of course, I was thrilled to hear that I was leading! My horse has just been amazing and kept improving all through Florida. We were both really confident together after having some solid rounds in the bigger classes there so it’s nice to come home and see our hard work translate here.

Laura: How do you manage riding and school work?
Mavis: My school has been wonderfully supportive of my riding. This year they allowed me to take a two month leave and ride in Florida. I also get out of school at 1:00 every day which gives me have plenty of time to ride.

Laura: What do you do to keep your horse prepared for these big classes?
Mavis: To keep my horse ready I hack her and sometimes lunge her with the Pessoa rig. Dick gets up there sometimes to help make her really work and think hard. Then she also hand walks a few times throughout the day. As many people have noticed, she doesn’t have much of a tail, and while we are always trying to make it grow, I guess a certain amount of prep is just keeping her the way she is and happy.

Laura: What are your riding goals and plans for this year?
Mavis: To be honest I haven’t thought that much about riding goals. I’d like to make the Young Rider team and I’d like to do well at Spruce, but for right now I’m just concerned with learning, riding consistently and keeping my horse happy and healthy. In my eyes once you have all that, the rest will follow.

Congratulations, Mavis, and good luck at the rest of the Young Rider Trials and Spruce Meadows!

Impressive Amateurs

By Tammy Chipko

Amateurs bring so much to this sport – it would certainly not be where it is today without them. I spoke with some very impressive Amateur riders about how they juggle their personal and professional lives while still making time for horses and competition.

A large animal vet at Specifically Equine in Buellton, CA, you are sure to see
Dr. Kirste Timm working hard at many of the southern California horse shows. She is known and respected not only for her veterinarian skills but for her love of horses. From an early age she kept horses in her backyard while going to high school in Oregon and then would spend the summers in CA riding as a working student. When Kirste went to college at Pomona then later to Vet School at UC Davis, she rode and showed Dressage horses as well as worked as a vet tech. After completing surgery residency in Colorado she moved back to CA and started full-time at Specifically Equine. Somehow she finds the time to compete in the Adult Amateur division.

How does she manage it? “I ride at obscene hours and I am fortunate that I can bring my horse to work with me at the horse shows. I am lucky to have a supportive husband and somewhat flexible hours. I am having fun and that is the most important thing to me.”

Anne Frankel rides in the Amateur Jumper divisions and currently owns two horses. Here & Now is her High A/O Jumper and Obe is a young horse that has just started his jumping career. Anne is an active owner, participating in all aspects of the care and well-being of her horses. She hauls, grooms, and prepares her horses for the ring. Not only that, but she is her own farrier!

Anne explained, “I was an Engineer for 19 years and wanted to change careers. Since riding is what I love, I wanted to do something that involved horses. Noticing how many problems start with the feet, I became very interested in the process of shoeing horses. It made sense for me to go to farrier school in Washington State not only so I could learn how to care for my own horses’ feet, but as a creative way for me to offset the horse expenses. After I had a riding accident my knee was not able to hold up to the physical pressures of shoeing too many horses, so I now only shoe my own and maybe a couple of friends’ horses. I also work as a sales rep for my husband’s toy company that allows me the flexibility to care for my horses and compete. This works well for me because I can spend time with both my husband and my horses.”

Her future plans? “The end of last year and the start of this year have certainly been the most rewarding for me in the show ring. Hero (Here & Now) has been so consistent and it has allowed me to raise the bar for myself. I love starting young horses and would like to continue to do that as well. I like to think I compete against myself and as long as I continue to progress I am happy.” Great motto, Anne!

Another Amateur with a full schedule is Tiffany Sullivan, who competes in the Amateur Owner Jumper division. Her story is also interesting. “I currently own five horses two of which I personally show and the others my trainer Santiago Ricard shows. I own Haley Farms, named after my dog. We have 60 stalls on the property that I manage and oversee. Until recently I worked full time as a child and family therapist for kids with learning disabilities and was only able to compete on the weekends. I decided to take some time off in order to finish my education and to compete in more horse shows. I’m one test away from becoming a licensed clinical social worker. I will then go back to work full-time.”

She told us a little about her involvement with kids. “Besides working as a therapist, I became very involved with an organization last year called Canyon Acres. I donated all my prize money to this organization. Canyon Acres is a unique, one-of-a-kind place in Southern California with the ability, desire and professional expertise to treat severely abused, neglected and emotionally troubled young children. Canyon Acres represents real hope to children who have been emotionally traumatized, requiring both mental health treatment and physical protection.

Besides all of this, Tiffany has more on her plate. “I have set up a foundation for people that would like to get involved in charity work through the horse industry and I am hoping that this continues to grow. I am also getting married in June of 2008.” Wow!

Lynn Walsh from Magnolia, TX, splits her time between her family, farm, competitions, and a huge amount of volunteer work. She is Chairman of the USHJA Show Standards Committee, Member of the USHJA Owners Committee and has also been President of the Texas Hunter/Jumper Organization. Lynn currently competes in the Amateur Owner Hunter division. Very involved in many aspects of the Hunter/Jumper industry, she told us about how it happened.

“After I graduated from college and got married I started competing mainly at local shows. We bought our company so I was able to afford better horses and worked my way up to showing on the A-circuit. I moved to PJP Farms (Peter Pletcher) and have had quite a bit of success through the years. I love to compete in this great sport! It had always mystified me (coming from an advertising and marketing background) why no one was marketing the horse shows. It seemed to me a great opportunity to take my background experience and mesh it with the sport I loved. I started marketing, organizing, and promoting fund raising efforts for the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. It was fun for me to sell an event to non-horse sponsors. Especially because it helped raise so much money for TX Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House of Houston.

I became President of the Texas Hunter/Jumper organization and this helped me to learn a great deal about improving show standards. I then felt with my background and experience I could bring a lot to USHJA. It is very exciting to travel around the country and meet so many new people who really want to improve the sport. I would like to continue to promote positive changes.”

Anneliese Kannow competes in the Amateur Owner Hunter division.

Starting out in the pony division as a successful catch rider, she competed in the Pony Finals and was then successful in the Equitation arena, winning the USET Finals in 2000. Undergrad at UCSD and then to USC for her Law Degree, she passed the bar on her first try, a feat within itself.

So how does she manage working in a law firm and riding? “That was a problem and I learned quickly that I really missed riding. The amount of hours you have to put in made it impossible for me to ride. I made the decision that I wanted to ride way more than I wanted to be a lawyer.” So Annelise started tutoring kids at the shows. “I had a couple of students I was working with and decided I could expand on this and continue to pursue my riding. Most of my kids ride so everyone has the same schedule. It works great because I tutor in the afternoons or evenings, leaving me enough time to help my mom with the horses at the ranch and still compete.” She does a lot of the horse work herself. “I help everyday with feeding, grooming, cleaning stalls, etc. I haul my own horse to the shows and groom myself. I like it and it helps make it affordable.”

In her spare time, Annelise is writing a book. “It’s a hand book on The College Application Process. It is so confusing and difficult now that parents and kids are a bit at a loss. This handbook covers the application process and how to get into schools, test scores needed, and resumes. It helps the parents to guide their kids.”

We are so impressed with these Amateurs and their accomplishments in and out of our sport, we plan to continue meeting and discovering more of you! Thank you for all you do.