BY JACKIE FREUNDLICH MCFARLAND

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum Clinic
  Each year as the holidays approach, competition is on the back burner and clinics abound. We cover two in this newsletter, but we know there were also well-attended George Morris clinics up and down the west coast. For those who wrapped up the year learning from some of the world’s best, we commend you.

  As mentioned in this issue’s A Stable Story, El Campeon Farms is an ideal setting for equines and equestrians, which holds true for the Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum clinic hosted by Oak Grove Stud on November 20-22, 2009. Combine fabulous southern California weather, great footing, focused riders, devoted auditors, delicious food with Michaels-Beerbaum and the results are remarkable.

  We spoke with several riders who participated at varying heights and observed Sunday’s session. Riding at the 1.20m level, Michael Whang excelled tremendously. Encouraged by his trainer Duncan McIntosh, this was Whang’s first clinic. Kenneth Vinther decided he and his young horse Cagney, who participated in the 1.30m level, couldn’t miss the chance to learn from one of the best riders in the world. Recent winner of the USHJA’s EAP National Training Session and top junior rider Ricky Neal also discussed the challenges he faced during the clinic that ultimately taught him more than the aspects that went smoothly.

Day 1: Friday Focuses on Flatwork
  Michael Whang explains, “The theory of forward, back and sideways to explain the specifics of flatwork helped me feel how the horse reacts to the aids, how to become one with the horse.”

  “She worked a lot on simplifying the flat work, so whether moving up or collecting, the horse reacts readily from the leg,” commented Kenneth Vinther.

Day 2: Saturday Solidifies Style
  Riders maneuvered several gymnastic exercises from a single trot fence to trot in-canter out combinations to four oxers each with one stride in between. Vinther loves how these exercises teach the rider balance and rhythm, and the horse to think and learn from mistakes without the rider’s interference. With Meredith on the ground, it was a tremendous learning experience.

Day 3: Sunday Seals the Deal
  The format on Sunday was a culmination of flatwork on Friday and gymnastics work on Saturday, where both horse and rider learned about preparing for what was to come on this final day. Everyone warmed up solo on the flat. Meredith set one jump in the arena for warm-up and instructed each rider to tell her how they wanted to warm up the horse, from type of jump to height to what approach and when they were ready to go. Sometimes the rider was asked about their choices, other times they were advised to alter their warm-up.

  With Cagney, Vinther decided to use trot poles in front of the warm-up jump to achieve a lighter more balanced horse without pulling. Since the young jumper can get heavy, when a strong rebalancing was needed, it was encouraged as long as there was a softening. The results were nothing short of amazing; the horse is bursting with talent. He jumped around the 1.30m course beautifully. Vinther admits that he has the perfect training situation at home. His wife Karen is a dressage trainer, so when he is on the road for CWD the horse is well schooled on the flat.

  During the three day event, Vinther learned by both on and off the horse and took home some valuable reminders. “I learned from riding in the clinic, but also from watching the other riders while listening. I was reminded to ‘listen’ to my horse, to not just go through the paces. I have been lazy about correcting his ‘playing around’, but Meredith reminded me to stay focused and be disciplined.”

  Whang was pleased with the connection he established with his horse on the flat on the final day. “My warm up on Sunday directly correlated to what I learned on Friday. My horse reacted to it well, he was calm and in my hands, accepting every aid, including my seat.” However the butterflies in his stomach were fluttering at full force when he went to perform in front of his peers and clinician in the arena. The 1.20-1.25m course was higher than he had ever ridden on this horse. After a relatively smooth warm-up his ride began and his nerves were replaced with a keen sense of focus. After he finished a flawless round, Meredith simply said, “There is not much to say about that ride. Excellent. Good riding, good training.”

  California-born, now German citizen, Michaels-Beerbaum is a solid example of focus, determination and keen competitiveness. She’s proven her methods are successful through her success aboard numerous mounts, most notably the super-talented Shutterfly. For those who participated and those who watched, it was not only a weekend well spent, but potentially the chance of a lifetime.

	WORDS OF WISDOM FROM MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM
	Practice: "Practice what is hard. Know your weak points." Soft like butter: “Work with your horse’s mouth. Take and let go. Know when to soften.” “Let the fence slow your horse down. Let the fence create the shape. Not your hands.” Analyze: “One of the most fun aspects of riding is to feel what is going on today. Make a plan that suits and know when to change.” Know Your Horse: “With Shutterfly I warm-up over about 1.15-1.20m even for 1.60m classes.” “Take advantage of the time before the bell to feel what is going on with your horse. Review the plan. Tour the course.”

Learning from the Masters

BY ALDEN CORRIGAN AND CHRISTY SCHROEDER; PHOTOS BY ALDEN CORRIGAN

Joe Fargis at the Menlo Circus Club
  On an unusually crisp December day in Atherton, California, Joe Fargis stands in the middle of the outdoor ring at the beautiful equestrian center of the Menlo Circus Club. His Paul Newman blue eyes are intently watching the students participating in the first day of his two day clinic as they execute his instructions with varying degrees of accuracy based on their ability.

  Fargis, now 60, has owned and operated Sandron Farm in Middleburg, Virginia since 1978 with his partner Conrad Homfeld. He continues to compete successfully in Grand Prix at many of the top horse shows in the country, and as a testament to his contribution to the sport, has was awarded the USHJA Lifetime Achievement Award for 2009.

  This double gold medal winning Olympian in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and silver medalist in the 1988 Seoul Olympics has never lost sight of two critically important facets of our sport; the welfare of the horse and education of the rider, serving on the USHJA Horse Welfare Committee, and teaching clinics around the world when he’s not attending a horse show.

  Fargis began riding in Vienna, Virginia under the tutelage of Jane Dillon at her Junior Equitation School. In 1966 he went to Francis Rowe’s Foxwood Farm in Crozier, Virginia and stayed there for the next twelve years, until he began training with the legendary Bert de Nemethy. “I use tools today that I learned from my early riding teachers. They were wonderful. Everything they said thirty and forty years ago still sticks. When I grew up we were at the barn every day learning something, and the horse show would be occasional. Now the horse show is frequent, and you’re never at the barn doing your homework. It’s gotten upside down.”

  The word teacher comes up frequently when talking with Joe. He recalls a certain second grade school teacher; he makes references watching trainers teach in the schooling areas at horse shows, and even admits that if horses hadn’t become a career for him he might have chosen teaching instead. It’s no wonder that Fargis is one of the most sought after clinicians today, so much so that he often gives clinics in countries where he doesn’t speak the language, and has to rely on an interpreter. “Who knows....the translator may finally get to tell them what he really thinks,” Joe says in jest.

  Nathan Stiles, assistant to trainer Nicole Bloom at Round Meadow Farm, LLC had the privilege of working for Fargis in 1997 when he was only 17, and Fargis has been a mentor to him ever since. Both Nicole and Nathan felt strongly that the Menlo Circus Club Equestrian Center would be ideal venue in which to host this event.

  Stiles explained, “I wanted to bring Joe to the club for many reasons. I think the Menlo Circus Club is a perfect place to host clinics and other equestrian related events. Joe is a fantastic clinician and because of my relationship with him I thought he was the perfect person to bring to the club for what I hope is a long line of clinics to follow. Lastly, I wanted to ride with him. He's always made me better just by being around him and every time he comes and gives a clinic I make sure to reserve one spot for myself. It's a good refresher course of all the things he has ever taught me.”

  Fargis finds clinics rewarding on many levels. “I learn a lot from teaching clinics, I remind myself of what I think. For the horse and rider they get a different point of view. When they take a clinic from me they see how I think, when they take a clinic from someone else they see how they think. Then it is up to the person to form their own conclusion about what’s good for them, what’s correct, or what’s incorrect.”

  He further emphasized the unique benefits for the riders. “The value of having many different approaches presented to them is so that they can arrive at their own conclusions. There are a lot of different ways to skin a cat, but at the end of the day you want the horse to be balanced, straight, happy and correct and there are going to be different ways of getting there. I’m not saying I’m right or wrong but this is my way of getting there.”

  Remarkably Fargis will tell you he draws on his failures rather than his incredible successes when teaching: “I know where I went wrong. I don’t mean that in a negative way, I know when I’ve messed up, and I remember it very well... those can be more important lessons that the successful ones.” He goes on to say, “I think I know how to avoid the pitfalls... Age teaches you a lot.. the experiences you have with horses teaches you what works and what doesn’t work.”

  One of the most common “bad habits” Fargis finds in his travels is that “People ride with too much emotion. Riding should be clean, well thought out, and if we make a mistake, which we all do because we’re human, it shouldn’t fluster us. We should take a deep breath and continue with riding. We inflict our agenda on the poor horse and he has no idea what’s going on up there.”

  Fargis believes that people tend to forget what they learn in clinics very easily, however he says “I hope somewhere down the road, maybe a year from now some of these people say to themselves I get that or I remember that and it will click. You just have to hope that the right things come together at the right time.”

  After all these years of teaching, what is it that keeps Joe Fargis coming back for more? “What I enjoy is trying to get my point of view across... that the horse is a living, breathing creature. You have to work with it... it’s not a machine... and anybody that understands that and isn’t flustered by it gives me great satisfaction.”

BY JACKIE FREUNDLICH MCFARLAND

Söhnke ‘The Happy German’ Theymann
  This is a tale of a faraway place where a young German has happily landed and is now spreading his wings. Many of us know the name El Campeon Farms, but may yet not know Soehnke Theymann.

  El Campeon is certainly the home of champions. The multi-faceted farm continues to host clinics, film sets and commercial shoots, and without question is one of the finest equestrian facilities in California, if not beyond.

  And now back to Soehnke (which is the English translation for Söhnke). Certainly destined for greatness, he is named after a famous German Olympic Medalist and Chef D’Equipe, Sönke Sönksen. He comes from a family with a strong equine background - his parents own a breeding farm in Dortmund, are both Grand Prix level riders and his sister has ridden on the German Dressage Team.

  I was introduced to Soehnke a few seasons ago and although also from German descent (Freundlich means friendly), admittedly I had a hard time remembering this very German name. So to break the ice, I asked him how to say it and if there was another name he went by. Zunkah is how one might translate it phonetically, but to those who have gotten to know him in the show ring call him ‘the happy German’ as coined by our very own Janet Fall. And he explained that others, like Sophie and Ty Simpson, simply call him Tim.

EqSol: So you've been around horses all your life. What age did you start riding? Competing?
ST: Growing up on a 150-acre horse farm, there were always horses around. I was five when I started riding and was showing by age six or seven on ponies in both dressage and jumpers. I competed up to Level 5 in dressage, and rode in my first Grand Prix when I was 16. When I wasn’t competing as a junior any longer, I started to focus more on the young horses, getting our offspring ready to compete and sell.

EqSol: Did you always want to ride, teach and train?
ST: I went to school for Farm Management but then I got an unbelievable opportunity to work with Eva Gonda at El Campeon and really enjoyed it. I always had a few customer horses on the side, but now I am getting more involved in teaching. I really love the whole process of developing a horse and rider from the ground up, and customizing a training program that fits them.

EqSol: What do you see as the similarities and differences between American and German riding styles?
ST: The German style is based on dressage. Straight from the books – the classic system. The whole idea is to raise horses to jump well from a dressage background. I am also very focused on the horse’s fitness; making sure that when they start the show season they are 110% fit for the job that we are asking of them.

  The American system is based in the forward seat. Riders evolve faster here – there are a lot of great trainers heavily involved in the process of the rider’s education. The process teaches riders to be very competitive in the show ring. I observed this when I came to work in West Palm Beach directly after high school. I was impressed with the style and could see that there are different ways than those I had learned to achieve top results.

EqSol: How does your German background shape your adaptation to the American system?
ST: We, the horses and the riders, strive for goals for the year and work towards that in our program – at home and at the show. We get an education every day – a lesson, flat ride or in the show ring. It’s a system we plan – it can change of course – but always looking towards the goal.

  For example if we want to be competitive in the big class on Saturday, we may decide to ride the class on Wednesday slower to develop confidence for the horse. So we prepare in the previous classes to achieve the goal for that week.

EqSol: What do you see as the similarities and differences between your experience with California and German horse shows?
ST: At a number of the European shows, you trailer in, ride in four or five classes and leave that same day. I love how here you can spend the week and really gear up to your goal for that week. And there are great venues here in California – who wouldn’t love showing here?

EqSol: Going on your third year at El Campeon, what are your goals for 2010?
ST: To be as competitive as I can on El Campeon’s All Star. I brought him along from a 6 year old to the Grand Prix and at the end of last season I earned my first World Cup points on him. We will continue competing in the World Cup Qualifiers.

  And to develop a nice string of competitive horses and clients at all levels. Becoming better horsemen, jumping solid rounds and achieving our goals. Of course it’s serious sport but we also have a good time.

EqSol: El Campeon is a fabulous facility - how do you take advantage of preparing for the show ring there?
ST: It’s unbelievable, the most amazing facility I’ve ever been to. From European walkers, the grass Grand Prix field, the all weather sand arena, indoor, you can’t prepare better than here – and I’ve been to good facilities. I am so very thankful to be here, you can really bring horses along here without over-showing them.

  Even with the major storms that we had last week, we didn’t miss a day of training and fitness. We rode in the indoor during the downpour, but the outdoor arena was ready for riding within 12 hours after the last rain.

EqSol: So on to important things…what is your favorite American food?
ST: There are too many! Let me think... In & Out Burger – I must admit that I love that place. Also the Mexican influence, there are no Mexican restaurants in Germany. I do sometimes miss my mom’s German cooking.

EqSol: And how do you like the SoCal lifestyle?
ST: I love it. It’s laid back. People say that I don’t seem like a German because I am so laid back – so I fit right in! I think that’s why Janet called me ‘the happy German’ my first season in Thermal and it stuck. Of course I am so thankful to have this amazing opportunity – to live and work in southern California, at a facility that is second to none and with a great team of people.

  Danke schön Söhnke! We always enjoy getting to know the people behind the names. Best of luck achieving your goals and continuing to live the dream at El Campeon!