Highlights

Monday, March 3rd

Premier Truck & Trailer / Video in Demand capture 2008 HITS Golf Tournament

Once the scorecards were added up from the annual HITS Desert Circuit Exhibitor Golf Tournament, it was Team Premier Truck & Trailer/Video in Demand that captured the bragging rights.

BY ZAZOU HOFFMAN

  Up and coming Grand Prix rider and trainer Kevin Winkel spent two years apprenticing with legendary Olympian Joe Fargis before embarking on his professional career. Kevin trains out of family-owned Maplewood Stables, located ten miles south of Reno, Nevada and got his start through his mother Julie Winkel.

I met Julie when I admired her unique and talented jumper stallion, Osilvis, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Julie is a respected Horse Show Judge and serves on several Hunter Seat Equitation committees. Among the prestigious shows to which she has applied her judging skills is the Devon Horse Show (three times), the Hampton Classic (twice), the Capital Challenge (three times), Upperville (three times), Harrisburg, Palm Beach, and the Maclay Finals in New York.

I was curious about the impact that Joe Fargis had on Kevin’s career and training methods.

Zazou Hoffman: Kevin, please tell us how you came to work with Joe Fargis and a few of the more memorable things that you learned from him.

Kevin Winkel: I met Joe Fargis about ten years ago, when he began giving annual clinics at my mom’s stable. That was about three years before I started riding. In 2003, while my mom was back east at the Upperville Horse Show, Joe asked if I would be interested in working for him.

I’ve picked up a great many pointers from working for Joe that have helped me both on and off a horse. There was a lot to learn just by observing his attention to detail, whether it was applied to teaching, riding, or day-to-day life. Joe has accomplished so much, yet his philosophy is simple. Solid basics, common sense and good horsemanship prevail. There are no shortcuts, just doing a quality job day in and day out.

ZH: What advice do you have for an aspiring junior rider who wants to compete in the jumpers?

KW: My advice for an ambitious junior rider is:

Ride and jump a variety of different types of horses.

Think about the horse, and learn how to achieve what you want while working with instead of against your horse.

Have long and short-term goals, make the most out of each ride, and work hard at home. Watch the great riders in the ring, and in the schooling area.

Kevin in a lead-line class in 1989 and in a recent Grand Prix.

ZH: Do you have any exercises that you use to improve a horse’s adjustability?

KW: One exercise I like to do to improve adjustability and form is a simple trot in-canter out three-stride line continuing to a combination.

First, trot in over three raised cavalletti poles, spaced 4’ apart. Next, trot a crossrail set approx. 8’ from the cavalletti poles. After trotting the crossrail, canter straight away in 3 strides (approx. 42’), to a one stride (approx. 22’). It is simple to adjust this exercise for many different types of horses and their needs.

The cavalletti poles should get your horse’s hind end up underneath himself, the crossrail encourages straightness, and trotting magnifies your horse’s jump as well as the rider’s balance. After landing off of the crossrail, your horse needs to respond to your leg by going up into your hand. Having the distance already set up to the combination makes it easier.

With the combination, depending on your horse and its needs, you may set a vertical to vertical to back your horse up and keep its front end light, or an oxer to oxer to make your horse keep its hind end engaged. You can also change the distance of the three-stride to work on adjusting, whether you set it shorter to encourage your horse to collect, or move it out to get your horse to come off of your leg and go forward.

ZH: Is one of your goals to compete internationally and if so, what is your strategy to accomplish this from the West Coast?

KW: This year my main focus is to have a successful Spruce Meadows, as well as continuing to gain experience in the bigger Grand Prix. I want to spend the early part of the year gradually building my horses’ fitness. Our horses have had about two months off and there is no rush, I’d like my horses to peak at Spruce Meadows.

ZH: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. Best of luck to you and your mother this year.

Zazou Hoffman is a 16-year-old from Santa Monica, CA. As a 13-year-old, having only shown locally, she decided to apply for the Ronnie Mutch Working Student Scholarship. She won, which led to working with respected East Coast trainers Missy Clark and John Brennan. Through hard work and commitment, by Jan. '07 Zazou was one of seven elite riders chosen to work with Olympic Chef d'Equipe George Morris in Wellington, FL. She has competed in the Medal Finals for the past three years. She counts her win at the Maclay Regional, her 4th in "the Medal" at Harrisburg, her 5th in the USET Talent Search East at Gladstone, and her 3rd in the WCE amongst her notable accomplishments.

Researched and compiled by Tammy Chipko

Ashlee Bond has a great singing voice. She was actually discovered by a talent manager. Let’s get her to sing the National Anthem!

Bliss Heers is the queen of the video game Dance Dance Revolution. Plus she is a great cook. Question is, can she dance and cook at the same time?

Chris Pratt practiced trapeze flying. He actually won a part on a show for his trapeze talent. We need to see this!

Joie Gatlin loves deep sea fishing. Can you picture her out there fighting the seas with a fish in tow?

Kasey Ament graduated high school in just two years. Very impressive.

Leslie Steele has a secret life as a power tool builder. She says she can build anything. Just ask.

Helen McNaught went to convent school. McNaughty the Nun?

Kate Considine holds dual citizenship, Ireland and USA. Who knew she had the luck of the Irish?

Butch Thomas can shear 200 sheep in a day. So how many horses can he body clip in a day and what would that look like?

Mark Bone can not stand to eat meat off a bone. Not sure what to say about this…

Steve McAllister was an All-American Basketball Player.

Macella O’Neill picks an individual song for every one of her horses, and sings it to them. While on course?

Dale Harvey rode a bucking horse at Cow Palace after the Grand Prix and lasted the maximum time. He then was thrown, landed on his feet and could not walk for two weeks.

Cyndi Merritt loves to drive her car on the race track.

Guy Thomas raised bucking bulls. Sounds scary! How do you teach a bull to buck? And why would you really want to?

Karen Healey is a huge theatre buff. She also loves to read. Yes, she can read! She said that, not me….

Patrick Seaton is a great carol singer. He’s even on youtube. Remember this at LAEC this November – we can all go a-wassailing.

Tasha Visokay graduated Columbia University with a double major and writes political rap songs. Maybe she could partner up with Patrick and put a fun spin on Christmas Carols...

Duncan McFarlane jumped out of helicopters to catch deer and goats in New Zealand. That’s rugged. What if you missed? Or what if you didn’t?

Hap Hansen has a pet pigeon that he rescued from LAEC after it fell from the rafters. He named it Chuy and the bird flies inside and out of the house and always comes back to the cage in the kitchen. Hap recently found out that he's going to be a father - Chuy's actually a she and has laid an egg... Congratulations Hap!