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Horse Shows By The Bay; Dressage At aterloo; W Stuart Horse Trials;
Leslie Malone Profile; Between Rounds: Linda Allen
BETWEEN ROUNDS BETWEEN ROUNDS
Reprinted by permission of
VOL. LXXI, NO. 32 FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2008
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The Chronicle of the Horse.
penalties and goes the fastest. However, if Some, even with great ability, decide that background of having ridden, trained
Visit
www.chronofhorse.com
In Gate
Debbie Goldring we are ever to be able to supply our sport work is a drag and look for an easy way horses and taught students brings the ele-
Buy Them Or Make Them?
to subscribe.
with more of the sort of made horses that out. Some discover that weakness in the ment of horsemanship to the creation of
we’re eager to buy abroad I believe that basic skills that should have been solidified appropriate courses for each level of horse.
somehow we must recognize that the the previous years makes dealing with The day will not arrive when the riders,
Our columnist believes many U.S. riders go abroad to purchase
Courtesy of the Artist Details on Page 43 classes for young horses must have a greater difficulty impossible. Some get trainers and owners of our most promising
experienced horses because of fundamental problems in our sport. different purpose than every other class bored with too little challenge toward the young horses feel confident shipping to a
at our shows. end and need variety to ignite renewed horse show until those designing the
Linda Allen interest. courses ask the horses to jump courses
Any good trainer will tell
The 7- and 8-year-old years are a bit that are suitable for their age and for the
I DOUBT THAT there’s a country in the also appropriate experience in the ring testify, there can be a world of difference you one of the most
like university—more than a few have time of the year.
world better at producing riders than the over a three- to five-year period . between two different courses that each
important things in training
already found work in other fields and The countries where we primarily
United States. Every year a number of new Even with the growth of the Young meets the requirements for height and
don’t make it this far. Some accomplish shop already have consistency in what
young faces enter our grand prix ranks, Jumper Championships and other young spread! Distances, fence material, number
a quality horse is to be sure
accelerated course work and graduate the horses of each age are asked to jump.
able to compete with the best of them at jumper classes throughout the country, we and types of combinations and related he never learns what he
early. But for most this is the period for Designers are required to know what is
home or abroad—provided they have the have relatively few individuals with the lines, proportion of spreads to verticals,
can’t do.
specializing and learning the tougher appropriate and adhere to consistent
horseflesh under them. knack and the desire to bring horses along. and how quickly the questions come up for
subjects that will be essential to successful standards. In fact in Germany even a
The number of riders needing horses Those riders, trainers, and owners working the horses, all go into what makes a course
As exciting as it is to win a class, the careers. This is a time to learn how to designer who has fulfilled the require-
suitable to get them to the “big ring,” hard at making good, useful horses cite hard or easy, educational or punishing.
overlying goal should be educating the deal with pressure—not the truly trau- ments for each of five levels of national
along with the continual shortage of well- two major deterrents to developing horses Horses with the quality to go all the
horse—sending him on his way well matic kind, but the sort that will hopefully licensing and is thus eligible to design the
prepared, ready to go horses here in the in the United States. way in today’s sport are the most easily dis-
prepared for the next level. Unless we lay a temper them to deal with whatever they largest national grand prix, may not design
United States, has made our country The first is cost. Very few areas offer couraged as youngsters. They care a lot.
solid foundation in these equine athletes— might face in the future. young horse classes without a special
perhaps the biggest consumer of “made” real show ring experience for young horses Any good trainer will tell you one of the
one that will stand them in good stead as Of course not every horse will fit this license that ensures he knows what
horses in the world. anywhere except at the larger shows. But, most important things in training a quality
they graduate into the open classes, either scenario, but most do. In any case there’s a constitutes a suitable course for each
It’s not just the decline of the dollar even for those who can bear the cost of top horse is to be sure he never learns what he
to grand prix or the junior and amateur lot of ground to cover from first taste of age group.
against the Euro that’s made top horses shows, there remains the extreme diversity can’t do. There’s a saying that most any
ranks—we’ll never have many of the sort the show ring experience (kindergarten) Hopefully, we will be putting more
exceedingly expensive. There’s a worldwide in what’s asked of our young horses in this European will agree with: “It takes five
of horses we currently travel to buy. and college grad (ready to tackle grand prix directives into the U.S. Equestrian
demand for good horses prepared to com- country. Especially for the younger age years to make one but only two minutes to
The oh-so-crucial “in the ring” experi- level with long-term success), and it must Federation Rule Book in the future, but it
pete at most every level. Obviously, the categories, it’s impossible to know what break one.” And inappropriate courses run
ence is determined solely by the course all be squeezed into a few short years. will also take the attention of the course
bigger the courses the horse can handle, you’ll get in terms of courses, and that’s the risk of doing just that.
designer. Once the horse arrives at a show designers together with the courage of the
the smaller the pool of horses, and thus the second problem. Normal jumper classes have one
he’ll have to deal with whatever is put in
H
Producing Versus Showing
trainers and riders to speak up when a
the higher the price. While the rules can dictate the heights purpose—to determine who is best on
front of him. course their youngsters are being asked to
Why is it nearly impossible to find the and spreads for different classes, they can’t the day.
I don’t believe the United States will ever
jump is clearly unsuitable for the age
kind of horses we need, in the numbers we specify the kinds of tests or questions that Courses are set to achieve that end,
H
From Kindergarten To College
become a major producer of high-level
group and more likely to be the “two
need, here at home? are asked of the horses. As any rider can and someone always has the fewest
competition horses, as well as riders, until
minutes that break them” than a part of
The breeding of sport horses hasn’t
There’s some value in considering an the sport at every level puts more emphasis
an educational process that will produce
just increased in scope, it’s increased in
analogy between young jumpers and on producing horses and not simply show-
American-made horses for which we can
quality, yet even the best breeders struggle
school children. In both, no matter the ing them.
be proud.
to place their young stock. No young horse
innate talent, until the body and mind are Awareness of the differences between
becomes a “made” horse that our market
ready too much pressure too soon will not young horses and those already made As exciting as it is to win
demands without first receiving a thor-
speed the process and might well destroy needs to be not just in the minds of
a class, the overlying goal
ough education—the kind that takes years,
either the ability or the desire. trainers, riders and owners, but also
not months.
At each age I believe there are similari- management, and especially those most
should be educating the
The country that’s taken this aspect
ties between jumpers and school children. directly responsible for every horse’s horse—sending him on his
of the sport the most seriously is the
Four-year-olds are like kindergarten kids— education at the shows, the course
way well prepared for the
perpetual leader of the pack, Germany.
training emphasizes socialization, living designers.
They’ve bred sport horses for well more
with some structure and rules, and getting The United States is the only country I
next level.
than 100 years and even dared to change
a taste of what’s to come that will hopefully know that regularly licenses and promotes
I would love to see the day come when
the type of horse they produce as they rec-
leave them eager for more. course designers with little or no back-
we produce equine athletes for our sport at
ognized the changing nature of the sport.
Five-year-olds seem to progress ground in the sport beyond working at
the same rate we produce human athletes.
Yet their record number of horses that
through the year in parallel to a child horse shows. It’s possible to find a formula
I don’t believe that’s likely, however, until
enter the sport, reach the highest levels,
completing grammar school. All the basic for getting the right number of jumps in
we develop the means for the trainers and
and are sold abroad, I believe has just as
skills are introduced, with each year build- the ring and determining tracks for the
owners of our young jumper prospects to
much to do with their program for devel-
ing on the work completed the prior one. various classes through a few years of
get them the sort of competitive mileage
oping horses from 4 to 8 years old as it
There’s a lot of ground to cover during this observation, and a winner will always
the horses need and deserve.
does to their breeding. The two parts go
period, but logical progression is essential emerge. Most of the time there will also be
Noted international course designer Linda Allen
hand in hand.
to not creating a confused individual with an appropriate number of horses going
created the show jumping courses for the 1996
little belief in his abilities or interest in the clean, and the class will fit into a
Atlanta Olympics and the 1992 FEI World Cup
H
High Costs And Courses
t
P
h
o
t
o
)
job at hand. jam-packed time schedule.
Finals. She’s a licensed judge, technical delegate
Six-year-olds are in high school. This But, offering the sort of courses that
and a former international show jumper. She
Producing a horse that will go on to
period shows a glimmer of just how far, include questions to produce a winner
B
r
o
n
k
h
o
r
s
lives in Laredo, Texas, and founded the
grand prix levels, or do the junior/amateur-
and in what direction, the individual will and to bring all the competitors taking
International Jumper Futurity and the Young
owner division (at the 1.40-meter level),
(
A
r
n
d
go later in life. He might think he knows it part to a new and more proficient level Jumper Championships. Allen began writing
takes not only knowledgeable training but
...with LINDA ALLEN
all, but in reality there’s still a lot to learn. is a different story. This is when the Between Rounds columns in 2001.
18
www.chronofhorse.com The Chronicle of the Horse Friday, August 8, 2008
www.chronofhorse.com 19
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