Never Settle for
Good Enough
An amateur’s perspective on 2
days with Mclain Ward
by Tara Gallagher-Couch
Riding with
Maclain Ward
was on my
bucket list.
Left and Above: Mclain Ward
and his Phillipa.
o is spending a summer riding in ter two weeks of horse showing, both jumping.” The flatwork was deliber-
S
Europe, racing a Ferrari and swim- my horse and I could use a little beauty ate, planned and repetitive till we got it
ming in a waterfall. Well, wipe sleep and I also was getting more ner- right, and finally we got to jump.
swimming in a waterfall off the vous, by the minute, that I would actu- “That’s good he says, but it can
list. My husband and I attempted this ally be spoken to by be better! Don’t rush to the jump.
on our last trip to Hawaii and found it It is a tiny cross rail, I want you to
to be really cold, murky go slow to it, relax and stay the
and I am pretty sure we same.” Back again, but slower.
were interfering with “There that is better, stay there,
snake life. Ugh. don’t change anything. Excel-
This was the first clinic lent.” Pop, over the cross rail
I had ever ridden in, so and on to the next rider. We
naturally my first question did this exercise until we all
was “what do I wear?”. I did it properly, which wasn’t
posed this question to my the first time for any of us.
trainer, suggesting perhaps “Don’t rush, keep an even
I needed to wear a hunt coat pace, it isn’t even two feet
(I mean this is picture per- tall” was the commentary
fect Mclain!). Her response for every rider.
was an adamant “NO!” and Then came the gymnastic.
she added just as poignantly Maclain set up a ground
“no bling!”. rail, 9’ to a cross rail, 9’
Darn, I thought, those crys- to a ground rail, 9’ to a
tal studded spurs are going to vertical, 9’ to a ground rail and another
have to retire to the trunk. I Mclain Ward, 9’ to an oxer. All of the jumps were
also opted not to wear my navy directly spoken to! small, not even 2’6”. I was blessing the
and patent hunt boots, and chose good Maclain started with flat work on the ground my trainer walked on for taking
ole’ black instead, hopefully he no- first day, always keeping the welfare of me through all those grids and cavalletti
ticed. the horse in the forefront. “Just start exercises at home, as mundane as they
When 6 am Monday morning rolled working your horses at a walk, get them were at the time I was now glad I had
around, I was so nervous I was regret- warm first. We are just starting, so keep basics. We felt prepared.
ting my decision to do the clinic. Af- that in mind, then we will do some “This is the type of exercise I do on
Center and Opposite Page: The author on Cerena.
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