TRAINER SPOTLIGHT Always Remembering his Roots!! Lane Clarke


did you live there? Then where? When and why did you come to California? Liverpool, Australia. I came to


SB: Where were you born? How long


California when I was 2 yrs old with my parents and brother. My parents decided to come to the US to give us more opportunities to be successful in whatever we wanted to pursue.


SB: Tell us a bit about your show history and work history. I started riding seriously at 10 yrs


old. After 6 months I went to my first “A” show at Showpark and showed in the children’s jumpers. I had a blast and even won my first class and I was hooked. The famous “Kangarooster” came along, he was the first pony/ horse to put me “on the map”, even if was just a small little dot on the map. I went to work as a rider for Mickey


Lane Clarke with girlfriend Jen Reese


Hayden when I was 15 ½ years old, and I’ve been riding for him ever since (10 years so far). With Mickey, I have moved through all the divisions, starting with the Modified Junior/Amateurs and then every level up through Grand Prix. I won my first Grand Prix at 17 years


old and was 2004 PCHA Grand Prix Rookie of the Year.


how does a typical day work? On a typical day at the barn, I ride


SB: Work...what are your duties and


up to 9 horses, work 1 or 2 horses on the ground, and teach several lessons. Other duties include finding horses for clients, managing staff (teachers, riders, grooms, etc.), communicating with clients, and basically everything that goes with a training barn operation.


SB: What's the best part of being in the horse business? For me there is a long list of things that


SB: What do you miss about "home" when you are on the road? My girlfriend Jen, my own bed, and


my Man Cave.


SB: Family...who and how many in the family? Do any of them ride? I’m a fifth generation horseman. My


whole family is involved in the horse business. My Mom, Meredith Clarke, is a farrier. My Dad, Allen Clarke is a horse trainer. My brother, Lyn Clarke, is a farrier and also trains some dressage and jumping horses.


I enjoy about the horse business. First and foremost are the horses, nothing is better than the horses. Other things I enjoy include the people, competition, travel, outdoors, and the fact I’m getting paid to do something I love.


SB: What's something we don't know about you but would find interesting? I’m a big joker and one of my favorite things to do is pick on Mickey and play practical jokes. I love telling jokes and watching people laugh. But for myself, most of the jokes I laugh at are ones that are inappropriate for this magazine. I try to laugh a lot and not to take all aspects of my life too seriously.


SB: Friends here? Most of my friends are also horse people, so we know how long of a list


56


that is! My best friends though, are my family and my girlfriend.


SB: What are your goals and what’s in the future for you? My goal is to continue developing


as a rider and a trainer. My future plans involve world-class competition, hopefully including the Olympics, World Cup, and WEG. I’d like to also be an inspiration to up-and-coming riders and raise the standard in the industry for ethics, horsemanship, and achievement.


SB: Any final thoughts? I have a lot of people to thank for the


help they’ve given me along the way. My family for their unwavering love, support, and effort in all aspects of my life. Mickey for guidance, coaching, and friendship. My friends for their support and advice. My sponsors for helping me achieve my goals. Thanks to my clients, to my staff…..especially my grooms. I am thankful and wouldn’t be where


I am today without the help of all these people.


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