naive to think we can just go over there and outbid everyone and buy all of the top horses we need.” During her own riding career, Linda says she was able to
develop most of the horses she competed. “We developed them at home and brought them along, which is the part of it that I really enjoyed the most—developing the horses,” she says, adding that she learned how important good design was to the task. “My mentor, Pamela Carruthers, did a lot bringing the
sport to a new level. She was very generous of her time, giv- ing me insight into her work,” Linda explains, noting that Pa- mela believed a course designer’s first responsibility was the welfare of the horses. “My favorite compliment as a course designer is if someone says after a show that their horses are going well at the end of the week and that they obtained good experience.”
Today’s Horses “We’re breeding very good horses in this country,” says Linda.
“We’re breeding as good as the Europeans plus the Europe- ans have cut back. They’re 40 percent down in the number of foals—they’re looking for quality over quantity. The big dif- ference is the European horses are getting the benefit of an established development program for those horses from two to eight, and six or ten is when the Americans want to buy them. We need more horses and a better system of produc- ing those horses.”
“Horses try very hard. A horse that has a
lot of try, a lot of heart,
they’re the easiest ones to take the heart out of. ”
“We have plenty of riders, who, if you get them a good
horse, are going to be successful,” she remarks. “They need horses ready to go. It’ll be interesting to see an evolution in our discipline with DiAnn Langer, the new Chef d’Equipe for Young Riders, a new position and valuable addition to the U.S. program. DiAnn recognizes that the more some- one knows about developing the horses, the easier it is for them to take a top horse and keep it going through a long career.” The courses that each horse faces—and their appropri-
ateness to his current level—are a big part of successfully developing a top athlete. Thanks to thoughtful designs by professionals who care passionately about the welfare and success of horses and riders, more and more competitors are facing courses that encourage them to become one with their horse—even as their skills are challenged and improved.
24 September/October 2014
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