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Courtesy Matt Brown


WHEREEAST MEETS WEST


Eventer Matt Brown’s Distinctive Approach to Training By Patti Schofler


they remind rising eventing star Matt Brown to find what he needs: the courage to make changes. Further up his left arm, more body art symbolizes his passions: the martial arts and the horse. A fish symbolizes the East and martial arts. A horse represents the West and the training philosophies he has embraced. His business, East/West Training, is where he strives to blend Eastern philosophy, body awareness and balancing techniques with Western classical training for the horse. Ranked as a black belt in kenpo karate, this passionate


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California eventer recently brought home, among other suc- cesses in the past two years, two blues from The Event at Re- becca Farm in the CIC3* and CCI2* divisions. Other wins and the conviction of sponsors Valerie and Bob Fish of Blossom Creek Farm have given him the courage to make change, as his wrist tattoos dictate, and set his sights on the highest level of eventing: the 2016 Olympics. His riding and his martial arts training have long been punctuated by question marks, al-


ways wondering why this or that, always watch- ing, and forever seeking knowledge.


The Hunt for Training Philosophy Riding since he was six, Matt admits to starting


out liking difficult horses. “When young I was trying to be stronger or quicker than the horse. But I got to the point that even if I could get the horse to do whatever I wanted, it didn’t feel good and it didn’t last. I discovered that I wasn’t good with confrontation,” he explains. While he was progressing deeper and deeper into the


martial arts (he earned his black belt in 2000), he became frustrated with the way sport horses are traditionally trained, though it had brought him many successes, including the chance to represent Area VI in the North American Young Riders Championships. He was constant- ly reminded that good training meant the horse had to do it his way because he said so. This didn’t sit right with him. Natural horsemanship, he found, gave him some better tools.


he kanji character in the Japanese language mean- ing ‘courage’ is inscribed on one wrist. The other wrist carries the character for ‘change.’ Together


“The trainers had the horses when they were at liberty—


free to do whatever they wanted. I wanted that. There was no forcing. And then I rode with (dressage rider) Beth Ball. I was on a big Hanoverian, trying to muscle it and shove him through,” he explains. “Beth got on the horse and literally took her legs two feet off the horse’s sides and was doing fly- ing changes and half passes. That way of riding made sense with natural horsemanship.” Matt then sought out other trainers with similar philoso-


phies. He was a working student for U.S. Team eventer Denny Emerson. He worked in Montana with horseman George Kharl. He spent hours watching clinics with Olympians, in- cluding Sue Blinks. Today, he has found what he was looking for in his dressage coach Volker Brommann. “It’s about clear boundaries, respect and trust. It’s train-


ing through relaxation, and the release of the aids. What I saw with the natural horsemanship people was calm and centered. What you are seeking is going to happen when it’s going to happen,” Matt says. “As a professional, why would I want to spend


my day making a horse do what it doesn’t want to do? What is most satisfying is that the horse wants to be involved in the relationship,” he adds.


East & West Meet The skills a rider needs to communicate in a way that en- courages the horse to be responsive and be involved in the process are similar to those needed for the martial arts, par- ticularly kenpo karate and tai chi. Matt, now 37, shares his thoughts on why. “Whether the martial art activity is a partnership exercise


or self-defense, tension does not make you quicker or stron- ger—relaxation does. Tension makes you slower and less ef- ficient. We talk in riding about core strength and positive ten- sion, but our riding must be fluid and move with the horse. In martial arts you learn a relaxation that allows you to move without tightness.” “In tai chi, you learn to read your partner or your oppo-


nent. You learn to move and react to your partner. I have tak- en conga drum lessons. These players do a hand movement called walking where you tap the drum with the heel of your


Warmbloods Today 27


Patti Schofler


Courage


Change


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