There are no better examples of Andre’s contributions to
this system than Kent Farrington, Reed Kessler, Kirsten Coe and now Lillie Keenan. Andre coached Reed, the youngest equestrian to ever compete at an Olympics, from the time she was eight to the age of 15, all the way through the equi- tation and the Junior Jumper ranks. He says that Lillie is another great example of the pipeline
working. She began her career as a successful pony rider and went on to compete at the major equitation finals. After win- ning the Washington International Equitation Classic in 2010 and in 2013 winning the North American Young Rider gold medal, the USEF Medal Finals at Harrisburg and the Maclay, she went on to represent the U.S. on a Nations Cup team in Europe this past summer. “Hopefully this will happen with Tori Colvin too. I think the U.S. Team officials are looking to see this happen—to see these top-riding juniors find their way to riding on our teams,” says Andre.
▲ The Horse A talented, reliable horse is the final third of the equitation equation. “A good equitation horse is one with a very good brain. They have got to have the temperament for the di- vision. They have to have a lot of scope, a big open stride, even gaits and be a good natural lead changer. They have to be a real athlete. A good equitation horse should also be good at other things and could win in the hunters or jump- ers,” he says, then adds, “On top of all of that I would like for them to be pretty.” Historically most of Andre’s good equitation horses have been geldings and most of them have been on the bigger side, but that doesn’t mean that there were not rare excep- tions. “As a general rule, a nice sized gelding with a great temperament and scope and ‘the look’ fits the bill. This is also why I think a lot of our top equitation horses have ex- celled in the hunter derby program.” He says that the horses that make the fewest mistakes
are the ones that win all of the classes. While this seems like common sense, there are nuances. “They don’t spook. They don’t knock jumps down. They don’t miss changes. They are good in any environment at any time of day, because a lot of times these big championships are held in non-horse friend- ly environments,” he explains. There have been many top horses over the 25 years, but
Andre says a lot of the time, the connection between the rid- er and horse is a key factor. “More often than not the big wins have come from the relationships that were created between the rider and that horse. There were a few exceptions where the a horse won big no matter who rode him, but usually it was about putting that pairing together that made it special. I think my favorite horses are the ones that give me the im- pression that they are trying to win for their riders.”
Advice for North American Breeders Many times when Andre has spotted a young horse that he thinks possesses the attributes to be a good equitation
22 January/February 2015
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