“These riders will need patience and vision to break away from the pack. They must be willing to forego
short-term glory in the show ring for the greater long-term reward of excelling through their own horsemanship and skill.”
as stallion handling, foaling procedures, broodmare man- agement and genetics. Internships range from expense-reimbursed, no-cost positions (eg. Branscomb, Spy Coast) to internships where a nominal monthly tuition is charged to the student (eg. Maplewood), so it is important that candidates inquire about financial and living arrangements and expectations prior to applying. But for the lucky young alumni of these programs, the world is often their oyster as they are sought after by breeders and owners for their specialty in young horse development.
Breeder Programs and Opportunities So once you have the experience and skills to train your own youngster, what are the economic options for finding and acquiring the right equine partner to bring forward either as a resale project or a career horse? What can you as a breeder do to locate trainers and market your not-yet- started or just started youngsters effectively? This is where the breeders and most recently the newly formed United States Sport Horse Breeders Association (USSHBA) feel that there are some exciting developments in bringing breed- ers and competent young horse trainers together in ways that benefit both breeder and trainer to improve their business models. Interim USSHBA President Mary O’Çonnor points to sev-
eral breeder outreach programs now underway. One such program, involving the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Finals (HQF) winners, is the awarding of a Spy Coast young horse training internship to the winner of the HQF. Lisa Lourie, owner of Spy Coast Farm, sees this as a great opportunity to encourage talented young horsemen and women. The 2014 winner of the HQF is Zoe Conley, 18, of Washington, and thus she received the Spy Coast award. Another prominent breeder on the west coast, Rose
Sullivan of SE Farms, has developed an intriguing business model for developing and ultimately marketing her young- sters from the five to six foals a year she produces. Focused primarily on the eventing and jumper markets and located
Georgia Stanton, 2013 USEF/USHJA HQF winner shown during her internship at Spy Coast.
in Newberg, Oregon, Rose participates actively in the Future Event Horse and Young Event Horse competitions from the time her youngsters are a year old to age four or five, then uses “no money down” partnerships with young horse trainers with whom she has developed a strong trusting relationship to see those horses develop in sport. One cur- rent example is her home-bred Colt MCoy SE, a five-year-old gelding by her breeding stallion Clair de Lune SE, who is held in a partnership with nationally known Trinity Eventing head trainer/rider Jennifer Wooten of Buellton, California. Jennifer and Rose work together on behalf of the horse to pursue a competition career and will share in the profits when he is sold. Another avenue is bringing up your own homebred
and partnering with a larger breeder for training. Lisa Lourie of Spy Coast Farm highlights Canadian breeder Paul Johnston, who shipped his just-backed three-year- old stallion Klinton OBF (Clinton/Heartbreaker) to her farm in 2013 for training and found that partnering for training and showing benefitted both farms and the horse. Klinton OBF received the overall high score over fences at the Young Horse Show Finals last fall in Tryon, North Carolina, with Spy Coast young horse trainer David O’Brien in the irons. Another model of shared ownership that allows top rid-
ers to gain access to high quality prospects is to purchase the horse at a discounted purchase price in return for an agreed-upon percentage of the commission on resale go- ing back to the original owner. Finally, young horses still in training but who need the miles and experience may be available on a lease/option basis to an amateur rider with some young horse experience, especially if the lease is in the breeder’s barn and under the supervision of his or her training staff. Branscomb has used these models success- fully in the past to reduce the risks to both breeder and
Warmbloods Today 91
Courtesy SCF
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