The 2016 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session By Amber Heintzberger
T
he George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, presented by the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), took place at the beginning of January at the
Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. The program started in 2007, and until now George Morris has been the key instructor. This year, however, the former U.S. chef d’equipe is taking a sabbatical from teaching to focus on new projects, including coaching the Brazilian show jumping team. As a result, the training session took on a new format, with a panel of Olympic riders coaching the twelve selected students over three days. According to the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF), the
training session has evolved in the past few years from being a program for the nation’s top equitation riders to focusing on educating future U.S. team riders. Casey Easley, director of show jumping high performance
programs for the USEF, explains how the twelve participants were selected. “Seven of the twelve spots are for riders who qualify based on their results in competitions throughout the year—the Young Rider and Junior individual gold medal- ists from the North American Junior and Young Rider Cham- pionships (NAJYRC), the individual gold medalist from the Junior Jumper Championships, the winners of the Talent Search Finals east and west, and the top two riders from the Emerging Athletes Program nationals. Then the remain- ing riders are chosen from wild card applications, which are reviewed by the developing rider chef d’equipe and a group of selectors who look at the applicant’s experience, competi- tion results and recommendations,” Casey says. The training session included a day of flat work, a day of gymnastic jumping, and a friendly Nations Cup style “compe- tition” session on the final day, with riders divided into groups of four, each with a different coach. Appropriately,
each member of the winning team took home a collectible action figure of George Morris and his Olympic mount Rio, recently produced by Breyer.
Victoria Colvin Victoria Colvin, 19, of Loxahatchee, Florida, rode Allyson Shyroc’s Whisper Z, a Zangersheide by Winner E out of Symfonie VH Eikelbos. Victoria trains with Andre Dignelli and is a student at Florida State University in Tallahassee. She was the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Finals Champion, 2015 Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals Champion and the 2015 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East Champion. She also participated in the clinic two years ago with
George Morris instructing. “It was longer and extremely nerve wracking!” she recounts with a laugh. “I have taken lessons with George for the equitation and now take some more with the jumpers. He is a pleasure to train with and everything he says you should write down in a notebook.”
Pros Step In On Thursday, U.S. young horse dressage coach Christine Traurig instructed the riders on the flat. Her focus was on the basics: her session concentrated on applying the training scale and encouraging each rider to establish every aspect of that scale with their horse, including rhythm, relaxation, contact, straightness, impulsion and collection. This was extra challenging for many of the riders who rode borrowed horses for the three day event, but Christine patiently worked through the details to develop finesse and under- standing in each rider, along with a correct and effective position in the saddle. Christine explained how dressage training can help
jumper riders to shave time off on course. “The more athleti- cally developed a horse is, the more promptly it can respond, because it knows how to handle its body,” she advised. Olympians Lauren Hough, Laura Kraut, Anne Kursin-
Lauren Hough and DiAnn Langer walk the course with the Blue Team.
Photos in this section by Chicago Equestrian
ski and Beezie Madden also coached the ridden portion of this year’s session, with Beezie focusing on gymnastic work. Legendary Brazilian rider Roderigo Pessoa even stopped by to walk the course on the final day and give the riders some Nations Cup pointers. Also, John Madden spent time discuss- ing FEI rules with participants. Throughout the clinic, riders cared for their own horses without the assistance of grooms or trainers—but they were not without guidance. In an effort to really round out their education as horsemen and women, riders concluded each day back in the barn with Colleen Reed, known for her time spent at Fairfield County Hunt Club as manager and groom
Warmbloods Today 19
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