MAY 2018 THE RIDER /45


2018 EC Convention Wraps Up with Rising Stars, Prestigious Awards & Exceptional Auditor Clinic


Ottawa, ON, April 8, 2018 – The final two days of the Equestrian Canada (EC) Convention, held April 6-8, 2018 in Ottawa, ON, contin- ued to provide the eques- trian community with top-class professional devel- opment, interactive learning opportunities and engaging social events.


Youth Athlete Panel Offers Glimpse into Canada’s Bright Equestrian Future The second day of the


2018 EC Convention on April 7 got underway with a two-part session featuring a hot stove discussion be- tween EC Director of Sport, Jon Garner and keynote speaker, Curt Harnett – a four-time Olympian in cy- cling,


two-time Team


Canada Chef de Mission and 2018 inductee into the Order of Canada. Garner and Harnett


charismatically set the stage for a panel discussion fea- turing Canada’s


rising


equestrian stars through an anecdotal around


conversation “Breakthrough:


When Preparation Meets Opportunity.” A special fea- ture with video footage of Garner and Harnett’s hot stove discussion will be available


soon


www.equestrian.ca. Following the hot


stove, all eyes and ears were on the youth athletes as they spoke to their approaches to training and competition, and the management of their burgeoning careers. The panel was comprised of:


April Simmonds – Event- ing Annick Niemueller – Eventing Ava MacCoubrey – Dres- sage Jennifer Mattell – Jumping Vanessa Creech-Terauds – Dressage The panelists’ accounts of personal experiences and high performance philoso- phies provided insight into the opportunities and chal- lenges of today’s youth ath- letes.


Displaying


age-defying wisdom, the panelists shared numerous profound observations with the audience, including the following comments: “I’ve always tried to


surround myself with people who demand a high level from those they work with and their horses. You can never perfect the art of rid- ing, but you can surround yourself with people who strive for perfection any- way.” – Annick Niemeuller “Going into a meeting


at


with a mental performance specialist, I was a little skep- tical, but that mental ability


the sport, so how can quality equestrian programs con- tribute to their develop- ment? Good programs, people and places need to be there for that quality sport experience and to create a great culture of excellence in all we do.” To learn more about


LTED 2.0, visit www.eques- t r i a n . c a / p r o g r ams - services/lted.


Clive Milkins Details the Pathway to Success from Therapy to Podium EC


Para-Dressage


The 2018 EC Awards Reception included the presentation of EC’s highest award honour, the Gold Medal Award, posthumously awarded to Susan Grange. L to R: Meg Krueger, John Grange, Brennan Grange, Tyler MacNamara, Annie Sheppard, Don Sheppard. Photo Credit – Cealy Tetley


gives you the edge over other athletes. Whether it is a small show, the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NA- JYRC) or the Olympics, you cannot go into that ring put- ting pressure on yourself be- cause it’ll throw your game. If you think your test looks really bad, then you stop rid- ing to win and you start rid- ing to lose.” – Vanessa Creech-Terauds “As a rider, I forget that


I am an athlete, too. Every- thing is about the horse; I al- ways want my horses in


tip-top shape and I’ve had sound horses throughout my life. Me, on the other hand, I’m not always so sound. I went


through a season


where I fell off at every sin- gle FEI event, I didn’t qual- ify for NAJYRC, I failed. So, when I went home that summer, I went to a per- sonal trainer. I came out fit the next year, and qualified for NAJYRC on both my horses. When you’re gallop- ing cross-country and your horse is tired, you have to be fitter than they are to sup- port them.” – April Sim- monds Moderator and Sport


Law & Strategy Group Part- ner, Dina Bell-Laroche ended the session by sum- marizing five major take- aways: • Our words shape our world. • Believe in yourself. • Surround yourself with people who lift you up. • Fail well. • Remember your ‘why.’ Visit EC’s Facebook


page to watch a full livestream video of the youth panel.


LTED 2.0 Workshop Pro- vides Hands-On Learning Experience Promoting Quality Sport The Discover Long-


EC Para-Dressage High Performance Technical Leader, Clive Milkins detailed the six phases of para-dressage coaching, using powerful examples and lessons learned from his own personal experience to trace a path to high performance success.


Term Equestrian Develop- ment (LTED) 2.0 Workshop provided participants with practical experience using the LTED model as a vital resource for guiding athletes through the equestrian path- way.


After the inspiring


youth panel, participants were eager to dive into the Discover Long-Term Eques- trian Development (LTED) 2.0 Workshop to learn all about this vital resource. EC’s LTED 2.0 model


The Developing Canada’s Youth: Presentation & Athlete Panel generated an informa- tive dialogue concerning the successful development of equestrian high performance youth athletes. L to R: Dina Bell-Laroche, April


Simmonds, Jennifer Mattell, Annick Niemueller, Ava MacCoubrey, Vanessa Creech-Terauds. Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley


was launched in 2017 to benefit all equestrian partic- ipants, from athletes and parents to coaches and offi- cials to competition organiz- ers and owners. The model was lauded as the best out of nearly 100 FEI countries worldwide during the 2017 FEI General Assembly. Director of Long-Term


Athlete Development at Sport for Life, Carolyn Trono, and EC LTED Work- ing Group Chair, Anne


EC certified High Performance 1 Coach and Canadian Equestrian Team athlete, Chris Sorensen led an engaging live rider demo and auditor clinic to close out the


Welch, speaking to the process of creating LTED 2.0. “You don’t just take programs and throw them at the wall to see if they stick. They have to be purposeful, thought out, and meet objec- tives.” The discussion centred


on proper skill building and touched on key issues, such as aligning terminology and promoting awareness of the LTED model. Another major theme in the work- shop was the importance of creating meaningful compe- titions that function as ap- propriate challenge zones for athletes. “Our job in the sport


system is to make sure foun- dational skills are well-de- veloped,


and that


competition reinforces those skills,” said Welch. “It is so important to make sure competition is not an end to itself, but an opportunity to learn more.” Trono


concluded,


“Quality sport is the most important thing. Not every- one is going to be an Olympian, but everyone is going to be participating in


Welch, guided participants through the LTED athlete development matrix and collaborative exercises fo- cused on developing holistic programs and training plans. “A program has to


meet needs,” explained


High Performance Techni- cal Leader, Clive Milkins, walked Convention atten- dees through six phases of para-dressage coaching. He used his own life experience as a personal and powerful case study, tying into his ul- timate message: perfect planning prevents poor per- formance. “Everything is not


about winning, but what does excellence mean?”


Milkins asked the audience. “It might be a flying change, coming off the lead rein, or just staying on the horse. As coaches and athletes, we have to ask these questions, because only when we have these goals can we create a plan to perfect them. My coaching philosophy says excellence looks like being the best you can be with what you have on any given day.”


Milkins shared valu-


able insight into his philoso- phies and techniques, such as why he abandons stirrups for many of his athletes (stirrups can inhibit a safe fall; make it difficult to re- move a child from a horse in an unsafe situation; or throw off the balance of an athlete with a neurological impair- ment). By shedding light on


para-dressage coaching fun- damentals, Milkins illumi- nated the clear path to high


Continued on Page 46


but deceptively difficult, pole exercise that is a staple in the pre-competition warm-up routine of American Olympic Champion, Beezie Madden. Photo Credit:


Proving that basics can be anything but basic, Chris Sorensen guides 1.30m jumper demo rider, Adam Hickey of Almonte, ON, through a seemingly simple,


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