January 18, 2021

Horsemastership. What is this? What does it mean? To me, it means complete understanding of the horse. It is to love, care and manage horses in addition to riding them. All of this and more was confirmed and enhanced through four days of the USEF 2021 Horsemastership Session held at Equestrian Village, the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival grounds, in Wellington, Fla from January 14-17. I felt so privileged to take part.

McLain Ward’s voice rings in my head:

“Don’t be a turtle.”

“Don’t be an egg.”

He was telling me to sit up tall and balance with my upper body instead of curling forward toward the jump. I’ll never forget those lessons – and his voice is on permanent repeat in my mind. It was so funny to hear – people laughed — but also the message is spot on. The softness that is my trademark strength – can also be my Achilles heel… the singular problem that brings down a rail at the worst moment or leads to the flying leaper at the last fence of an otherwise winning jump off. By the end of the flatwork with Anne Kursinski, the gymnastics with Beezie Madden and the show jumping with McLain Ward – you can bet I was sitting straight and riding strong.

The clinic’s progressive format is designed to develop already successful young riders into horseman who might someday represent our country – my dream! We learned from many industry experts and athletes on horsemanship, barn management and care and riding skills. Each night we had Zoom discussions on things like social media and media management, goal setting and vet care. The last night, we walked the Grand Prix course in the International Ring, and watched the first half together. Beezie ultimately won the event, after a day of teaching us!

Anne Kursinski, Assistant Chef d’Equipe and Development Technical Advisor taught the flat session and her message was simple and effective: Become one with the horse. I was aboard Zandora D, a chestnut mare that belongs to Elise Haas. I am so grateful that she let me ride her lovely mare because Zandora was brave and forward but made me work for every. Nothing was a free pass.

Four-time Olympian Beezie taught the gymnastics phase of mounted instruction – and we worked with her to set the course and understand the “why” behind each exercise. Of great fascination to me was the discussion about course design and course construction. Like, did you know there is a proper way to build an oxer? I will be so observant now, of how people construct jumps!

The last day tested our knowledge and skills over a show jumping course on the grass, set at 1.30 meter. The horses were drilled and tapped for studs, and three-time Olympian and FEI World Equestrian Games™ gold medalist McLain Ward was our instructor. Pinch me!

Back at the barn, Colleen Reed helped with barn management and horse care education. We all know that details matter, but she really emphasized the “why” behind keeping the horses clean and fed properly. I loved the discussions of a system, barn organization, equipment organization and time management. In particular, I learned that (in Florida) sometimes just brushing the horses is better than bathing if you can’t properly dry the horses because of the humidity and fungus. Also, it’s important to curry comb your horse – the curry not only produces a shiny coat but helps the horse express whether they are sore or sensitive. Colleen was full of insights.

There was social media chatter that the Horsemastership participants were “lazy kids” or “entitled” to be at this level. I did not witness any of that – everyone has worked hard to achieve success and we all walked away stronger, empowered and better friends… a team in fact.

When I was little, we lived on a small family horse ranch in Colorado. My mom taught my brother, sister and I everything about taking care of the horses – from cleaning stalls and scrubbing buckets, manure spreading with a rough 4-wheeler, first aid for bumps and scratches, recognizing colic and other problems – and even what to do when our horse was bit by a rattlesnake (yes, that happened!). I was very comfortable with the horsemanship and care aspects of the clinic and loved learning management tips-and-tricks from the highest levels. Being a Type-A organizer – knowing every detail of my horse and her care makes me tick. It’s a piece of the sport that I love the most, and something no other sport requires (full care of a teammate).

We were selected through an invitation system based on results as part of the Pathway programs or via wild card applications (I was a wildcard). A total of 12 participants joined — ages 16 to 21 and currently successful in competition at 1.30m or above.

What’s most exciting is that it doesn’t end here – we will meet and work together again, with more training sessions to build on what we learned so far. For me, being recognized as someone who wants to become a professional equestrian and someday represent our country on a team, teach and mentor, develop young horses and take part in sport governance – it was a huge honor, responsibility and opportunity. It’s a turning point for me, where the future feels so much more tangible. I can’t wait for the next session!

Watch the jumping here:

#USAJumping

#Butet

#horsescents