I recently went to the USEA convention in Savannah, Georgia. I didn’t make a long trip of it but wanted to be involved with the committee for the newly branded ECP (Eventing Coaches Program), the old ICP. I think everyone should get involved with ECP. I got ICP certified 19 years ago now and in the last year and a half they’ve revamped the program. I went to the Ocala symposium last year to see what it’s about and feel they’ve really made it a good, fun way to get better as a coach. Their interactive format demonstrates how to coach and how to keep us all involved in learning and I found it inspiring. The organizers presented different ways to solve problems, and even demonstrated cross-country coaching, which isn’t done enough. Peter Grey gave a great talk about what the judges are looking for in the dressage tests. I would like to be involved in a workshop because I think it makes you a better teacher. The program felt like a bit of a chore before, now it feels like a necessity to improve your skills. This year’s symposium is January 17-19 in Ocala. People should try and make it. Last year we had bad weather but it was still standing room only and really enjoyable. 

I had not planned to go to the awards luncheon but my great other half, Tom, was kind enough to come with me. He’d never been to Savannah, and I’d only been once. Right before we left Allison Springer told me that Nancy Winter was being awarded the As You Like It Owner’s Award, so we all went to the luncheon to see her receive it. Nancy has supported Allison and me for years and has always been there for us, and it was really special to see her win the award. 

It was great to see everyone get the awards they deserve. I was also happy for my friend, John Bourgoin, to get the Mike Huber Award for his work with the Young Rider program. And it was fun to see Kevin Keane, who never ages and only gets better, receive the the Capital Square USEA Adult Amateur Rider of the Year award and the Col. Allen D. Smith Memorial Trophy. I’ve loved watching Cassie Sanger from Area 1, who had a break-out year and was awarded Young Rider of the Year. I’ve seen her get better and better, and hats-off to Darrah Alexander, her coach—they have a system and it works. Cassie is a calm and class rider who has a great feel with her horses.

Finally, my advice is, if you go to Savannah, take the trolley tour.

We finished our season with Sara Schulman attempting her first two-star long with her Cooley Chromatic, which seems like months ago because time is flying! Caden, as we call him, had a beautiful dressage, and cross-country was mainly good—I thought he handled the hill well, and jumped amazing. Unfortunately, at the second to last down the steep hill, there was a sharp turn to an upright skinny and they never quite got their balance back to make it work. Caden got under the jump and jumped Sara out of the saddle, which sucked for Sarah. If you’re not winning you’re learning, right?

Sarah also rode a client’s horse, Merlo VDL, and did a great job. They were fourth after dressage, with one down in show jumping in the pouring rain with no studs, jumping around in a beautiful rhythm. 

Now we’re in the part of season where we’re practicing how to get balance, and I’m teaching tons of clinics. At home, my friend Sue Lyman has been helping me work on shortening and lengthening at the trot and canter, and making transitions from trot to canter to counter-canter and back to the trot and back to the true canter again. We also work on balance in the turns and making sure our horses are listening to us…duh, the basics. 

Sometimes I feel we get too far away from the basics. One exercise we do is going in an open five stride line to a short turn to an oxer, then coming back to the trot over a small jump. I think this is a good time to practice all those things because sometimes, I think we get away from making sure we’re connected, relaxed and responsive, and we have really good positions with our heels down and chin up. I used to look to Reed Kessler to model great position, and now I think about Jenny Brannigan. A good position can help us react quicker and get balance done early. ​

I was super lucky because my mom and sister came to support me, Sara Shuman groomed for me, and then on Saturday, Laila Martin and Marlene Lyons came to help as well. I also had my great cheering squad from Vermont. My dressage warm-up was both the best work I’ve ever done, and some of the worst work I’ve ever had as far as Storm's tongue and the bit go. I wouldn’t say he felt nervous, but the connection was difficult. Other than Tuesday night, when I first got to Maryland and Storm found everything so impressive (I could hardly walk him), he otherwise never felt nervous and I was impressed with how he handled the whole competition. My test went better than expected, which is always a nice thing. Although I always have trouble with connection, which is a work in progress, and Storm still needs more strength in the canter, I can feel it coming together. ​

The highlight of the weekend was Inmidair (JR) and Maddie Wood-Lewis, who’s been leasing him until we find a horse for her. (If anyone has a good 2-star horse for sale, let me know. Just remember, Maddie’s been riding JR and loves that feel, just not the budget for a horse like him, LOL!) I think her dressage could have been a little better if she’d allowed more time to warm up, as JR was definitely having a party in his pants going down center line. Maybe he thought he was at Kentucky again, who knows? Jumping he was foot perfect, and JR told me we’d made his year. He doesn’t know it but he’ll be out again at Morven Park and I can’t wait until then. ​

Back at it—Inmidair (JR) and Maddie getting ready to compete.

​Then at Luhmuhlen, there was a completely different track yet again, with flatter terrain and quite narrow roping both out in the fields and in the wooded tracks. All the distances walked pretty normal, other than 11 ABC, the three vertical gates that had a different feel than the rest of the course. I was surprised when they started the competition and the first three horses fell—the first at the gates, the other two at other fences— how hard the course rode. It’s hard to qualify difficulty because we are talking the 5-star level, with the German Championship at the 4-star. Watching it live, especially sitting where I could see fences 6-11 and still see the big screen, was a huge education in itself. It was apparent just how fast you had to go to get the time and still be accurate.

I thought all three show jump tracks from Kentucky, Badminton and Luhmuhlen were good tracks, but I would say that Luhmuhlen had the atmosphere and the height and the technical aspects that, combined with the time allowed being tight, put more pressure on the riders and was even more influential. You realize why Kentucky is so hard for many of the horses and riders because we don’t have that kind of speed and accuracy pressure often in the US. In my mind, if you want to educate yourself as an American rider, don’t spend a ton of money to fly your horse over, just go watch, so that before you apply for a championship or nations cup like Aachen or Boekelo, you understand what’s being asked of the horses and riders and what it takes to get that done. You'll need to be able to ride forward, hold the line and have your horse stay with you. And you'll need to have a cool enough head to care about all the details, and not care. I have been impressed with the riders that have spent the money and the time to start to educate themselves about the best in the world, because that's the only way to get better.

The weather and the ability to train, lesson, school and compete in Ocala makes the winter really productive here. I'd like to give a huge shout-out to Mike and Cherye Huber for hosting my horses again this year. They’re so great to deal with and great friends. And of course thanks to Marnick Farm and Susan and Barton Merle-Smith—I'm so lucky to have them as friends and stay with them.

​I'm super excited for what the rest of year has to bring and I can’t wait to go to Land Rover Kentucky, Badminton and Luhmuhlen. I'm also looking forward to having more adventures with Kaylin and her horses and my own horses. But mostly, it's so great to see Tom and the dogs. I'll try not to wait so long to post again!