It presents step by-step training programs and showing advice from recognized experts in hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage, and eventing, along with money- and time-saving ideas on health care and stable management.
The other day I was riding my 20-yearold off-the-track Thoroughbred, Merlot, and tentatively picked up the canter. After several strides, he gave a small stumble up front. As he caught his balance, he let out a little squeal and buck, the kind that seemed to say, “I just don’t know what to do with this energy!” I gave a bittersweet chuckle at his antics. As his breeding suggests, Merlot loves to run, but I’m pretty sure our cantering days together are numbered, if not over. With the help of my vet, I’ve been managing his arthritis for a few years, but the stumbling has gotten to the point where I’m no longer that comfortable cantering him. As the introduction to our article about preparing for your horse’s golden years says…
To learn about Julie’s evaluation philosophy and to see an example of how to best present your horse for this column, visit www.PracticalHorsemanMag.com. 14-year-old mare Hanoverian/Thoroughbredcross DISCIPLINE: Hunters 23-year-old gelding Hanoverian DISCIPLINE: Jumpers/Equitation 10-year-old mare Hanoverian DISCIPLINE: Hunters Whether judging a model class, evaluating a prospect for a client or sizing up the yearlings at home, I first stand back and look at the horse for an overall impression of balance and symmetry. My ideal horse “fits” in a square box. By that, I mean he has matching and equal parts, both from front to back and side to side. This allows for athletic ability, soundness, trainability and longevity in the job. A horse who fits in a box will have a body made up of one-third shoulder, one-third back…
George H. Morris is the former chef d’équipe of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Team. He serves on the USEF National Jumper Committee and Planning Committee, is an adviser to the USEF High-Performance Show Jumping Committee and is president of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. 1 This rider has a very educated leg. Her foot is correctly in the stirrup with her little toe touching the outside branch, which is leading the inside branch. Her toes are out and her calf is on the pony. I’d like to see her wearing a spur, even if it were just a small one, so she learns to use it and will have it if she ever needs it. I don’t ever ride a horse without a spur. I also think…
Based at Fox Covert Farm, in Upperville, Virginia, Jim Wofford competed in three Olympics and two World Championships and won the U.S. National Championship five times. He is also a highly respected coach. For more on Jim, go to www.jimwofford.blogspot.com. A touch of blarney” is an old Irish expression used to describe someone with a slight tendency to exaggerate and embellish the facts of the matter. There is a stone mounted high in the battlements of Blarney Castle in County Cork called the Stone of Eloquence, and legend says one who kisses that stone will be blessed with “blarney.” I have kissed the Blarney Stone three times, which explains my tendency to … well, you know. Blarney was on my mind recently, as I had been invited to judge at…
My father was the U.S. Military Attaché to Ireland in 1939–40 and made many friends there. This was a serious time to be an army officer, as World War II had just started. I have seen some of my father’s letters from that period. In the beginning of his assignment, he talks about beachfront fortifications and machine-gun emplacements. However, I noticed that the subjects of his letters changed during his stay, and he started to mention men like Capt. Dan Corry—who, along with Capt. Fred Aherne and Capt. Cyril Harty, had been on the Irish Horse Show Teams of the 1930s at the same time my father was on the U.S. team. Capt. Harty had 10 children, which meant there was always a Harty to match up with a Wofford.…
Vinton Karrasch doesn’t believe in the magic of the moment. Having realized a long-held dream of contesting the World Cup Final this past April, the show jumper has had his share of magical moments, indeed. But they weren’t the result of an inexplicable alignment of the fates. By way of explanation, he shares a favorite quote: “We don’t rise to the occasion. We sink to our level of preparation.” He describes his show-ring successes these last few years as a direct result of how much he’s internalized and acted on that message. Mental preparation has been huge for the San Diego, California-based rider. Specifically, he has shifted from focusing on the outcome and results to zeroing in on the day-to-day process of preparing himself and the horses he develops and…
