In The Irons

Clapping... instead of whistling!

I can not whistle. I wish I could, because it would come in very handy as a professional horseman, especially at the ingate after one of my riders has a great round.

Because I can’t whistle, I have to whoop, and whooping taken out of context is a very ridiculous  act indeed. How many times does the average person whoop in their lives? I guarantee normal people whoop maybe once or twice a year if they are lucky, maybe at a football game, or at the end of a school play perhaps? As professional trainers and riders we whoop on the average of three to four times a day!

There are many different sounding whoops. Some are high pitched and last quite some time, whooooooooooo, whoo,whooo, some are deeper sounding,  and some are hardly audible. If you stand at the ingate  long enough you can come to recognize the different trainers by the sound of their whoops. I could close my eyes at this point and tell you exactly what trainer was at the ingate, and probably what kind of trip their rider just had. Some trainers don’t whoop, they whistle, how I wish I were among those lucky few.

With whooping and whistling also comes clapping. Though not as identifiable as the “signature whoops,” types of trainer clapping are discernible.  For example, polite clapping occurs after an unfortunate round, with such mistakes on course as chipping, adding strides, or trotting in a corner. Huge mistakes, such as stopping, missing a lead change, or the dreaded circle usually receive no applause at all (unless of course your trainer feels  some extenuating circumstances led to the mishap). Big applause with loud clapping , whistling and whooping usually mean a trainer thinks, ” my student deserves a ribbon.”

Students cam also tell what their trainers think about their trips, from the way we  whoop, whistle and applaud.  I usually develop a rapport with my students that they have come to recognize.  A great trip ends with whoop and applause, the less than perfect rounds that conclude with the polite clapping are the ones they would rather do again, the day they hear a whistle after a trip is the day that will unfortunately never come.

Since WEF has finished and the majority of the “big,” equitation riders have left town, it is time for our less experienced or younger riders to take the stage and compete for those crucial points that qualify them for the USEF medal, the ASPCA maclay, and USEF talent search finals.

Circuit is a difficult time to qualify because all the best juniors are here in Florida and vying for those precious wins that not only help them qualify for the year end final, but also for the very prestigious George Morris equitation classic, a special event for big Eq class winners during the season. This big event has taken on a life all it’s own, and has become such a big deal, that the Eq kids treat the class as if it were one of the finals.

A win in any Medal, Maclay, Washington or USEF talent search class during the Winter Equestrian Festival qualifies a rider for the championship, and since their are roughly 150 kids hoping to make it into the class, competition is fierce. This year around 35 riders made the cut and competed. What’s different about the class is that the kids need to coach themselves and compete without the aid of their trainers. It’s a nice feeling sitting in the stands and whooping for your student whom you have trained nearly every step of the way, especially when they do well. We were fortunate enough to have one of our most experienced junior riders, Liza Finsness, compete in the classic and fare very well, she finished 7th, this year.

Liza Finsness competes in all divisions, including the Equitation

Now that the GHM is in the books and the number of equitation competitors has dwindled down considerably, the task at hand, has become to qualify.  Our riders, such as Maggie Savoie, Maggie Botkin, Michael Kocher, Morgane Qualls,  Lauren Biddle,  Lia Screnci, and Camilla Conessa, still need points.

Now we worry about the Eq classes filling, not what section we are in. We worry about all the horses making it over the water jump in the talent search, and less about how many strides we will do from one to two. We worry about how many points we need , how many points she / he may need,  or how many riders does it take to make the points count double! I don’t care if you’ve won the finals or have gone to the Olympics,  at some moment in time,  you counted points in this sport. It’s a necessary rite of passage, that all of us competitive equestrians need to go through. They do not give “byes” to the finals, you must qualify.

We strive to make it to the finals to test our students against the best, maybe they won’t win this year, but it’s practice for the next time, when they might.  Qualifying for a finals , for some kids may be the highest point they reach in their riding careers, for some it may be a stepping stone to future glory, either way, I believe the goal is sound , noble and worthy.  I’ve known many riders that have qualified for the finals by the skin of their teeth and gone on to get ribbons in the actual event. The struggle to make it, to qualify for something worthwhile, to have a goal, is admirable.

Our students need something to set their sights on, to measure their progress against,  to have a goal. Qualifying for the finals provides us the tool necessary to point our riders, up.

WEF 2012 is in the books and the spring shows are just beginning, it’s a strange time here in Wellington, because everyone is glad circuit is over, but everyone is sad just the same.

This will mark my first entry into my new blog for Sidelines and I plan on covering a whole host of topics pertaining to the hunter/jumper world. Today I want to talk about how glad I am that circuit is complete, but also that I’m also a little sad, because like America, these shows have their faults, but it’s still the best the horse show world has to offer.

Circuit is a marathon for trainers such as myself, we pretty much work non stop for twelve solid weeks, not to mention all the pre-circuit festivities, and now the Spring shows. It’s a difficult time, but also the most rewarding time of the year. Where else can a young rider compete in the short stirrup class in the morning and then catch a top notch Grand Prix that evening. We are surrounded by the best in the business for practically six months out of the year, we have all the Olympians, the major Equitation finals winners and the best hunters money can buy. Virtually every trainer at this series has accomplished something and could teach every rider something they probably do not know. WEF is the biggest horse show of its kind anywhere in the world, and if you want to be the best you must compete against the best and WEF is where the best, ride.

Yes, it’s a little crowded. We have horses coming out the wazoo, that’s for sure, but if you are trying to find a fancy pre-green horse, this is the place to be. If you need a child adult jumper, just reach out and ask. Fifteen trainers will present you with the best 3’6″ jumper you have ever seen, it will be fast, careful and a winner! You will have your choice of best. This goes for selling as well, if you need to sell, WEF is the place. I know the economy has lowered prices somewhat, but people are still making offers and they also love to LEASE. Lease options are a sign of the times my friends!

Yes, some of the rings are small. Many of my customers groaned when they realized they were showing down in ring 11 or 12, but I told them to look on the bright side, it’s very peaceful over on “the island,” which is what the ingate guys affectionately began to call it, the horses are much better behaved over there and the schooling area is the most spacious of them all.

Parking was a pain. Hard to find a spot, hard to turn the trailers around, that probably needs to be addressed, don’t really have a bright side for that one, except that the parking situation has drastically improved since we finished show number 12. In fact we can pretty much park wherever the hell we want.

Yes, we are all tired. Waking up at five to be at the ring by 7:00, to walk fifteen courses before 8:00, is difficult. Very often we had riders going in the top ten in three or four rings at once. One rider was doing the high junior jumpers in the international ring and also doing the USEF talent search in ring 6, another two were in the Ariat at the Rost ring, while the “groaners,” were over on the island in the children’s hunters. It was hectic, it was taxing, it was stressful at times. Yet we all somehow, managed.

I could go on and on with examples of what was difficult or tiring during WEF 2012, I could also go on and on about the good things. what it boils down to is that I can completely understand why most of us (trainers) are happy when the marathon that is circuit come to a close, yet… My business is never better than it is during WEF, my riders never learn more than during WEF. There is also something to be said that whatever class or event you may be lucky enough to win during circuit, every one of those wins means something, it means A LOT! In fact, after a circuit win, one feels a true sense of accomplishment that is hard to obtain any other time during the show year. It is for these reasons, that I’m sad when all is done.