PrintEquestrians are well aware that horse shows don’t always take place under sunny skies and serene surroundings, and learning to deal with Mother Nature was the first major challenge the riders faced during the Day 1 of the 2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, Jan. 3-7 in Wellington, Fla. With howling winds and cold temperatures, heavy coats were the order of the day for participants and auditors alike while horses bounced exuberantly in the volatile conditions.
The 2012 class of training session participants is made up of the following young talent, who earned their invitations due to a variety of accomplishments:
- Carly Anthony, 21, Redmond, Wash. (Wild Card)
- Natalie Crane, 20, South Dartmouth, Mass. (USHJA Emerging Athlete Program)
- Katie (Katherine) Dinan, 18, Wellington, Fla. (NAYRC gold medalist)
- Taylor Harris, 20, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Talent Search Finals—West)
- Lillie Keenan, 15, New York, N.Y. (Talent Search Finals—East)
- Sarah Milliren, 18, Sapulpa, Okla. (ASPCA Maclay Finals winner)
- Michael Murphy, 18, Apopka, Fla. (Talent Search Finals—East)
- Meg O'Mara, 17, Rumson, N.J. (Randolph College/USEF Junior Jumper Champion)
- Jacob Pope, 17, Owings Mills, Md. (USHJA Emerging Athlete Program)
- Wilton Porter, 17, Bartonville, Texas (Wild card)
- Samantha Ramsay, 19, West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wild card)
- Samantha Schaefer, 18, Westminster, Md. (NAJC gold medalist)
After the first session's start was delayed by an hour due to the miserable conditions, attendees were further disappointed to hear that George Morris wouldn’t be conducting the day's clinic because of illness. In his absence, he asked that Olympian and former Morris protégé Anne Kursinski teach the morning flatwork sessions.
Morris is historically vocal about the importance of dressage work for hunters and jumpers, and as his long-time student, Kursinski mirrored that belief. "I'm a big fan of dressage," she said. "When schooling flatwork, I'm always having a conversation with my horse. It's a time when you should be listening to your horse as much as he's listening to you."
Kursinski emphasized correctness of a rider's position throughout the morning as she coached riders on proper placement of hands and legs, as well as depth of seat. But even more importantly, she described how riders must be effective in the saddle.
"Riding is about more than just position," she explained. "A rider can have a beautiful position, but not be effective. Pretty is as pretty does. Know what's going on underneath you. Some of you from the equitation ranks get this look of riding around like a zombie, like you're not a part of the horse. I want to be one with the horse, like they're practically reading my mind.
"The basics of equitation are great, but, to me, to look good just to look good isn't right," Kursinski continued. "To jump big jumps or go to the Olympics someday, you must be effective. And sometimes this means doing nothing, such as on a sensitive horse. Can you be strong? Can you be light? Can you get them round and supple and balanced? Can you ride the devil out of them over the water if they're scared? To be a great rider, you must be able to do many things, and there isn't just one way to train."
Always, Always, Always: Leg To Hand
