PrintA story of a special connection between three of the greatest coaches of all time that can help us all today.
It would be difficult to find anyone to disagree with the conclusion, reached in Part 2 of this series, that the common basis for the training success of Bertalan de Néméthy, Jack Le Goff and Herbert Rehbein was Acceptance.
“A happy cooperation should exist between rider and horse,” said de Néméthy, “without the horse having to sacrifice its alertness, personality or interest.”
The latter part of this quote is of the greatest importance. As a result, it was always rare to see any horses trained by these three masters either being upset or going in a mechanical way.
When Classical Is Magical
With high level event horses the acceptance can often be lost as a fit horse feels an irresistible urge to gallop and release his or her energy rather than do collected paces in a dressage arena.
Kilkenny, the truly legendary Irish horse ridden by Tommy Brennan in the Tokyo Olympic Games (when he was only 7!) and then by Jimmy Wofford at the two subsequent Olympic Games in Mexico and Munich, always found acceptance a difficult task. In Tokyo the remedy was riding four hours non-stop before the dressage—not a great preparation for the cross-country or a long competitive life.
Le Goff found a more imaginative and long-lasting solution. As Wofford explained, “I wish I had some wonderful tall tale of Jack's legerdemain (magic trick using the hands) with him, but the truth is the greatest trick of all—Jack insisted that we train and ride according to classical principles. And all of us became the better for it.”
Battling horses into submission was not an option.
Something Worth Aiming For
The partnership between Jimmy and Kilkenny gives me a wonderful opportunity to digress a little. I watched in awe as Kilkenny was retired at Ledyard in 1973. He was 16, but he hated retirement and returned to work in the hunting field for another six happy years. He was inducted into the U.S. Eventing Association Hall of Fame in 2006, together with his fellow Irishman and my great love, the previously mentioned “wild child” Biko.
Several things are worthy of note regarding Kilkenny’s exceptional career with Jimmy: He completed every CCI he ever started; in addition, at three CCIO****s from 1967 to 1970, he turned in the fastest cross-country round of the day (in the Mexico Olympics by 30 seconds ahead of the next horse); and he is one of only three horses to ever compete in three Olympic Games. From 1964 until 1972, he completed the equivalent of four CCI***s, and NINE CCI****s. He won a total of two gold team medals, two silver team medals, one bronze individual medal and one national championship. He was a hero of mine, but I’ll let Jimmy take up the story about Kilkenny, whose stable name was “Henry.”
“Henry was an impressive horse, with a trot that had all four feet off the ground, and a gallop that took a young man to enjoy. He was disdainful of dressage but tolerated it because of his strong desire to please. He took a fierce hold cross-country, but I rode him throughout his career in a snaffle, because I then held the belief that my horse’s affection is the strongest bridle of all and believe that to this moment.
