The final day of the 2024 USEF Horsemastership Training Series in Wellington, Florida, concluded Sunday with the 11 participating young riders putting their newly honed skills to the test in two Nations Cup-style rounds over a 1.25- to 1.30-meter course. The ring was divided into a show ring and a schooling ring, which consisted of three warm-up jumps, several helpers to set fences, and a liverpool to use if the riders felt their horses needed to school one. And while the courses were the focal point of the day, Olympic show jumper Beezie Madden, who led the clinic, dedicated much of her attention to ensuring the riders were thoughtful about their warm-up process, and how it could change in a two-round format between rounds one and two.

That morning, the young riders had a chance to walk the track and choose their lines over the 12-effort course, which included a rollback between Fences 1 and 2; a four-stride line from a liverpool oxer to a one-stride combination between Fences 3 and 4B; an open water at Fence 6 set on a direct seven or bending eight strides from the previous jump; a triple at 9ABC; and a six-stride line from an oxer at 10 to a liverpool vertical at 11. 

Before the riders, who were divided into groups of three, began jumping their warm-up fences, Madden wanted to hear each person’s plan for riding the course. She then walked them through the warm-up process in the schooling ring. 

“Be prompt with your warm-up; don’t take too much time on it,” she said. 

To riders who picked up the canter and sat the first several strides, Madden offered a small correction: “Start with a light seat at the canter and let the horses warm up first before you get into any serious work.”

When the first group—Carlee McCutcheon, Amira Kettaneh and Luke Jensen—started jumping schooling fences, Madden told the three to find deeper, closer distances. 

“Keep cantering forward through the turn as you approach the fence; let the jump come to you,” she said. “It’s about getting your horse rideable out here. Rhythm through the turn, and then the horse has to wait to a normal or short distance. Put the horse in your hand and then release in the air. Schooling them after the fence helps their rideability to the warm-up fence. The size of the jump is insignificant; the rideability is what you’re working on out here.” 

As Jensen finished his warm-up, Madden asked him to come back and jump a ramped oxer as his final fence before heading in. “This horse gets a little hung up over the jump, so we’re going to raise his sights and jump a ramped oxer,” Madden said. “Take him right in the air because he wants to go left.” 

Madden’s advice worked, and after jumping the fence and taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Jensen headed into the ring. 

Finding Each Round’s Teachable Moments

Jensen opted for the direct seven strides to the open water, then had rails at Fences 10 and 11. 

“I thought, for going first, it was a good ride,” Madden said after Jensen’s round. “I would have liked to have seen more right opening rein through the triple to stay straighter. Next time through, anticipate that more. The last line got a little rushed; he’s got that left drift, so you’re that much closer to the front rail with him. Take some time to let him get straight; don’t rush.”

When McCutcheon went into the ring for her first round, she rode most of the course very accurately but also ran into problems from Fences 10 to 11, adding a stride in the line.

“Excellent job in the beginning, but keep your poise throughout your ride and look for where you are,” Madden said. “Ride what you see and feel, more than riding textbook. You’ve done years and years of riding the plan and sticking to it with the equitation—now you’ve got to show us that you’re riding what you have out there.”

Hunter Champey rode the clear first round but clocked in 0.63 seconds over the time allowed. 

“I loved the way you rode to the fences, but after the jumps, you were just coasting,” Madden said. “Your horse took you left over one of the jumps, and you didn’t correct her afterward. That’s where you got slowed down. She also peeked up the line from Fences 3 to 4AB. When you’re riding a spookier jump, sit more, support her, and push her from your seat and leg. But, I thought you rode the last line the best of everyone so far.”

“Ride what you see and feel, more than riding textbook. You’ve done years and years of riding the plan and sticking to it with the equitation—now you’ve got to show us that you’re riding what you have out there.”

Beezie Madden

Second Round Changes

Although Madden had a very hands-on approach in the schooling ring for round one, she allowed the riders to warm up more on their own to prepare for the second round. 

“When I warm up for the second round of a Nations Cup, I try to keep it as short as possible,” Madden said. “It’s like warming up for a jump-off: Don’t jump a bazillion jumps. Maybe you have a hot horse, and you want to do some low jumps—that’s great. But don’t do a lot of big jumps.” 

The riders had two helpers in the schooling ring to set the jumps for them. Madden chimed in if she felt a rider was overlooking something that needed improvement. She met the riders at the in-gate to go over their plans before they headed in. Jensen’s second round was much improved—he was clear until he had a front rail at the final oxer. 

“I thought that was a beautiful ride until the last line,” Madden said. “You set it up much better and half-halted through the turn to it. You got there slowing down in the six, but then you leaned up the neck and then the rail came down.”

Although McCutcheon did the longer bending eight strides to the open water, Madden wasn’t fazed by it. McCutcheon finished with a clear round 3 seconds under the time allowed. “That was much better,” Madden said. “You made what you had work.”

Avery Glynn had a smooth, clear first round and came back the second round with the intentions of another clear. 

Watch Glynn’s first round, courtesy of USEF Network:

“So Avery is sticking to the same plan she had for the first round,” Madden explained to the group. “She’s not making things complicated.” 

Glynn was on her way to another clear round but had a rub at fence 9B and 9C down. She finished on a score of 4 faults. 

“Again, what a good ride,” Madden said. “You executed it beautifully. One criticism: I was thinking at the double [Fences 4AB], you’ve got to open your hip angle up a little bit. You’re so soft, which is great, but you were up his neck a little bit at the double. There are times you can’t be too soft. Opening your hip angle does not mean driving; it means staying out of the horse’s way.” 

Dealing With Refusals

Camilla Jerng, riding a borrowed horse, had problems with him stopping in the ring, but Madden used them as teachable moments for not just Jerng but the entire class.

As Jerng cantered her first warm-up jump in the schooling ring, Madden’s experienced eye recognized issues ahead, and she encouraged the rider to get her horse in front of the leg. 

“Push him through the turn,” Madden said. “He’s behind you; come up to the fence. If you don’t correct them in the schooling ring, it’s going to come out more in the show ring.” 

In the ring, the horse took issue with the liverpool at Fence 3.  

“Stick,” Madden yelled from the in-gate, when he stopped the first time, “in front of your leg, come on!”

After he stopped again, Madden and several of the unmounted riders came out to put the line down four holes. 

“OK, here’s what I want you to do before you go back to this line,” Madden instructed Jerng: “Cluck, stick and gallop forward on a straight line. Both reins in one hand and tap him with the stick.” 

The horse then jumped 3 but stopped at 4A. 

“Cluck, stick, gallop again,” Madden said as she and the other riders flanked the sides of the jump. “Just come back to the double here.” Jerng’s horse jumped through the line, and Madden had her halt on a straight line after it. She then completed the rest of the course without further problems. 

“Stopping is not an option,” Madden said to Jerng after she exited the ring. “This is a borrowed horse—you don’t know him, and you didn’t expect that. But he was nappy in the schooling ring; that’s why I wanted you to get him in front of your leg. You’ve got to get him thinking forward, and that you’re the boss.” 

When Jerng returned to the schooling ring for her second round, Madden had her leg her horse, cluck and tap him with the stick to get him in front of her leg from the beginning and had her jump the schooling liverpool.

Back in the ring, Jerng rode positively to the liverpool at Fence 3, but the horse stopped again, and she fell off. As she ran her stirrups up, Madden and a small group of unmounted riders came out to fix the jump and help Jerng get back on. Madden and Jensen flanked either side of Fence 3 to encourage Jerng’s horse to jump it, and Madden instructed her to come right back at it. He stopped again, and Jerng tapped him with her stick before trying a third time. 

On the next approach, her horse spun to the left away from the jump. “Turn him right and go forward to the fence,” Madden said. As Jerng went toward the fence, Madden clapped her hands behind the horse, and he jumped Fence 3. “OK, good, keep going and finish the course!” Madden called out. 

Jerng rode the bending eight strides to the open water jump and finished well. 

“I thought the rest of the course was very good. You got it done,” Madden said. “It’s hard to get on someone else’s horse and do this.”

For many other riders, the second rounds brought scores of 4 faults, but Madden reminded them not to be too discouraged by their performance; a 4-fault score could still help their team win a medal during a Nations Cup class. 

“Everyone wants to go clear, but 4 faults is not a bad score,” she said. “You can still be on the podium with that, so don’t give up.”

Read coverage of the first two days of the clinic here. Video of each day’s sessions is available to premium members at USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV.