I audited a clinic last week with FEI rider and trainer Brendan Curtis, and during a short break in the action, found myself discussing the abysmal 2012 U.S. Olympic equestrian results with him. We both agreed that the American riders were out-ridden and out-horsed, and Brendan bemoaned the fact that the United States needs to do more than just throw money at the problem. He believes that Americans are capable of breeding and developing quality dressage horses with international potential right here at home, and that we don’t need to jet to Europe to shop for promising youngsters to import. He stated that the true underlying problem we face in America is that we focus on making riders, and not on developing horsemen. He certainly gets no argument here on that score, as this is an idea that I have championed for years.
What then is the difference you ask, between being a rider and being a horseman? To put it simply, riders ride horses, while horsemen not only ride, but are well-rounded and accomplished managers of horses in respect to training, health care, nutrition, farrier science, conditioning, raising and starting young horses and many more horse management skills – all of them essential to the health, safety and happiness of the equine athlete. As you might imagine, developing horsemen is quite labor intensive and time consuming, while learning to post and sit the trot doesn’t require lengthy sessions with any books at all. European countries, with centuries-old riding traditions like Germany, Portugal and France, all have well established and respected national riding institutions that treat both the training and testing of young horsemen and preserving their classical riding heritage as important national treasures. The United States does not, and therefore, the development of American horsemen is less structured and more likely, hit or miss. Will our recent lack of international equestrian medals serve as a wake-up call to the USEA to re-examine and address the current rider/horseman development program, or lack thereof? Only time will tell, but we can raise awareness, write letters and hope the USEA considers the benefits found in making horsemen, and not just riders.
- Susan Moody, IEO President
What then is the difference you ask, between being a rider and being a horseman? To put it simply, riders ride horses, while horsemen not only ride, but are well-rounded and accomplished managers of horses in respect to training, health care, nutrition, farrier science, conditioning, raising and starting young horses and many more horse management skills – all of them essential to the health, safety and happiness of the equine athlete. As you might imagine, developing horsemen is quite labor intensive and time consuming, while learning to post and sit the trot doesn’t require lengthy sessions with any books at all. European countries, with centuries-old riding traditions like Germany, Portugal and France, all have well established and respected national riding institutions that treat both the training and testing of young horsemen and preserving their classical riding heritage as important national treasures. The United States does not, and therefore, the development of American horsemen is less structured and more likely, hit or miss. Will our recent lack of international equestrian medals serve as a wake-up call to the USEA to re-examine and address the current rider/horseman development program, or lack thereof? Only time will tell, but we can raise awareness, write letters and hope the USEA considers the benefits found in making horsemen, and not just riders.
- Susan Moody, IEO President
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