From Cynthia:
Scenic Hart Farm in Tewksbury Township New Jersey provided a world-class venue for training sessions to prepare for the Boekelo Horse trials in Holland the weekend of October 15th. As you know, Tiana Courdray, Will Faudree, Sinead Halpin, and Doug Payne are all a part of this experience. Sinead and Doug are local NJ equestrians. Many thanks to Dana and Sean Callanan who hosted the sessions and closed their facility to other riders so that this most important training could take place! (Tiana Courdray, did not attend the sessions, but will join the team in Europe).
Captain Phillips brought things into focus for these young men & women who have worked so hard, first to be recognized, and then trained, to compete for a place on the team who will go for the gold in London in 2012. Sara Ike, the team’s director, assisted Mark by providing real time course changes and jump adjustments. The sense of commitment to winning in Holland was clearly evident in everything the Team’s coach and riders did. Even lunch was the equivalent of a locker room talk from the coach before the game. The team ate; the coach talked. When asked if he wanted some lunch, too, Captain Phillips replied, “I have all afternoon for lunch. Let’s get going!”
It was a privilege to watch these riders and horses as it is clearly evident that they are very talented and have been working extremely hard. Watching the next generation of eventers training with Captain Mark Phillips was an experience that I will not soon forget. The positive energy from the riders and Mark was great – everyone was confident and happy. I was afraid to take my eyes off of the riders for fear of missing something brilliant. If only more people could attend these sessions to see these rising stars first hand. Perhaps with additional promotion of these events we could raise more money for these riders.
The first session was devoted to dressage with all horses and riders looking very impressive and ready for Boekelo. Captain Phillips provided quick and incisive direction while remaining engaging and complimentary to the riders. By zeroing on subtle corrections, he was able to help each rider determine how to move from an 8 to a 9, and possibly a 9 to a 10. Watching the riders process Phillips’ instructions and make the corrections for immediate improvements was inspiring.
Sinead went first on her horse Manoir de Carneville, also known as Tate. Doug was second with Running Order known as “Skinny” (I can I assure you this horse is not skinny at all, as he once was). Will completed the final session on his mount. It was especially exciting to see the transformation of Tate and Skinny, as I have known these horses for years. Having observed their day to day conditioning, training, and progress, it is that both horse and rider have accomplished something special, and that it could not have been possible without each other.
Just when I thought it could not get any better, I attended the jumping session on Thursday morning and, was in heaven. My apologies to Will as I did not get to see any of his sessions (due to this silly thing I have to do called work). However, the feedback is that Will and his mare are amazing. One person commented that the mare was very special and like nothing they have even seen before “she is more than ready to go”. Sinead and Doug had exercises customized for their horses with both Tate and Skinny jumping strong and willingly. It was breathtaking to see how well the horses jumped, and how confident, focused, and strong the riders are.
Of course, both Sinead and Doug (not wanting to improve and/or be competitive J) took advantage of Mark’s visit by having additional lessons with their other promising prospects. Most exciting that they have a new “pipeline” of horses to take on the eventing world!
Who will win at Boekelo remains to be seen, and who will ultimately compete in London for the gold in 2012 is an even greater mystery. I am certain, though, that I will be right there, too, cheering on whomever among these bright young stars and veterans, too, and remember the terrific training session they received at Hart Farm from Captain Phillips.
My thanks to Anthony from www.anthonybphotos.com for coming out at a moment’s notice to take the pictures. He also gave me wine – how much better can my day get?!
The American Horse Trials Foundation helps riders pay for their training and competition expenses. This is a tax deductible – nonprofit organization. To make a donation to one of these riders please visit www.ahtf3day.org.
