EN’s Got Talent is Eventing Nation’s newest series. We hear all the time about horses at the top of the sport, but what about the next generation of equine talent? This series introduces the future superstars of the sport, interviewing riders about how they’re tackling training with these youngsters. Have you spotted a spectacular young horse at an event you think should be highlighted in this column? Tip me at [email protected].
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Jennifer Wooten's Anika
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Last week we met Jennifer Wooten’s Anika, a 4-year-old Holsteiner mare bred by Cheryl Kellerman of Michigan Sport Horse. You only need to take one look at Anika’s breeding, Lintas X High Voltage by Lacoste, to see that this mare has some seriously nice bloodlines. The judging panel at the USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships at Twin Rivers last month saw serious potential in Anika, awarding her the highest scores of the four-year-old division for conformation and type, in addition to dressage. Those high scores wrapped up a big win in the division, just the fourth event of Anika’s career.
“It was very useful for me to get the feedback on the judging cards to see what the judges liked about her and the things they were hoping to see improvement on in the 5-year-old competitions next year,” Jennifer said. “The Young Event Horse series is great mileage for Anika, and it’s a really good program for young horses in general.” Now Jennifer will use the off season to tackle her homework with Anika, a mare with a mind of her own. “She’s very quick to learn things, so I have to be very patient that I don’t apply too much pressure on her to make her go correctly on the aids,” Jennifer said. “She can be a bit opinionated, which I love; I loved that about The Good Witch. When you channel that into the right direction, they can be very competitive.”
Anika's sire Lintas, owned by Cheryl Kellerman of Michigan Sport Horse. Photo courtesy of Michican Sport Horse.
Jennifer saw Anika’s opinionated side came out at Ram Tap, where the two had some disagreements about who was calling the shots. “She puffed up and got in the ring and said, ‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ Jennifer said. “I’ve been learning how to ride her correctly without applying a lot of pressure to her, because I really want her to enjoy the flatwork. I don’t want her to think of the flatwork as just a discipline she has to do.” Jennifer plans to fine-tune Anika’s flatwork over the winter, and also has a jumper show in Las Vegas on her calendar for next month. “The jumping comes more naturally to her than anything else,” Jennifer said. “As far as her being keen and brave and bold, that’s one of her strongest characteristics. I can tell that after every show she comes back and feels more confident about herself. I really feel like she’s going to enjoy being an event horse.”
As for next season, Jennifer will ride Anika in the Young Event Horse series once again, with the hope of competing at training level by this time next year. “Coming off of the Witch, who I rode for nine years, the thing that I appreciated the most is what she taught me,” Jennifer said. “You forget about those lessons until you actually have to apply them to another horse. So I feel like Anika is going to benefit from everything I learned from the Witch. I’m more receptive to feeling the rewarding moments now. Even though it might not mean winning at this point, I know that will come down the road. For now, the really rewarding moments are watching Anika progress on a day-to-day basis.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I4VPzWk9oI
Jennifer and Anika competing in novice at Ram Tap
Next week on EN’s Got Talent: We’ll meet Belafonte D’Avalon, a 14.3-hand, 5-year-old Germany Riding Pony stallion owned by Kathy St. Martin and Jos Mottershead of Avalon Equine in Wynnewood, Okla. Rebecca Brown, who took over the ride on “Harry” last year, believes he’s the next Super Pony, a la Theodore O’Connor. “Some people like to doubt him because he’s small, but he’s got rockets for legs,” Rebecca said. Harry won the Young Event Horse 5-year-old class at Greenwood Farm Horse Trials in May and is on track for a stellar career. Wait until you see him jump. This little guy is awesome.
