With all the hype about the WEG this fall and the London Olympics only a couple years from now, it got me thinking about the current young riders that will be riding in Olympics and World Championships as the next generation. If one thing is certain, there are many talented young riders in the US right now, but who will be the next Bruce Davidson or Karen O’Connor is all to play for. I think one of the most vital factors for the security of the sport of Eventing is having riders that are good enough for team selection step up when the current household names finally hang up their pinque coats. Phillip Dutton and Karen O’Connor aren’t going to be able to anchor the US team forever! I think no one is more aware of that fact than the US selectors. They have, together with the USEA and USEF, implemented several programs over the past years to better channel the good riders to the top of the sport.
Its important to note that no program, no matter how good, can really put a rider through the levels without the rider’s fierce resolve and unwavering dedication to get there himself. The economic reality of being a young professional in the horse world is daunting to say the least, and many riders will find that they simply cannot afford all the things that go into competing at the highest levels. This is when educational scholarships, grants to compete in Europe, and programs like Developing Riders become vital for young professionals to improve, gain invaluable experience, and above all be able to continue on the Olympic quest.
Before any of today’s young professionals were even born, there was the USET headquarters at Gladstone; where riders trained solely under the tutelage of the great Jack Le Goff. Jack trained the US team from 1970 until 1984. During this period, the US brought home 18 medals, including gold ones from both the 1976 and 1984 Olympics’. I think its interesting to point out that Jack was training his team for six years before they brought home a gold medal. That “flat” period could just have been due to bad luck, but I think it clearly shows how long it takes to produce horses and riders that were already good before, to a level where they are consistent winners. This training program at Gladstone was really the only one of its kind. Riders stayed at Gladstone and trained with Le Goff on a daily basis, and some even got to compete horses owned by the USET. The training program was rigorous and Le Goff believed in the basics to the highest degree. As Denny Emerson recalled, “He believed the first basic prerequisite to becoming a good rider was developing an independent dressage seat.” And as David O’Connor will tell you, an independent seat was achieved through a lot of sitting trot with no stirrups! It was either a program for the best and brightest riders, or Jack polished the riders until they were the best and brightest, I’m not sure which it was. Either way, Bruce Davidson was the first person to come through the program, and David was the last, so it must have been pretty effective. No program exists like that today, so we as a sport need to have a way to to give the young riders enough guidance and opportunity to someday be the best, without being in a daily program with a top coach.
The good news is that the national organizations have a few programs set up to help young riders along the way:
The Worth the Trust Young Adult Scholarship is for riders aged 16-25, who compete at any level. This is an annual $3,000 scholarship that is to be used for educational purposes such as a clinic or training with a well known trainer, or participating in one of the unmounted clinics that the USEA offers. An application can be found on the USEA website, the deadline for the 2011 scholarship is October 18th. Whoever ultimitely wins the scholarship will be required to write an article about their chosen educational experience that will be featured in the US Eventing magazine, as well as complete a few community service hours.
The Essex Grant is a highly competitive grant of $5,000 dollars given by the USEF. To qualify, riders must be under the age of 25 and have competed at the CIC** level or higher. They must submit an application and written essay to the USEF. A selection board then reviews all the applicants, and with consideration to performance results and the essay written, they choose the winner.
Contrary to popular belief, the Young Riders Program is not just for the Championship competition at the one-and-two star levels. By joining their respective area’s Young rider program, kids of all levels can get to know their fellow Young riders better, participate in clinics put on by their area’s program, and a few may even get to groom at the Young Riders Championship competition.
So, as I said before, the good news is that there are programs in place to help guide young professionals hopefully onto future short lists’. Unfortunately though, at this time all of these programs are very small scale, and only a few riders reap the benefits. Strength lies in numbers, and the more riders that can see the benefits of these programs, the more chance the United States has of being able to field a competitive international team in the years to come. Also, more competitors means more competition, and that way the bar for excellence is always being raised.
