Tate is a total ham for the camera and followed me around while I was trying to take pictures.
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Manoir De Carneville, Sinead Halpin’s four-star mount, was already a superstar in my books. Add in a second-place finish at Burghley and the fact that he’s the only horse on the USEF Global Spring Training List and it’s very clear that “Tate” is one special horse. I had the privilege of getting to know him on a more personal level during the two days I spent at the Howdaa Working Student Bootcamp, which was held last weekend at Sinead’s new facility at Autumn View Farm in Long Valley, N.J. The place is gorgeous — a worthy home for one of, if not THE top horse in U.S. eventing. I caught up with Sinead’s head groom Meg Kep between my working student duties to ask some burning questions.
On Tate’s time off post Burghley
Tate has been back in work since Dec. 9, which marked 90 days off since he landed from England after wowing the world at Burghley. He’s up to an hour of walking each day now and will start trot work after four weeks of walking. “He looks really good — better than he ever has after time off,” Meg said. “He hasn’t lost all of his muscle tone. I was also worried about moving him to the new facility, because he’s not keen on change.” But Tate immediately fell in love with a pair of Clydesdales that were staying at the facility when Sinead first moved in. “We turned them out together and that chilled him out completely,” Meg said. Tate is still rocking his winter woolies, and Meg doesn’t see a reason to clip him until he starts trotting.
On Tate’s competition schedule for 2013
While Tate’s 2013 competition schedule is not set in stone, Meg seemed confident his spring schedule will include Rolex. “The schedule has changed a few times because we thought about going overseas,” Meg said. Sinead will be based with Clayton Fredericks in Ocala starting Jan. 31, and Tate’s first event of the season will be running Advanced at Pine Top on Feb. 22. Tate will definitely run The Fork in April, with Southern Pines and Red Hills also on the list of potential events. If Tate does run Rolex, Meg indicated his year will likely also include a trip to France to tackle the WEG test event at Haras du Pin.
Tate is back in work after 90 days off after Burghley. He is currently walking an hour a day on the trails, or in the indoor on particularly nasty days.
On being the sole pair on the Global List
Sinead and Meg had no idea Tate would ultimately be the only horse named to the USEF Global Spring Training List. “When the USEF emailed and told us, they didn’t tell us who else was on the list, and we didn’t know the criteria,” Meg said. “Tate absolutely deserves to be on the Global List. I was surprised Allison (Springer and Arthur) wasn’t on there too, because she’s worked really hard.”
On moving past the Olympics
It was refreshing to hear Meg talk about the disappointment of narrowly missing the Olympic team with a healthy dose of perspective. “It becomes a mental game,” Meg said. “We were trying to make the team for the first time and there’s a lot of pressure on you. Having all that pressure build up to such a big disappointment was a huge blow. But after that it was like we had nothing else to prove. We had a pity party for about a week, but then you realize how lucky you are — how many people are first alternate for the Olympics?”
On the importance of fostering camaraderie in future teams
David O’Connor has made it clear that he wants to select teams earlier in order to allow for more time to build team spirit and unity among members. “I think that’s the only way forward, and I think everyone both on and off the teams would agree,” Meg said. “It’s hard to be excited when you’re left off the team, and that took away from the experience for everyone who did make it. Everyone was supportive, of course, but if they had picked the team and then moved to a different location and shipped the alternates in and out, I think it would have helped the actual team a lot.”
On taking a yoga class with Will Coleman and Boyd Martin
As the riders and grooms alike were left with a lot of time on their hands in England with far fewer horses to care for than usual, everyone found ways to fill their days. Meg took a yoga class with Boyd Martin and Will Coleman in their spare time. While I promised Meg I wouldn’t embarrass Boyd and Will too terribly, I’ll leave you with this: one of them was not nearly as proficient at yoga as he claimed, and one of them found yoga a bit more challenging than he originally anticipated. “I’ve never seen anyone sweat so much in my life,” Meg said.
