Category Archives: Training/Clinics

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Hunter/Equitation, Para-Equestrian, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping, Training/Clinics, World Equestrian Games

Interview with United States Para-Equestrian Trainer Kai Handt

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Kai Handt at 2010 USEF Para-Equestrian Para-Dressage National Championships in Lamplight, IL © 2010 Lindsay McCall/PMG

Thousand Oaks, CA – September 13, 2010 – In every equestrian calendar as the summer starts to disappear many national championship competitions begin to occur.  This year included the 2010 USEF Pony Finals, the $100,000 2009-2010 The Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals Presented by Dietrich Insurance, the Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships Presented by Gotham North, and each discipline’s national championship. Kai Handt owner and trainer of the North Texas Equestrian Center (NTEC) made his way around the country because of this year’s success.  In every discipline that Handt rides and teaches there was a NTEC rider and horse winning.  In Para-Dressage Handt led his rider Jonathan Wentz to qualify for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  I had the opportunity to speak with Handt about his experience internationally and his accomplishments in and out of the show ring are astounding.

Lindsay McCall: Thank you Kai for taking the time to speak with me today. Let’s start from the beginning.  How did your equestrian career begin?

Continue reading Interview with United States Para-Equestrian Trainer Kai Handt →

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, FEI, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Show Jumping, Training/Clinics, World Equestrian Games

Jumping Radio Show Episode 28 by Back on Track – Laura Kraut’s Journey to WEG

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U.S. team member, Laura Kraut, reviews her preparation for the World Equestrian Games and we have our regular training and veterinary tips. Take a listen.

Jumping Radio Episode 28 – Show Notes and Links:

  • Show Host: Chris Stafford
  • Photo Credit: USEF – www.usef.org
  • Guest: Laura Kraut
  • Guest: Jessica Jahiel
  • World Equestrian Games Recording Schedule at the Alltech Pavilion:
    Oct 5: Recording at 5-6 PM
    Oct 7: Recording at 8-9 AM
    Oct 9: Recording at 8-9 AM
    Oct 10: Recording at 8-9 AM

______________________________

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi no. 33, by Jane Savoie

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Quiet Confidence

Yesterday, a gorgeous new mare moved into our barn. Wowzer… she’s a dish! She was being led down the walkway when I saw a young gelding in the turnout next to me strut and prance and flip his long mane at her. He kept telling her to look over and see how beautiful he is. He nickered and shouted to her that he was the best and smartest horse in the whole barn. When she didn’t react, he hollered at the top of his voice that the rest of us were nothing but old nags unworthy of her. She stopped and turned his direction. I watched her watch him, with great interest. She looked him up and down, flipped her tail at him, and walked off in a huff.

Later, I noticed this fellow was upset and depressed. I strolled over and stood by him, just to keep him company. Eventually he raised his head and quietly asked if I knew why the pretty mare had spurned him. I told him, as gently as I could, that it appeared to me that his superior attitude had turned her off. I shared my belief that when we act like we’re better than everyone else, that same everyone else starts to feel uncomfortable and stops wanting to be around us.

I told him that it’s okay to have confidence, and it’s okay to let our best light shine. But, if we go a step further and act arrogant and superior to our friends and peers, we are intentionally making them feel “less than.” That’s not right. It’s a delicate line between confidence and arrogance. Confidence energy radiates outward and feels good to be around. Arrogance energy sucks inward and is uncomfortable for others to be near.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi no. 33, by Jane Savoie →

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi no. 31, by Jane Savoie

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When I see the new foals running around, I realize that I’m not a baby anymore. But that doesn’t mean I can’t take baby steps now and then.

Sometimes a job is just too big and overwhelming to figure out exactly how to get it all done. When that’s the case, baby steps is the way to go. It’s like when my stall gets dirty. Someone has to clean it out one scoop at a time. You may not notice one scoop being removed. But when you remove ten scoops, it really makes a big difference!

What do you have to do, or want to accomplish, that seems too big for you to achieve right now? Can you break it down into little parts? Can you take baby steps? Can you accept slow progress over no progress at all?

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi no. 20, by Jane Savoie

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Horses live in the moment. We really enjoy physical sensations because we are NOW. We don’t think much about the future or the past. We live in the present.

Jane and I are back in Vermont now. The air here is so different from Florida! The smell of the spring storms and the pine trees is much more like my first home in Holland. I love feeling the coolness of the snow in my foot feathers and the crispness of the air in my nostrils. I like Florida, where the grass is always green, but Vermont really feels like home.

Dressage is as mental a challenge as it is physical. Many humans are drawn to it because it exercises the precision-yearning part of the brain as much as the physical senses of the body. I’ve noticed that sometimes people get too caught up in the mental part and forget to enjoy the physical part.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi no. 20, by Jane Savoie →

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Resistance-Free Leg Yields, by Jane Savoie

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People often tell me that their horses leg yield very well as far as going sideways is concerned, but they tend to toss their heads and show resistance to the contact. In desperation, some riders even use a tie-down to put pressure on the nose to discourage their horses from yanking at the reins.

If your horse finds it fairly easy to cross his legs and move sideways with his body, yet he’s tossing his head during leg yields, it sounds like he’s objecting to your contact with his mouth. Any effort to steady his head with methods such as tying it down or using draw reins is simply treating the symptom rather than the cause.

Leg Yield vs. Rein Yield
The first thing that occurs to me is that you might be “rein-yielding” rather than leg yielding. Often when riders begin to teach their horses to leg yield, they try to move them sideways by pulling them over with the reins. As a result, their horses feel restricted and unhappy.

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Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Training/Clinics

Very Exciting News from Team Poulsen!

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I have VERY exciting news for you! I have purchased a farm in Wellington, Florida to be able to continue to give my clients and horses the best possible training facility and “home away from home” as possible. I’ve been working on this special project since last April, and it’s finally done.

I am going to be offering a special rate for the first season of operation at our new facility, as well as offering month to month full care and training for those who can not afford the full season.  After talking to numerous people about their needs and budgets, I have found over the years that a lot of you would love to take the opportunity to come to Fl for training. But due to the traditional billing of seasonal stalls, it’s just not feasible.

Of course, stall priority will be given to those horses who would like a stall for the entire season. But I am determined to offer training and full care at an affordable price for those who would like only 2 or 3 months instead of the entire season. I feel that this is a service that has been overlooked in Wellington.

Continue reading Very Exciting News from Team Poulsen! →

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Competitions, Disciplines, Events, Training/Clinics, Western/Reining

Lincoln High Student Named Florida Horseman of the Year

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Morgan Burns, a Lincoln High School Senior and student athlete, was recognized as the State of Florida’s 2010 4-H Horseman of the Year at the State Horse Show held in Tampa in July.

Criteria for consideration of the prestigious title and award include more than just showing horses. It is to recognize and promote the total involvement and development of the 4-H member in all aspects of the Florida 4-H program. There are over 2600 youth involved in the Florida 4-H Horse program. Competitors have to be involved with community service, leadership projects, and be well rounded individuals. Besides submitting project books and an intensive application detailing all individual accomplishments, there is a personal interview at the University of Florida. Only 6 students from around the state made it to the interview stage.  As winner of the Horseman of the Year award, Morgan received a plaque, cash and a college scholarship.

Morgan has been the 4-H Area A Horse Show High Point All-Around Champion for the past five years and won National and Championship titles with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), and the Palomino Horse Breeders Association (PHBA).

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=11551

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi no. 30, by Jane Savoie

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One of the hardest things I’ve ever learned to do is the one-tempi changes. It’s like a whole new gait I didn’t know I could do. I was confused and a little bit frustrated when Jane started teaching me to do them. There was a point when felt exasperated, and I wanted to give up. But I know that life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you. They’re supposed to help teach you what you’re really made of. These challenges help you discover who you really are.

I’m an athlete. I know that. I made the decision that I wasn’t going to accept failure. So after a deep breath, I calmed my mind and really concentrated on what Jane was asking. Suddenly I was doing multiple one-tempis down the long side of the arena! Jane was so thrilled; she stopped, jumped out of the saddle, and hugged me around the neck! I knew I’d finally done it!

Today the one-tempis are easy for me. But it’s taken a lot of practice to get to this point. The key has been that we never even considered giving up. We accepted the challenge, took it one day at a time, and spent a lot of time visualizing, breathing, and practicing each piece of the puzzle. And now I’m showing at Grand Prix!

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Competitions, Disciplines, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, Show Jumping, Training/Clinics

Mahan Farm Presents: Beat the Heat Horse Show

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Saturday September 25th, 2010

Dressage, Combined Training, and Jumper Show

Judge: Mary Lewis “R”, Sharpsburg, GA

Featuring our Horse and Rider Rapid Cool Down Zones!

Shade Sails, Water Misters, and Cooling Fans make for a Refreshing and Relaxing day for both horse and rider.
By reducing UV rays by 96% we are able to lower the temperature in the Cool Down Zones by 20 degrees!

Click here to view prize list and entry forms or visit www.mahanfarm.com.

Where:
Mahan Farm
8150 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32309
(Please use Miles Johnson Rd show entrance. New driveway improvements!)

Click here for Driving Directions

When:
Saturday September 25, 2010 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM