Orlando, Florida – January 5, 2012 – Olympian Peter Leone joined members of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Board of Directors at their annual meeting held in Orlando, FL to celebrate the launch of his new book, Peter Leone’s Show Jumping Clinic: Success Strategies for Equestrian Athletes. Leone’s book, written along with Kimberly S. Jaussi, PhD, herself an avid rider, writer and leadership professor and coach, explores every aspect of riding from the basics of correct use of aids through to the psychology of approaching a World Cup course. The book employs diagrams, exercises and anecdotes, as well as photos featuring riders such as McLain Ward, Richard Spooner and Georgina Bloomberg, as models demonstrating concepts from his text. Coaches, such as Eddie Federwisch from Virginia Intermont College, lauded the publication of the book as a comprehensive modern textbook on riding. Peter Leone’s Show Jumping Clinic: Success Strategies for Equestrian Athletes is slick and easy to read with a fresh format and catchy phrases that stick with you.
Leone’s relationship with the IHSA began in 2011 when he met with coaches at the annual meeting and asked for initial input into the development of his Ride the Body: Select Insights of Peter Leone DVD. This meeting led Leone to invite coaches and riders from the IHSA to Lionshare Farms for a hands-on clinic and brainstorming session. Attendees came from schools including Mt. Holyoke College, Johnson & Wales University, Smith College and St. Lawrence University, and participants included two past Cacchione Cup winners, Lindsay Clark (Centenary College) and Lindsay Sceats (Mt. Holyoke College).
Co-author, Jaussi was an IHSA rider during college (Smith College). Since 2010, Jaussi has been presenting a series of leadership and team building workshops for IHSA teams. The material for those workshops represents a blend of both Jaussi’s expertise as a leadership professor and coach and Leone’s philosophies and approaches as an Olympian and top equestrian coach.
After Leone’s work with collegiate teams at his home base, he was inspired to travel to Centenary College where he participated in an IHSA scrimmage and “competed” as an Open rider. Coached by Michael Dowling from Centenary and Mary Drueding from St. Lawrence, Leone drew his mounts at random, as the IHSA riders are required to do. He learned first-hand what riders in the collegiate arena face with only an opening circle to get to know their mounts.
“Peter is such a humble person and he was game to give the experience a shot. Even though he didn’t ride in college he really believes in the collegiate programs,” said Leone’s co-author Kim Jaussi.
Leone shared, “Now I truly understand the challenge the college competitors face. To succeed in the college equestrian arena you have to have solid fundamentals together with the skills to ride a horse you’ve never ridden. I have to admit, I have been a horse show snob. This is great equestrian competition!”
Leone’s experience captured on video was shown to the IHSA at the annual meeting on Thursday. The video content will be included in a follow-up DVD, which will partially focus on the ins and outs of the IHSA world.
Peter Leone is an Olympic equestrian, trainer, producer of hunter/jumper instructional DVDs and author. He owns and operates Lionshare Farm in Greenwich, Ct. His clients successfully compete in the pony, equitation, hunter and jumper divisions. He is one of three brothers, affectionately named Team Leone, for their success in the show ring. Leone was a member of the 1996 Silver Medal United States Olympic Show-Jumping Team and winner of numerous national and international Grand-Prix show jumping competitions.
For more information about Peter Leone and Lionshare Farm go to: http://www.lionsharefarm.com/index.html.
To purchase Peter Leone’s Ride the Body DVD go to: http://www.lionsharefarm.com/store/page2.html.
To be notified when Peter Leone’s Jumping Clinic book will be available contact: cw@phelpsmediagroup.com.
Media Contact: Mason Phelps
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