Jennifer M. Keeler

Some of the country's top young talent faced off in a mock Nations Cup competition at the conclusion of the 2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, Jan. 3-7 in Wellington, Fla. FEI course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio set a testing course, which gave participants a glimpse of what their future might hold as a member of the U.S. show jumping team.

Despite the unfortunate illness of George Morris, which has prevented him from attending his 2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, Jan. 3-7 in Wellington, Fla., organizers have continued to present an all-star lineup of instructors offering fresh ideas and methodologies. During today's sessions, Olympian Beezie Madden and U.S. Team Veterinarian Tim Ober, DVM, teamed up to school riders on the flat without stirrups while evaluating their mounts' performance from a sports medicine perspective.

Know Your Horse

On Day 3 of the 2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, Jan. 3-7 in Wellington, Fla., it was McLain Ward’s turn to step in and conduct the day’s lessons due to Morris’ continuing illness.  

As he got acquainted with each session's participants, Ward sent riders around the ring to get their horses loosened up. However, since the day's school was to include quite a bit of jumping, he limited the flatwork to about 15 minutes.

During the second day of the 2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, held Jan. 3-7 in Wellington, Fla., riders and horses schooled over basic gymnastic exercises with Kent Farrington, a member of the gold medal-winning Pan American Games team.  

Equestrians are well aware that horse shows don’t always take place under sunny skies and serene surroundings, and learning to deal with Mother Nature was the first major challenge the riders faced during the Day 1 of the 2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, Jan. 3-7 in Wellington, Fla.  With howling winds and cold temperatures, heavy coats were the order of the day for participants and auditors alike while horses bounced exuberantly in the volatile conditions.

On the last day of the year, a diverse group of talented young dressage riders wrapped up a "life-changing experience" at the 2011 Robert Dover Horsemastership Clinic presented by HorseShow.com, part of the Emerging Dressage Athlete Program held December 26-31 in Wellington, Fla.

In the final two days of an intense week of riding instruction and horsemanship education, participants had the opportunity to work with Olympian Courtney King-Dye and U.S. Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons, as well as practice an actual test for FEI O-level judge Gary Rockwell.

Some of America's best and brightest young dressage riders gathered this week in Wellington, Fla., for the inaugural Robert Dover Horsemastership Clinic presented by HorseShow.com on Dec. 26-31. A new component of the Emerging Dressage Athlete Program, this event brings together the next generation of talented dressage riders for six days of intense riding with some of the sport's best athletes and coaches, including Robert Dover, Lendon Gray, Courtney King-Dye, Anne Gribbons, Kathy Connelly and Katherine Bateson-Chandler.

This California rider and mother will realize her life-long dream when she competes on the U.S. dressage team at the Pan American Games.

Marisa Festerling has a quick smile and kind demeanor that immediately put people and horses at ease. A petite blonde, this native Californian possesses an elegance and tactfulness that seem to encourage the best from her mounts.

But what you don’t see at first glance is the steely determination that lies below the surface of the 34-year-old’s bubbly, cheerful exterior.

Sabine Schut-Kery has always had the big picture in mind when contemplating Sanceo’s future. Her eventual goal is Grand Prix, and she’s not planning to skip any homework along the way.

But at the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Western Selection Trials, the timing worked out to achieve an intermediary goal, and the Hanoverian stallion (San Remo—Rivera, Ramiro’s Son II) came away with a qualifying score for the FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Cham-pionships in Verden, Germany.

George Morris is a legendary rider, horseman, author and teacher, not to mention the chef d’equipe for the U.S. show jumping team since 2004. He has always preached the importance of riding without stirrups, and he was happy to take a few moments to underscore the importance of everyone’s least favorite training experience.

Q: What are the benefits to riding without stirrups?