Time spent in Wellington is important to the success of top Canadian riders, particularly for the village’s weather, equestrian infrastructure and 12-week winter competition series.

Many Canadians have made long-term commitments by buying properties for the six months of training and competing each winter to represent their country.

In dressage alone, there are approximately 15 top riders vying to represent Canada in championships including the World Equestrian Games, the Olympic Games, the Pan American Games and World Cup events, and in show jumping, there are more.

Many of these riders agree that Wellington plays a huge part in their success. Among them are six-time dressage Olympian Christilot Boylen and two-time Olympian Belinda Trussell, as well as show jumper Billie Boylen, Christilot’s daughter. They share their gratitude to Wellington as they continue to prepare their own horses and other’s horses to qualify for the World Equestrian Games.

Christilot Boylen is one of the all-time greatest athletes in the sport of dressage. She has trained horses and riders up the levels over the last 40 years to progress and consistently win on the international level time and again.

Not only is Boylen a success in dressage, but she also works well with legends like George Morris to prepare horse and rider combinations from all nationalities in show jumping and three-day eventing while in Wellington.

Boylen has continued to coach Canadian three-day eventing rider Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High to next week’s Badminton Horse Trials in England. She also coaches Trussell and top rider Megan Lane, who both competed to high placings in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.

After living in Europe for 23 years, Boylen restructured her life to include Wellington starting in 2013. “For the North American continent, there is no better choice,” she said. “Canada is a cold, snowy, frozen country during the winter. It’s a wonderful luxury to be able to work in this wonderful sunshine. And from a sport’s standpoint, you cannot get the horses to the level they need to be without this winter season we have here.”

Boylen explained that she bought a winter home in Wellington last year because it’s not a one-year thing.

“It’s a consistent, long-term commitment we must incorporate as we bring new horses or different horses up the levels. It’s all about their development,” she noted. “Wellington has such a wonderful infrastructure, and it’s very cosmopolitan. Wellington has the entire infrastructure for us to get each horse worked on a consistent basis. Each horse has its own program. There is so much to be done each and every day.”

She stressed that the winter season is a necessary step for all the Canadian riders at the top levels.

“Perhaps, one day, a horse is going to be ridden, then have the blacksmith trim his feet and shoe him; there is turnout, massage therapy, veterinary and so much more,” Boylen said. “That is why top riders may only be able to ride three to five horses. It takes a team because there is a lot to do day in and day out for each horse to be in top form. There are some riders who can do as many as 10 horses a day, but they need a world-class team because perhaps they may have someone warming the horse up and another cooling the horse down before and after the training sessions.”

Boylen spends six months in Wellington and six months near Toronto at Deer Ridge, where she works in both places with world-class dressage, show jumping and three-day eventing riders and their horses.

“Dressage trainers have the advantage because every rider agrees across each equestrian discipline that basic dressage training is a requirement for each horse,” she explained. “It is necessary for the jumpers, and even more necessary now in the three-day eventing horses. If the scores for the three-day horses aren’t good in dressage, they cannot place in the top after cross-country and show jumping. There is more awareness now than ever before that the basic training has to be done.”

Trussell is the owner of Oakcrest Farms in Stouffville, Canada, a state-of-the-art facility for world-class riding and training that she owns with her husband, Mark. A team member for Canada at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the 2010 World Equestrian Games, a silver medal team member at the 2015 Pan American Games and riding for Team Canada in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Trussell has garnered numerous other successes and victories.

Trussell’s horse that is coming up, the 2003 Westphalian gelding Tattoo, bred by the world-famous Theodorescu family in Germany, is owned by Trussell and her husband, and the team received very good scores this winter season.

“Wellington provides a venue for us to compete against the top-level competitors, athletes and combinations,” Trussell said. “We would have to go to Europe to get that. The chance to be able to do that here in North America is huge. It’s wonderful to be able to come down here and spend a whole season. I even purchased a condo because it’s such a fabulous opportunity.”

The trip to Wellington is not only for top horses, either. “I have a chance to bring the horses that are developing and to get into this weather and compete at this type of horse show series,” Trussell said. “There is nowhere else as good in North America. It is the best.”

Trussell competed Anton for years in Wellington and went on to be ranked one of the best riders in the world by the FEI World Ranking List for dressage. “My top horse retired. So, this is now my next horse coming up, and it’s his second year at Grand Prix,” she said. “I believe it takes three years to justify a horse at this level. I would describe this horse as very emotional. We’ve had our ups and downs, and he is absolutely brilliant. We just need to get a little bit more consistent. This season, I have learned a lot.”

Christilot Boylen’s daughter, Billie Boylen, grew up in Germany and is a licensed German Bereiter (a state-licensed rider) and a young horse specialist. After the sale of the family training facility in Germany in 2012, she has been managing the Boylen stables for three years with her young horse business.

“Wellington is completely different from the real world,” she said. “It is a luxury to cut the work time in half because in Canada and Europe you have so many more tasks each day. I am amazingly grateful to be here.”

To follow these athletes, visit www.christilotboylen.com and www.belindatrussellinternational.com.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper.

Quite a few riders in dressage and show jumping qualified during Wellington’s 12-week winter series for the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final and FEI World Cup Dressage Final taking place next week in Paris.

The entire group will fly their horses from Miami to Paris for 10 days to compete in the indoor final against the best in the world. Top riders from the two disciplines will be in Paris from April 10-15, having completed a long and difficult World Cup qualifying process.

The 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup Dressage Final will take place at the AccorHotels Arena, formerly known as Paris Bercy Arena, located on the Boulevard de Bercy in central Paris. Major sporting events, including the ATP Tour tennis tournament Paris Masters, have been held at the venue. As one of France’s largest concert venues, and known for its unique pyramid shape, the indoor arena has hosted global megastars such as Madonna, Céline Dion, Tina Turner, Kylie Minogue and U2, among many others.

Paris will welcome 18 horse-and-rider combinations in dressage representing 13 countries at the 33rd FEI World Cup Dressage Final. In show jumping, the 40 best riders in the world will compete head-to-head.

Five of the 18 dressage riders competed this winter in Wellington, including Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén, Americans Laura Graves and Shelly Francis, the Dominican Republic’s Yvonne Losos de Muñiz and Ellesse Tzinberg of the Philippines.

These championships are the culmination of winter season qualification points in the Musical Freestyle for the dressage riders. Last year’s second-place winner Graves, 30, will be a strong contender, as she has a newly crafted Freestyle with her and Curt Maes’ Verdades, a 16-year-old KWPN gelding.

Last year, Graves posted her personal best in the Grand Prix Freestyle with a score of 85.307 percent in the World Cup competition, held in Omaha, Neb. Graves said that Wellington has played an important part in her career.

“Wellington is the only venue in the entire country that gives us the opportunity to qualify for such world-wide events,” she said. “Everything you could possibly need is here — the best trainers in the country, the best riders in the country, the best horses in the country, the best footing in the country, the best organizers, the best sponsors and the crowds are all here.”

Graves has been working with Verdades, known as “Diddy,” for a number of years in Wellington.

“It has been really fun,” she said. “I was here when the Global Dressage Festival first started in 2012, and it has grown into something truly spectacular that no other country in the world has. My perspectives of the venue have changed as I have changed and grown because of this venue. It has given me the medium to design my career. Every time I need to make a change, there is an option for me here. I don’t have to go anywhere else. It allows me to adapt and learn because they are always bringing in the very best judges for us. They keep us sharp on our game.”

Sweden’s Vilhelmson Silfvén will head to Paris having competed in seven Olympic Games, eight European Championships, and six World Cup Finals. She will ride Paridon Magi, Lövsta Stuteri’s 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding.

Francis, of Loxahatchee, will also be representing the United States with Patricia Stempel’s Danilo, a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding. Since the early 2000s, the five-foot-two-inch rider has teamed with horse owner Stempel and consistently scores in the highest rankings for the United States throughout the national and international dressage circuits.

A first-time competitor for the indoor championships, Francis has beautiful acapella music designed by Marlene Whitaker to complement her horse, and she has a great chance to place high in the finals.

Olympic dressage rider Losos de Muñiz, who represents the Dominican Republic, will ride in Paris on her own Foco Loco W, or “Dobbie,” an 18-hand Bay 2005 Belgian Warmblood gelding. She is a longtime winter Wellington resident.

“Coming here and being here for the winter seasons has done everything for me,” she said. “If it weren’t for Wellington, the Global Dressage venue and everything here, I would not have the chance to go to the World Cup or be qualified for the World Equestrian Games or have had the opportunity to have competed in the Rio Olympics.”

Losos de Muñiz is thrilled with the opportunity to ride in Paris.

“Being excited to represent the Dominican Republic in Paris at the World Cup doesn’t even describe half of what I feel,” she said. “I am still on a cloud from this season. It’s been so go, go, go for me these last 12 weeks. When I finally get on the plane, then I will realize I am going to Paris. Grateful, for us, South American or Central American, the U.S. or Canada, Wellington is the only place in the world where we can qualify for any upcoming games or championships and be just as competitive on the world stage. It makes it all possible for us.”

Another new competitor for the indoor championships will be Tzinberg, 26, and her own Triviant 2, an 18-year-old KWPN gelding. She will be the first-ever athlete to represent the Philippines at the World Cup Final. She is a Wellington resident and winter season dressage competitor.

“Wellington is so unique in the sense that you can come here and really get to know your horse,” she explained. “It’s the only place in the world where you can do that. I don’t think I would actually be at this level without the time we spend here in Wellington. We had the chance to show almost every other week, and it wasn’t a high-pressure show situation. We were at the same stadium, same show venue and the same show ring to get to know one another and really work on things together. It’s wonderful not to have to travel 15 hours to show at a new competition.”

To follow the dressage riders in Paris, visit www.feiworldcupfinals-paris.com/en/fei-world-cup-tm-dressage-final.

The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final will include 40 of the best riders in the world. Last year’s winner, America’s double Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward with Double H Farm and François Mathy’s HH Azur, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, will be heading to Paris to defend his title.

A total of 11 U.S. riders have made the cut from the North American Eastern and Western sub leagues. Among them are seven riders who qualified through events in Wellington: Alison Robitaille (Upperville, Va.) with Bertram and Diana Firestone’s Ace, a 13-year-old KWPN gelding; Devin Ryan (Long Valley, N.J.) with LL Show Jumpers LLC’s Eddie Blue, a 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding; Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) with Abigail Wexner’s Breitling LS, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion; Kristen Vanderveen (Wellington) with Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC’s Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion; Sarah Scheiring (Chester, N.J.) with Cheval Equestrian LLC and Molly Ben-Menachem’s Dontez, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding; Andrew Kocher (Howell, N.J.) with MKO Equestrian LLC’s Navalo de Poheton, a 17-year-old Selle Français gelding; and Charlie Jacobs (Wellington) with CMJ Sporthorse LLC’s Cassinja S, a 12-year-old Zweibrücker mare.

To find out more about the 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final, visit www.feiworldcupfinals-paris.com. It all can be watched live on FEI TV at tv.fei.org.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper. 

Growing up in Wellington since the age of 10, dressage rider Monica Burssens is currently traveling to Mexico City with two horses to qualify in the selection trials for the XXIII Central American & Caribbean Games.

Born in Mexico City, 31-year old Burssens grew up in a tight-knit, hardworking equestrian family.

She attended Wellington High School. “I was a cheerleader there,” she said. “I started going to school in fifth grade in Wellington at New Horizons, Wellington Landings and then Polo Park.”

The opportunity to represent her team for the upcoming games will be a huge step in her career, and it will put Burssens on the map for potential sponsors in the future. “This is my dream,” she said. “I have a very high chance of making the team if I can make it to the selection trials.”

The Mexican Equestrian Federation requires its team competitors to be in Mexico City for the selection trials April 7-8, May 5-6 and May 25-27. Burssens and her horses, Elfentanz, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare, and Sao Passionat, a 9-year-old gelding with whom Burssens has done all the training, are heading down to Mexico City to prepare.

Her aunt is Mexican FEI 5* Dressage Judge Maribel Alonso. In Mexico City, Burssens will be surrounded by family. “My grandparents, a few uncles and cousins, including my aunt Maribel Alonso, will all be there cheering me on. If I make the games in Bogota, Colombia, they will all go, too. I am really excited,” she said.

She has been riding seriously for 10 years at IDA Farm in Little Ranches.

“As a child, I didn’t take the dressage training seriously, until I moved away for college to Madrid, Spain,” she recalled. “I missed riding too much, and when I returned, I decided to pursue the sport with 100 percent effort.”

Both her father and mother run a large stable in Wellington with dozens of horses in training, horses for clients and horses in their care for amateur riders who work locally. “My family has always been involved in horses,” Burssens said. “My dad, Patrick, is a well-known trainer here in Wellington.”

The family, however, is from humble beginnings.

“My parents were never wealthy growing up,” she said. “My dad worked super hard to send us to a private school in Mexico because the public school system is really not that good. Both my parents work hard. My mom is pretty much the backbone of everything.”

In her younger years, she took every opportunity to ride.

“I never had a pony growing up,” Burssens said. “I would ride what anybody would let me ride of my dad’s clients. Usually, I walked the horses before or after their workouts. Little by little, a client would let me ride one of their horses a bit longer. I had to work to get myself riding jobs here and there just to ride.”

Now, she is preparing to represent her native Mexico.

“I was born in Mexico City, and I have one brother who was born in Ohio when my dad had a job there overseeing stallions, mares and foals. But then we moved back to Mexico City,” Burssens explained. “In Mexico, the sport of dressage is kind of small. That is why he said, ‘Let’s relocate to Florida,’ and we moved to Wellington. When we first moved here, Southern Blvd. had only one lane of traffic going each way. In 1997, my parents bought IDA Farm in Little Ranches, which was only one main barn, and the rest was owned by Ken Adams and his family.”

Monica has two brothers: Alex Burssens, who manages and runs Red Barn in Loxahatchee Groves with his wife, Marcela, and Santiago Burssens. “It’s a huge local store here in our area,” she said. “They love it.”

Eight years ago, Burssens was short-listed for the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, but unfortunately, her horse foundered, and she was devastated.

“My horse was Dance of Joy, and he was such a magnificent horse. He was lent to me by a super friend of my family. After a qualifying show at Jim Brandon, he was getting off the horse trailer, and he was completely lame,” she recalled. “We did everything possible for him. We tried stem cells, but he could not continue to compete and had to retire. I was devastated. We had become so close.”

Now, with two of her own horses that she has trained for the last five years, Burssens is looking forward to her upcoming trip.

“I feel like I just want this so bad. I have had these horses so long. I am the one who has done the work on these horses,” she said. “Yes, I have had help from my father, but I have really put in the hours to get them ready for this top level since they were three and four years old. They have been such good projects for me, and I adore both of them.”

Burssens is quite passionate about her horses. “It’s all day, every day,” she said. “I start before 8 a.m., and I ride around nine to 10 horses a day, and I coach several clients every day, six days a week. It’s a lot.”

However, she is not in it alone.

“I have always had a lot of support from my family and our great clients, who are always doing little things to help me out,” she said. “Right now, my husband and I have a horse in Europe, [and] we are selling pieces of him so that we can fund some of this. It’s not ideal, but I keep saying to myself, ‘If I had all the money, would I go?’ Yes, I would go. So, I am making the decision to go. There is a quote that says, ‘If you can solve all your problems with money, then they aren’t really problems.’ I am just going to find the money somehow by selling things, and I have started a GoFundMe site. If all of my friends give me $20, that is already enough to help me a lot.”

The XXIII Central American and Caribbean Games take place every four years and are scheduled for this July. The competition works as a qualifier for the Pan-American Games, and likewise, the Pan-American Games is where the countries’ federations qualify their teams to be able to compete a team at the 2020 Olympics.

But before she can get to Bogota, she must qualify in Mexico City.

“I know if I don’t go, I will wonder forever why I didn’t go. If I do make the team, they will take me more seriously next year for the Pan-Am Games,” she said. “I will have some experience under my belt with these games. It’s great to go to these big games to learn how to deal with the nerves and how to push through any nervousness.”

Hopefully, this is a start of an amazing journey.

“This chance will be a dream come true and a magnificent opportunity for me and my horses to learn how to compete under pressure and be part of a team,” Burssens said. “Ultimately, my goal is to make it to the Pan-American Games in 2019 and the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.”

A newlywed, Burssens married Manuel Lecuona last year.

“My husband is also a rider, a jumper rider, and we are both from Mexico City, but we met in Florida,” she said. “We met almost 10 years ago and have been together seven years now and married for one year — and now we just found out we are pregnant.”

To follow Monica Burssens on her journey, find her at www.facebook.com/monica.burssens and www.instagram.com/moniburssens.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper. 

Words are, indeed, powerful. Handled properly, they inspire interest. They inspire feelings. They inspire a connection. An informative and entertaining article draws interest, gives dressage readers including owners, sponsors, riders, coaches and others a valuable piece of information on building a better community.

While competition is at the core of the Dressage sport, insightful writing fosters peer support, camaraderie and acquaints all involved with quality services, facilities, products and different methods of training.

The premise or principle of the sport of dressage is for each rider and coach to test out their horse's training in front of a judge (or series of five judges) for an evaluation. Inside this written test or spoken observation by the judges the rider receives feedback from a judge who states, ‘Here is where you stand today at this moment in your horse's training and here is your score.’ It’s a process for continuance. 

What does that have to do with sharing your lives with the public and article writing? Well, everything. We need to learn from one another. The judges, the riders, the coaches need to share with the greater society for the common good of our entire sport. An excellent article doesn’t just state the horse and rider’s score, but the current goals for that horse, what the judges confirmed for the rider and possibly what the judges pointed out for them to improve. With so many details to choose, a good article includes the inner workings, the details, the timing associated with a horses strength, biomechanics and its current confidence level. Readers want to read about the rider and coach thought process, on the evaluation of training of their horse, and what might be ahead in its training. 

Data and the Evolving Media

Journalism is changing. These are its evolving trends:

First, Mondays are important. Verifiable data and news source analytics indicate that the highest number of views and reads occur on Mondays. The data points out that up to a third more reads of articles take place on Mondays, more than any other day of the week.Steffen Peters and Rosemunde Photo: Dressage Headlines

Second, the largest numbers of reads are about athletes readers know. From a Steffen Peters article I developed with him and posted online, I amassed over 10,000 reads during the first 24 hours alone, a total of 20,000 more throughout that month and many more ongoing.

Third, readers are interested in learning. Regardless if an article is about a top athlete, an up-and-coming athlete, the methods used to train and communicate with a horse, or the biomechanics of a horse, the readers want to be informed and understand different training systems, the successes and mistakes learned, how a rider and horse work together and even about the often confusing rule requirements and details.

And the fourth, which is essential and crucial, is the written quality of an article and the quality of the photos. A high quality writer will not only give the text a sense of flow, it will also cultivate interest and a pleasant reaction. 

Why You Should Work with a Journalist and PR

The effort and time needed to devote to this sport is plentiful and can be daunting some days. It can take a rider five years or 1,825 days to develop a good Grand Prix level horse. Even the contented person happily engaged in their daily work may question “Where are the journalists? Why don’t they want my story?” Rest assured, dedicated journalists are interested; we do want your story. That’s also how we make our living.

Riders, coaches and owners have to step up and pay for their own advertising, their own marketing, their own articles. Online or print PR articles are the answer. 

One top rider’s concern is that our sport will grow and evolve into a PR campaign competition. It's not necessary to overdo it, one, two or three well constructed articles a year will suffice.  

The good news is our sport is growing. We all need to do our part. So, hire a writer (a photo-journalist) for a couple of articles a year. It will, indeed, make a difference.

Living in Wellington for many years, Chrystine Tauber serves as one of the international officials at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Tauber champions the mandated position by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) as the president of the Appeal Committee for show jumping CSI 4* and 5* events during the winter season.

As a former international rider herself, she has been a licensed FEI and USEF judge for 40 years and a course designer for 20 years. Trusted by competitors and officials alike, she exemplifies fair play and great sport.

Her efforts take place behind-the-scenes, and she works six of the 12 weeks during the highest-level international show jumping events. “To run these high-level international events is a big undertaking for show management,” she said. “There is a lot of prize money involved, and it’s a big commitment.”

Tauber presides over a three-person committee and watches the competition closely for any unusual situations or problems that might result in a protest. They review the cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of the ground jury of FEI judges.

In cases involving veterinary matters or irregularities with the competition horse’s passport, the international veterinary delegate is invited to join the Appeal Committee for a review.

Each of the horses competing at FEI events has a passport that includes its identification papers and inoculation requirements to compete in international Grand Prix events all over the world. Usually held on the day before the start of the competition, the veterinary delegate and the president of the ground jury examine the paperwork of each horse, and then the horses must jog for soundness.

Tauber is either present or on-call for these horse inspections. “The passports are the official entry document into the secured FEI stabling on the grounds,” she explained. “They must be up to date and the information correctly entered for the horse to compete.”

The ground jury consists of four or five FEI judges. Often, two judges sit in the judges’ tower with the announcer and electronic timing technician, while another serves as a backup timer with a stop-watch in the arena in case of an electronic failure. If there is a water jump as part of the course, one judge will be assigned to observe the horses clearing the full width of the water. “The ground jury does have the final decision on the results for the class,” Tauber said. “However, if there is a major rule infraction that warrants a significant fine, then it will be referred to the Appeal Committee.”

Tauber is a longtime champion for the Wellington winter series and all its riders.

“The 12-week series is unique,” she explained. “It allows the riders to develop their horses over a lengthy period of time that builds confidence and trust in their training. I love the CSI 5*/2* format. That is relatively new. It allows the riders to decide each week what level they want to jump each of their horses. This is a great way to develop top-level horses.”

The evolution of international show jumping in the United States has been remarkable, and it continues to this day, Tauber said.

“There are all sorts of changes going on that are very progressive, including the International Olympic Committee’s 2020 mandate to require all sports to provide more exciting formats that appeal to youth and include medal podium awards following the event,” she said. “That is a good thing. Whenever we are challenged to improve our sport, whether it be for television coverage or to provide spectator appeal, we have to ensure that we provide good sport and fair competition. All those components have to be part of what we develop for the equestrian sports.”

Tauber is the past president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation and served as manager for all show jumping, dressage and eventing for U.S. equestrian teams in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, the 1983 and 1987 Pan Am Games, and for the show jumping teams for the 1982 and 1986 World Championships. She also had a hand in creating and instituting the USET Medal Finals as a National Championship.

One of Tauber’s top goals is that the United States stays competitive at all levels.

“I am currently chairman of the Jumping Sports Committee for U.S. Equestrian. Developing the pathways for our riders has been a topic of discussion over this last year,” she said. “We are currently looking at pathways to develop our youth, through young rider divisions and into the Under 25 Grand Prix division, and then onto the international senior U.S. team. The U25 show jumping division began at the Winter Equestrian Festival and has become an important part of our pathway.”

To stay competitive, U.S. riders need to compete head-to-head with riders from around the world.

“It has become so global now,” Tauber said. “For many years, our riders were coming up through the equitation division to develop good, solid, basic riding skills. But today, we see that that is not the only avenue. Many come up through the jumper division. In the youth events, the South Americans are used to riding a very fast time. Our youth need to learn how to ride within a tight time allowed to avoid time faults and still leave the jumps up.”

Additional programs and events will focus on this issue.

“We are working on offering more types of events to attract our youth and broaden their experience,” Tauber said. “It’s part of our overall strategic plan that we are working on within the Jumping Sports Committee.”

The Europeans have several advantages, she noted.

“They get more international experience at all levels, including children’s divisions, in Europe because of the close proximity of the different countries,” Tauber said. “Here, we would like to create more opportunities for the up-and-coming riders to compete in team events.”

Recently, Americans have new opportunities to compete in Europe.

“U.S. Equestrian now provides developing rider tours to Europe to compete in competitions that have invited U.S. riders,” she said. “When I was growing up, that wasn’t even possible.”

Tauber qualified and rode for the U.S. team in Gladstone, N.J., at the age of 18. She competed in Europe for several years representing the U.S. in CSIO Nations Cup international team competitions.

“When I was younger, I trained with Gabor Foltenyi, and then I went on to ride for the U.S. team and coach Bertalan de Némethy,” she recalled.

Capping an illustrious junior career, she won both the Medal and the Maclay Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Tauber has long been a champion for the equestrian sports. Her significant career accomplishments include the U.S. Equestrian Federation Sallie B. Wheeler Award for Distinguished Service in 2017 and the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. She was a member of the United States Equestrian Team for show jumping from 1965 to 1968 and was winner of the Grand Prix of Cologne and the President’s Cup in Washington, D.C.

She is also the current owner and operator of Distinctive Gardens, providing personalized garden design and care within Wellington. She lives with her husband George Tauber, who is a board member of the Palm Beach Polo Property Owners Association.

To learn more about Chrystine Tauber, view her Lifetime Achievement Award video at www.vimeopro.com/eqsports/2016-ushja-lifetime-achievement-tauber.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper. 

Nicho Meredith’s number one goal as the announcer at the 12-week Adequan® Global Dressage Festival dressage competition series is making spectators, officials and riders comfortable and knowledgeable. In the broadcasting booth with audio/video engineer Don Pye, the two work their magic on all things sound, including moderating music accompaniment to riders competing, working tirelessly during the Friday Night Lights Freestyle evenings, and preparing all the national anthems for the awards ceremonies before all the judges, the owners, the FEI World Ranking riders, sponsors and up to more than 2,500 spectators.

Fluent in six languages and enunciating correctly in eight more languages, Nicho announces in the native accent of the rider, repeating their name in English. Heading into his sixth year at the AGDF, he understands how stressful it can be for a competitor where there are language differences, “It’s important to me,” he explains, “that I make foreign riders and spectators both feel comfortable.” Dressage enthusiasts from the U.S., Canada and foreign countries are familiar with Nicho’s harmonious voice and attribute his broadcasting style to nurturing dressage admirers into a continuing love of the sport.

Becoming a Master of Languages

Native to Great Britain, Nicho was adopted at just ten days old, “My adoptive parents gave me everything I could wish for.” He admitted, “If I was ever to write my autobiography, it would be titled, 'The Luckiest Man I Know.'” He began riding at the age of four and fox hunted with his father, the Field Master, of the Cottesmore Hunt, “I had a great time, spoiled really. In England when hunting, you get chosen to see the fox away. I was always one of the ones who would try to see him away. I had great horses.”

A warm and fun story teller, Nicho shared how he also learned to ride through the United Kingdom’s Pony Club, an organization that educates young people in the highest standards of equestrian achievement in riding, horse care and animal welfare. One year while at the educational summer camp, he was excused because he popped into the girl's tent. The Commissioner, aware that Nicho never really had to groom his own horse because of his familie's ties with the local hunt, passed him his D level due to his highly efficient riding but asked that he not return to the Club for the C levels.

In his mid-teen years, he’d worked to pass his school’s General Certificate of Education’s O-level test that focused on the science field. His disappointment in failing the exam squashed his motivation. Someone gave him a ‘teach yourself Russian’ book and he quickly learned how to read and speak the difficult language, “I was pretty good at it.”

His parents realized he was not destined to be the scientist they had hoped and helped him develop his language acumen by permitting him to enter an exchange program with a French family where their son stayed with his parents and where Nicho stayed with the boy’s parents. In France, he realized not only did he delight in learning the language itself, but he took great pleasure in learning how to properly enunciate every word. “I found that I picked it up unusually quick. Because I’m so nosy and I don’t like not knowing what somebody is saying. It was sort of that which made me want to learn everything I could learn about a language.  It really was the curiosity in understanding correctly a language, then learning how to use it.  I’m really lucky that each come easy. Then I go on to really learn each accent well. I can mimic the words well. Because I dislike getting things wrong and because I’m a Gemini and math scholar, language is all a part of that mind set.”

Soon, Nicho traveled all over Europe, “I went to school in Europe for five years going to different countries to learn different languages.” He completed his schooling at the University of Salzburg in Austria.

Soon, Nicho entered the British Army where he became skilled at playing polo and was stationed in several countries, including Cyprus, Germany, Northern Ireland and Hong Kong, “I was very fortunate to be able to continue my passion for learning different languages.”

ANNOUNCING

When he was still a teenager, Nicho began announcing at the local horse shows in his native country. His big break came in 1971 with the popular three-day Burghley Horse Trials which led to a 1989 job offer in the United States, “I announced at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.” Nicho is prepared to announce in all disciplines including dressage, show jumping, combined driving, three-day events, steeple chasing, “I used to call the flat races in Aiken.”

Nicho’s extraordinary understanding of so many different languages has enabled him to be an outstanding announcer at different competition locations throughout the United States. He is eager to broadcast at all disciplines, including show jumping, dressage, combined driving, steeple chasing, three-day events and flat races.

RESIDING IN THE U.S.

Residing in Aiken, South Carolina with his longtime girlfriend, dressage rider and trainer Melanie Mitchell, Nicho rides the trails there on Melanie’s retired FEI dressage horse, Romulus. He lives on a 60-acre farm in South Carolina with 25 horses on which he built the barn himself. “When a new horse comes on the property, the moment it settles in to its stall you can see the softening in the eyes. Horses can tell right away that it’s a happy farm. It keeps me busy when I’m there, although I’m more of a carrot-feeding good guy and Melanie’s the chief disciplinarian.”

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (ADGF)

Since the first AGDF in 2012, Nicho has been announcing the series, “I’ve seen a dream come true for Mark Bellissimo. What we have now is what he envisioned. I once announced when Mark was presenting that sometimes we all have dreams and rarely do many of them come true. For Mark, this has come true. He and Michael Stone continue to work tirelessly to promote the sport in this country.” He continued, “This is such a high quality setting and we’re the top quality series in the world, from the footing, the judges and the officials. Each year it evolves into something even more brilliant and it’s amazing to be a part of it all.” Elaborating, Nicho added, “There is such a happy atmosphere here. Some of the top European riders come here and it’s great to have this series be a magnet for quality horses. Dressage is beautiful and the AGDF here in Florida is a perfect place for spectators to learn about the sport.” He asks, “How is it possible not to love it here?”

FEI judges are increasingly encouraging riders to approach them and ask questions about their tests. Since FEI Dressage Rules neither discourage nor prohibit competitors from discussing their marks with the judges after CDI classes, Christoph Hess affirms that, globally, judges want competitors to speak with them after the classes. “We are being more open to talking with both rider and trainer,” he explains, "because at the end of the day we have the responsibility to make the sport better by helping riders to see something the way we saw it. If the rider or trainer is unaware of a mistake, then a judge can point that out so a rider understands our marks and make a change for the next day.”

At the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, the judges are available after the CDI classes to communicate with riders. To improve competitor awareness, understanding and familiarity with the judges, riders are welcome to ask show management to assist in locating the judges in order to find a good time and place to converse. 

Now serving the German Equestrian Federation (FN) as an educational ambassador, Christoph has a notable equestrian history as an international 4* FEI Judge for Dressage and Eventing with added qualifications as a trainer and rider. For more than 30 years, Christoph worked in Warendorf as the Director of Training and Education for the German Equestrian Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports (Deutsches Olym-piade-Komitee für Reiterei, or the acronym DOKR). “I was responsible for all the qualifications and to find a good system because we were always improving and developing the rider and trainer programs.”

Enhancing his judging successes, Christoph was also one of the leading judges at Germany’s Bundeschampionate (competitions of the country’s best three to six year olds competing in dressage, jumping, eventing, driving and jumping), at the annual Young Horse Breeding Championships, and also as one of the leading FEI judges to hold symposiums for riders, trainers and judges.

“I am a judge, as you know, but I’m also looking at the horse and rider from a trainer’s point of view, as well. For me, it’s important to not only look at them and count the number of strides between the flying changes. This, at the end of the day, a computer can do.” Elaborating, he explained, “I look at two points of view: Harmony between the horse and rider. I want to see happy horses. For me, this is more important than a happy rider, because a happy horse is a healthy horse. The rider can make the decision to ride into the arena, but the horse has no possibility to make that decision, therefore the horse must look prepared to perform in a happy way. And I have one eye to the trainer’s point of view to see if the rider has a nice feeling, to see if the rider is sitting in a nice way into the horse’s movements of using the reins to find the balance. The rider has a big responsibility for their own education and training and that’s what I look very carefully to see.”

Encouraging Riders to Speak with Judges

It has become especially important to Christoph that riders communicate with judges about their marks. “To be honest, I want our comments to help because it is the best way to explain how a ride might improve. For instance, a rider could ask, ‘Why did you give me a 7 here because it was my feeling that I should have gotten a 5 or a 9?’”

“I think that talking scores over would be a good idea, especially to explain the collective marks because we as judges do not have enough time to write lengthy comments for those marks. With me, I would like to comment from my two points of view; the judge’s point of view and the trainer’s point of view. I always want to explain a little bit more.”

“Riders should not fear judges, but instead feel comfortable to come and talk with us.”

Please note for USA National Classes: In the United States, USEF Rules (GR 702) requires a rider to find the TD or show management first in order to get permission to speak with the judge at the US national competitions (Non-CDI) classes.

Wellington, Florida attracts passionate people. Since the 1970s, it has attracted the best in the horse sports, not only from within the United States but also Europeans, South Americans and Asians travel to take advantage of the warm six month winter season. Riders prepare their horses for a confident and fit competition season. The International caliber of wins from the strategies of these riders in their use of training in Wellington comes with Olympic Gold Medals, World Equestrian Games achievements and World Cup Championship trophies. Wellington is a key component to their success. How did Ken Adams take part to incorporate the local government to help the equestrians reach their dreams to succeed?

Only 22 years ago in 1995, the Village of Wellington was formally incorporated with its 28,960 acres in total. One-third of the land was designated for the 9,200-acre Equestrian Preserve. The other two-thirds of the land planning has almost completely built out into small developments with one acre per residence, whereas the Equestrian Preserve is zoned for up to 10 acres per residential built home. The idea was to work to keep enough land necessary for horses with the growing population and land purchases. A one-acre lot is not enough space for a horse to train and thrive.

A former Palm Beach County Commissioner, Ken Adams played a key role in the organizing The Village of Wellington and in the formation of the Equestrian Preserve. He recalls, “When I moved here, there were more alligators than people.” Ken arrived in Wellington in the early 1980s from Upstate New York after selling his chain of hardware stores, “During the winter, I’d come down here to play polo. I made a mistake one day and told a friend that I was kind of bored.” That friend, Arthur William “Bink” Glisson had been hired by Charles Oliver Wellington to purchase 18,000 acres of land that later, became known as the Village of Wellington. Bink brought Wellington’s son, Roger, to speak with Ken. “They had something in mind for me to do."

He smiled in remembrance, “At that time, they were working with ACME, a group in charge of the water system throughout Wellington’s vast agricultural farms. They told me that I should become a Palm Beach County Commissioner even though I had never been involved in politics of any kind. That was in 1985.”

After just one month serving as Commissioner, Ken was appointed Chairman. “There was no real government planning as there is now in Palm Beach County. It was a happy place and had incredible growth potential, but no organization to keep it safe and clean in a clear, positive direction. I made the mistake of letting the group here in Wellington know this, and they all said, ‘Great, you fix it.’ So I spent the lots of years doing just that.”Ken Adams recently had a photo taken in the original house he and his wife, Arle lived in when they moved to Wellington.

“As we put the Palm Beach County’s incorporation into place, I realized that Wellington was in the same position. Bink and Roger thought somebody should lead in the growth of Wellington, especially someone who worked on the Commission of Palm Beach County. Apparently, that was going to be me. Roger and Bink asked me to chair the committee creating the Wellington Charter and another creating a master plan where we introduced the Equestrian Preserve and established The Village of Wellington’s first budget.” (In 1995 when Ken arrived in Wellington, its population was 25,530. It has been projected to reach 65,500 this year.)

Wellington was incorporated on December 31, 1995, as a home rule municipality (the ability for its residents to pass laws as long as they obey state and federal constitutions) and formally adopted a Charter (codes and ordinances of guidelines and regulations by local government), a concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.

“It took some time to put Wellington’s incorporation together,” Ken said. Although it is not actually a “village” under any U.S. standard definition of that term, it is still officially referred to as the “Village of Wellington.” Bound by a Charter establishing municipal services such as a police force, fire department, assessors, ability to acquire property, borrow money and issue bonds).

The History of Wellington

Tracts of Wellington land changed several hands after Mr. Wellington, one of which was Gould Florida, a division of the large electronics corporation that bought most of Wellington. “A very good friend of mine, Gary Stribling, the Gould General Manager in charge of development was a very sharp man. Wellington was becoming a world-class Palm Beach lifestyle place to live and Gary wanted to attract more home buyers, especially the equestrians. He knew that Gould’s Chairman, William Yilvisaker, was an avid polo player so he told his boss that he knew a fellow named Gene Mische who, if hired, would come down for the winter season and start a large horse show.” It was Yilviksaker’s contribution that produced the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club and for many years he organized the world-class polo tournaments.

“There were lots of acres they wanted to sell,” Ken explains. “Gene was known world-wide and he brought some of the best equestrians in the world to Wellington. Wealthy families who loved their children and loved their horses really trusted him. They knew their children would be safe. They knew they would get the top training in the world and that started the horse show. He did an incredible job. We have people training and showing in Wellington during the winter seasons all getting ready for the Olympics. They are the best in the sport. Gene was really able to attract the best of the best. And that is why Wellington is still so influential. Youngsters who dream of riding at the top of the sport come to Wellington to make that happen. They have to come here now. It’s the place. The credits they get for competing in competitions here apply in the world-wide rankings to get to the Olympics. It is that recognized.”

Creation of the Equestrian Preserve

It was Ken’s idea to start an Equestrian Preserve, which needed its own zoning codes and regulations for building horse-related facilities such as barns, rings, sheds, etc. He knew if that expanse of land was only controlled by Palm Beach County government without the Village of Wellington municipality, “all the land would have been 1-acre housing developments.” The land would have been one acre for every residence and there wouldn’t have been any restrictions to preserve the land for the equestrians and their horses.The Village of Wellington outline with one-third of the land in the Equestrian Preserve

He realized the need for every residence to have something close to two to ten acres with trails to sufficiently accommodate the needs of their horses. So, after Village of Wellington was formally incorporated, Ken went to work. Wanting the Equestrian Preserve to be a part of the Village Charter, “I saw that Ocala had a sort of equestrian preserve and I had become friends with the person in charge of land development in the state of Florida [in Tallahasee]. I talked to him about an Equestrian Preserve and he said we don’t have anything like that in Florida. He said that if I could define it and get the residents to vote for it and if I could get the state legislature to vote for it, then you can have one. At that time, those were a lot of ‘ifs’. No one had ever heard of me but that is exactly what we did. We worked a couple of years to get the residents to vote to approve the incorporation of Wellington and the first time, they voted against it, which was pretty discouraging. A couple of years later, they did vote to approve it and that let us go forward for the incorporation. It took us some time to get it all put together.”

The Land Development Regulations (LDR) are the zoning guidelines which include subdivision and landscaping codes, parking ordinances and are the codes developed for all the residents' building projects whether that is residential, commercial or designated equestrian.

“We had a majority vote from our residents and a unanimous vote from the Florida legislature, which was unheard of,” Ken advises. “Then, we went through a second attempt to get a unanimous vote from our council, which came through this time.” The 9,000-acre Village of Wellington Equestrian Preserve was approved.

Ken Adams and the Palm Beach Hounds and Land Preservation Passion

Together, Ken and his wife Arle kept a pack of foxhounds at their 40 acre homestead they owned in Wellington’s Little Ranches and, on the weekends, a large group of the community would ride from Little Ranches all the way through the Big Blue Forest and down to the canal that separates Wellington from the Everglades. “One summer, I was playing polo in Vermont and we returned to the hotel that night and my wife told me, ‘I bought something for you today.’ Worried, I asked, ‘Oh, what’s that?’ and she said, ‘A pack of foxhounds.’ Then she said, ‘All you have to do is go to this man I met this morning and tell him what you’ll pay him for them.’ And we did. We had a pack of foxhounds for many years down here in Wellington.”

Ken feels honored to have been a part of Wellington’s development. He credits others including Roger Wellington, Bink Glisson, Gary Stribling, Gene Mische, Bill Ylvisaker and many others as the real heroes. “I’m quite proud to have been the one to name Bink Forest [a Wellington community] and to have placed the fox heads on all the signage there.”

Ken Adams’ vision has certainly made a difference in many people’s lives in reaching their dreams through their equestrian goals. The incorporation of the Village of Wellington and the state approval for the Equestrian Preserve realized the vision of Roger Wellington and continues to bring the prosperity to those in the community.

Elisabeth Williams has been the FEI Chief Dressage Steward at every Adequan® Global Dressage Festival CDI for the past five years. Sitting between the warm-up and international competition stadium arena, she proficiently oversees that every aspect relating to a show is fair and consistent from the time a rider and horse practice in the warm-up arena to the time they compete, and through each CDI division awards ceremony. Concerned, thoughtful and a kind person, she focuses on participants competing under the best possible and most fair conditions available.

Climbing the Dressage Official Ladder

Elisabeth’s Chief Steward role began at the 1995 World Cup Finals in Los Angeles. Soon afterwards, she officiated at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and at almost every North American Junior/Young Rider’s Championship, at every National Dressage Championships starting from 1997, the 2005 and 2007 World Cup Finals and London’s 2012 Olympics. And she will be the Chief Steward at the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Since 2011 she has also been an FEI Course Director. In 2014 she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the International Dressage Officials Committee (IDOC), became the FEI Deputy Steward General for Dressage, and elected Chair of the United States Equestrian High Performance Dressage Committee in 2015. Earlier this year, Elisabeth was appointed a Vice President of the IDOC.

Elisabeth’s CDI Tasks and Duties

Mindful of the safety and well-being of the riders and their horses at the Festival, Elisabeth’s Chief Steward job starts at 6:30 a.m. every Tuesday through Sunday and continues until each CDI is fully completed by coordinating, handling or overseeing the following:

1. Making sure everyone has the same schooling opportunity, under both natural daylight and the showground’s lights
2. Organizing and ensuring that the horse inspection (Jog) is safe and fair for all athletes
3. Making sure the judges are promptly where they are supposed to be
4. Informing the athletes of the time they will be entering the ring and when it is their turn
5. Communicating with the announcer about anything that may not be visible on the stadium’s ground level and answering any questions
6. Assisting the winning athletes
- Helping to secure the ribbons onto the horses’ bridles
- Indicating the winners’ path in the ring
- Directing the top three riders to sponsor photos
7. Communicating with the announcer after each sponsor photoElisabeth Williams walks in riders Photo: Dressage Headlines

Elisabeth spoke about the growth of the sport in Florida, “There’s been an enormous increase in rides since I started here. During week #10 alone, we are up to 145 horses. It’s become wonderfully international with more European and foreign riders than just American riders. I’ve seen the AGDF grow into world-class competitions with the qualities of the horses and riding skyrocketing. Even the scores are increasing. In 2012, we saw only a few 70 percent scores and now we’re having the top 8 Grand Prix riders scoring marks higher than 70 percent.”

She also addressed the rules, “Riders have definitely learned to do well in a CDI setting and generally complying with the rules. We’re into education here, and rules are rules. I won’t simply say ‘you’re out’ to someone, but will explain in a quiet manner the rule an athlete may have run up against. We have to be fair.” She continued, “It’s important to me that I explain in a quiet, non-threatening manner what an athlete may have done so they can follow the rule from then on. I never act as a policeman. I prefer solving problems.”

“If something to do with the welfare of the horse does get a little out of hand, we’ll talk about correcting it and moving on. But, I have a hard time dealing with the kicking, spurring and yanking. I don’t deal well with any of that. I’ll pick a time to discreetly talk with the rider without sitting on the sidelines and bellowing. Or, if I know that a rider will be schooling in the morning and I know their ride is in the afternoon, I’ll talk to them then. Usually, though, all I have to do is stand up and they know.”

On Horsemanship

“The sport is evolving and going in a much better direction than it has been. The horsemanship, though, is something that surprises me from just a few riders. I don’t like to see a rider jump off a horse right after the test and take it back to the barn without cooling it out first, and I don’t like it taken back to the barn without the reins over the head and the stirrups put up. That’s just the Pony Club mother in me.”Elisabeth Williams keeping a CDI-Am awards ceremony safe Photo: Dressage Headlines

About the Judges

Addressing rider disappointments with their range in given percentage scores, Elisabeth explained, “The judges have a hard job to do. 99.9 percent of them do a phenomenal job and I think riders at the international level need to recognize that they’re looking at 3 to 5 different opinions. One may give a lower score that the others which, of course, will bring a total down. But, riders need to read the judges’ comments before complaining about that score. A rider can always ask to speak with a judge and ask that judge why a low score was given and what they can do to fix it. The judges really do care, all of them.”

Elisabeth’s Interesting Background

Elisabeth grew up in Sweden and speaks Swedish, English, German, French and a little Spanish. Before studying at the University of Stockholm, she attended a local college and majored in languages that included English, German, French and Latin. At University, she majored in Advanced Secretarial School and Hotel Administration and Tourism, and went on to work at the Royal Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. for more than ten years. She then worked in Washington’s World Bank concentrating on the Swedish Delegation and Swedish National Bank, and then transferred to the East Asian and Pacific Departments supervising a World Bank mission to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Her final World Bank project led her to the China Country Programs Division for the Department.

While in Washington D.C., her dressage interest included serving on the Potomac Valley Dressage Association’s Board of Directors and as Treasurer, moving up to Chairman of the Board and Director. She worked as a show manager at the Potomac Horse Center before computers were used and also assisted the Potomac Pony Club, eventually becoming the Organizing Regions District Commissioner. For ten years beginning in the early 1980s, Elisabeth helped the United States Pony Club on the national level by organizing its annual National Championships.

Elisabeth and her husband, Thomas, live near Philadelphia where she began her climb up the international dressage ranks to become FEI Chief Steward. As a member of the USEF High Performance Committee, she has developed the written tests for the USEF Dressage Technical Delegates and is a member of the USEF International Disciplines Council. She is also a member of the USDF Regional Championships Selection Committee and has facilitated the USDF Learner Technical Delegates Forums.

Elisabeth works hard and appreciates the team at the AGDF which includes the competition steward, the show office staff and organizer, the announcer, the awards coordinator and more, “It truly does become a family here, especially as the 12 week season and weeks come together.”

 Elisabeth Williams walks in Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven, Mikala Munter Gundersen and Lars Petersen to the awards ceremony Photo: Dressage Headlines

Seventeen years of collecting data on gait analysis for dressage horses in the equine laboratory at the McPhail Center at Michigan State University, biomechanics research veterinarian Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR, MRCVS, conducted studies to evaluate a horse’s body during collection.

She ascertained how much weight each of the four limbs of a horse carries, how much propulsion are in each of the horse’s legs, the significance of a horse’s chest and trunk, and how crucial it is for a rider to have a well informed understanding on the sling muscles to aid a horse’s balance.

Unlike the human shoulder girdle where the collarbones (clavicles) attach the arms to the body, a horse has none. Without a collarbone, a horse has no bony connection between its front limbs and trunk. Instead, strong muscles connect the inside of its shoulder blades to its rib cage, which act like slings and suspend the chest between the horse’s two front limbs. The 'sling muscles' consist primarily of the serratus ventralis thoracis muscle assisted by the pectoral muscles. 

Contraction of these sling muscles lift the trunk and withers between the shoulder blades, raising the withers to the same height or higher than the croup. When a horse travels without proper contraction of its sling muscles, the horse's motion looks downhill and on the forehand.

Horses in Clayton’s studies were ridden in a working frame, a collected frame and a downhill frame in order to check the different populsion of each leg. Motion analysis markers were used to measure movement of the trunk, neck and croup as well all of the horse's legs during many data sessions on a horse's populsion and collectability. The average horse carries 58 percent of its weight on its front legs and 42 percent on its hind legs. She discovered the horse must learn to move in an uphill balance by pushing upwards with its forelimbs. The hind legs can then function as they should by sitting to carry more weight and by providing pushing power. In essence, the heavy chest needs to be up and out of the way for the hind legs to push.  

The Sling Muscles and Self-Carriage

The sling muscles are extremely important to the self-carriage of the dressage horse. The goal in dressage training is to teach the horse to use its sling muscles throughout the workout. With time, these muscles get stronger and the persistent elevation allows the horse to push and hold its hind legs under the center of gravity through its motion to be even more pronounced and uphill.

The toning of the sling muscles increases with a rider who balances the shoulders throughout training while also balancing with half-halts. This raising of the frame, if balanced correctly by the rider, will allow those muscles to become stronger and more elastic and aid in the horse learning to hold its own frame.

Riders tend to think crookedness comes from the back and hind legs of the horse. However, it is the horse’s serratus ventralis thoracis muscles and its shoulder blades that also play a role in the crookedness equation. Since a horse is stronger on one side than the other, it allows one shoulder to fall in on a turn or drift out on the other, depending on the stronger or weaker side. 

“These muscles,” Clayton explained, “fan out from the shoulder blade onto the ribs and on to the vertebrae at the base of the neck. When they connect they raise the withers so they emerge into a higher position between the scapulae and also raise the base of the neck.”

"In a young horse, the strength of its sling muscles are often asymmetrical on the left and right sides and that plays a significant role in its crookedness. Riders, therefore, must focus on teaching the horse to use and develop the muscles on its weaker side to make them more symmetrical for balance and self-carriage. In time, the horse will begin to balance in a more upright position without falling in or out of the turns." 

She also discovered that the horse's pectorals get bigger and grow stronger if the chest is balanced up during smaller circles, correct turns and going sideways (lateral work) because these muscles are important for holding the front legs in a vertical position during their stance phase and for crossing the forelimbs during their swing phase. 

A horse’s shoulders and trunk are heavy; therefore, in training and working toward collection with a horse, a rider must learn how to balance the chest and the trunk upwards so the hind legs can come underneath to provide propulsion and support. Clayton emphasized, “It’s the balance of the trunk that allows the push from the hind legs to go through the horse's body without pushing it onto the forehand.”

Posture of Both Rider and Horse

There is a distinct correlation between the rider’s posture and the horse’s posture as they train together. If the rider’s core muscles are not engaged, then the horse’s core muscles also will not be engaged. Even though the horse has a distinct advantage in having four legs, a rider must learn to hold his or her own posture in order for the horse to engage its own core strength, which is necessary for it to hold its frame up.Ashley Holzer and Sir Caramello at the Dutta Corp U.S. Equestrian Festival of Champions Photo: DH

A horse’s self-carriage is achieved through controlled tension of the muscle groups. There is a muscle ring that wraps around deep inside the horse through its back and abdominal muscles which allow it to maintain roundness of its back. The abdominal muscles encase the abdomen from the pelvis to the ribcage to the sternum. Contraction of these muscles and the back muscles allow the horse to be supple and loose to free its legs to push and carry all of its weight.

Equal Pushing Power

Most riders think that only the hind legs need development and push. More accurately, the push from the hind legs has to be supported by the upward push of the front legs. So pushing power of the hind legs must be harnessed by the elevation of the forehand so the horse can perform with controlled power in an uphill balance. 

About Hilary Clayton

“I grew up in England foxhunting and in pony clubs in Derbyshire, which is right in the middle of England. I am a veterinarian and I always wanted to study the horse’s biomechanics, but the technology did not exist when I came out of university. I've been studying equine biomechanics for almost 40 years and I am convinced that understanding the action of the horse's sling muscles and the role of the forelimbs are crucial to understanding the mechanics of self-carriage in the dressage horse."

Clayton said Mary Anne McPhail was instrumental in providing the facilities and equipment needed for this type of research. “Thanks to Mary Anne, I was able to make enormous strides in understanding the mechanics of the dressage horse and the rider's interaction with the horse at Michigan State University. I am so grateful that Mary Anne made that possible." 

Serving for almost seventeen years as the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Clayton has since retired from her post. She continues to remain active in the research and presenting lectures that describe her amazing findings to the world. She is based at her home in Michigan during the summertime and migrates to Wellington, Florida for the wintertime. Currently, she is appying her knowledge to develop better tack and equipment for the dressage horse. 

Continuing to bring technology into riding, she said, “I love to do research and I'm currently working on several projects that have practical applications for dressage horses and trainers. That's what keeps me active and engaged." Always available to share her findings, Hilary Clayton gives great lectures and workshops all over the world.  

Time spent in Wellington is important to the success of top Canadian riders, particularly for the village’s weather, equestrian infrastructure and 12-week winter competition series.

Many Canadians have made long-term commitments by buying properties for the six months of training and competing each winter to represent their country.

In dressage alone, there are approximately 15 top riders vying to represent Canada in championships including the World Equestrian Games, the Olympic Games, the Pan American Games and World Cup events, and in show jumping, there are more.

Many of these riders agree that Wellington plays a huge part in their success. Among them are six-time dressage Olympian Christilot Boylen and two-time Olympian Belinda Trussell, as well as show jumper Billie Boylen, Christilot’s daughter. They share their gratitude to Wellington as they continue to prepare their own horses and other’s horses to qualify for the World Equestrian Games.

Christilot Boylen is one of the all-time greatest athletes in the sport of dressage. She has trained horses and riders up the levels over the last 40 years to progress and consistently win on the international level time and again.

Not only is Boylen a success in dressage, but she also works well with legends like George Morris to prepare horse and rider combinations from all nationalities in show jumping and three-day eventing while in Wellington.

Boylen has continued to coach Canadian three-day eventing rider Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High to next week’s Badminton Horse Trials in England. She also coaches Trussell and top rider Megan Lane, who both competed to high placings in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.

After living in Europe for 23 years, Boylen restructured her life to include Wellington starting in 2013. “For the North American continent, there is no better choice,” she said. “Canada is a cold, snowy, frozen country during the winter. It’s a wonderful luxury to be able to work in this wonderful sunshine. And from a sport’s standpoint, you cannot get the horses to the level they need to be without this winter season we have here.”

Boylen explained that she bought a winter home in Wellington last year because it’s not a one-year thing.

“It’s a consistent, long-term commitment we must incorporate as we bring new horses or different horses up the levels. It’s all about their development,” she noted. “Wellington has such a wonderful infrastructure, and it’s very cosmopolitan. Wellington has the entire infrastructure for us to get each horse worked on a consistent basis. Each horse has its own program. There is so much to be done each and every day.”

She stressed that the winter season is a necessary step for all the Canadian riders at the top levels.

“Perhaps, one day, a horse is going to be ridden, then have the blacksmith trim his feet and shoe him; there is turnout, massage therapy, veterinary and so much more,” Boylen said. “That is why top riders may only be able to ride three to five horses. It takes a team because there is a lot to do day in and day out for each horse to be in top form. There are some riders who can do as many as 10 horses a day, but they need a world-class team because perhaps they may have someone warming the horse up and another cooling the horse down before and after the training sessions.”

Boylen spends six months in Wellington and six months near Toronto at Deer Ridge, where she works in both places with world-class dressage, show jumping and three-day eventing riders and their horses.

“Dressage trainers have the advantage because every rider agrees across each equestrian discipline that basic dressage training is a requirement for each horse,” she explained. “It is necessary for the jumpers, and even more necessary now in the three-day eventing horses. If the scores for the three-day horses aren’t good in dressage, they cannot place in the top after cross-country and show jumping. There is more awareness now than ever before that the basic training has to be done.”

Trussell is the owner of Oakcrest Farms in Stouffville, Canada, a state-of-the-art facility for world-class riding and training that she owns with her husband, Mark. A team member for Canada at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the 2010 World Equestrian Games, a silver medal team member at the 2015 Pan American Games and riding for Team Canada in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Trussell has garnered numerous other successes and victories.

Trussell’s horse that is coming up, the 2003 Westphalian gelding Tattoo, bred by the world-famous Theodorescu family in Germany, is owned by Trussell and her husband, and the team received very good scores this winter season.

“Wellington provides a venue for us to compete against the top-level competitors, athletes and combinations,” Trussell said. “We would have to go to Europe to get that. The chance to be able to do that here in North America is huge. It’s wonderful to be able to come down here and spend a whole season. I even purchased a condo because it’s such a fabulous opportunity.”

The trip to Wellington is not only for top horses, either. “I have a chance to bring the horses that are developing and to get into this weather and compete at this type of horse show series,” Trussell said. “There is nowhere else as good in North America. It is the best.”

Trussell competed Anton for years in Wellington and went on to be ranked one of the best riders in the world by the FEI World Ranking List for dressage. “My top horse retired. So, this is now my next horse coming up, and it’s his second year at Grand Prix,” she said. “I believe it takes three years to justify a horse at this level. I would describe this horse as very emotional. We’ve had our ups and downs, and he is absolutely brilliant. We just need to get a little bit more consistent. This season, I have learned a lot.”

Christilot Boylen’s daughter, Billie Boylen, grew up in Germany and is a licensed German Bereiter (a state-licensed rider) and a young horse specialist. After the sale of the family training facility in Germany in 2012, she has been managing the Boylen stables for three years with her young horse business.

“Wellington is completely different from the real world,” she said. “It is a luxury to cut the work time in half because in Canada and Europe you have so many more tasks each day. I am amazingly grateful to be here.”

To follow these athletes, visit www.christilotboylen.com and www.belindatrussellinternational.com.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper.

Quite a few riders in dressage and show jumping qualified during Wellington’s 12-week winter series for the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final and FEI World Cup Dressage Final taking place next week in Paris.

The entire group will fly their horses from Miami to Paris for 10 days to compete in the indoor final against the best in the world. Top riders from the two disciplines will be in Paris from April 10-15, having completed a long and difficult World Cup qualifying process.

The 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup Dressage Final will take place at the AccorHotels Arena, formerly known as Paris Bercy Arena, located on the Boulevard de Bercy in central Paris. Major sporting events, including the ATP Tour tennis tournament Paris Masters, have been held at the venue. As one of France’s largest concert venues, and known for its unique pyramid shape, the indoor arena has hosted global megastars such as Madonna, Céline Dion, Tina Turner, Kylie Minogue and U2, among many others.

Paris will welcome 18 horse-and-rider combinations in dressage representing 13 countries at the 33rd FEI World Cup Dressage Final. In show jumping, the 40 best riders in the world will compete head-to-head.

Five of the 18 dressage riders competed this winter in Wellington, including Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén, Americans Laura Graves and Shelly Francis, the Dominican Republic’s Yvonne Losos de Muñiz and Ellesse Tzinberg of the Philippines.

These championships are the culmination of winter season qualification points in the Musical Freestyle for the dressage riders. Last year’s second-place winner Graves, 30, will be a strong contender, as she has a newly crafted Freestyle with her and Curt Maes’ Verdades, a 16-year-old KWPN gelding.

Last year, Graves posted her personal best in the Grand Prix Freestyle with a score of 85.307 percent in the World Cup competition, held in Omaha, Neb. Graves said that Wellington has played an important part in her career.

“Wellington is the only venue in the entire country that gives us the opportunity to qualify for such world-wide events,” she said. “Everything you could possibly need is here — the best trainers in the country, the best riders in the country, the best horses in the country, the best footing in the country, the best organizers, the best sponsors and the crowds are all here.”

Graves has been working with Verdades, known as “Diddy,” for a number of years in Wellington.

“It has been really fun,” she said. “I was here when the Global Dressage Festival first started in 2012, and it has grown into something truly spectacular that no other country in the world has. My perspectives of the venue have changed as I have changed and grown because of this venue. It has given me the medium to design my career. Every time I need to make a change, there is an option for me here. I don’t have to go anywhere else. It allows me to adapt and learn because they are always bringing in the very best judges for us. They keep us sharp on our game.”

Sweden’s Vilhelmson Silfvén will head to Paris having competed in seven Olympic Games, eight European Championships, and six World Cup Finals. She will ride Paridon Magi, Lövsta Stuteri’s 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding.

Francis, of Loxahatchee, will also be representing the United States with Patricia Stempel’s Danilo, a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding. Since the early 2000s, the five-foot-two-inch rider has teamed with horse owner Stempel and consistently scores in the highest rankings for the United States throughout the national and international dressage circuits.

A first-time competitor for the indoor championships, Francis has beautiful acapella music designed by Marlene Whitaker to complement her horse, and she has a great chance to place high in the finals.

Olympic dressage rider Losos de Muñiz, who represents the Dominican Republic, will ride in Paris on her own Foco Loco W, or “Dobbie,” an 18-hand Bay 2005 Belgian Warmblood gelding. She is a longtime winter Wellington resident.

“Coming here and being here for the winter seasons has done everything for me,” she said. “If it weren’t for Wellington, the Global Dressage venue and everything here, I would not have the chance to go to the World Cup or be qualified for the World Equestrian Games or have had the opportunity to have competed in the Rio Olympics.”

Losos de Muñiz is thrilled with the opportunity to ride in Paris.

“Being excited to represent the Dominican Republic in Paris at the World Cup doesn’t even describe half of what I feel,” she said. “I am still on a cloud from this season. It’s been so go, go, go for me these last 12 weeks. When I finally get on the plane, then I will realize I am going to Paris. Grateful, for us, South American or Central American, the U.S. or Canada, Wellington is the only place in the world where we can qualify for any upcoming games or championships and be just as competitive on the world stage. It makes it all possible for us.”

Another new competitor for the indoor championships will be Tzinberg, 26, and her own Triviant 2, an 18-year-old KWPN gelding. She will be the first-ever athlete to represent the Philippines at the World Cup Final. She is a Wellington resident and winter season dressage competitor.

“Wellington is so unique in the sense that you can come here and really get to know your horse,” she explained. “It’s the only place in the world where you can do that. I don’t think I would actually be at this level without the time we spend here in Wellington. We had the chance to show almost every other week, and it wasn’t a high-pressure show situation. We were at the same stadium, same show venue and the same show ring to get to know one another and really work on things together. It’s wonderful not to have to travel 15 hours to show at a new competition.”

To follow the dressage riders in Paris, visit www.feiworldcupfinals-paris.com/en/fei-world-cup-tm-dressage-final.

The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final will include 40 of the best riders in the world. Last year’s winner, America’s double Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward with Double H Farm and François Mathy’s HH Azur, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, will be heading to Paris to defend his title.

A total of 11 U.S. riders have made the cut from the North American Eastern and Western sub leagues. Among them are seven riders who qualified through events in Wellington: Alison Robitaille (Upperville, Va.) with Bertram and Diana Firestone’s Ace, a 13-year-old KWPN gelding; Devin Ryan (Long Valley, N.J.) with LL Show Jumpers LLC’s Eddie Blue, a 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding; Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) with Abigail Wexner’s Breitling LS, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion; Kristen Vanderveen (Wellington) with Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC’s Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion; Sarah Scheiring (Chester, N.J.) with Cheval Equestrian LLC and Molly Ben-Menachem’s Dontez, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding; Andrew Kocher (Howell, N.J.) with MKO Equestrian LLC’s Navalo de Poheton, a 17-year-old Selle Français gelding; and Charlie Jacobs (Wellington) with CMJ Sporthorse LLC’s Cassinja S, a 12-year-old Zweibrücker mare.

To find out more about the 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final, visit www.feiworldcupfinals-paris.com. It all can be watched live on FEI TV at tv.fei.org.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper. 

Growing up in Wellington since the age of 10, dressage rider Monica Burssens is currently traveling to Mexico City with two horses to qualify in the selection trials for the XXIII Central American & Caribbean Games.

Born in Mexico City, 31-year old Burssens grew up in a tight-knit, hardworking equestrian family.

She attended Wellington High School. “I was a cheerleader there,” she said. “I started going to school in fifth grade in Wellington at New Horizons, Wellington Landings and then Polo Park.”

The opportunity to represent her team for the upcoming games will be a huge step in her career, and it will put Burssens on the map for potential sponsors in the future. “This is my dream,” she said. “I have a very high chance of making the team if I can make it to the selection trials.”

The Mexican Equestrian Federation requires its team competitors to be in Mexico City for the selection trials April 7-8, May 5-6 and May 25-27. Burssens and her horses, Elfentanz, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare, and Sao Passionat, a 9-year-old gelding with whom Burssens has done all the training, are heading down to Mexico City to prepare.

Her aunt is Mexican FEI 5* Dressage Judge Maribel Alonso. In Mexico City, Burssens will be surrounded by family. “My grandparents, a few uncles and cousins, including my aunt Maribel Alonso, will all be there cheering me on. If I make the games in Bogota, Colombia, they will all go, too. I am really excited,” she said.

She has been riding seriously for 10 years at IDA Farm in Little Ranches.

“As a child, I didn’t take the dressage training seriously, until I moved away for college to Madrid, Spain,” she recalled. “I missed riding too much, and when I returned, I decided to pursue the sport with 100 percent effort.”

Both her father and mother run a large stable in Wellington with dozens of horses in training, horses for clients and horses in their care for amateur riders who work locally. “My family has always been involved in horses,” Burssens said. “My dad, Patrick, is a well-known trainer here in Wellington.”

The family, however, is from humble beginnings.

“My parents were never wealthy growing up,” she said. “My dad worked super hard to send us to a private school in Mexico because the public school system is really not that good. Both my parents work hard. My mom is pretty much the backbone of everything.”

In her younger years, she took every opportunity to ride.

“I never had a pony growing up,” Burssens said. “I would ride what anybody would let me ride of my dad’s clients. Usually, I walked the horses before or after their workouts. Little by little, a client would let me ride one of their horses a bit longer. I had to work to get myself riding jobs here and there just to ride.”

Now, she is preparing to represent her native Mexico.

“I was born in Mexico City, and I have one brother who was born in Ohio when my dad had a job there overseeing stallions, mares and foals. But then we moved back to Mexico City,” Burssens explained. “In Mexico, the sport of dressage is kind of small. That is why he said, ‘Let’s relocate to Florida,’ and we moved to Wellington. When we first moved here, Southern Blvd. had only one lane of traffic going each way. In 1997, my parents bought IDA Farm in Little Ranches, which was only one main barn, and the rest was owned by Ken Adams and his family.”

Monica has two brothers: Alex Burssens, who manages and runs Red Barn in Loxahatchee Groves with his wife, Marcela, and Santiago Burssens. “It’s a huge local store here in our area,” she said. “They love it.”

Eight years ago, Burssens was short-listed for the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, but unfortunately, her horse foundered, and she was devastated.

“My horse was Dance of Joy, and he was such a magnificent horse. He was lent to me by a super friend of my family. After a qualifying show at Jim Brandon, he was getting off the horse trailer, and he was completely lame,” she recalled. “We did everything possible for him. We tried stem cells, but he could not continue to compete and had to retire. I was devastated. We had become so close.”

Now, with two of her own horses that she has trained for the last five years, Burssens is looking forward to her upcoming trip.

“I feel like I just want this so bad. I have had these horses so long. I am the one who has done the work on these horses,” she said. “Yes, I have had help from my father, but I have really put in the hours to get them ready for this top level since they were three and four years old. They have been such good projects for me, and I adore both of them.”

Burssens is quite passionate about her horses. “It’s all day, every day,” she said. “I start before 8 a.m., and I ride around nine to 10 horses a day, and I coach several clients every day, six days a week. It’s a lot.”

However, she is not in it alone.

“I have always had a lot of support from my family and our great clients, who are always doing little things to help me out,” she said. “Right now, my husband and I have a horse in Europe, [and] we are selling pieces of him so that we can fund some of this. It’s not ideal, but I keep saying to myself, ‘If I had all the money, would I go?’ Yes, I would go. So, I am making the decision to go. There is a quote that says, ‘If you can solve all your problems with money, then they aren’t really problems.’ I am just going to find the money somehow by selling things, and I have started a GoFundMe site. If all of my friends give me $20, that is already enough to help me a lot.”

The XXIII Central American and Caribbean Games take place every four years and are scheduled for this July. The competition works as a qualifier for the Pan-American Games, and likewise, the Pan-American Games is where the countries’ federations qualify their teams to be able to compete a team at the 2020 Olympics.

But before she can get to Bogota, she must qualify in Mexico City.

“I know if I don’t go, I will wonder forever why I didn’t go. If I do make the team, they will take me more seriously next year for the Pan-Am Games,” she said. “I will have some experience under my belt with these games. It’s great to go to these big games to learn how to deal with the nerves and how to push through any nervousness.”

Hopefully, this is a start of an amazing journey.

“This chance will be a dream come true and a magnificent opportunity for me and my horses to learn how to compete under pressure and be part of a team,” Burssens said. “Ultimately, my goal is to make it to the Pan-American Games in 2019 and the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.”

A newlywed, Burssens married Manuel Lecuona last year.

“My husband is also a rider, a jumper rider, and we are both from Mexico City, but we met in Florida,” she said. “We met almost 10 years ago and have been together seven years now and married for one year — and now we just found out we are pregnant.”

To follow Monica Burssens on her journey, find her at www.facebook.com/monica.burssens and www.instagram.com/moniburssens.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper. 

Words are, indeed, powerful. Handled properly, they inspire interest. They inspire feelings. They inspire a connection. An informative and entertaining article draws interest, gives dressage readers including owners, sponsors, riders, coaches and others a valuable piece of information on building a better community.

While competition is at the core of the Dressage sport, insightful writing fosters peer support, camaraderie and acquaints all involved with quality services, facilities, products and different methods of training.

The premise or principle of the sport of dressage is for each rider and coach to test out their horse's training in front of a judge (or series of five judges) for an evaluation. Inside this written test or spoken observation by the judges the rider receives feedback from a judge who states, ‘Here is where you stand today at this moment in your horse's training and here is your score.’ It’s a process for continuance. 

What does that have to do with sharing your lives with the public and article writing? Well, everything. We need to learn from one another. The judges, the riders, the coaches need to share with the greater society for the common good of our entire sport. An excellent article doesn’t just state the horse and rider’s score, but the current goals for that horse, what the judges confirmed for the rider and possibly what the judges pointed out for them to improve. With so many details to choose, a good article includes the inner workings, the details, the timing associated with a horses strength, biomechanics and its current confidence level. Readers want to read about the rider and coach thought process, on the evaluation of training of their horse, and what might be ahead in its training. 

Data and the Evolving Media

Journalism is changing. These are its evolving trends:

First, Mondays are important. Verifiable data and news source analytics indicate that the highest number of views and reads occur on Mondays. The data points out that up to a third more reads of articles take place on Mondays, more than any other day of the week.Steffen Peters and Rosemunde Photo: Dressage Headlines

Second, the largest numbers of reads are about athletes readers know. From a Steffen Peters article I developed with him and posted online, I amassed over 10,000 reads during the first 24 hours alone, a total of 20,000 more throughout that month and many more ongoing.

Third, readers are interested in learning. Regardless if an article is about a top athlete, an up-and-coming athlete, the methods used to train and communicate with a horse, or the biomechanics of a horse, the readers want to be informed and understand different training systems, the successes and mistakes learned, how a rider and horse work together and even about the often confusing rule requirements and details.

And the fourth, which is essential and crucial, is the written quality of an article and the quality of the photos. A high quality writer will not only give the text a sense of flow, it will also cultivate interest and a pleasant reaction. 

Why You Should Work with a Journalist and PR

The effort and time needed to devote to this sport is plentiful and can be daunting some days. It can take a rider five years or 1,825 days to develop a good Grand Prix level horse. Even the contented person happily engaged in their daily work may question “Where are the journalists? Why don’t they want my story?” Rest assured, dedicated journalists are interested; we do want your story. That’s also how we make our living.

Riders, coaches and owners have to step up and pay for their own advertising, their own marketing, their own articles. Online or print PR articles are the answer. 

One top rider’s concern is that our sport will grow and evolve into a PR campaign competition. It's not necessary to overdo it, one, two or three well constructed articles a year will suffice.  

The good news is our sport is growing. We all need to do our part. So, hire a writer (a photo-journalist) for a couple of articles a year. It will, indeed, make a difference.

Living in Wellington for many years, Chrystine Tauber serves as one of the international officials at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Tauber champions the mandated position by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) as the president of the Appeal Committee for show jumping CSI 4* and 5* events during the winter season.

As a former international rider herself, she has been a licensed FEI and USEF judge for 40 years and a course designer for 20 years. Trusted by competitors and officials alike, she exemplifies fair play and great sport.

Her efforts take place behind-the-scenes, and she works six of the 12 weeks during the highest-level international show jumping events. “To run these high-level international events is a big undertaking for show management,” she said. “There is a lot of prize money involved, and it’s a big commitment.”

Tauber presides over a three-person committee and watches the competition closely for any unusual situations or problems that might result in a protest. They review the cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of the ground jury of FEI judges.

In cases involving veterinary matters or irregularities with the competition horse’s passport, the international veterinary delegate is invited to join the Appeal Committee for a review.

Each of the horses competing at FEI events has a passport that includes its identification papers and inoculation requirements to compete in international Grand Prix events all over the world. Usually held on the day before the start of the competition, the veterinary delegate and the president of the ground jury examine the paperwork of each horse, and then the horses must jog for soundness.

Tauber is either present or on-call for these horse inspections. “The passports are the official entry document into the secured FEI stabling on the grounds,” she explained. “They must be up to date and the information correctly entered for the horse to compete.”

The ground jury consists of four or five FEI judges. Often, two judges sit in the judges’ tower with the announcer and electronic timing technician, while another serves as a backup timer with a stop-watch in the arena in case of an electronic failure. If there is a water jump as part of the course, one judge will be assigned to observe the horses clearing the full width of the water. “The ground jury does have the final decision on the results for the class,” Tauber said. “However, if there is a major rule infraction that warrants a significant fine, then it will be referred to the Appeal Committee.”

Tauber is a longtime champion for the Wellington winter series and all its riders.

“The 12-week series is unique,” she explained. “It allows the riders to develop their horses over a lengthy period of time that builds confidence and trust in their training. I love the CSI 5*/2* format. That is relatively new. It allows the riders to decide each week what level they want to jump each of their horses. This is a great way to develop top-level horses.”

The evolution of international show jumping in the United States has been remarkable, and it continues to this day, Tauber said.

“There are all sorts of changes going on that are very progressive, including the International Olympic Committee’s 2020 mandate to require all sports to provide more exciting formats that appeal to youth and include medal podium awards following the event,” she said. “That is a good thing. Whenever we are challenged to improve our sport, whether it be for television coverage or to provide spectator appeal, we have to ensure that we provide good sport and fair competition. All those components have to be part of what we develop for the equestrian sports.”

Tauber is the past president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation and served as manager for all show jumping, dressage and eventing for U.S. equestrian teams in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, the 1983 and 1987 Pan Am Games, and for the show jumping teams for the 1982 and 1986 World Championships. She also had a hand in creating and instituting the USET Medal Finals as a National Championship.

One of Tauber’s top goals is that the United States stays competitive at all levels.

“I am currently chairman of the Jumping Sports Committee for U.S. Equestrian. Developing the pathways for our riders has been a topic of discussion over this last year,” she said. “We are currently looking at pathways to develop our youth, through young rider divisions and into the Under 25 Grand Prix division, and then onto the international senior U.S. team. The U25 show jumping division began at the Winter Equestrian Festival and has become an important part of our pathway.”

To stay competitive, U.S. riders need to compete head-to-head with riders from around the world.

“It has become so global now,” Tauber said. “For many years, our riders were coming up through the equitation division to develop good, solid, basic riding skills. But today, we see that that is not the only avenue. Many come up through the jumper division. In the youth events, the South Americans are used to riding a very fast time. Our youth need to learn how to ride within a tight time allowed to avoid time faults and still leave the jumps up.”

Additional programs and events will focus on this issue.

“We are working on offering more types of events to attract our youth and broaden their experience,” Tauber said. “It’s part of our overall strategic plan that we are working on within the Jumping Sports Committee.”

The Europeans have several advantages, she noted.

“They get more international experience at all levels, including children’s divisions, in Europe because of the close proximity of the different countries,” Tauber said. “Here, we would like to create more opportunities for the up-and-coming riders to compete in team events.”

Recently, Americans have new opportunities to compete in Europe.

“U.S. Equestrian now provides developing rider tours to Europe to compete in competitions that have invited U.S. riders,” she said. “When I was growing up, that wasn’t even possible.”

Tauber qualified and rode for the U.S. team in Gladstone, N.J., at the age of 18. She competed in Europe for several years representing the U.S. in CSIO Nations Cup international team competitions.

“When I was younger, I trained with Gabor Foltenyi, and then I went on to ride for the U.S. team and coach Bertalan de Némethy,” she recalled.

Capping an illustrious junior career, she won both the Medal and the Maclay Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Tauber has long been a champion for the equestrian sports. Her significant career accomplishments include the U.S. Equestrian Federation Sallie B. Wheeler Award for Distinguished Service in 2017 and the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. She was a member of the United States Equestrian Team for show jumping from 1965 to 1968 and was winner of the Grand Prix of Cologne and the President’s Cup in Washington, D.C.

She is also the current owner and operator of Distinctive Gardens, providing personalized garden design and care within Wellington. She lives with her husband George Tauber, who is a board member of the Palm Beach Polo Property Owners Association.

To learn more about Chrystine Tauber, view her Lifetime Achievement Award video at www.vimeopro.com/eqsports/2016-ushja-lifetime-achievement-tauber.

Reprinted with permission from the Town Crier Newspaper. 

Nicho Meredith’s number one goal as the announcer at the 12-week Adequan® Global Dressage Festival dressage competition series is making spectators, officials and riders comfortable and knowledgeable. In the broadcasting booth with audio/video engineer Don Pye, the two work their magic on all things sound, including moderating music accompaniment to riders competing, working tirelessly during the Friday Night Lights Freestyle evenings, and preparing all the national anthems for the awards ceremonies before all the judges, the owners, the FEI World Ranking riders, sponsors and up to more than 2,500 spectators.

Fluent in six languages and enunciating correctly in eight more languages, Nicho announces in the native accent of the rider, repeating their name in English. Heading into his sixth year at the AGDF, he understands how stressful it can be for a competitor where there are language differences, “It’s important to me,” he explains, “that I make foreign riders and spectators both feel comfortable.” Dressage enthusiasts from the U.S., Canada and foreign countries are familiar with Nicho’s harmonious voice and attribute his broadcasting style to nurturing dressage admirers into a continuing love of the sport.

Becoming a Master of Languages

Native to Great Britain, Nicho was adopted at just ten days old, “My adoptive parents gave me everything I could wish for.” He admitted, “If I was ever to write my autobiography, it would be titled, 'The Luckiest Man I Know.'” He began riding at the age of four and fox hunted with his father, the Field Master, of the Cottesmore Hunt, “I had a great time, spoiled really. In England when hunting, you get chosen to see the fox away. I was always one of the ones who would try to see him away. I had great horses.”

A warm and fun story teller, Nicho shared how he also learned to ride through the United Kingdom’s Pony Club, an organization that educates young people in the highest standards of equestrian achievement in riding, horse care and animal welfare. One year while at the educational summer camp, he was excused because he popped into the girl's tent. The Commissioner, aware that Nicho never really had to groom his own horse because of his familie's ties with the local hunt, passed him his D level due to his highly efficient riding but asked that he not return to the Club for the C levels.

In his mid-teen years, he’d worked to pass his school’s General Certificate of Education’s O-level test that focused on the science field. His disappointment in failing the exam squashed his motivation. Someone gave him a ‘teach yourself Russian’ book and he quickly learned how to read and speak the difficult language, “I was pretty good at it.”

His parents realized he was not destined to be the scientist they had hoped and helped him develop his language acumen by permitting him to enter an exchange program with a French family where their son stayed with his parents and where Nicho stayed with the boy’s parents. In France, he realized not only did he delight in learning the language itself, but he took great pleasure in learning how to properly enunciate every word. “I found that I picked it up unusually quick. Because I’m so nosy and I don’t like not knowing what somebody is saying. It was sort of that which made me want to learn everything I could learn about a language.  It really was the curiosity in understanding correctly a language, then learning how to use it.  I’m really lucky that each come easy. Then I go on to really learn each accent well. I can mimic the words well. Because I dislike getting things wrong and because I’m a Gemini and math scholar, language is all a part of that mind set.”

Soon, Nicho traveled all over Europe, “I went to school in Europe for five years going to different countries to learn different languages.” He completed his schooling at the University of Salzburg in Austria.

Soon, Nicho entered the British Army where he became skilled at playing polo and was stationed in several countries, including Cyprus, Germany, Northern Ireland and Hong Kong, “I was very fortunate to be able to continue my passion for learning different languages.”

ANNOUNCING

When he was still a teenager, Nicho began announcing at the local horse shows in his native country. His big break came in 1971 with the popular three-day Burghley Horse Trials which led to a 1989 job offer in the United States, “I announced at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.” Nicho is prepared to announce in all disciplines including dressage, show jumping, combined driving, three-day events, steeple chasing, “I used to call the flat races in Aiken.”

Nicho’s extraordinary understanding of so many different languages has enabled him to be an outstanding announcer at different competition locations throughout the United States. He is eager to broadcast at all disciplines, including show jumping, dressage, combined driving, steeple chasing, three-day events and flat races.

RESIDING IN THE U.S.

Residing in Aiken, South Carolina with his longtime girlfriend, dressage rider and trainer Melanie Mitchell, Nicho rides the trails there on Melanie’s retired FEI dressage horse, Romulus. He lives on a 60-acre farm in South Carolina with 25 horses on which he built the barn himself. “When a new horse comes on the property, the moment it settles in to its stall you can see the softening in the eyes. Horses can tell right away that it’s a happy farm. It keeps me busy when I’m there, although I’m more of a carrot-feeding good guy and Melanie’s the chief disciplinarian.”

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (ADGF)

Since the first AGDF in 2012, Nicho has been announcing the series, “I’ve seen a dream come true for Mark Bellissimo. What we have now is what he envisioned. I once announced when Mark was presenting that sometimes we all have dreams and rarely do many of them come true. For Mark, this has come true. He and Michael Stone continue to work tirelessly to promote the sport in this country.” He continued, “This is such a high quality setting and we’re the top quality series in the world, from the footing, the judges and the officials. Each year it evolves into something even more brilliant and it’s amazing to be a part of it all.” Elaborating, Nicho added, “There is such a happy atmosphere here. Some of the top European riders come here and it’s great to have this series be a magnet for quality horses. Dressage is beautiful and the AGDF here in Florida is a perfect place for spectators to learn about the sport.” He asks, “How is it possible not to love it here?”

FEI judges are increasingly encouraging riders to approach them and ask questions about their tests. Since FEI Dressage Rules neither discourage nor prohibit competitors from discussing their marks with the judges after CDI classes, Christoph Hess affirms that, globally, judges want competitors to speak with them after the classes. “We are being more open to talking with both rider and trainer,” he explains, "because at the end of the day we have the responsibility to make the sport better by helping riders to see something the way we saw it. If the rider or trainer is unaware of a mistake, then a judge can point that out so a rider understands our marks and make a change for the next day.”

At the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, the judges are available after the CDI classes to communicate with riders. To improve competitor awareness, understanding and familiarity with the judges, riders are welcome to ask show management to assist in locating the judges in order to find a good time and place to converse. 

Now serving the German Equestrian Federation (FN) as an educational ambassador, Christoph has a notable equestrian history as an international 4* FEI Judge for Dressage and Eventing with added qualifications as a trainer and rider. For more than 30 years, Christoph worked in Warendorf as the Director of Training and Education for the German Equestrian Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports (Deutsches Olym-piade-Komitee für Reiterei, or the acronym DOKR). “I was responsible for all the qualifications and to find a good system because we were always improving and developing the rider and trainer programs.”

Enhancing his judging successes, Christoph was also one of the leading judges at Germany’s Bundeschampionate (competitions of the country’s best three to six year olds competing in dressage, jumping, eventing, driving and jumping), at the annual Young Horse Breeding Championships, and also as one of the leading FEI judges to hold symposiums for riders, trainers and judges.

“I am a judge, as you know, but I’m also looking at the horse and rider from a trainer’s point of view, as well. For me, it’s important to not only look at them and count the number of strides between the flying changes. This, at the end of the day, a computer can do.” Elaborating, he explained, “I look at two points of view: Harmony between the horse and rider. I want to see happy horses. For me, this is more important than a happy rider, because a happy horse is a healthy horse. The rider can make the decision to ride into the arena, but the horse has no possibility to make that decision, therefore the horse must look prepared to perform in a happy way. And I have one eye to the trainer’s point of view to see if the rider has a nice feeling, to see if the rider is sitting in a nice way into the horse’s movements of using the reins to find the balance. The rider has a big responsibility for their own education and training and that’s what I look very carefully to see.”

Encouraging Riders to Speak with Judges

It has become especially important to Christoph that riders communicate with judges about their marks. “To be honest, I want our comments to help because it is the best way to explain how a ride might improve. For instance, a rider could ask, ‘Why did you give me a 7 here because it was my feeling that I should have gotten a 5 or a 9?’”

“I think that talking scores over would be a good idea, especially to explain the collective marks because we as judges do not have enough time to write lengthy comments for those marks. With me, I would like to comment from my two points of view; the judge’s point of view and the trainer’s point of view. I always want to explain a little bit more.”

“Riders should not fear judges, but instead feel comfortable to come and talk with us.”

Please note for USA National Classes: In the United States, USEF Rules (GR 702) requires a rider to find the TD or show management first in order to get permission to speak with the judge at the US national competitions (Non-CDI) classes.

Wellington, Florida attracts passionate people. Since the 1970s, it has attracted the best in the horse sports, not only from within the United States but also Europeans, South Americans and Asians travel to take advantage of the warm six month winter season. Riders prepare their horses for a confident and fit competition season. The International caliber of wins from the strategies of these riders in their use of training in Wellington comes with Olympic Gold Medals, World Equestrian Games achievements and World Cup Championship trophies. Wellington is a key component to their success. How did Ken Adams take part to incorporate the local government to help the equestrians reach their dreams to succeed?

Only 22 years ago in 1995, the Village of Wellington was formally incorporated with its 28,960 acres in total. One-third of the land was designated for the 9,200-acre Equestrian Preserve. The other two-thirds of the land planning has almost completely built out into small developments with one acre per residence, whereas the Equestrian Preserve is zoned for up to 10 acres per residential built home. The idea was to work to keep enough land necessary for horses with the growing population and land purchases. A one-acre lot is not enough space for a horse to train and thrive.

A former Palm Beach County Commissioner, Ken Adams played a key role in the organizing The Village of Wellington and in the formation of the Equestrian Preserve. He recalls, “When I moved here, there were more alligators than people.” Ken arrived in Wellington in the early 1980s from Upstate New York after selling his chain of hardware stores, “During the winter, I’d come down here to play polo. I made a mistake one day and told a friend that I was kind of bored.” That friend, Arthur William “Bink” Glisson had been hired by Charles Oliver Wellington to purchase 18,000 acres of land that later, became known as the Village of Wellington. Bink brought Wellington’s son, Roger, to speak with Ken. “They had something in mind for me to do."

He smiled in remembrance, “At that time, they were working with ACME, a group in charge of the water system throughout Wellington’s vast agricultural farms. They told me that I should become a Palm Beach County Commissioner even though I had never been involved in politics of any kind. That was in 1985.”

After just one month serving as Commissioner, Ken was appointed Chairman. “There was no real government planning as there is now in Palm Beach County. It was a happy place and had incredible growth potential, but no organization to keep it safe and clean in a clear, positive direction. I made the mistake of letting the group here in Wellington know this, and they all said, ‘Great, you fix it.’ So I spent the lots of years doing just that.”Ken Adams recently had a photo taken in the original house he and his wife, Arle lived in when they moved to Wellington.

“As we put the Palm Beach County’s incorporation into place, I realized that Wellington was in the same position. Bink and Roger thought somebody should lead in the growth of Wellington, especially someone who worked on the Commission of Palm Beach County. Apparently, that was going to be me. Roger and Bink asked me to chair the committee creating the Wellington Charter and another creating a master plan where we introduced the Equestrian Preserve and established The Village of Wellington’s first budget.” (In 1995 when Ken arrived in Wellington, its population was 25,530. It has been projected to reach 65,500 this year.)

Wellington was incorporated on December 31, 1995, as a home rule municipality (the ability for its residents to pass laws as long as they obey state and federal constitutions) and formally adopted a Charter (codes and ordinances of guidelines and regulations by local government), a concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.

“It took some time to put Wellington’s incorporation together,” Ken said. Although it is not actually a “village” under any U.S. standard definition of that term, it is still officially referred to as the “Village of Wellington.” Bound by a Charter establishing municipal services such as a police force, fire department, assessors, ability to acquire property, borrow money and issue bonds).

The History of Wellington

Tracts of Wellington land changed several hands after Mr. Wellington, one of which was Gould Florida, a division of the large electronics corporation that bought most of Wellington. “A very good friend of mine, Gary Stribling, the Gould General Manager in charge of development was a very sharp man. Wellington was becoming a world-class Palm Beach lifestyle place to live and Gary wanted to attract more home buyers, especially the equestrians. He knew that Gould’s Chairman, William Yilvisaker, was an avid polo player so he told his boss that he knew a fellow named Gene Mische who, if hired, would come down for the winter season and start a large horse show.” It was Yilviksaker’s contribution that produced the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club and for many years he organized the world-class polo tournaments.

“There were lots of acres they wanted to sell,” Ken explains. “Gene was known world-wide and he brought some of the best equestrians in the world to Wellington. Wealthy families who loved their children and loved their horses really trusted him. They knew their children would be safe. They knew they would get the top training in the world and that started the horse show. He did an incredible job. We have people training and showing in Wellington during the winter seasons all getting ready for the Olympics. They are the best in the sport. Gene was really able to attract the best of the best. And that is why Wellington is still so influential. Youngsters who dream of riding at the top of the sport come to Wellington to make that happen. They have to come here now. It’s the place. The credits they get for competing in competitions here apply in the world-wide rankings to get to the Olympics. It is that recognized.”

Creation of the Equestrian Preserve

It was Ken’s idea to start an Equestrian Preserve, which needed its own zoning codes and regulations for building horse-related facilities such as barns, rings, sheds, etc. He knew if that expanse of land was only controlled by Palm Beach County government without the Village of Wellington municipality, “all the land would have been 1-acre housing developments.” The land would have been one acre for every residence and there wouldn’t have been any restrictions to preserve the land for the equestrians and their horses.The Village of Wellington outline with one-third of the land in the Equestrian Preserve

He realized the need for every residence to have something close to two to ten acres with trails to sufficiently accommodate the needs of their horses. So, after Village of Wellington was formally incorporated, Ken went to work. Wanting the Equestrian Preserve to be a part of the Village Charter, “I saw that Ocala had a sort of equestrian preserve and I had become friends with the person in charge of land development in the state of Florida [in Tallahasee]. I talked to him about an Equestrian Preserve and he said we don’t have anything like that in Florida. He said that if I could define it and get the residents to vote for it and if I could get the state legislature to vote for it, then you can have one. At that time, those were a lot of ‘ifs’. No one had ever heard of me but that is exactly what we did. We worked a couple of years to get the residents to vote to approve the incorporation of Wellington and the first time, they voted against it, which was pretty discouraging. A couple of years later, they did vote to approve it and that let us go forward for the incorporation. It took us some time to get it all put together.”

The Land Development Regulations (LDR) are the zoning guidelines which include subdivision and landscaping codes, parking ordinances and are the codes developed for all the residents' building projects whether that is residential, commercial or designated equestrian.

“We had a majority vote from our residents and a unanimous vote from the Florida legislature, which was unheard of,” Ken advises. “Then, we went through a second attempt to get a unanimous vote from our council, which came through this time.” The 9,000-acre Village of Wellington Equestrian Preserve was approved.

Ken Adams and the Palm Beach Hounds and Land Preservation Passion

Together, Ken and his wife Arle kept a pack of foxhounds at their 40 acre homestead they owned in Wellington’s Little Ranches and, on the weekends, a large group of the community would ride from Little Ranches all the way through the Big Blue Forest and down to the canal that separates Wellington from the Everglades. “One summer, I was playing polo in Vermont and we returned to the hotel that night and my wife told me, ‘I bought something for you today.’ Worried, I asked, ‘Oh, what’s that?’ and she said, ‘A pack of foxhounds.’ Then she said, ‘All you have to do is go to this man I met this morning and tell him what you’ll pay him for them.’ And we did. We had a pack of foxhounds for many years down here in Wellington.”

Ken feels honored to have been a part of Wellington’s development. He credits others including Roger Wellington, Bink Glisson, Gary Stribling, Gene Mische, Bill Ylvisaker and many others as the real heroes. “I’m quite proud to have been the one to name Bink Forest [a Wellington community] and to have placed the fox heads on all the signage there.”

Ken Adams’ vision has certainly made a difference in many people’s lives in reaching their dreams through their equestrian goals. The incorporation of the Village of Wellington and the state approval for the Equestrian Preserve realized the vision of Roger Wellington and continues to bring the prosperity to those in the community.

Elisabeth Williams has been the FEI Chief Dressage Steward at every Adequan® Global Dressage Festival CDI for the past five years. Sitting between the warm-up and international competition stadium arena, she proficiently oversees that every aspect relating to a show is fair and consistent from the time a rider and horse practice in the warm-up arena to the time they compete, and through each CDI division awards ceremony. Concerned, thoughtful and a kind person, she focuses on participants competing under the best possible and most fair conditions available.

Climbing the Dressage Official Ladder

Elisabeth’s Chief Steward role began at the 1995 World Cup Finals in Los Angeles. Soon afterwards, she officiated at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and at almost every North American Junior/Young Rider’s Championship, at every National Dressage Championships starting from 1997, the 2005 and 2007 World Cup Finals and London’s 2012 Olympics. And she will be the Chief Steward at the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Since 2011 she has also been an FEI Course Director. In 2014 she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the International Dressage Officials Committee (IDOC), became the FEI Deputy Steward General for Dressage, and elected Chair of the United States Equestrian High Performance Dressage Committee in 2015. Earlier this year, Elisabeth was appointed a Vice President of the IDOC.

Elisabeth’s CDI Tasks and Duties

Mindful of the safety and well-being of the riders and their horses at the Festival, Elisabeth’s Chief Steward job starts at 6:30 a.m. every Tuesday through Sunday and continues until each CDI is fully completed by coordinating, handling or overseeing the following:

1. Making sure everyone has the same schooling opportunity, under both natural daylight and the showground’s lights
2. Organizing and ensuring that the horse inspection (Jog) is safe and fair for all athletes
3. Making sure the judges are promptly where they are supposed to be
4. Informing the athletes of the time they will be entering the ring and when it is their turn
5. Communicating with the announcer about anything that may not be visible on the stadium’s ground level and answering any questions
6. Assisting the winning athletes
- Helping to secure the ribbons onto the horses’ bridles
- Indicating the winners’ path in the ring
- Directing the top three riders to sponsor photos
7. Communicating with the announcer after each sponsor photoElisabeth Williams walks in riders Photo: Dressage Headlines

Elisabeth spoke about the growth of the sport in Florida, “There’s been an enormous increase in rides since I started here. During week #10 alone, we are up to 145 horses. It’s become wonderfully international with more European and foreign riders than just American riders. I’ve seen the AGDF grow into world-class competitions with the qualities of the horses and riding skyrocketing. Even the scores are increasing. In 2012, we saw only a few 70 percent scores and now we’re having the top 8 Grand Prix riders scoring marks higher than 70 percent.”

She also addressed the rules, “Riders have definitely learned to do well in a CDI setting and generally complying with the rules. We’re into education here, and rules are rules. I won’t simply say ‘you’re out’ to someone, but will explain in a quiet manner the rule an athlete may have run up against. We have to be fair.” She continued, “It’s important to me that I explain in a quiet, non-threatening manner what an athlete may have done so they can follow the rule from then on. I never act as a policeman. I prefer solving problems.”

“If something to do with the welfare of the horse does get a little out of hand, we’ll talk about correcting it and moving on. But, I have a hard time dealing with the kicking, spurring and yanking. I don’t deal well with any of that. I’ll pick a time to discreetly talk with the rider without sitting on the sidelines and bellowing. Or, if I know that a rider will be schooling in the morning and I know their ride is in the afternoon, I’ll talk to them then. Usually, though, all I have to do is stand up and they know.”

On Horsemanship

“The sport is evolving and going in a much better direction than it has been. The horsemanship, though, is something that surprises me from just a few riders. I don’t like to see a rider jump off a horse right after the test and take it back to the barn without cooling it out first, and I don’t like it taken back to the barn without the reins over the head and the stirrups put up. That’s just the Pony Club mother in me.”Elisabeth Williams keeping a CDI-Am awards ceremony safe Photo: Dressage Headlines

About the Judges

Addressing rider disappointments with their range in given percentage scores, Elisabeth explained, “The judges have a hard job to do. 99.9 percent of them do a phenomenal job and I think riders at the international level need to recognize that they’re looking at 3 to 5 different opinions. One may give a lower score that the others which, of course, will bring a total down. But, riders need to read the judges’ comments before complaining about that score. A rider can always ask to speak with a judge and ask that judge why a low score was given and what they can do to fix it. The judges really do care, all of them.”

Elisabeth’s Interesting Background

Elisabeth grew up in Sweden and speaks Swedish, English, German, French and a little Spanish. Before studying at the University of Stockholm, she attended a local college and majored in languages that included English, German, French and Latin. At University, she majored in Advanced Secretarial School and Hotel Administration and Tourism, and went on to work at the Royal Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. for more than ten years. She then worked in Washington’s World Bank concentrating on the Swedish Delegation and Swedish National Bank, and then transferred to the East Asian and Pacific Departments supervising a World Bank mission to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Her final World Bank project led her to the China Country Programs Division for the Department.

While in Washington D.C., her dressage interest included serving on the Potomac Valley Dressage Association’s Board of Directors and as Treasurer, moving up to Chairman of the Board and Director. She worked as a show manager at the Potomac Horse Center before computers were used and also assisted the Potomac Pony Club, eventually becoming the Organizing Regions District Commissioner. For ten years beginning in the early 1980s, Elisabeth helped the United States Pony Club on the national level by organizing its annual National Championships.

Elisabeth and her husband, Thomas, live near Philadelphia where she began her climb up the international dressage ranks to become FEI Chief Steward. As a member of the USEF High Performance Committee, she has developed the written tests for the USEF Dressage Technical Delegates and is a member of the USEF International Disciplines Council. She is also a member of the USDF Regional Championships Selection Committee and has facilitated the USDF Learner Technical Delegates Forums.

Elisabeth works hard and appreciates the team at the AGDF which includes the competition steward, the show office staff and organizer, the announcer, the awards coordinator and more, “It truly does become a family here, especially as the 12 week season and weeks come together.”

 Elisabeth Williams walks in Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven, Mikala Munter Gundersen and Lars Petersen to the awards ceremony Photo: Dressage Headlines

Seventeen years of collecting data on gait analysis for dressage horses in the equine laboratory at the McPhail Center at Michigan State University, biomechanics research veterinarian Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR, MRCVS, conducted studies to evaluate a horse’s body during collection.

She ascertained how much weight each of the four limbs of a horse carries, how much propulsion are in each of the horse’s legs, the significance of a horse’s chest and trunk, and how crucial it is for a rider to have a well informed understanding on the sling muscles to aid a horse’s balance.

Unlike the human shoulder girdle where the collarbones (clavicles) attach the arms to the body, a horse has none. Without a collarbone, a horse has no bony connection between its front limbs and trunk. Instead, strong muscles connect the inside of its shoulder blades to its rib cage, which act like slings and suspend the chest between the horse’s two front limbs. The 'sling muscles' consist primarily of the serratus ventralis thoracis muscle assisted by the pectoral muscles. 

Contraction of these sling muscles lift the trunk and withers between the shoulder blades, raising the withers to the same height or higher than the croup. When a horse travels without proper contraction of its sling muscles, the horse's motion looks downhill and on the forehand.

Horses in Clayton’s studies were ridden in a working frame, a collected frame and a downhill frame in order to check the different populsion of each leg. Motion analysis markers were used to measure movement of the trunk, neck and croup as well all of the horse's legs during many data sessions on a horse's populsion and collectability. The average horse carries 58 percent of its weight on its front legs and 42 percent on its hind legs. She discovered the horse must learn to move in an uphill balance by pushing upwards with its forelimbs. The hind legs can then function as they should by sitting to carry more weight and by providing pushing power. In essence, the heavy chest needs to be up and out of the way for the hind legs to push.  

The Sling Muscles and Self-Carriage

The sling muscles are extremely important to the self-carriage of the dressage horse. The goal in dressage training is to teach the horse to use its sling muscles throughout the workout. With time, these muscles get stronger and the persistent elevation allows the horse to push and hold its hind legs under the center of gravity through its motion to be even more pronounced and uphill.

The toning of the sling muscles increases with a rider who balances the shoulders throughout training while also balancing with half-halts. This raising of the frame, if balanced correctly by the rider, will allow those muscles to become stronger and more elastic and aid in the horse learning to hold its own frame.

Riders tend to think crookedness comes from the back and hind legs of the horse. However, it is the horse’s serratus ventralis thoracis muscles and its shoulder blades that also play a role in the crookedness equation. Since a horse is stronger on one side than the other, it allows one shoulder to fall in on a turn or drift out on the other, depending on the stronger or weaker side. 

“These muscles,” Clayton explained, “fan out from the shoulder blade onto the ribs and on to the vertebrae at the base of the neck. When they connect they raise the withers so they emerge into a higher position between the scapulae and also raise the base of the neck.”

"In a young horse, the strength of its sling muscles are often asymmetrical on the left and right sides and that plays a significant role in its crookedness. Riders, therefore, must focus on teaching the horse to use and develop the muscles on its weaker side to make them more symmetrical for balance and self-carriage. In time, the horse will begin to balance in a more upright position without falling in or out of the turns." 

She also discovered that the horse's pectorals get bigger and grow stronger if the chest is balanced up during smaller circles, correct turns and going sideways (lateral work) because these muscles are important for holding the front legs in a vertical position during their stance phase and for crossing the forelimbs during their swing phase. 

A horse’s shoulders and trunk are heavy; therefore, in training and working toward collection with a horse, a rider must learn how to balance the chest and the trunk upwards so the hind legs can come underneath to provide propulsion and support. Clayton emphasized, “It’s the balance of the trunk that allows the push from the hind legs to go through the horse's body without pushing it onto the forehand.”

Posture of Both Rider and Horse

There is a distinct correlation between the rider’s posture and the horse’s posture as they train together. If the rider’s core muscles are not engaged, then the horse’s core muscles also will not be engaged. Even though the horse has a distinct advantage in having four legs, a rider must learn to hold his or her own posture in order for the horse to engage its own core strength, which is necessary for it to hold its frame up.Ashley Holzer and Sir Caramello at the Dutta Corp U.S. Equestrian Festival of Champions Photo: DH

A horse’s self-carriage is achieved through controlled tension of the muscle groups. There is a muscle ring that wraps around deep inside the horse through its back and abdominal muscles which allow it to maintain roundness of its back. The abdominal muscles encase the abdomen from the pelvis to the ribcage to the sternum. Contraction of these muscles and the back muscles allow the horse to be supple and loose to free its legs to push and carry all of its weight.

Equal Pushing Power

Most riders think that only the hind legs need development and push. More accurately, the push from the hind legs has to be supported by the upward push of the front legs. So pushing power of the hind legs must be harnessed by the elevation of the forehand so the horse can perform with controlled power in an uphill balance. 

About Hilary Clayton

“I grew up in England foxhunting and in pony clubs in Derbyshire, which is right in the middle of England. I am a veterinarian and I always wanted to study the horse’s biomechanics, but the technology did not exist when I came out of university. I've been studying equine biomechanics for almost 40 years and I am convinced that understanding the action of the horse's sling muscles and the role of the forelimbs are crucial to understanding the mechanics of self-carriage in the dressage horse."

Clayton said Mary Anne McPhail was instrumental in providing the facilities and equipment needed for this type of research. “Thanks to Mary Anne, I was able to make enormous strides in understanding the mechanics of the dressage horse and the rider's interaction with the horse at Michigan State University. I am so grateful that Mary Anne made that possible." 

Serving for almost seventeen years as the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Clayton has since retired from her post. She continues to remain active in the research and presenting lectures that describe her amazing findings to the world. She is based at her home in Michigan during the summertime and migrates to Wellington, Florida for the wintertime. Currently, she is appying her knowledge to develop better tack and equipment for the dressage horse. 

Continuing to bring technology into riding, she said, “I love to do research and I'm currently working on several projects that have practical applications for dressage horses and trainers. That's what keeps me active and engaged." Always available to share her findings, Hilary Clayton gives great lectures and workshops all over the world.