The Highs & Lows

This sport keeps everyone humble.  When you're on top of the world planning your year out, you never know what may knock you down.  I can't speak for anyone but myself, but a lot of why I do this sport is because I love my horses. I love building a relationship and forming a bond with them. They aren't just machines, they aren't just a job or a means to make ends meet. They are my life.  They are my family. I teach my students to do the same. They love their ponies with all of their heart and soul. 

I'm lucky enough to have not endured too many heart breaking events.  Being in our sport, they are bound to happen.  Today, my long time student, Sam Kelly, hit a big spike in the road blowing her upcoming plans to smithereens. We had plans to run the CIC2* at Chatt Hills next weekend in order to qualify for the 2* at Young Riders this year. Right now, we are praying to have a horse live happily in the field with a small chance of coming back to work. Who knows, she may come back 100%, but at this point we are just hoping for a healthy horse.  

After a great warm up, they headed out of the box, beautiful first four fences as they headed towards the first question on course.  5A is a red half barn fence with a significant drop landing into the first water, across the water out over B.  Stella was a little spooky coming into the water complex, Sammy rode her beautifully, in response to her reaction to her propping.  We reviewed the video from RNS many times to fully understand what happened.   Stella responded and jumped 5A, but off the ground, she hesitated a split second causing her to drag her belly across the fence and the momentum upon landing caused her legs to crumple beneath her. Stella's nose hit the water and her head folded under herself as her body skidded forward, with her knees hitting the base of the water jump. Sammy stuck with her the best she could and as she fell off, Stella did everything she could to stay off of her.  Once Stella got her feet under her she stood stock still reading Sammy underneath her and maneuvered sideways making sure not to step on her. She trotted out of the water  and someone grabbed her while people assertively assisted Sammy who was quickly to her feet. I met Stella on the way back to the trailer and Virginia helped me find a vet.  The onsite treating vet quickly cleaned it up and bandaged her so we could take her off to Peterson & Smith for further treatment.  

The Burgess family kindly allowed us to borrow their truck and trailer as our own trailer full of horses still competing.  Heidi & Sammy took Stella into the vet where they were greeted immediately and whisked Stella away to be treated. Unfortunately, she took the majority of the fall on her right knee which caused a large wound. Stella went down for surgery immediately to assess the damage to her joint. At this point, it could go in any direction but as I'm sure you can guess, anything involving a joint is not good.

So never take any day, any jump, any ride for granted as you never know when it may be your last. Love your horses with all of your heart as you expect them to give you theirs.  Stella's healing will come in different stages. The first stage is to keep infection completely out of the joint. So having said that, that's where we begin. We much appreciate you keeping Stella in your thoughts and prayers.  Anyone who knows Stella knows what a wonderful horse she is and how much she means to Sammy.  We can only hope for a smooth recovery, what extent that recovery may be we don't know at this point, but first and foremost Stella's needs come first. 

2016: Musings to start the season

2016. I find myself riding back from Tampa International towards Ocala. I am right where I want to be right now. This has been my fourth trip of this year going back and forth. Cat stays with LLE South and takes care of Denver and the horses while I go home to teach, ride and check in with LLE North. She arrives right on time and we head back to our winter home. This year we are located at Leah Lang-Gluscic's farm. It is a great set-up for us. We have 9 horses in the 10 stall barn that I lease and 2 rooms in her house. At this time I am lucky to have Amanda Mayros, a young creative and responsible hard worker helping us out. She has been wonderful to have on the farm. Hard working, cares about the horses, great attention to detail and a fun addition to the team. She started her own business, Stock Tie, and sets up at the horse shows selling her beautiful work. It can be seen on her website, www.stocktie.com.

I just read a blog that Jessica Pye had written; "The World of Eventing: Business vs. Sport". I thought it was very well written and would like to touch on a few points. So if you haven't read it - here is the link. http://pyeequestrian.blogspot.com

Pye’s first point talks about needing money in order to be a professional. She also states that majority of equestrian professionals want to just ride and have their own string of horses. In my opinion, I would have to say that is mostly true, but not every equestrian professional just wants that. I do know a lot of trainers that have stated they do not want to teach, they just want to ride, and if they had the money the would do just that. Point proven. However, I love teaching. I absolutely love working with students of all different kinds with a variety of goals. I thoroughly enjoy watching someone process, try, fail, try again, learn and succeed. Perseverance, determination, and teamwork. All of which are very important to the program that I run. Mistakes. No one is perfect. I have made plenty of mistakes in life, riding, my career, relationships, friendships, etc. and I will continue to. What is important is to learn and continue to strive to be your best everyday.

Pye’s next point touches on the endless hours, and how I interpreted it, ultimately getting burnt out. She speaks to being well-rounded. When I was younger I didn't want to be well rounded; I wanted to ride, sleep and breathe horses 24/7. As I lived and learned in my 28 (almost 29) years here, I have come to find that variety is important. Outside of horses I try my best to spend time with family, friends and do other activities. I enjoy playing volleyball, which I do quite a bit in the spring, summer and fall. I have met a great group of people through other sports and adventures I have allowed myself to go on. Even though my ideas have changed over the years, hopefully as I have matured, so have my beliefs. I absolutely believe in going on family trips, spending the holidays together, and keeping your friends close by your side and being there for them when they need you.

Yes, there are times I am frustrated with the business to the point of tears, but where I am right now, I wouldn't trade it in for anything. I absolutely love what I do. Pye states, "This isn't just your business it's your universe." It very much is. It takes a very unique person to be successful and happy doing this job. It is not for everyone, but there is nothing wrong with trying it out, working for people, and seeing if this world is what you want to be a part of.

When I graduated high school, I took a chance to indulge myself day and night into the world of horses. I worked full time for an amateur dressage rider in Connecticut and then in Wellington. When I found myself craving to be closer to the eventing world, I moved north to Ocala and became a working student for an Olympic level rider. I soon discovered that is not who I wanted to be or who I wanted to be around. More importantly, not who I wanted to be my role model. I was lucky enough to have experienced a small part of the eventing world; unfortunately it was the dark side: bute-ing horses before sale trials, lying to client’s faces, going behind people’s backs. It was appalling to me and an eye opening experience. Being on the inside for once taught me a lot, but it maybe was not the best place for me at 18. It taught me about training, riding, business ethics (or lack there of) and life. It was an experience, which is what life is. You grow and learn from every experience you have. I put every upper-level equestrian on a pedestal, I was naive to the fact that it isn't all just happy-go-lucky when you get to the top. Let me be clear, some, not all, of these professionals will do whatever, and I mean whatever, it takes to get ahead. I am not about that. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Don't get me wrong, I've made mistakes, I have learned on many horses, I have taken falls, not only in riding but in life, only to come back fighting. I will learn, I will do better, I will continue to try to be my best. Each day.

I've been down in Florida now since December 28th. I have shown, taken lessons, gone schooling, hacked, swam with manatees, met new friends, new clients, built new relationships and strengthened old ones. Each day I try to be better, I try to make my horses better and I try to make my students better. Constant reminders to myself and students of posture, positions and goals. Making plans for each individual horse, what works for them, how to get more from them, what do they enjoy, how can I make them happy and working hard? How can I get them to let me in?

Pye’s next topic is your facility and your clients. She very clearly states what people want to do is ride their string of horses and compete them. While that is true for a lot of professionals, it is not true for all professionals. Like I stated earlier, I. Love. What. I. Do. All of it.

You do need a facility to work out of and you need clients. How do you get those? Hard work. Teaching yourself to be better. Absorbing as much knowledge and information as you can. Be good at what you do. Not only at teaching but relating to clients and students. Horse people have got to have people skills. Just because you can tell them what to do while riding doesn't mean they want to be around you other than that. Keep in mind that for the majority of your clients, this is a hobby. This is for fun. If they aren't having fun, and you aren't a part of the fun, then they don't want anything to do with you. This business can be hard because it is not traditional to be friends with your clients. In the way I run my business, I am friends with my clients. They are my second family. Unfortunately this can make things uncomfortable at times, but you have to be very clear with your boundaries and over time I have learned to be more upfront about what I can and can't do, or what I will or am not willing to do. You will also have to do some small managing of client-to-client relationships.

I agree with Pye’s quote: "You will meet some amazing people in this world and you will have some wonderful clients. You will meet a select few in this business who set a wonderful example of a farm owner, a trainer and/or a manager. You will have clients, human and horse, that make you love your job and you'll find yourself beaming with pride at their accomplishments, big or small. But you should also know, you will meet many more people who disappoint you, frustrate you and send you home at the end of the day questioning yourself and your actions. You won't leave this job at the office."

You will find both sides to be true. The clients will weed themselves out as you progress through your business. Some of those you think you’re closest to may choose to leave unexpectedly when you thought you were doing everything that they needed. This is where I have learned that communication is key. I try my best to stay in constant contact with my clients. Being in my second winter of heading south for the season, I have already learned a lot about managing and helping clients from afar. One of the biggest things I have learned is communication and honesty. I have to trust that if my clients have concerns that they will come to me and be honest. There is not a whole lot you can do if your client says they are happy only for you to find out that they are not. A coach-client relationship is exactly that, a relationship. In order for any relationship to work, there has to be the desire to make it work on both sides. As soon as that desire is lost, it is better for both parties to move forward in their own directions. I have learned a lot since last year and I am moving forward and aiming to do better for myself, my clients and my horses.

Your clients will have their own opinions and beliefs on what they want for themselves and their horses. It isn’t about forcing your client to do what you want them to, it’s about working together and compromising what will be best for them and their horse. I have been teaching since I was 15 and in my short time of teaching, coaching and training, I have found a solid system to produce horses and riders. I have learned to trust myself, trust what I do and that it works, because it has shown to work time and time again. You will bid adieu to some clients that move on to different programs, and hope everything works out for them. I believe in my students, I believe they can take away from me knowledge, experience and be able to continue to use that in their everyday life and riding. Knowledge not only on how to ride, but how to care for horses, how to be a positive individual, how to build relationships with horses and people, to support others, and to be genuine to yourself.

At the end of the day, both types of clients will make you who you are. You have to accept and acknowledge if you have made mistakes and learn and grow from them, rather than pretend like you did nothing wrong. Clients are relationships. Relationships are two sided.

In Pye’s next paragraph "The rules of engagement in the horse business are different from the real world", she states that many horse business transactions are not typical. However this may be true in a lot of aspects, it all depends on the individual. A great example is buying and selling horses. There are a lot of different opinions on how to buy and sell horses. As long as you are clear of your expectations up front with any party you are engaged with, you can go home and sleep at night. Be forthcoming in how you take a commission on the buying or selling end of horses. I know a lot of professionals will take a client’s horse, ask what they want and tack on another $10,000 for themselves. Fine, as long as they are completely transparent to all parties, which is not usually the situation. Recently, I found myself buying horses in Ireland for a client, and was very sure to be dealing with honest, hard working, trustworthy individuals. There have been times I have been talking to other professionals that have bragged about selling a horse for a ridiculous price, or that wasn't going to do the job that it was sold for. I refuse to be one of these professionals. If my horse isn't going to do what you want it to do, you will be told. My clients and my horses are expected and trained to go in a very rideable way. If that isn't suitable for a beginner, I will tell you; if the horse won't progress past a certain level, I will tell you. The other important thing I've learned is to be picky in who you sell your horses to. Just because someone can write a check doesn't mean they are the best for your horse. If you sell your horse to a person they aren't well suited for, it ultimately reflects back on you and your training. The only thing you have in this business is your reputation and if you throw it away for a quick buck it will certainly become known within our small industry in which everyone is connected.

Pye states, "The degree of success you achieve in this business is primarily dependent on money and/or luck with the addition of talent and dedication." I once was told, "Every time I see a gold medalist stand up & say, ‘If you just work hard and never give up you will live your dream,' I feel like kicking them, because it is just impossible for that to be true & I know so many people who have dedicated their lives to winning a gold medal and just tear themselves up because they don't make it, even a couple of our guys who have won gold medals, they are not satisfied & not happy with themselves & never will be. It's like money, the more you have, the more you want."

I have found this quote very true, in myself and people I know, or people I have watched and admired. For a lot of other equestrian professionals it is about a gold medal, it’s about being the best, the absolute best in the world. But who is to say that? If you can't think of yourself as the best then what are you going to do? If you are not happy with your goals and your accomplishments then what? Goals are great. Set them, meet them, make new ones. New realistic goals. Make sure you also enjoy the process of reaching those goals. Take the time to recognize each accomplishment as you set new ones.

"You can love the sport and the life without loving the business." That is true also. If you don't want to be in the business, then don't. If you don't enjoy the business, stop doing it. Go find another job. Horses have also, as Pye states, made me brave, daring and adventurous. They have also taught me responsibility, building relationships, respect, empathy, and integrity. Your mind will always play games with you, maybe more so in this business than others, but you learn to deal with it and move on. You have nerves, you deal with them, you have doubts, you get past them. Horses teach you so much about life. It saddens me to read a blog that states "the business, however, has made me colder, more jaded and less hopeful." I can see how a young professional can become victim to this. This is what I almost fell victim to in my year off after high school. But I decided to make sure that isn't the experience that my students go through. I want them to have hope, I want them to have fun and I want them to be safe, good, quality riders that understand and enjoy their horses.

Overall I agree with what Pye is stating, you have to enjoy this business to be a part of it. I relate it to any work industry, although as most of us know, the horse industry doesn’t quite follow all of the mainstream business rules. This is where it is really important to stick to your morals and do what is right and be true to yourself. Don’t over complicate things. There is so much to know in this world that at times it can be overwhelming. Very recently I’ve had it related to the riding. Make riding your horses simple. Don’t confuse your horses with too much information overload. It is the same thing with living your life.

At this time I am also reading a wonderful book that was gifted to me from a close friend: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, written about Coach John Wooden. I am just in the very early stages of reading the book and feel that it offers very valid points in not only being a successful coach, but on how to lead a good life and be a positive role model. Wooden states, “Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating.” I try my best to better myself each day so I can be a better role model for my students. Have I always made the right choices? No. I am only human, but I can try to continue to better myself and take accountability for mistakes I have made. I highly recommend his book. Wooden talks about his father’s Two Sets of Threes Rules. They are very simple. The first step is about honesty. Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. The second set deals with adversity. Don’t whine. Don’t complain. Don’t make excuses. I think this is very simple advice to live by in every aspect of your life.

Another point Wooden touches on is to make each day your masterpiece. “You can’t do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come. However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece. You have control over that.”

This year I have been lucky to ride a lot with Robin Walker. He has taught me a lot about just riding the horse that I am on. Go back to the basics. They have got to stay in a frame, give in their back, lengthen and shorten their stride, not spit you out and not tell you to piss off. The horse has got to let you in. And that is where you start. Until that is accomplished, you should not move forward or you will quickly find yourself falling back into the holes you never filled. I have quite a variety of horses in Florida this winter, one very different from the next, and each one has helped me improve my riding and training methods with the help of Robin.

So, as my first blog of 2016, my goal is to continue to do better, learn from my mistakes, keep things simple and enjoy the process.

I want to finish by thanking everyone who has been a part of the amazing crazy journey! Stay tuned for a detailed update of the horses and students!

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Life is a journey! Summer & fall wrap up.

Life is about the journey not the destination, make sure you enjoy each turn along the way!

At the end of July I rode with Becky at the Schweiss farm. Roxy was spunky, bucking and anticipating more then normal. We worked through it and did all of the great exercises Becky had set up for us. Then we headed off to Otter Creek in early August. Warmup began just as any other warm up, then when I began to jump Roxy again seemed to anticipate the jumps more then normal. I was having a little bit of trouble turning but I decided to see how she was out on course. She left the start box and was great to 1 and 2, as I made the right hand turn to fence 3, a table by the crowds, I couldn’t take her focus off the people and she just began running to the right down in the valley. I circled her around and she jumped 3 wonderfully and went down and then back up the sunken road with ease. I galloped on and went to make a nice sweeping left turn to go up the hill towards the log table but there was no turning. Again she began running and leaping to the right. I was unable to regain her focus so I decided to retire her and do a little investigation as to why she all of a sudden acting up. Roxy loves her stall at Copeland Farms! Roxy loves her stall at Copeland Farms!

Sammy was contesting her first intermediate at Otter and did great! She had an unfortunate 20 when she decided she wanted to be like Jennie Brannigan and jump the biggest side of the corner out of the water. At least she realized she didn’t jump between the flags (as only the “tip” of the corner was flagged) and she circled around and popped over between the red and white. I couldn’t be more proud of her for doing such a great job at her first outing at that level! Lily was galloping in the preliminary again this weekend and per her usual finished in the top 5, taking home 3rd place! Cat was riding Hannah this weekend, this time at training level, and did great finishing in 8th! Maitland and Grady were testing out the Novice level for the first time and rocked around the course ending on their dressage score to finish in competitive Jr novice in 5th place. Mariah and Cinder were doing great but had one to many bobbles on the cross country and were ultimately eliminated. Once she gets her ducks in a row these two will be extremely competitive at Novice. Deb and Oliver had another superb run finishing in 1st on their dressage score of a 27.8. Virginia and Mac had a great run only adding some time to their score to finish in 4th place. The Artful Dodger was a rockstar this weekend winning his division on his dressage score! He is now being offered for sale if you’re a confident rider looking for a horse to move up the levels! Kendel and Allie did great in the Starter division finishing in 5th and Maddy & Dylan took home 2nd place! Another great weekend at Otter!

Hannah also is testing the waters in modeling and acting. Her first modeling session was schedule with the Minnesota Timberwolves Dancers. She modeling with a nice young lady at Wayzata Beach for their upcoming calendar. Stay tuned!

Shortly after Otter, we hosted an Emily Beshear clinic at Copeland Farms. Emily is the Area IV Young Rider coach and we are lucky to have her come in! We had a great dressage day 1 followed by 2 fun and full days of jumping with a lot of different exercises. Emily helped me work through some issues with Roxy and make a game plan how to proceed. She had a vet appointment scheduled for the end of the week. I took her in to the U and we did a scope and she had some pretty significant ulcers. I decided to give her a couple weeks off while she was on her medication and have been bringing her back to work slowly, consisting of a lot of hacking, trotting, dressage, small jumping and free and lunge jumping. As they say, the ulcers may be gone but the behavior takes some time.

Richland Park weekend! I was lucky enough to show Rachel Holen’s horse, Optical Illusion aka Magic, this year. It was really fun picking up the ride! It is amazing how each horse teaches us something new. I rode him once before we hit the road but luckily had a few days at Richland Park to continue to get to know him. We struggled a bit at first but by the end of the day on Thursday I was confident we could put in a solid test. Magic stepped up to the plate scoring a 32.3 to put us in 5th place. The training track rode great this year. I didn’t know what to expect of Magic and the best thing about having no expectations is just riding the horse you’re sitting on in the moment. He was great! Definitely a different ride from a thoroughbred but he gives a great feeling across the country. As we came into the last quarter of the course we had to make a left hand turn to the normandy bank, the up of the bank had a ditch in front of it and as we approached and Magic caught sight of it he just nipped out to the right at the last minute and we had to represent. One second approach he was super, jumped up the bank, hopped right off and straight over the skinny. In hind sight, sitting on a horse I didn’t know, I should have given him a longer approach allowing him to see and read the question. Warming up for show jumping he felt great! We had one unfortunate rail when I sat up too quickly but we finished overall in 9th place! He was so much fun to ride, I can’t thank Rachel enough for allowing me to take him!

This was Lily's first CIC1* with Luksor and they were both amazing! They put in their best dressage test to score a 50.3 which put them into a tie for 21st place. Next she had show jumping, and although the jumps were bigger and slightly more intimidating, she rode him brilliantly. She was able to create one of the best canters she has had yet in the ring. One unlucky rail down kept them in their 21st place. On to tackle the cross country! Definitely one of the hardest tracks Lily had seen to date, but she handled it with ease and a smile on her face those whole time. She was fast across the ground and came in double clear to finish in 17th place out of 53 riders! So proud of this kid!!

The Fargo ladies, Virginia & Megan Stockburger had a great weekend! Both in Novice divisions the each took home a ribbon! Both had great tests, although Megan's judge was a little harsh on her and scored her a 39.3, she jumped double clear on the cross country and had a nice round in show jumping only adding three time faults to their score to finish in 6th place! Virginia scored a 30.5 in dressage, went double clear on cross country and had one rail down to finish in 5th place! Way to go Stockburger’s!

And of course last but not least, the girl who makes it all happen. Her and Hannah had another great outing at Richland. Cat put in her best ride on Hannah, keeping her calm and cool in the ring to score their best score together a 32.3! We almost had an identical weekend looking back on our scores. She was also sitting in 5th in her division. She had an unfortunate stop early on, on cross country, in a combination when she got there on a half stride. She circled around and flew over it no problem. She came in only a few seconds over optimum. Show jumping was great. The large grass arena really allows you to get going. The show jumping course at Richland are always related. Every line is related. 3 to 4 was six strides, 6 to 7 was a bending six, to a two stride, 8 to 9 was five and 9 to 10 was six strides with the final combination being a one stride. Another great experience for Cat!

We packed up in the pouring rain, dropped MB & Lily off at the airport and hit the road! We had a weekend off in-between before heading back to Otter Creek for the Fall Horse Trials!

This time I didn’t have a horse to ride since I was taking it easy with Roxy. I was lucky to have the ladies from Shoes of Steel there over the weekend filming for the TV show! Shoes of Steel is a reality documentary based on horsewomen in Minnesota! Stay tuned for more details! Visit their website to stay connected!

Sammy was giving Intermediate another go and had a great weekend, coming in with only some time on cross country. Her and Stella were on different pages in the show jumping which resulted in Sammy slipping off her side. Unfortunately the longer and more you do this sport, these things are bound to happen and happen to the best of em. She picked her self up and held her head high. I couldn’t be more proud of how she handled the situation. When moving up to a new level it points out your weaknesses and where you need to keep working which is exactly what we have been doing. Look out for this pair this winter - they are aiming to do the CCI2* team at Young Riders next year! Lily rocketed around the Preliminary bringing in one of the only two double clear cross country rounds. She ended the weekend in 3rd place only adding a rail to her dressage score. Next she heads off to contest the CCI1* at Midsouth! These two are aiming to do the CCI1* team at Young Riders next year! Cat and Hannah were in the training and had a great run only adding one rail to their dressage score to finish in 4th place in a large Sr. Training division. Maitland and Grady rocked around the Novice to finish 5th. Deb and Oliver had a great weekend as well finishing 5th in their large Novice division. Virginia & Megan had great runs again at Novice, Megan finishing in 6th and Virginia winning the division! Together Mariah and I decided to finish the season out at Beginner Novice and she was so happy she did! She had a blast and finished in third place. Maddy made the move up on Dylan to Beginner Novice and took home 2nd! Kendel & Allie worked it at their first BN together taking home 8th place! Another superb weekend at Otter and we are sad to not be heading back there until next year!

Being so busy this year we were unable to make it down to Texas for the AECs but we hope to hit up Colorado where they will be held next year! Maura Tierney purchased a new horse, Sirius, from Todd Wulf and it has been so fun watching them grow together! We did the North Run Schooling show with a group of people and all had a blast! It was Marcia O’Hagan’s horse, Grenadier’s, first show under saddle and he was a pro in the Intro A and B tests! Everyone did great and we had a lot of fun - thanks Len & Jackie for hosting!

At the end of August we had a great open house for Copeland Farms! Nice turnout so we could show off our facility and riders. Some of the kids did demo rides for our visitors! Emma Smith has been riding Lucy for me all summer and doing a great job with her. She took her to CSDEA Festival and won both her classes, 3-3 and 4-1 and also the Team Championship! Congrats!

We are winding down for the season, enjoying a lot of trail riding and getting busy with already working on our goals for next year! I will be taking Lucy down to St. Louis for Region 4 Championships at PSG & I1. I am excited to be in the ring again on Lu! Lily and Cat will be riding at Midsouth later so we head to Kentucky as our last big trip for the season!

I am excited to be getting closer to the FL season. We leave January 1st and return April 12th. This year I am leasing a barn at Leah Lang Glusic’s and am excited to be living in her house as well! I have a few openings left for training horses, students and a working student as well! Contact me for more information!

Until next time - stay cool kids!

***To see photos from this blog - visit www.lizlund.com/blog