Young Rider Graduate Program Day One

Introduction- You will have to forgive me here, I'm back dating a few things, I've had a very busy few weeks and precious little time to give the detailed accounts of my adventures, taking the time on this rainy Monday to do so now! - Ellie



I was invited to attend the USDF/USEF Young Rider Graduate Program, sponsored by The Dressage Foundation. I was very honored that I was invited to attend, as I do not have the traditional background of competing in the able bodied young rider FEI classes. The program was also designed as a tool to help these young riders transition into professional dressage careers. While in all honesty I don't see being a professional as a viable career track for me, competing at an international level in para I have to have to the same standards for quality in my riding and my program that the other attendees are also striving for.

The first lecture was a panel of professionals who were out of this transition phase we were in, and had established businesses. The panel included Patti Becker, Lauren Sammis, and Katherine Bateson Chandler. I didn't write down who said what, but these were my important take aways from the talk:

• Be honest, be ethical
• Be deeply involved in your horse's care
• Never burn a bridge 
• Teach yourself how to teach
• Keep your own education going
• Most people go into it for the horses, but this is a people business
• You can learn something from anyone
• If you do take a working student position, someone is never happy
• You are not entitled, be prepared to work hard
• Luck is needed, but also don't squander opportunities
• Don't ride dangerous horses just for the business, you don't have anything to prove

The second lecture was from an equine lawyer, Yvonne Ocrant. She spoke primarily on liability issues and how to protect yourself as a professional. These were some of the details I found to be interesting:

• Boarding contracts should define services so you have a clear meaning of what constitutes a equine activity. 
• You need to define the inherent risks of equine activity in your contract. 
• Follow best practices, so you have a strong defense if a suit is brought against you.
• Liability release should be one page, this way they can't say they missed something. 
• Look at the liability release and does it make sense for the kind of equine activity you are engaging in, ie jumpers and reiners might have different needs in their release. 
• Examples of inherent risk, in the midwest ice sliding off an indoor roof, in florida gators in a canal.
• The two other important legal documents as a young professional are a trainer liability release and a bill of sale.

The third lecture was on sponsorship, which was given by Renee Isler who is a sponsor in the sport via her Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund from the Dressage Foundation. Prior to this I had always thought about sponsorship in the abstract, either some great patron that is willing to write the big checks for you, or product sponsorship because you have become so successful that your name has some currency with those involved in the sport and your using their product provides the company with some kind of value. While those types of sponsorships do exist, what Renee does with her fund, for me, was a revelation. She gives grants to riders to do things like attend clinics and further their training. While having a big patron buy a horse for you, or have a product sponsor provide your equipment is a great thing to have, the achieving  that kind of sponsorship is a rare thing. I see this kind of sponsorship as very beneficial to the sport as a whole, not just to those that are already achieving on the highest levels. Without going too far indepth, these were some of the topics discussed when approaching someone for sponsorship funds:

• Know your sponsor
• Have a plan in place for what you want from this sponsor
• Have a resume that is effective
• If your sponsor does fund you, how are you going to give back? Make a plan to pay it forward!
• Budget. Get comfortable with the numbers, be as detailed and accurate as possible. 

The following lecture was from the Dressage Foundation, which dovetailed on many of Renee's themes. As a dressage rider I think it is an institution you should get comfortable with, so if the occasion arises it can be a good tool for success. These are some of the tips the Foundation representative gave us for successful grant applications:

• Sometimes you have to apply multiple times before your application is accepted.
• If you have a good proposal, the TDF office can help you see which fund would be best.
• Research the grants and know your plan.
• Don't just say what you think they want to hear, be honest.
• If you don't get this grant, what are your plans?
• If you don't get the grant and want to apply again, ask for recommendations to make your application more successful the next time around. 

We switched gears from there, and Rosalind Kinstler, my trainer down here, gave a talk on customer service. It was interesting for me as a client to hear this from the trainer perspective, and these were my take aways from the talk:

• Keep a separation between business and friendship.
• Be honest about what you are offering.
• Schedule only what you can do, and stick with it.
• Work on a strong professional base in your area that shares information. 
• If there is a decision you are not comfortable with than don't do it. 
• The horses always come first.
• As a professional, your continuing education should be a very high priority. 

Hilary Moore from Dressage Today was next, she gave a lecture on media. She had an interesting exercise, she had Google searched all our names and given us a summery of the results she had found. I'm glad to say mine was fairly accurate, she had some interesting points on how to improve your media presence. I'm fairly tech savvy, but I do think it would be a good idea to get more comfortable with how to utilize google keyword and increase my earned media. 

Our last formal lecture was from Johnny Robb, she talked to us about how to market ourselves as riders. Competing internationally, you are in the public eye and how you are perceived is important. These are some of the key points from her lecture:

• Define your business/goals.
• Evaluate your mini marketing plan every six months to a year.
• Have action steps and put together a timeline!
• Get a friend to help you develop a strength list.
• You brand- What do you want to known as, and what makes you different?
• Be a go to person.
• When seeking endorsements, do not go out there with a handful of gimme but instead tell them what you can do for them.
• You don't have to win to get sponsors.

Lastly, we had Heather Blitz come give us a talk after dinner about her experiences at the Pan Am Games.  She was very kind to come talk to us, and her own path to success was very inspiring. She has worked with my Lusitano, Vadico before with his previous owner, I hope I get the chance to work with her at some point in the future.