Young Rider Graduate Program Day Two

My report from the USEF/USDF Young Rider Graduate Program Day Two.

After a intense and inspiring first day, we were all back for the second day of the Young Rider Graduate Program. We started off the day with Christoph Hess. Mr. Hess is the director of Training for the German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports and an FEI "I" judge for Dressage and Eventing. He is a really nice guy, I would ride with him in a clinic in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity. He had more of a socratic method to his lecture, which he began with the question what is an ideal rider?
A hard question to answer, but it brought up several themes for discussion:

• A good rider must have patience.
• "Between the small tour and the grand prix you have to walk through the rocky mountains without your shoes on." 
• "Learn with your eyes". Take the time to watch other riders and pay attention to how they work their horses and what is successful.
• "How do you act with success and disappointment?" 
• Regarding downward transitions, "Start the trot, don't finish the canter."
• Transitions and attention to detail are what makes for a successful riders. Since I brought up para-dressage tests, Christoph talked about his experiences with para riders, and noted how light para riders have to be and that riders should not use strength to accomplish the movements, it does not make for a good picture. If you have really good transitions and really pay attention to the small details, the small tour will come easily, don't get caught up in the drama of things like tempis and pirouettes, if you have the transitions the rest will come. 
• If there is a fault, look to the rider first.
• Learn different ways of riding, jumping and knowing other kinds of riding can help your dressage.
• Being flexible in your body is what makes you look still.
• A rider is always a beginner.

After Christoph, Debbie McDonald came and spoke. She is currently the USEF Developing Dressage Coach for the able bodied High Performance riders. I've worked with Debbie in the past and I consider her to be a mentor, she has an amazing eye and is very good at finding ways for he students to be successful. A lot of the questions the participants had were technical about the developing program, but this translates across the board:

• Warm up is more educational than the show ring, the process is what sets your success.
• Don't put too many expectations on the horse.
• Think in different directions.
• Treat everyone like they can be your next sponsor.

The next speaker was Kathy Connelly. Her topic was on the USDF Instructor Certification Program, again there was a lot of technical information about the program but speaking with regards on how to be a good instructor:

• Have a mission statement.
• Ride your weakness to a top level and keep it there.
• Have a code of ethics.
• Always preserve the horse and rider's dignity. 
• Have a good mentor.

To dovetail Kathy, we had Bill Warren and Bill McMullin come in to discuss the "L" program. I have my scores for the "L" program and hope to start it soon. They discussed the nuts and bolts of the program. One interesting fact that I found is that it takes a minimum of twelve years to become an FEI judge. I was also able to ask a question that I have been turning over in my head for awhile, it is challenging as a para rider to enter national classes and even though the judge is a "R" or higher more often than not you are the first para test they have judged, and you can't feel confident that the scoring is going to be close to what the judges at the CPEDIs will give you. One of the Bill's (you will have to forgive me, I can't remember which one) said that eventually they would like to move towards a special certification to judge para classes like they are moving towards with the young horse tests. I doubt this will happen anytime soon, but I am of two minds about this. I like the idea of having judges that are educated in the tests scoring them, but I don't know how many would bother getting certified, which might limit opportunities to show those classes at the smaller shows I do at home. It's all hypothetical for now, but it will be interesting to see where this goes down the road.

Pam Goodrich was next up, her topic was training opportunities in the United States. Pam is a trainer at the barn I am staying at in Florida, and Carino is being cared for by her staff. I like watching Pam teach a great deal, she is very passionate and her eye is very sharp. She is also alway pushing her students to think critically about the cause and effect of their actions on the horse. These are some of Pam's thoughts on training that resonated with me:

• Your teaching skills have to be broader than just teaching horses.
• You have to keep personal goals but you also have to support yourself.
• Read the USEF rulebook and know the definitions they provide.
• Take the time to observe other riders. 
• Hone your skills.
• Competing is important because you are what you do, and if you are not a good competitor than coach people at shows.
• Plan for long term goals.
• Never take a loan on horse!
• Know when you need to move on.
• Knowing what not to do is important as knowing what to do.
• When you take a clinic do as your told and always listen, you can always stop but don't write off the advice.
• The broken horses are your best teachers.
• There are systems of training, different systems work for different horses, like people with religion some people only need the promise of heaven and some people need the threat of hell everyday. 
• Take the opportunity, don't wait for someone to give it to you. 
• If you compete against the same people in your area all the time it can give you a false sense of where you stand.

Lastly to pair with Pam's talk, Michael Baristone came in to give a talk on training opportunities in Europe. His talk was less about how to get over to Europe as one might imagine, but it was more about how there is no longer a great need to go over to Europe and we should take advantage of the opportunities we have here, these are some of the points he made:

• We have to make our own horses and riders and not rely on Europe.
• All riders in Europe have the same problems that we do over here.
• You need long term exposure to someone who is really good.
• Europe should be viewed as a life experience opportunity and not as much under the lens of training.
• Anyone who doesn't have anything to hide should let you observe them.

The experience over these two days was great. It was so nice to bond with people my own age that share the same passion that I do. It was also great to see the same themes repeated by so many well respected people in different ways. The level of consensus is reassuring that there is a path if you want to pursue this sport to the highest levels, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. 

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.