8 SIDELINES JANUARY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Richard Lamb:
A Well-Balanced
Horseman
By Lauren R. Giannini
Horses have taken Richard Lamb around the world. His
most recent adventure took place at the 2011 Pan American
Games in Guadalajara, Mexico where he coached the US
Pentathletes: Margaux Isaksen (individual women’s gold
medal), Suzanne Stettinius, Dennis Bowsher and Sam
Sacksen. It started 20-some years ago when Richard taught
riding in Pennsylvania. One student, Mike Gostigian, had
been to three Olympics in Pentathlon: fencing, shooting,
swimming, cross-country running and show jumping, which
he wanted to improve. “Through Mike I met some of the
others and ended up going to San Antonio where the US
Pentathlon was headquartered at the time,” said Richard.
“It was leading up to the Atlanta Olympic Games. I worked
with them there and volunteered at the Games. I didn’t
have any contact with them until this summer.”
The Pony Club Connection
That’s when his United States Pony Club background
proved that what goes ‘round, eventually comes ‘round. For
two decades, Richard has been a National Examiner and
designer of show jumping courses for various disciplines
at the USPC championships. He served on the Board of
Governors for two terms and during his chair of the Show
Jumping committee, assisted in developing the standards
for upper level ratings.
Last summer at the Kentucky Horse Park during the
National Pony Club Championships he crossed paths with
someone he hadn’t seen in about 15 years: Rob Stull,
executive director of Pentathlon. “About a month before
the Games Rob called and asked me if I wanted to coach
the team in Guadalajara,” recalled Richard. “I went to
Colorado Springs to have a training session. Two men, two
women: gold for the girls and seventh; the men were fourth
and sixth. I had never done anything like this before, and
I was glad to experience going as a member of a team to
represent the US.
Pentathlon took place at the beginning
of the Games and I marched in the opening ceremonies.
The Games were huge and a whole lot of fun.”
Believe in the Basics
Richard’s teaching emphasizes the basics: balance,
rider position and self-carriage of horse and rider, not
necessarily in that order. He wants “riders to allow it to
happen, not make it happen.” In 2008 he earned the Level
III rating to teach riding, training, competing and horse care
through Intermediate, CIC**, and CCI** in the US Eventing
Association’s Instructor Certifcation Program. He isn’t a
‘bells & whistles” clinician and his approach – to improve
the rider – might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he stays
very busy on and off the horses.
“I’m not competing much because I travel so often,”
said Richard. “I have places where I’ve been teaching for
years where I go four, fve, six times a year, other places
I go just once a year. I ride horses for people: young
horses, foxhunters and some horses that don’t know what their
job is yet – might be eventers, dressage or show jumpers. I don’t
own horses anymore because I travel so much. I always can
fnd horses to ride, especially for foxhunting, mostly with Whiskey
Road Foxhounds.”
A Lifetime of Horses
Richard’s lifelong involvement with horses began in early
childhood in Vermont where he helped with his family’s horse farm
and riding camp, keeping 80 horses, as well as their ski lodge.
The Lambs showed hunters and jumpers, evented and foxhunted,
and the kids participated in Pony Club activities.
After college, Richard moved to Ireland from 1975-80, helping
his father to run a guesthouse and riding center, taking advantage
of every opportunity to ride jumpers, event horses and racehorses.
He spent two years working for Eric Horgan, Irish 3-day team,
Olympic veteran and two-time winner of Punchestown.
Currently based in Aiken, Richard has more than 35 years
of experience as a coach. Since 2002 Richard has been chef
d’Equipe or coach for the USPC team at the USEF National Pony
Jumper Championships, harvesting two team bronze medals and
an individual gold and individual silver in that time
.
“The main theme is balance. It’s all about balance for the
horse and all about how the rider’s balance affects the horse,”
said Richard. “I focus on the rider, because horses already know
the things we want them to do: walk, trot, canter, fying change,
passage, piaffe – horses turned out in a feld do those movements.
As riders and trainers we have to learn how to stay in a balanced
position that allows them to do that. Otherwise, we end up using
strength, but in the long run, strength is not effective. When we as
riders learn to re-balance ourselves, we fx the problems.”
As a course designer, his credits include USPC championships,
Richard Lamb stays busy, felding calls even when out hunting
Photo by Cat Davey
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