96 SIDELINES MARCH 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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that we’re entering into the natural world, then the possibility of
catastrophic failure is part of it.
Sidelines:
You’re one of the judges for the Thoroughbred Training
Project Challenge? Do you think that the current standard of Off
The Track Thoroughbred (OTTB) is suitable for modern, short
format eventing?
JCW:
There are plenty of talented Thoroughbreds for sale out
there and they make much more sense, dollar and cents-wise,
because the Thoroughbred market is shrinking and they’re
available, in some cases, for a few hundred dollars. Whether
Thoroughbreds are bred for distance or sprints is immaterial:
we need athletes and Thoroughbreds have been bred to be
athletic. I was and still am very defnitely for Thoroughbreds and
Thoroughbred-types when it comes to picking an event prospect.
Sidelines:
Do you think that you would take on coaching another
team?
JCW:
That depends on the team and the conditions. There
are a few teams I wouldn’t want to coach, because of the travel
involved; but there are some teams out there that are attractive. I
enjoy working at that level.
Sidelines:
Is there anything (besides the long format) that you
regret the three-day and/or horse world losing?
JCW:
I didn’t realize exactly what we lost when we changed
the Olympics from amateur to professional. There’s no doubt
that riders are far and away better in these days than they were
in my era. People tend to concentrate on the frst defnition of
amateur, which is someone lacking in experience or competence.
However, another defnition of amateur is a person who
engages in an activity for the love of the activity, rather than for
remuneration. I think this explains why so many old-timers remark
that we had more fun in those days than present day riders.
Sidelines:
What advice do you have for riders who go through a
frustrating dry spell when nothing goes right?
JCW:
I’m an acquaintance of the professional baseball MVP,
Troy Glaus. I asked Troy about dry spells. Baseball players call
it a “slump.” Troy said, “You have to hit your way out of a slump.”
When people look back on my record, they see some pretty good
achievements. However, they miss the six years when I went
without winning anything higher than preliminary level. I fnally
just hit my way out of the slump.
Sidelines:
What’s the biggest thing that trainers or parents tend
to overlook when a rider wants to move up a level?
JCW:
That there is a mental barrier in the rider’s mind about the
diffculty: riders tend to overstate in their mind the diffculty of the
next level. If the trainer has done his/her job, the rider is prepared
to take the next step; but they have to be convinced in their minds
that they are ready.
Sidelines:
Congratulations on the reprinting of “Gymnastics –
Systematic Training for the Jumping Horse” – how’s the update
going and why is this aspect of training so valuable for any rider in
any sport or discipline that requires jumping?
JCW:
I have just gotten the text of the present book in word doc
form and for the next couple of weeks the editor will be engaged
in the process of going over it. The text is being expanded and
the illustrations will be 21
st
century. While it will be very similar to
the original, I plan to improve the training information and we’re
excited about using photos and graphics for the illustrations. I
hope people will be pleased and impressed with the new look and
the presentation. It will be the same size as my last cross-country
book. If we can, it will have the same spiral binding so it will lie fat
on the kickboards. This book should live on the kickboards, not in
a drawer or on a shelf somewhere.
Continued on page 128