130 SIDELINES APRIL 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Lauren R. Giannini
Nick Bertelli and Darren Taplin recently made a big move from
California to South Carolina where they established Foxland
Equestrian. The West Coast’s loss is Aiken’s gain, thanks to
Darren’s 35 years of experience and Nick’s 17 in classical
dressage. Their expertise ranges from starting horses to training
progressively to the grand prix level. The real benefciaries happen
to be the horses and the riders who come under their tutelage.
“My focus is on training – I’m so particular about horses being
ready,” said Darren. “I love the training process and for the better
part of the last 10 years I have gotten the most satisfaction from
working with horses and riders and watching the progress they
make. I don’t get aggressive; I don’t rattle their confdence. I turn
the question inside out and go back to the basics. I dissect the
movements and explain to the rider how to do them and how this
causes this and that causes that.”
Darren demystifes the complexity of dressage to its most basic
essence: getting the horse to come through from behind in self-
Dressage According To
Darren Taplin and Nick Bertelli
e
Special Section - South Carolina
carriage without putting all its weight into the rider’s hands. Among
the classical horsemen who shaped him are Charles de Kunffy,
Lilo Fore and Steffen Peters. He spent a couple of years learning
in-hand work from Bill Biggs, who taught diffcult horses how to
piaffe and passage. About 10 years ago he discovered Sandy
Phillips, ex-wife of Capt. Mark Phillips.
“Nick and I spend time with Sandy whenever we can. She’s an
amazing trainer,” said Darren. “She has been so infuential in how
I train. She took both Nick and me to a whole new level in terms
of our riding, too. I’m a blend of European rider/trainers and the
better American trainers. I don’t microwave down the centerline.
I spend time with each horse. I’m into getting them ft from the
inside out, and my horses last a long time. I have a nearly 20-year-
old grand prix horse I started as a baby: he’s sound and can still
piaffe and passage.”
For Nick, it was like fnding the Holy Grail of dressage in a
person. “Sandy is an international rider, trainer and judge and
Foxland Equestrian’s dynamic duo, Nick Bertelli with Natalie and Darren Taplin with Omar, bookend their
German Oldenburg, Roxette by Rubignon out of Warkant mare, who was the second highest scoring mare in the
country at her mare inspection for Hanoverian. Roxette is schooling Prix St. George.
Photo by James Moser/The Barn Book
Continued on page 132