72 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 74
The Legacy of Tina Konyot
By Lauren R. Giannini
Tina Konyot is funny, articulate, intelligent and amazingly
talented in the equestrian arts. Her training methods produce
happy horses whose “dancing” is world class. She is intensely
honest, no BS, sometimes painfully truthful, but compassionate.
She genuinely cares about horses and people and cherishes her
small group of clients: they reciprocate fierce loyalty. Here are
some revelatory glimpses into this amazing equestrian’s mind.
International Competition & Calecto V
“This horse is my baby – I wish I could have him in the house
with me,” Tina says. “I call him Smoochie.”
Unsupported by major financial sponsorship, totally on her
own, Tina trained her stallion Calecto to grand prix. They won his
debut in a class of 29 in Wellington, Tina riding with 10 screws
and two plates in her right ankle, a special boot, a dummy spur
and the stirrup leather four holes longer. They continued to win
nearly every grand prix after that first class en route to earning
the 2010 USEF National Grand Prix championship and winning all
four classes in the Selection Trials, which secured their place on
the U.S. Dressage team for the 2010 World Equestrian Games.
In 2011, they were national reserve champions. In 2012 they
finished second in the U.S. Olympic Selection Trials, garnering
the national reserve championship, which earned their ticket to
London where the U.S. team finished sixth.
With Calecto incredibly responsive to his dancing partner’s aids
entering at A, he is the epitome of horsepower. When they make
mistakes, Tina shoulders all responsibility for pilot errors. When
asked about her Olympic experience, Tina’s response reflected
the importance of performance peaking at the right time via careful
planning.“I feel my horse and I would have done much better in
London if the approach and preparation had been different,” states
Tina. “We needed to be abroad earlier so we could do two or three
e
Dressage
big shows before the Olympics, but we went from the selection
trials to London. It’s about timing in front of a major competition
and the planning – we needed to be in Europe sooner.”
Happy Horsekeeping
“They are horses – not machinery, not racecars,” Tina
emphasizes. “They have their days of feeling good and bad. They
can wake up on the wrong side of the shavings. I want my horse
to be a horse. I have never had a horse that I have not been able
to train or teach to safely be turned out. It takes creativity and time
and whatever protective gear is necessary. We watch them: you
don’t just turn a horse out and leave. Right now, I’m in the kitchen
and I see Calecto outside. Sometimes you have to take the extra
time to sit out there and help them to adjust.”
When Calecto came into Tina’s life, he had not been turned
out in years. She sat on the ground in the middle of his paddock,
talking to him. “He didn’t know how to relax and graze, but he
learned,” she recalled. “He loves his turnout. I believe that you
have a happier and healthier horse when they are able to go out
to play. Every time I finish riding Calecto, I take him out in his
halter so he can go for a roll before his bath. Rolling is a natural
chiropractic adjustment.”
Calecto is in top form and preparing for the 2014 competition
season. Tina is meticulous about monitoring every aspect of his
care, nutrition, fitness and conditioning on a daily basis.
Developing Young Horses & Cross-Training
Last summer when Tina and Calecto returned from competing
for eight weeks in Europe, they brought back a young horse. “I
was looking for horses to purchase – I’m still looking for horses to
purchase, but one dear client purchased this beautiful four-year-
old Hanoverian gelding, Dimantino,” Tina says. “It’s very special
when someone buys a young horse for me to train, because they’re
Partnership: Tina and Calecto, after their
Freestyle wowed judges and spectators.
Photo by Lauren R. Giannini
