FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
SIDELINES JUNE 2014 21
KathyDoyleNewman (left) andBarbaraBatterton (right), first
women riders at theAikenTrainingCenter.
Kathy showingSunnyCorner at theWinter EquestrianFestival
forMimi Abel Smith. Sunnywas the first of many horsesKathy
trained forMimi, andMimi showedSunny in theAmateur Owner
Hunter divisionalso.
and Gerry became a professional Whipper-in for the Piedmont
FoxHounds and took his young daughter whippingwith him.
Trained by Kathy, young Katherine also garnered national
championships in the pony and junior hunter divisions, won
several national equitation finals, and a gold medal at the North
AmericanYoungRidersChampionships. Katherinenowworks as
a professional rider for Allwyn Court, and in her first professional
year won the Emerging Professional class onMimi Abel Smith’s
Daydream at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. At the VHSA
Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Katherine said: “Mom, if there
was a hall of fame formothers, you’d be in it!”
In 2005, Allwyn Court moved to Wellington, Florida, where
Kathy continues to use the analytical, methodical and logical
trainingstyle thatmakesher ageniusat traininggreenanddifficult
horsesandgreen, timid riders. Sheonlybringshorsesor riders to
theshow ringwhen they’rewell prepared toperform.Shebelieves
that skipping steps in theprocessof developinghorsesand riders
isahugemistakewhenhorsesor riders run intoproblemsbecause
they have no foundation to return to when correcting problems.
Kathy’s says her teachers, Victor Hugo Vidal, George Morris,
James Wofford and Rodney Jenkins, “were extremely articulate
and taught me thedetails of riding and training.”
Photos courtesy of KathyDoyleNewman, unless noted otherwise
