52 SIDELINES JUNE 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
Continued onpage54
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By LaurenR. Giannini
I
f you buy a horse from
Tommy-John
Russell,
you’ll get much more
than a really nice jumper. This
young trainer-riderknowsevery
detail fromwork ethic to tack to
warm-up routine and shares
this knowledge to empower
his horse and its new rider to
develop partnership and trust
over the big, painted fences.
Based at his parents, Vick
and Pauline Russell’s training
facility at Ly-Nard Hills Farm in
Tryon, NorthCarolina, 24-year-
old Tommy-John has evolved
his horsemanship from the
time he started riding, which
was around the same time he
learned to walk. In the course
of training and showing amare
namedKarenina, heearnedhis
graduate degree.
“MyGrandPrixcareer began
with this horse, Karenina,” said
Tommy-John. “I never had a
Grand Prix horse and I never
rode any schoolmaster Grand
Prix jumpers. I’m cautious
about buying horses already
in the ring, because one thing
I noticed about show jumpers
is that you can buy horseswho
are jumping Grand Prix well,
and have trouble with them.
I think the reason is that it’s
not so much about the horse’s
power and ability, but how
well you know the horse. By
raisingand training them yourself, youget intoaprocess of being
prepared, andall of thepreparationanddetails that go intogetting
that horse into the ringat that height are really important.”
Partnership, toput abiblical spinon it: KnowThyHorse. “When
you raise one, you sort of growwith them and you find out their
weaknesses and the real things that you prepare them for before
they go into the ring for a Grand Prix,” Tommy-John said. “For
instance, with Karenina, sometimes when she’s really careful,
she’ll hit herself where most other horses don’t – right on the
breastbone.”
Hunters and jumpers who tuck their legs tight in the air over
fencesarehighlydesirable. That’swhymost jumpershaveabelly
protector padhooked to their girths toprotect them from the studs
in their shoes. Karenina (akaBonnie) oftenbrings her knees right
up to her chin when she flies a big fence. Bruises to the horse’s
breastbone, just like on a human, hurt like heck and, if severe
enough, can compromise the
forelimbs, which serve as the
horse’s primary landing gear
after a jump.
“Basically, it’s just a girth
cover on the breastplate strap
– if I don’t have that special
pad on her, jumping might
cause her great discomfort,”
said Tommy-John. “There are
ahundred littledetails that you
learn by having your hands on
thehorseeveryday. Youhave
to be able to read your horse
and figureout how toget them
to do their best as gently as
possible.”
Karenina has earned a
paycheck in every Grand
Prix class so far. Last fall in
Tennessee, shefinished fourth
in her first ($25,000) Grand
Prix. Her next Grand Prix
outings took place in January
2014 with a seventh and an
eighth at Pensacola II and III.
On March 9, Tommy-John
and Karenina finished eighth
on four faults in the $77,000
Governor’s Cup Grand Prix,
presented by Beau Rivage,
in Gulfport, Mississippi. On
March 16, they made the
jump-off but had two rails for
sixth place in the Gulf Coast
Winter Finale Grand Prix. In
theAtlantaSpringClassic II in
the EMO $25,000 Grand Prix
on March 30, they posted the
fastest time of four clear first
rounds in a class of 14 and
went last in the jump-off.
“I’m still learning so much about riding at Grand Prix,” said
Tommy-John. “Wehadabetter jump-off inAtlanta– I keptmycool
better andwehadone rail for fourth. Sometimeswhat happens is
I’ll watch someonewho has amade horse and I’ll go in and try to
ride like that, but my horse isn’t made. We’ve both only had six
Grand Prix. Karenina is scopey and very intelligent, but if I don’t
slow down in my thought process and if I push her to go faster
than she’s ready for, shegets rattled. I’m learning.”
This winter Tommy-John sold Karenina to someone he knows
verywell and theyboth show themare. “LilyHahn isalsoaGrand
Prix rider, but has been out of it for a while because she had a
baby,” he said. “So, she’s doingamateurs and I’m riding themare
GrandPrix. Lilly haswon a lot atWashington International and at
Devon. Shehas riddenwithmy father since shewas15or 16and
hermother rodewithmy father startingwhen shewasa teenager.
Tommy-JohnRussell:KnowThyHorse
Tommy-JohnRussell andhis first GrandPrix jumper, Karenina,
now owned by LilyHahn
All photos byGregMeisel/FlashpointPhotography.com
