FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES JULY 2014 97
to get kids on a schedule of work here. They get up and do their
lessons and the equitation (classes) go right away. They get
immediate feedback for what they do,” Bobby explained.
He continued, “East Dorset is a fun town to be in, but it’s not
what I would call a ‘wild town’ to be in. When they’re here at the
show, they’re here to show. They pay attention and they learn.
There are other shows where you may have good competition, but
you also have lots of distractions at the same time.”
Many of the riders who went through “boot camp” at the
Vermont Summer Festival on their way to equitation stardom have
returned to the show as successful professionals. Among them
are Nikko Ritter, winner of the 2007 USEF Show Jumping Talent
Search Finals East; Hillary Simpson, 1996 USEF Show Jumping
Talent Search Finals winner; and Julie Welles, one of the Vermont
Summer Festival’s most successful alumni.
In 2005, Julie won the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search
East and WIHS Equitation Finals, in addition to placing third at the
Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals and fifth in the ASPCA
Maclay Finals. After working for four years for international show
jumping stars Laura Kraut and Nick Skelton, Julie has returned
to her roots, joining Missy Clark’s North Run operation as a
professional rider. Returning to the Vermont Summer Festival,
where she spent most of her childhood competing, is icing on the
cake.
“It was so nice to come back [to the Vermont Summer Festival],”
Julie said. It’s really relaxing and people enjoy being here. You
wake up every morning excited to go to the show. It’s nice to come
back to a horse show that you know. I’ve been coming here since
I was in Equitation 11 and Under classes, so it was like coming
home.”
It’s no surprise that Julie would be eager to return to North Run;
it’s a name synonymous with equitation championships and top-
tier success. Missy Clark has continuously utilized the Vermont
Summer Festival as part of her championship program for years.
“It’s a great training ground where you can be here and they give
you good courses,” Missy explained. “It’s good mileage for a lot of
kids. It’s a good time of year. It’s the time when you might need to
grab some extra points and it serves a lot of good purposes. It’s
good competition, there are great courses, and it’s a great venue.
You’re accomplishing a lot of your goals.”
For Missy, the equitation division is a stepping-stone for riders
going through the formative years of their riding careers. The skills
they master on their way to medal finals – proper flatwork, line and
track, correct and effective position – are irreplaceable, and will
continue to serve them well in whatever endeavor they pursue.
“I use a lot of the world’s best Grand Prix riders as examples
for my kids,” Missy explained. “I think if you look at the history of
our sport in this country, there’s been a huge group of Grand Prix
riders that have come through the equitation ranks. I think it’s a
proven commodity that does its job.”
Not all of Missy and Bobby’s riders will choose to make a career
out of riding, but the time they served in the equitation ring at the
Vermont Summer Festival will have taught them plenty of skills for
life beyond the show ring.
“Every life lesson you need to learn is right here,” said Missy.
“You have to be relentless. You have to be dedicated. You have
to be strong. You have to be resilient. You have to be so many
things that will serve you well later in life. It’s not for the weak,
that’s for sure.”
Bobby agreed. “It’s not what all of them do [as a career],” he
said. “I tell them all the time, ‘Horse shows will always be here.’
Missy and I will still be out there. It’s one of those constants in life:
death, taxes, and we’ll be out there putting the kids through their
paces in the equitation ring!”
All Photos by David Mullinix Photography
Julie Welles, shown winning the WIHS Championship with Otter
at the 2005 Vermont Summer Festival, now competes as a
professional Grand Prix rider.
Top equitation trainers Missy Clark and John Brennan of North
Run are based at the Vermont Summer Festival each summer.
