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Thursday, October 25 2018 / Published in General, Sidelines Feature

Anna Becker: From Collegiate Competitor to Coach

Anna Becker, and her teammates from Auburn, are all smiles at the 2013 SEC Championship.
Photo by Claire Connaghan

By Carter Anderson

Anna Becker has seen it all in collegiate equestrian. She was a student-athlete at Auburn University and rode on their equestrian team from 2009 to 2013. After graduating and leaving an extensive legacy at Auburn, she jumped into the coaching role at Kansas State University. Anna was the hunt seat coach there until the program closed in 2016. She decided to go back to school and get her masters from New York University. After that box was checked, Anna worked for the Washington International Horse Show until she got a text from an old friend notifying her of the job opening at the University of Georgia. Anna Is currently the assistant hunt seat coach at UGA and has high hopes for her first season as a Georgia Dawg.

What made you decide to ride in college?

My mom is a trainer in New Jersey and she rode in college and later became a coach. My first trainer was the equestrian coach at Centenary College. Although it was IHSA and not NCEA, I was exposed to riding in college at a young age. It was more popular, however, in the top show circuit to become a professional after high school. That was my original plan, until I found out that there was a scholarship opportunity for collegiate riding. I looked into IHSA first, but after receiving visit offers and getting emails from coaches, I decided NCEA was the right choice for me. A girl who rode at my barn rode for Auburn University and loved it. That and many other things brought me to Auburn.

How did your experience at Auburn Equestrian affect your career after graduation?

Auburn was the right place for me. Any team, however, will teach you so much about yourself. You learn people skills, time management and how to be a hard worker. Those benefits I received from the team helped me post-grad in interviews, especially. People like to hear that you were an athlete in college because they know you’re able to work with others toward a common goal.

Anna Becker, right, standing with senior Emma Mandarino at the 2018 UGA Red and Black scrimmage.
Photo by Grace Bridges

What did you learn from coaching at Kansas State?

I learned a lot about myself and learned so much from the girls I coached. I also found that it was more rewarding to be a coach rather than a competitor. It was amazing to watch the girls succeed knowing that I had helped them reach their goals. I learned even more time management skills by recruiting and having to do office work. I was able to be creative when coming up with practice activities and patterns for meets. K-State helped me find my passion for coaching.

What has been the biggest difference between coaching at K-State and coaching at UGA?

The team size is much bigger as well as the staff at the University of Georgia. I’m able to focus more on coaching and less on some of the office work that I had to do at K-State. Also, UGA has a much larger facility with more barn staff, which is truly incredible. I’m now able to work with a larger budget at UGA than I was able to coaching at Kansas State.

What are your goals as a coach this season?

My ultimate goal is to win an SEC Championship and a National Championship. My personal goal is to get to know each and every one of my riders, hunt seat and Western. I want to know them not only on a personal level, but also on a coaching level. Each rider is different and the way you coach them should vary slightly, while still being treated the same as everyone else.

What has been your favorite part so far about being an assistant coach at the University of Georgia?

I really enjoy the team and the girls that I coach. I appreciate how the whole team gets along no matter what discipline. I love the staff and the other coaches that I work with. It makes coming to work every day easier and more fun. Everyone has been welcoming of me, regardless of the fact that I went to Auburn.

Photos courtesy of Anna Becker

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Tagged under: Anna Becker, cater anderson, ncaa, university of georgia

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Sports Psychology column🐎 By Margie Sugarman I Sports Psychology column🐎
By Margie Sugarman

I just bought a new horse. I think he’s amazing, but I miss the feeling of just “clicking” with my old horse. I know that it takes time to grow that connection, but do you have any tips that can help me be confident and in tune with my new horse in the short term?

You kick off your sneakers and realize that there’s a big hole in the sole of one shoe. Well, you’ve had them for quite a while and have worn them everywhere, from hiking to riding. They’ve served you well but it’s time for new ones. (It’s time to move on to a new horse.) You turn on your computer and order a new pair. You wait in anticipation. You’re excited, they’re cool looking. (He’s pretty!)

Upon arrival, you quickly open the box and slip your feet in. They’re great sneakers, but they aren’t as comfortable as the pair they’re replacing. They don’t bend as well—the sole is stiff. They don’t feel as comfortable—they have to be broken in. They don’t fit like the others did—the old ones were so well molded to your feet. (He’s a new ride, a different ride. He needs some suppling work.)

Of utmost importance in the human/horse relationship (especially the ones with the strongest bonds) is the horse looking to their owner as the leader and respecting their personal space. This important dynamic comes from groundwork—no matter what discipline you’re involved in. Just as it is with friendships, there needs to be respect. Respect is developed when one is on the ground and not mounted.

The things you do might seem small, but if done consistently and in a positive way, the results are huge. The confidence and trust you develop between the two of you will carry your relationship to wherever you want it to go.

To read Margies full column click the link in our bio! Never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄

Photo by Ali Kelman

#psychology #mentalhealth #love #therapy #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #motivation #psychologist #selfcare #mindfulness #selflove #life #mentalhealthmatters  #mindset #wellness #meditation #inspiration #mind #Sidelinesmagazine
Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! W Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.
 
Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.
 
Kaiman (Dark Pleasure x Gribaldi) earned high scores at his stallion testing and in the young horse classes. He's also the sire of a Licensed Oldenburg stallion. Kaiman's first North American foal crop is arriving now and they are gorgeous!
 
If you're looking for top international bloodlines please check out our 2023 stallion collection, now available fresh, frozen, and by the dose.

Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.

Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.

https://www.ironspringfarm.com/biolink/

@iron_spring_farm 

#stallion #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #equine #dressage #pferd #equestrianlife #mare #hengst #horseriding #instahorse #cheval #pferde #equinephotography #horselove #dressagehorse #pony #horselover #caballo #foal #quarterhorse #aqha #arabianhorse #showjumping #photography #caballos #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
#horseshow #horses #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #horselove #horsestagram #instagram #showjumping #equestrianlife #equine  #horsebackriding #dressage #horselife #pony #of #horserider #horseshoe #horsemanship #horseshowlife #riding #instahorse #horseaddict #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
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