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Thursday, September 19 2019 / Published in General

Everything Eventing with Boyd Martin

Boyd and Thomas competing at the 2019 Lima Pan American Games. Boyd and Thomas earned double gold at the Games.
Photos by Taylor Pence/US Equestrian

You’ve just won team and individual gold medals at the Pan-Am Games. What was that experience like?

I’ve just arrived back on the farm after flying home from the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, and it’s a wonderful feeling to have accomplished a major goal. We all knew the Pan Am Games were a very important competition, not just for me as an individual but to qualify the U.S. Eventing Team for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. I went armed with my top horse, Thomas (Tsetserleg), and after walking the cross-country course, I was so relieved I had my experienced campaigner with me. Thomas gave his all in all three phases and I can’t tell you how rewarding it was, standing on the podium with two gold medals, both team and individual.

I also had a moment thinking about how last year I contributed to losing the qualification for the Olympics with a less-than-stellar performance at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina. It was gratifying that a year later I was part of rescuing that same qualification. It was a bit of a surreal experience, standing on the podium with my teammates.

Boyd, center, is all smiles receiving his individual eventing gold medal. He is joined by Lynn Symansky, left, silver medalist from the United States and Carlos Parro, bronze medalist, from Brazil.
Photos by Taylor Pence/US Equestrian

The U.S. chef d’equipe, Erik Duvander, has persevered through some tough times with the team, including Tryon. What’s it like working with him?

I’ve been fortunate through my career to work with some brilliant horsemen and women, coaches, trainers and chefs d’equipe. I can honestly say Erik stands out among them all. He has absolute dedication and an obsession with improving the riders in this country. It’s amazing. He’s temporarily left his wife and children back in New Zealand to come to America for one reason only: to make America a leading country in eventing. For those who think this is a glamourous role, there are really only about five minutes of glamour. He’s traveling, coaching and training no matter the weather or time zone. Erik is a master horseman and I believe he’s one of the best in the world. He allows the riders to do their own thing a bit more than most; he’s never forcing you to do a particular type of training, he’s always there with a positive demeanor, encouraging and helping everyone become better and better.

Unfortunately, it’s human instinct to place blame when things go wrong. What everyone needs to understand from the comfort of your armchair is you can have the best horse, the best trainer and leave no stone unturned but it’s the nature of the sport that sometimes it just doesn’t come off, even if you’ve got very good people behind you. Erik’s been through it all: He’s coached some of the best riders in the world and he’s worked with different countries, he’s been in every scenario you can imagine. He’s very calm, and he’s got no quit in him; he doesn’t give up, which I think is important.

Your barn manager and groom, Stephanie Simpson, is also a key part of your team.

There’s no question that one of the things that was holding me back was my organization and management in the barn. This was one of the first things Erik noticed when he came on board. I was very lucky to get hold of Steph Simpson: She grew up in a dairy farming family in Vermont and from an early age worked with cattle and learned management in that role. She previously worked with Dom and Jimmie Schramm and Liz Halliday-Sharp, and she’s very hard working and has a lot of attention to detail. I’m finding my staff is better organized, the horses look and feel better and I don’t have to worry about a lot of these details. I can concentrate on my riding and training and leave the details to Steph. Having a couple of key people on your staff definitely means everything runs better. It’s nearly as important as having good horses. It’s impossible to do a good job if you don’t have enough people, and having the lead role in Steph makes everything super organized. I truly believe the results are starting to shine through.

You’ve had a winning year so far in 2019. What’s the secret to your success?

It’s been a good year. I got hurt a couple of times early this year and, for the first time in my life, I really started to think about my health and my fitness in a serious way. Being injured, and trying to ride when you’re injured, is a good wakeup call. I’m turning 40 soon and I want to be doing this sport until I’m 55 years old or more. I’ve been trying to live healthy and clean, I’m working out with personal trainers, using the chiropractor and laser therapy and doing yoga once a week. I feel good in my body and better in my mind, too.

On top of that, I’ve cut back on riding and I try to avoid riding horses that aren’t talented. That had to be a big change: When I first came to America I was desperate to ride any horse, to fill my barn up and make ends meet. I’m probably making a little less money but the horses are good quality. I’m trying to really specialize in competing top horses. My dream is to have 12–20 top-class event horses and completely concentrate on training and competing them. I like teaching and clinics, but the reason I do it is to make enough money to try to be the best in the world.

I think the key is to have a bit of vision: Obviously the Olympics are next year but then the WEG, and the Olympics after that. I’m trying to build up this pipeline of horses. We have a couple of 3-year-olds, a couple of 4-year-olds all the way up. I think to have the longevity to stay consistently successful in this sport, you have to have this pipeline. They all have to be ridden and trained well and it’s a long process; it can take six or seven years to get them to the top. To have a skilled rider like Mike Pen to keep the horses going is so important. Having more staff than you need is key as well. You’re better off making a little less money and making sure everything is done really well. When I was training in Wellington and looking at the top riders down there, I saw that when you cheap out on staff, there’s a penalty for it. But it’s bloody hard; you’ve got to pay for it all!

Photos by Taylor Pence/US Equestrian

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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!!! 🎉
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It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is. It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is...

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Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

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A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself The spor A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself 
The sport of eventing is a demanding and mentally challenging discipline that requires a combination of physical and mental fortitude from both the rider and horse. While having a coach can be incredibly beneficial, self-coaching can also play a crucial role in a rider’s success.

I think that given the opportunity, most riders would like to be coached every day. The reality of life in the horse world, however, is that the majority of us need to absorb as much from the lessons we have on a limited basis and then practice those skills at home to improve.

When I am riding, I try to have a plan for the horses each day and focus on what I’m looking to achieve. It’s important to be aware of the steady improvements rather than trying to solve everything all at once. This is especially important when teaching horses new movements or exercises that they might struggle with, and we need to give them time to learn and understand what we are asking for.

I have a couple of quotes that I use regularly when I’m teaching, and these are mottos that I hold myself to in my daily work as well.

The first is, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.” This is a quote that was said to me many years ago when I was still motor racing and I keep it in the back of my mind each day. It’s easy to get stuck doing the same thing every day with your horse and bad habits are hard to break, from both riders and horses!

This leads me to my next quote, which is, “If what you are doing isn’t working, try something else.” It really is as simple as that! Many riders I see keep asking a horse to do something the same way over and over with an ongoing negative response and they wonder why things don’t get better. In these circumstances, I recommend that the rider change something, even if it’s wrong.

Read the full article by clicking the link in our bio! Don’t forget to keep your eye out for our April subscription!
📸Photo by Alex Banks Photography
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