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Tuesday, August 11 2020 / Published in General

Everything Eventing with Boyd Martin

There’s a lot of talk about your new conditioning pool. Can you tell us about it?

One of the great things about working with US Eventing Team Chef d’Equipe Erik Duvander is he’s a constant source of new ideas. One of the thoughts that he put in my mind last year was how to improve the horses with cross-training. Over the years I’ve noticed, schooling cross-country, how the horses take an elevated trot step while schooling the water jump. I’ve also been a customer of the Aquatread that is available near home. I’m always quizzing top horsemen and I’d noticed a couple of good friends who are racehorse trainers nearly submerging their Thoroughbreds in water to improve their fitness.

Earlier this year, I got together with Eric Bull of ETB Equine Construction, who’s built me a couple of water jumps already, and started discussing construction of a conditioning pond at Windurra, our main facility in Pennsylvania. I wanted to be able to change the water level so that we could use it for lunging as well as exercise with a rider on the horse’s back. With competitions closed down for the coronavirus, Eric had plenty of time to bring his team to Pennsylvania.

They made a 4-foot-deep hole in the ground and sealed it like a water jump, then came up with a very elaborate way of changing the depth of the water. There’s a drain in the pond and from the outside, we can open valves to change the level of the water, from 3 inches to 4 feet deep.  

I feel like the work we’re doing in our conditioning pond is just an add-on to our normal training; I don’t think it’ll be a total game changer but I think our horses will have that extra bit of strength and conditioning over time. I’d think over a six-month period they will have used muscles they didn’t use before and I believe it’ll help with their core strength. 

How are horse sales during the lockdown?

To be quite frank, I’m not a big horse seller; over the years I’ve sold a lot of horses but it wouldn’t be my main source of income. A lot of horses we have to sell go to Lillian Heard, who’s based on our property and specializes in horse sales. But with the coronavirus slowing things down, we’ve had more time to market a few horses.

I was surprised anyone would be interested in buying a horse at this time — I thought they’d be nervous to spend the money during this unstable economic climate, and I’d think they’d want to come try a horse but would be too nervous to travel and meet in person. I couldn’t have been more wrong; we have several horses for sale at the moment and the phone’s been ringing hot! I think that’s partly because we’ve had more time to put into making videos and advertising horses, and buyers have more time to focus on finding horses to purchase. With everyone’s schedule lessened, they have more time to focus on finding a horse that suits them well. 

My experience since the plague hit is that people are still going to out find the ideal partner. We’ve allowed people to come to the farm and try them, taking all the safety precautions to make sure they’re not bringing in the virus. People also seem ready to get on with life and continue their passion. 

Can you talk about your teaching schedule this spring, with so much shut down?

Usually at this time of the year, I’m dialed into the competition schedule. With a list of good horses competing, I’m hard at it every weekend, competing the horses that are in work. Part of me misses the shows, but another part of me doesn’t miss waking up at 4 a.m. every weekend, walking courses in the dark, riding horse after horse and getting home at midnight.

I recently had a small surgery to loosen up my hip joints and I’m taking a break from riding while I recover, which has opened up the opportunity to do more teaching. To stay busy, I’ve taken on a few younger riders in a training camp at my farm, in a very focused, concentrated working pupil situation. That’s working really well and I believe the riders doing this are getting a lot of out of it — there’s a lot of action at our farm with lots of world-class riders using the facility to train their horses. 

The shutdown has hit our income, and teaching clinics is a good way of making a bit of coin while things are quiet. Clinics are also a nice break from the monotony of working every day on our farm. Driving around or hopping on a plane to visit a new area and meeting new people is quite enjoyable for me. It’s also fun going back to the same spots year after year and watching horses progress, and making some great friends all around the country that share the same interests I have. 

I’m also getting the hang of teaching some good lessons. Deep down I feel like I’m a little bit of a fraud because a lot of the lessons I teach are lessons I’ve been taught by legendary riders over the years. I’ve been lucky to work with some of the great trainers of the world in Australia and America, and experienced lots of their lessons that have really worked for my horses and that I recreate for the clinics that I teach. But now I feel like I’m developing my own style as a teacher.

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Tagged under: boyd-martin, coronavirus, covid-19, eventing, horse sales

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

 ✨PF'S DIAMO BLUE✨
Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
17.0hh, Oldenburg International Hunter Derby/ Jumper Stallion
An outstanding Pedigree- Chacco Blue and Diamant de Semilly
WBFSH/ Rolex top ranking Jumping Sires 2017 thru 2022
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You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

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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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