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Monday, October 02 2017 / Published in General

Show Jumper Brian Walker Answers Your Questions

Brian Walker
Photo by Hervé Bonnaud, 1clicphoto.com

Brian Walker, a dual Canadian and American citizen, has trained, worked and ridden alongside the best in the world over the last 25 years. As a junior, Brian won the Maclay Medal Equitation Championship in 2001. Brian has made a name for himself by developing quality horses into successful competitors in both the hunter and jumper arenas, earning accolades for himself and his clients. Do you have a question you want Brian to answer? Send questions to editor@sidelinesnews.com.

I am finishing up my junior career. In 2018 I plan on declaring myself a professional.  Obviously, I don’t have any sponsors yet. Come January how would you suggest I go about getting sponsors? What is the best tactic to engage potential sponsors? 

Turning professional is not an easy task, especially coming from a successful junior career where you are more or less on top of the ladder. When you become a professional, you fall right down to the bottom. You will be competing against riders who have a lot more experience than you. Hard work and a lot of time is required to work your way up through the ranks. Sponsors will not come knocking at the door, and it is difficult to justify why a new professional should get sponsors before other established professionals. The key to getting a potential sponsor’s attention is results. Whether it’s a new owner or company looking to endorse, they both like to be associated with a rider that gives results. If you are in the top results consistently, that will bring added exposure for the sponsors looking to get noticed. Soliciting other professionals, owners and clients is a no-go. You should work hard and earn owners and clients, as you would not appreciate other professionals soliciting your clients and owners.

Lately, I have been coming so close to placing first in my class, but every time the same rider beats me. Now, every time I go to a show and that rider is there I get inside my own head and tell myself I am going to lose, and then I do poorly. Has this ever happened to you before? What did you do to change your mindset and win?

Winning doesn’t come easy and second place isn’t bad. If you are riding well and someone else is riding better and always beats you then the bar is set. You have to train harder to try to become better than the person who beats you. It’s also a horse game: if your horse can only do a limited amount then you should gladly take second place. Accept your horse’s limitations and don’t try to make them something they’re not. As for your mindset, you must always think about doing your best. Maybe your best isn’t worthy to win, but it beats coming in last. Performance is about focusing on your effort and not about results or beating another rider. When you put too much pressure on yourself it usually backfires. The results will end up less than adequate.

My horse is terrified of the water jump. I have no idea how to fix this issue. My trainer and I keep coming up short. What would you suggest?

Training for the water jump can be a tricky thing to do. There are some horses that won’t jump it. It’s also difficult to train a water jump with a rider that’s green at jumping water. For the most part, riders are green at jumping water as we don’t jump it often in America. When a rider isn’t sure about the water then the horse will also not be sure. The rider has to have more will than the horse to jump the water. For starters you should start by jumping a small pool every day. Then take a bigger pool and start jumping that every day. Move it around the ring so it doesn’t sit in one spot, change the pole colors, put different boxes in front of the water to change the look. Then you can start making the water bigger with a pole over the top. Jumping the water should be practiced as part of the daily routine. This will not only make the horse more used to it but it will also train the rider to jump the water better. Some horses just aren’t meant to jump water, so pick shows where they don’t have water.

What is the best way to learn horsemanship these days? Are there clinics I should go to? Books I should read?

Horsemanship is dying out from our full-service catering that we professionals in the industry offer. The old generation of trainers comes from the school of hard knocks which taught them a lot about horsemanship. Younger professionals didn’t learn from the same school and therefore lack horsemanship skills. It’s hard to teach horsemanship when you don’t possess the skills yourself. As a whole, the Europeans are better horsemen because they are more hands-on from the beginning. Small children still need to be involved with tacking up their ponies, which is the foundation for good horsemanship. There is no better training than hands-on action with the horses. It would also be good to get involved with some of the trainers that have been established for decades — even just watching how they go about things is helpful. Any top rider or trainer that gives a clinic will put on display some of their horsemanship skills, which can be very helpful. I do think some of George Morris’ reading material can give young minds a perspective on horsemanship. Horsemanship is difficult to pick up and learn overnight. It requires time around horses and exposure to different people and how they do things. Horsemanship is understanding how horses think and how riders affect their performance in and out of the show ring.

 

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Tagged under: brian walker, q&a, show jumping

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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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Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
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An outstanding Pedigree- Chacco Blue and Diamant de Semilly
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For more information, you can contact 
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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
The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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