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Wednesday, January 03 2018 / 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.

You recently posted on Facebook about competing in a class of more than 70 horse-and-rider combinations. How do you block out the competition and do your best?

Sometimes we have to compete in classes with a lot of horses. More horses in a class doesn’t always mean that it’s harder to win, but it will make certain riders focus more on how they will do, losing track of what’s important: good riding and not always the results. For me, I try to keep it simple. I must ride well and jump a clear round, just as I try to do every time I go in the ring. Once I make the jump-off, then I try to ride the same as I would every jump-off: make short turns and try to be quick and efficient. More horses in a class leads to more mistakes in a class. Riders often think they need to go faster than they need to go with more entries in a class, which often results in faults they wouldn’t normally have. I find it harder to win a class with less than 15 riders because normally courses are under-built and not as many faults occur from other riders. In these types of classes, jump-offs are normally crazy fast. Keep in mind, when we go in the ring, we actually are really competing against ourselves.

Do you have any strategies for approaching a jump in the center? I try to aim for center, but my horse tends to drift to the left, making it more difficult to do tight turns on the other side.

It’s always good to try to train your horse to stay in the center. More often than not, our horses jump lower when they drift to one side or the other. However, sometimes you can use your horse’s drift to help you out. When I’m training at home, I like to really focus on keeping my horses straight. When I’m competing on a horse that has a bad tendency to drift to one side, I’ll think about a few places to try a little extra to keep him in the middle, but most of the time that isn’t a focus of mine when I go in the ring; there are too many other things to think about. If your horse drifts to the left and doesn’t turn well to the right, the solution is simple: in a jump-off, use the left drift to do fewer strides on the left turns, then when going to the right, it should make up for maybe doing extra strides to the right. In the end, better flatwork and training at home will help you keep your horse in the middle.

My horse doesn’t seem to like fly spray, but I don’t have a better way to keep flies and other insects away from him. What do you suggest I use?

Horses can be funny about fly spray. Most of the time, they get used to it. When your horse doesn’t like fly spray, you have two choices: let the bugs bite your horse with no fly spray or gradually get the horse used to fly spray. Both are better than forcing your horse with fly spray if they don’t like it. Start by always putting on fly spray in the stall, by spraying a towel then rubbing it on the horse. When horse gets used to the spray bottle, then start by spraying the legs and work upward. Normally, if you have a horse that is shy, you will always need to put it on his head by hand.

You recently posted a photo of yourself on Facebook from when you were a child. How young is too young to teach a child to jump on a horse?

I think safety is the most important thing when teaching young children to ride. Every child goes at his or her own pace. I don’t think there is an age that’s too young, but I do feel that it isn’t good to push children. Let them decide how fast they want to develop. I remember I fell off one summer when I was 6 years old. I was jumping crossrails. My pony spooked in a corner and I fell off the side. It had nothing to do with jumping, but I wouldn’t jump for three months afterward. However, something to keep in mind is that the earlier children start jumping, the more practice they get.

What do you do when it’s time to retire one of your horses? My horse is close to retirement, but I want to be sure she is well taken care of.

Retiring horses is always difficult. I think it’s best to retire a horse before they are really at the end of their career. When they are lame and can’t go anymore because you’ve used them too hard, then you’ve waited too long, unless a horse sustained an injury at an earlier age. I retired two of my good horses last year. They are both mares and I decided it was time to retire them to have enough time to breed them. There are lots of places to retire horses. I think a good retirement place has weather that is not too hot, has plenty of space to turn out and has someone there who constantly keeps an eye on the horses.

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

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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

#dressage #equestrian #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #dressagehorse #equestrianlife #showjumping #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #instahorse #dressur #horselove #eventing #equestrianstyle #cheval #dressagerider #horselife #horselover #pferde #love #riding #jumping #pferdeliebe #horseofinstagram #horsebackriding #paard #dressurpferd
We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

 ✨ALVESTA OWAIN✨
Thistledown Arctic Lore x Alvesta Fairy Lustre
13.1hh, Welsh section B
Stud Fee $750 (plus collection)
AI only and EVA negative
Fairfield, VA

Contact Cheryl Maye at (703) 431-9096 for more information
https://www.mayeshowponies.com/more-info/stallions

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 🦄

📸  SAS Equestrian
‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️ The purpose of this ‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️

The purpose of this month’s column is to help the young equestrians of our sport develop and maintain healthy friendships within the industry. Cultivating healthy relationships with other members within the industry is not as easy as one may think. As a young equestrian, it may be difficult navigating friendships at the barn and at horse shows. Typically, kids have friendships within the barn they ride at but also friendships with others from different barns in their area. 

Initially, it may seem as though making other friends in the sport would be easy and ideal; after all, there is the common interest of horses. However, because of the natural therapeutic benefits of horses, the sport has a history of attracting all types of people, with a wide range of personalities. This can be both an advantage and a drawback. We are now in an era that acknowledges the growing need to discuss and manage one’s mental health. 

One thing I have learned is that we are likely to notice mental health challenges at an age younger than most people may think. Some of the friendship dynamics I have observed over the years have caused me to pause and really think about the future of our sport. Without looking for a source to blame for the cause of this, i.e. social media, parents, school, teachers, etc., I think if all adults involved worked to encourage, affirm, love, and respect our youth, the likelihood of them developing authentic friendships with their peers may increase.

Both humans and horses were designed to have connected relationships. These relationships allow a greater sense of security when one experiences challenges in life. Cultivating the quality and authenticity of these relationships requires intentional work. 

Thank you Rob for providing your helpful insight on developing healthy relationships. Check out his tips in his column you can find in the link in our bio.
Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine🦄 

Photo by Blenheim Equisports

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #sidelinesmagzine
Don't get caught without your green on today!🍀🍀
 
In today's featured article, we have Jessica Howington, who is dressed for the occasion in her green shirt! Jessica is the Owner/Rider at CrownView Dressage, a Realtor with Showcase Properties of Central Florida, and a Nurse Practitioner! Jessica has been involved with horses since she was a little girl. Everything from bareback to eventing she tried until she found her love for dressage.

Today, she and her family own CrownView Dressage, a 157-acre training, boarding, and breeding facility in Ocala, Florida. Jessica started training and teaching but felt as if her life was still missing something. Until Jessica focused on horses full-time, she didn’t realize how important the healthcare field was to her life. Jessica missed seeing patients and being in the medical field. Jessica is now back to working again as a nurse practitioner while also focusing on training her five competition horses, including her Grand Prix mare Cavalia. 

Jessica feels lucky 🍀 to have two amazing parents who have supported her in all of her endeavors and instilled the importance of work ethic, morals, dedication, and sacrifice. 

You can read all about Jessica and how she's finding fulfillment in her busy lifestyle in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine! Click the link in our bio for more 

✳️Tag us in your “lucky” photos for a chance to be featured on our story! Happy st. Patrick’s day everyone!🍀🍀

📸Photos by Melissa Fuller, msfullerphotography.com 

#stpatricksday #irish #stpattysday #green #ireland #luckoftheirish #stpaddysday #shamrock #happystpatricksday #lucky #saintpatricksday #leprechaun #stpatricks #stpatrick #kissmeimirish #clover #paddysday #march #potofgold #stpattys #love #beer #guinness #shopsmall #handmade #stpatricksdaydecor #stpatricksdayoutfit #fourleafclover #stpatricksdayparade #luckycharms
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