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Wednesday, March 02 2016 / Published in Sidelines Feature

In It To Win It — Together

By Lauren R. Giannini

The day both Moylans, riding Alpha Omega Farm's Pernod and Alden Moylan's Pimpernel, placed in the same Grand Prix at Loudoun!   Photo by Callie Broaddus

The day both Moylans, riding Alpha Omega Farm’s Pernod and Alden Moylan’s Pimpernel, placed in the same Grand Prix at Loudoun!
Photo by Callie Broaddus

Gavin Moylan is thrilled with the direction his career has taken. He’s competing a really nice jumper in international Grand Prix. His students, equine and human, are doing really well, and horse sales are strong. He’s ready. It’s all been part of his plan.

“About five years ago, I changed from a large lesson business to a higher level show barn,” he said. “The focus is more on my own riding and teaching students to participate in a higher level of competition.”

Four years ago, he married Alden Denegre. For Gavin and Alden, May will always be a memorable month. They exchanged vows in May 2012 and they’re expecting their first child in May 2016. They enjoy a great working relationship at home, at shows and on buying trips.

“We have no problem scouring the countryside, looking for the next diamond in the rough — we’re dreamers,” said Alden. “We’ve put thousands of kilometers on our car for wild goose chases on buying trips to Europe. On the whole, we prefer working with breeders and friends whom we visit time and time again. We’ve made some great connections and friendships and we go back to the sources we know and trust.”

When it comes to buying, Gavin said, “I almost always have Alden ride a horse before we buy it. She’s an amateur and represents our junior and amateur clients’ concerns. If Alden doesn’t like the horse or won’t even get on it, we don’t buy it. We spend hours looking at the videos she’s taken on our trip, talking about each horse. We know what we like and we’re each other’s sounding board.”

The Moylans deal in quality, not quantity. “We’re very picky, and I think we stand out because we only import horses with Grand Prix jumper potential and 3’6” and higher hunter potential, period,” said Alden. “We like overqualified.”

Gavin and Alden enjoying the beautiful Virginia countryside on their Grand Prix horses, Icon and Pimpernel.  Photo by Callie Broaddus

Gavin and Alden enjoying the beautiful Virginia countryside on their Grand Prix horses, Icon and Pimpernel.
Photo by Callie Broaddus

Horses in Their Genes

Gavin grew up in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, riding English and Western. His parents, Don and Bev Moylan, were major influences.

“My father grew up with horses in an area where he rode five miles every day to school,” said Gavin, whose family homesteaded in western Canada and used horses to do their farm work. “He taught me to start my first unbroken horse. My mother was a lot of support and made me do a lot of stall mucking. I learned a good work ethic.”

Gavin worked for years learning from show jumpers on the Canadian team, exercising racehorses, starting Thoroughbreds and teaching riding. He worked one-on-one with horses in round pens and, out of those experiences, evolved his own style of working with horses. He moved to Virginia in 1995 and rode for various sales barns. In 1998, he started Gavin Moylan Stables.

“I wanted to excel not just as a rider, but also as a teacher, trainer, groom, etc.,” he said. “I wanted to be a good horseman.”

Alden, on the other hand, grew up in the saddle, taking lessons, foxhunting and showing — no doubt, she rode before she was born. She competed in Children’s Hunters and rode on the equitation team at Foxcroft, but her heart was in jumpers.

Her parents, Penny and John, and grandmother, Pat Rogers, contributed vitally to her horsemanship, encouraging her enjoyment of many equestrian sports. They were always well mounted whether showing or riding to hounds — there’s nothing like a good horse cross-country when hounds are in full cry. From Foxcroft, Alden went to Duke University, her mother’s alma mater, and earned a degree in history.

The Moylans give back to the sport with High Performance Equestrian Foundation (HPEF), a 501(c)3 non-profit founded by Alden in 2009 that offers financial assistance to qualified jumper riders. HPEF’s primary fundraiser is Twilight Jumpers, a four-show summer series with two invitational classes, held at Great Meadow, The Plains, Virginia.

Alpha Omega Farm's Pernod and Gavin clearing the CWD jump in the Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper during the 2015 season.  Photo by Susan McClafferty

Alpha Omega Farm’s Pernod and Gavin clearing the CWD jump in the Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper during the 2015 season.
Photo by Susan McClafferty

Now & Future

Gavin has one Grand Prix horse: Pernod, owned by Alpha Omega Farm. A few years ago, Gavin sold a horse he took from schooling jumpers to Grand Prix within half a year. The horses he enjoys riding the most are often the most sellable.

“I liked how game that horse was and he liked that he could trust me and I wouldn’t ’lie’ to him at the jumps,” said Gavin. “The question since selling that horse, and a few others, will always be, ’What if?’ Was he the one I should’ve kept? Now, I have Pernod and we’re incredibly excited about his international potential. My long-term individual goal is to ride for the Canadian team and see how far I can go in international sport.”

Visit www.gavinshorses.com

Alden Moylan and sale horse, Viola, winning the Grand Champion Amateur Owner Hunter award at Lexington Spring Premiere in 2013.   Photo by Gavin Moylan

Alden Moylan and sale horse, Viola, winning the Grand Champion Amateur Owner Hunter award at Lexington Spring Premiere in 2013.
Photo by Gavin Moylan

Double D Trailers Info

Tagged under: alden denegre, alden moylan, foxcroft, gavin moylan, gavin moylan stables, lauren r. giannini

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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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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
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