By Julie Alonzo,
WE United President Elect
www.weunited.us
24 / Sport and Trail Magazine
I
am writing this month’s article on my flight home from teaching a Working Equitation clinic followed by a one-day schooling show. My skin has that slight tingle that accompanies a bit too much sun and wind after a winter of being tucked away indoors, and my feet ache from all the standing I’ve done over the past two days, a bit different than my weekday routine comprised mainly of computer work. What I’m feeling more than anything else, however, is the deep sense of contentment that comes from seeing first hand the improvements in the partnerships the sport fosters between horses and their riders.
"The group I worked with this weekend reflects so many others I’ve had the privilege to teach: a mixture of accomplished riders and those just starting their journey with horses", Julie Alonzo
Working Equitation
Even Beginners Enjoy the Thrill!
indoors, and my feet ache from all the standing I’ve done over the past two days, a bit different than my weekday routine comprised mainly of computer work. What I’m feeling more than anything else, however, is the deep sense of contentment that comes from seeing first hand the improvements in the partnerships the sport fosters between horses and their riders.
At almost every clinic I teach, a number of people have found Working Equitation after having met competition goals in other sports. In this weekend’s group, we had people who had competed successfully in jumping, dressage, western trail, and hunter under saddle. One of this weekend’s participants owns and runs a busy equine facility, providing lessons to over 120 students each week in a mixture of group and individual instruction. Another holds a National Championship title in Western Trail. The event organizer grew up on a Thoroughbred breeding farm in Kentucky and still has close family connections among racing’s elite.
But, in the true spirit of inclusion that seems to thrive
in Working Equitation, the group also included a rider
who has only recently picked up the reins and stepped
into the stirrups after a lifetime of interest in horses.
She was joined by a woman with experience pleasure
riding on the trails but no prior time in a show ring. And,
over the course of two days, everyone advanced.
The dressage rider found that having the obstacles on
which to focus helped her better prepare her horse for
halts, a movement with which she had previously been
struggling. As the weekend progressed, she and her
Warmblood consistently delivered smooth, square, and
balanced halts. Even better, they were able to produce
them in the dressage court just as solidly as when
halting for the jug, bell corridor, and gate in Ease of
Handling.
The western trail rider found that the Double Slalom