United States Eventing Association

Anything in life is all in the details, isn’t it? Just when I think I have it correctly, I hear from my coach a “No, that’s 95% there, not 100%. Keep going (or, the ever famous “Do it again!”). I have been working with Kim Walnes for the past two years now and while she is a pleasure to work with, I can attest to the fact that she settles for nothing better than 100% and pushing the line to the next level.

She is not fond of describing her teaching style as relentless. Maybe a better description is gently, persistent or unyielding, both synonyms of relentless. Other students (if I may borrow from her Facebook page) describe her as the one who preaches no shortcuts and has having a gift for connecting the horse and rider. For those of us who compete, we know that placings are lost by tenths of points because the other competitors just did it a bit better. They were connected better. If you practice correctly and do the work with no shortcuts, you have a better chance at doing the moves correctly in competition. Correct practice makes perfect.

Recently, we were riding in a weekend of lessons with Kim and the theme was not to settle for mediocrity. At all times horses expect us to lead and if we accept mediocre movements, they will learn how to use them to their own disadvantage. Case in point, my appearance this year at the American Eventing Chamionships. During dressage warm-up, I accepted a bad transition on an already uptight, agitated mare. Kim later told me she knew as she watched from the sidelines that my bad judgment would cost us dearly. I was not leading by setting an appropriate example and my mare lost her confidence in me at that one, single moment in time. Kim was right, as usual.

How does one practice correctly, one may ask. Again, it’s all in the details. Because Kim is and has been trained by some of the top riders, she is highly tuned into how every muscles and joint is reacting. So when one rides with Kim, you learn about aspects and body awareness that many of us never gave thought to before riding with her. It is amazing how one tight muscle or an angle off by an inch can make such a difference to our mounts. My entire life was spent trying to practice correctly, thought I was doing so, but remaining frustrated because I was not seeing results in my horse. Come to find out, I wasn’t correct and not correct but by little degrees. These little adjustments, however, opened a huge door into insights I never knew were holding me and my horse back from truly riding as partners. The results have been transformational for both of us and we have only touched the surface.

I have a great respect for the traditional manner of riding and horsemanship. Traditional being defined as methods that are tried and true and form the basis for us all. For horse people who have been active in the sport, there is something to be learned by those who have been gaining wisdom over the decades, mastering the basics and constantly learning themselves. There is an earned credibility in their knowledge and skills. It they are willing to teach it, I believe one must take advantage of it. Many of these equestrians are inaccessible to the majority of us. Kim is very assessable to anyone who is willing to do the work and the drive to become better all around equestrian.

Briefly, Kim is famous for her work and competition with The Gray Goose in the late seventies, early eighties. She won Rolex, won team and individual gold at the World Three Day Event Championships and was third in the world in Eventing amongst other accomplishments. She has continued her education with the top riders over the decades. You can learn more about her at her web site and Facebook page. I won’t do the justifying in this medium. Needless to say, she knows a thing or two!

As for me, I am on a quest to be the best I can be. I get coached by another great eventer, to be sure (that’s another blog entry!), but Kim gives me very in-depth knowledge and time to work with the information she is giving me. It has changed my riding and my thinking. It is information I need in order to step it up a notch, then again and again. And she is not done with us yet! The journey continues.