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Aug 03, 2020
USEA Podcast #263: Producing a Young Horse
Joining USEA Official Podcast host Nicole Brown this week is five-star rider Lauren Nicholson (née Kieffer) and legendary groom and USEA President Max Corcoran for an episode all about producing young horses and how to can give them the best possible start to their career.
Nicholson came to work for David and Karen O’Connor when she was 17 years old and has spent the last 15 years bringing hundreds of horses along in their barn and for Jacqueline Mars’ program which breeds and produces horses from the ground up. Corcoran also spent over a decade on the O'Connor Eventing Team grooming and working with the young horses, so as Nicholson said to start off the podcast, “Most of my education for young horses came from working for David and Karen O’Connor and Max, so this should be a good episode.”
Questions covered in the podcast include:
- What do you look for in a young horse? Breeding, temperament, conformation, etc.
- How do you start their education?
- What are your favorite exercises for teaching balance in a young horse?
- How do you introduce jumping?
- When do you give your young horse breaks?
- What are your classic signs of a horse going through a growth spurt?
- What can you do at home to make sure your horse is ready for his first event?
Nicholson and Corcoran are a wealth of knowledge and discuss everything from why they start horses in a rope halter to the importance of good feet to using ponying as an emergency brake to exercises for starting jumping and more.
They end with each sharing their top three tips for laying good foundations with your young horses, but these are just a teaser for an episode you don’t want to miss!
Nicholson’s top three tips:
- Treat them like horses in the beginning
- No timeline for a young horse –some horses are ready for YEH Championships and some horses can’t trot a crossrail.
- Get them out a lot without an agenda.
Corcoran’s top three tips:
- If you aren’t comfortable doing this yourself find someone to help you.
- Be very patient
- If you have a horse that isn’t going to work out, it is okay to be honest with yourself.
Subscribe to the USEA Official Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodBean, or Stitcher, or click below to listen in!
Jan 25, 2021
Eventing News
From (1993 – 2021)
The USEA is very sad to hear the news of the passing of From, the 28-year-old Russian Thoroughbred gelding (Mif x Floema), owned by Charlotte Harris and ridden by Stephen Bradley.
Jan 25, 2021
USEA Foundation
$500,000 Goal Reached for Frangible Technology Fund!
In less than a year the USEA Foundation, USEA, and a group of passionate stakeholders have managed to raise $500,000 to build frangible fences thanks to donations from USEA members and eventing enthusiasts around the country. This money has gone directly to 116 different USEA recognized events with 151 frangible tables, 53 oxers, and 34 gate/wall fences already out on course – all built with grants distributed by the USEA Foundation.
Jan 25, 2021
Eventing News
In Memoriam: John Pingree (1933-2021)
John R. Pingree a lifelong resident of Hamilton, Mass. passed away Tuesday evening, January 19, 2021, at the age of 87. He was the husband of Dianne (Tuzik) Pingree. Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Sumner A. and Mary (Weld) Pingree. John grew up on Flying Horse Farm, his parents' farm. He graduated from Brooks School before joining the Air Force, where he served from 1952-1956.
Jan 25, 2021
Leaderboard
Quality Over Quantity: The New USEA Leaderboard Point System
The USEA has launched a new system for tabulating points for the year-end leaderboards which will begin with the 2021 competition season. Previously, leaderboard points were awarded based on placing and further determined by the number of starters in a division, often giving the focus to the quantity of rides a competitor could complete in a given competition season.
