Five-star eventer Kim Severson taught a show jumping clinic in January at Milestone Sport Horses in Lovettsville, Virginia where she instructed riders on the importance of forward riding for successful jumping. In this exercise, which Severson progressively adds additional pieces to, riders are instructed to focus on the quality of their canter. For one pair, Severson encourages the rider to add more leg to help the horse maintain his impulsion to the fences and focus on riding accurate lines for straightness. For a second pair, Severson instructs the rider to use a half-halt or transition to trot between the fences to reestablish control and balance.
Kim Severson grew up in Arizona where she competed first in pure dressage before switching to eventing. In 1993, she moved to the East Coast to train with Jack LeGoff and Jim Wofford and joined Plain Dealing Farm in 1996. Severson won the Kentucky Three-Day Event three times in 2002, 2004, and 2005 with Winsome Adante, and was also part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games and took home individual silver and team bronze at the 2004 Olympics. They also competed together at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games and finished third at Badminton Horse Trials in 2007. Today, Severson continues to ride, train, and teach, and travels to give lessons and clinics.
Thank you to Milestone Sport Horses for hosting the clinic and thank you to Strider for connecting riders and organizers by simplifying the registration and payment processes for equestrian activities. To learn more about Kim Severson, please visit her website.
When Monbeg Zebedee came to Allison Springer’s barn nearly three years ago, she wasn’t sure where he might end up or how far his talent would take him. The Irish Sport Horse gelding (Dignifed van’t Zorgvliet x Bolacreane Dolly) had been purchased out of the Monart sale in Ireland by British five-star rider Kitty King as a sales prospect when he was 3, and King had started him but never competed him.
In their first trip down centerline at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S, Monica Spencer and Artist slipped into the top spot this afternoon with a score of 28.6. The New Zealand native, who’s now based in The Plains, Virginia, has been partnered with “Max,” a 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Guillotine x Maxamore) she owns, since he was 4.
Success demands peak performance from your horse, and nutrition plays a pivotal role in achieving that goal. With the physical and mental demands of training and competition, maintaining optimal gut health is essential. Standlee’s Gastric Support and Smart Carb™ forage products are designed to fuel your horse while addressing key digestive health concerns.
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