Aachen Day Two (Wednesday July 13th, 2016)

We had another incredible day yesterday here in Aachen! The Prix St. George class didn't start until 3:30pm, which meant plenty of time to speak with another amazing and inspiring group of people.
                                                                                        
We began our day with Betsy Juliano. Our discussion focused mainly around sponsorship, what it entails and tips on how to achieve it. A lot of her discussion related to her personal experiences, such as her relationship with Laura Graves and Adrienne Lyle, but a lot of it also focused on the basic foundation of achieving sponsorship as well as being a well-rounded athlete who represents both themselves and their country well. We initially discussed how opportunities can surprise us. Betsy spoke about how she never thought she would be as involved  in sponsorship as much as she is now, but the team aspect was so important to her that it became a path she pursued and became very passionate a
bout. Her biggest advice was to always be aware of how we behave under pressure, no matter the situation, and how a person's reaction to unfortunate circumstances, how they handle themselves and treat other people as well as their horses, is what stands out and leaves an impression. This lead to how our reputation is so important and how we are always building it one way or another; we never know that someone we may or may not know today could be in a position to sponsor us tomorrow. This is not to say we pretend to be someone we aren't and walk around with a smile pretending everything is OK all the time, but that we be aware of ourselves and act in the best way possible. Essentially, she stressed how we behave in public, how we dress and how we present ourselves resonates with the people around us and always leave an impression.

Because of Betsy and her unbelievable support towards Team USA, we have Andy Thomas, a renown physical therapist who works solely on the riders. Lucky for us, we also were able to speak with him yesterday. Andy is here with the team in Aachen and he discussed a lot about what he does in his field and how he works with riders to improve their performance and body condition. He worked with Great Britain's team for 11 years before coming to the U.S. team. His biggest focus is working with asymmetries. In order to target these areas and problem solve, he investigates the rider. First he studies whether the rider has problems with movements and which side tends to be stronger than the other. When he worked for the British team, he focused a lot on the half pass scores because most of the time one side scores higher than the other. For us, as Young Riders, we're prone to back problems because we are pushing to develop independent seats and a natural balance. Both back and hip problems are common; Andy told us to think of ourselves as 4 and 5 year old young horses, the age where horses are developing, growing and getting stronger. Typically, he said, most riders are weak on one side and in order to compensate for that weakness we will cheat by gripping/tightening with the lower leg and hand of the side we're weak on. Core stability is the ultimate goal, but we won't be able to achieve this until we are symmetrical; once we're symmetrical we can be in full control of our forces both side to side and forward and back and move our pelvis independently rather than moving through the lower back and twisting. Andy is very involved in the daily life of the riders. At Aachen, for instance, he has a table set up in a stall in the stabling area so he is able to work on riders within 2-3 minutes of them getting on a horse. Typically he works with muscle releasing and muscle firing. This lead him to explain that the horse follows what we do with our body and how influential weight distribution is; if we're asymmetrical then they will be, too. We asked him how he approaches a rider when working on them for the first time. Typically he doesn't want to see the rider on the horse; most of what he discovers is based on your initial body alignment, but also something as simple as how you stand, such as which leg you rest on, how you lean, slouch, etc. can tell him a lot. His area of expertise was particularly interesting, especially since he is known for being so successful in his work. One of our concerns towards the end of his discussion was how to relate to an ordinary physical therapist or chiropractor we work with at home and how to explain to them the important points to focus on with riders. He answered that hip range of movement and lateral stabilizers in the hips are key. A tip he gave us: one way we can tell we might have some asymmetries is by looking at our gloves and boots- does one glove or boot have more wear than the other?

We were also able to speak with Stephen Clarke and Gary Rockwell. We asked both what they thought the most common mistake among riders is. They answered that the accuracy on the centerline and the halt at X are areas where riders lose the most points, typically. Another area was the walk and canter pirouettes because they have found riders often do not start on a straight light, sometimes it's a slight diagonal that disrupts the entire line of the movement and eventually puts it off center. Accuracy became a major point because often valuable points are thrown away that can't be regained very easily. Later on in our discussion we moved into the general world of judging and the responsibilities judges hold that the public doesn't always see. Stephen Clarke commented how judges face a lot of trust issues and how there's too must misunderstanding in the public sector about scores. In a panel of five judges for instance, both commented how judges are often expected to score within the same range but, in reality, that's unrealistic given each judge sits in a different position around the arena and see movements from entirely different angles. We asked how both judges deal with the pressure they often feel, and they responded that they remain confident in their work and ability to complete the job; they deal with it because they do their best and have good training so they should be able to do what's required of them. Stephen Clarke commented that he has been around long enough that he knows when something looks right or wrong and so he tends not to over-analyze it, and instead scores it accordingly. We asked why each became a judge and they said that there's a lot of fun and excitement when competing, but when those days are over it's fun to stay involved in the sport at the highest level. For Stephen Clarke, it's a challenge because it's hard to get it right and it never gets easier; for him, the more pressure he's under the more he enjoys it. I would end up with an entire novel if I continued writing about our discussion. It was so interesting!

Next we were able to sit down with Emile Faurie, one of Great Britain's top riders. It was great getting to hear about how he got involved in horses and who he has been able to train under. However, perhaps the most interesting part of his life is how he gives back to society through his charity 'The Emile Faurie Foundation', an organization developed back in 2006. He explained how, in Sweden, there are the lowest teenage crime and pregnancy rates and the highest school attendance. This is because riding schools are subsidized by the government and allow children and teends to have every opportunity to ride and enjoy horses after school, rather than pursuing negative alternatives. Emile found Great Britain had the highest teen violence and pregnancy rates and lowest school attendance. This inspired him to start a program that gave teens the opportunity to purse any and all areas having to do with horses, essentially giving them a more healthy outlet in life by giving them access to horses, a farm, lessons, etc. Teens must be in enrolled in school full time in order to be eligible, but the program has proven to be successful given he has helped 11,700 teens so far make a better life for themselves. It was so inspiring hearing this story and how Emile is willing to give so much of his time and effort towards bettering the lives of others. More on his foundation can be found through his website: http://www.emile-faurie.co.uk/index.php/emile-horses/the-foundation

Later on we were able to speak with Tuny Page. She was so generous with her time and spoke at great length about a variety of topics. A lot of what she touched on had to do with being a competitor, specifically one who spends as much time as she does over in Europe training and competing. She mentioned her involvement with Laura King and her list of quotes that serves as a source of inspiration for her. A few include:
          * "I'm focused on the process not the outcome."
          * "If I'm not flappable, I'm unstoppable."
          * "Nothing will bother or upset me today."
          * "I bring confidence to every corner and bravery to every line."
Her biggest point to us was our attitude and how it is imperative that we live with an attitude of gratitude. She spoke to us about how we might often assume that the village of people sacrificing their time and energy so that we can meet our goals are aware of our appreciation for all that they do.  Instead, it's so important that we truly show them how much their sacrifice and hard work means to us. Whether it be your vet or farrier, or your entire team be sure to check in with them regularly and tell them how you truly appreciate their hard work, never assume they know you are thankful- show them.

I could go on and on about everything we have learned. This trip is absolutely amazing and definitely a one in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you to The Dressage Foundation for all that you do and for making this possible for us to experience!!