USEF Invitational Clinic with coach Michael Freund

January 31, 2011:

I just returned home from an United States Equestrian Federation (USEF.org) Invitational Clinic with the new USEF driving coach, Michael Freund, very kindly hosted by Alan and Maureen Aulson at their Black Prong Equestrian Center (www.blackprongequestrian.com) in Bronson, Florida. The plan, as I understand it, is for Michael to the be the coach for ponies, single horses, pair horses and four in hands for the next four years. This is the first time since I have been involved with driving (starting in 1996) that we have had the same coach for all driving groups, and in the opinion of many, a better qualified person could not be found. Michael seems very enthusiastic about the opportunity and is planning a comprehensive program with the goal of winning team medals at the World Championships.

The World Championships for Pair Horses is in Conty, France in August, 2011, and the Pony Driving World Championships will be held this year in Slovenia in September. Next year will be the single horses and four in hands turn for the World Championships.

Michael explained to us that this first clinic was not really a clinic, more an evaluation, so he could get a sense of the drivers, their experience, their horses/ponies, and where they were in their training.

Day One and Two: Michael Drives

Michael drove all the singles and pairs of horses and ponies himself. I think everyone found these days interesting (although challenging with torrential rain throughout the first day) with a chance to see their animals driven by a master. My pony, Cooper, went early in the first day, and we lucked out with only a few raindrops to dodge during our session. Michael interviewed me while I rode along on the back of the carriage, while he drove Cooper through all his paces and figures with one hand as he puffed on a cigar at the same time. Talk about multitasking! Cooper went wonderfully under his guidance and it was a thrill for me to see how well he responded. He was happy about Cooper’s training and willingness to work.

Michael worked his way through 23 drives in the first two days!

Day Three and Four: We Drive

Our second session was shared with another driver. Michael asked to see how we warm our horses up, asked questions and commented as needed, then asked us to drive figures from our dressage tests, again offering advice and evaluating the quality. He set up some cones at X and watched our accuracy on the center line and halts and got a feel for our driving. He had a scribe to write down his observations and comments in his ever present notebook.

Day Five: Dressage, Cones and Vet

We each did the dressage test for our division. Alan and Maureen were nice enough to let us use their show ring, which was lush and green, and Michael was our judge for FEI Driving Test 9. I went fairly early, early enough that the morning fog made it difficult to see X when I turned to do my first extension! I was very pleased with how Cooper went, as we hadn’t been training the test and were a bit rusty. Again Michael had a scribe and took notes, and gave us a score based on his observations. Cooper got the best score of the day which pleased me greatly!

A brutal cones course was laid out on the rolling terrain (with lots of trees) at the Black Prong Cones field. Michael later told us that is was a cones course for July, not January, in other words, a course for later in the season. It was a good test of where we all were that day, and the bottom line was that everyone was rusty and needed practice. There were many times faults and many balls down (and cones flying in some cases). As Michael pointed out, some scores were as much as dressage scores! The course had many difficult elements and figures but was driveable and fair. I had my share of time penalties and balls down and made a vow to get to work on cones.

We met with a veterinarian that is working with the USEF, and she evaluated our horses, and gave recommendations on their care, feeding, shoeing and preparation for the season.

Day Six: Walk Section and Hazards

The last day was a one kilometer walk section that was timed and judged, then a rest stop, then three hazards. I helped time/judge in the morning and it looked like everyone was making their time on the walk without a problem. The three hazards were marked so he could see some tight turns and some more open ones. He asked that we not go too fast as he didn’t want any accidents. Cooper was feeling a bit footsore and muscle sore so I opted out of this phase, Michael will observe us at Little Everglades and Live Oak. I found him very understanding about this, as he knows Cooper is an experienced pony, and said the goal is to keep him fresh and happy in his work. I watched quite a few drivers in the hazards, and saw some good performances. There was one turnover leaving a hazard, which was quickly contained, the horses back driving and in the hazard before they knew it, no one hurt and all was well.

The Meeting

After the hazards were finished for the day, we each had a short meeting with Michael, Chester Weber, the acting Chef de Equip, and Lizzy Staller, the USEF Director of Driving. Michael went over our results for the weekend, his observations, asked about our show plans for the spring, and vet’s recommendations. Things look promising for Cooper to be part of the team, but the year is young and it’s a long way until September and Slovenia!

Many thanks to Dona Love for putting us up at her house just around the corner from Black Prong, I really appreciated that comfy bed in her guest room!

Our Plans: Practice cones two times per week, both in our local Windsor group of drivers and on my own. Walk each day myself and get fitter. Work on Cooper’s overall fitness and suppleness.

I’m looking forward to our first show which will be Little Everglades in Dade City, Florida in the third week of February.I am very excited about the opportunity to work with Michael and to be part of a program gearing toward improving our performances in each phase. Michael will be coming to give a clinic as a part of the Salute to Driving in Windsor, SC.