Alberta Horse Trials Association

Congratulations to our 2024 Leaderboard Winners! 1st place received an embroidered folding camp chair, $100 credit to a 2024 event & Ribbon. 2nd place received an embroidered duffel bag & Ribbon. 3rd place received an engraved yeti mug & Ribbon. 4th – 6th place received ribbons. 2024 AHTA Leaderboard

Extreme Tack Team Challenge – Thank you to Extreme Tack for sponsoring! 1st place teams received $25 Extreme Tack gift certificates & Ribbons. 2nd & 3rd place received ribbons. 2024 Extreme Tack Challenge Results

Coach of the Year Award (sponsored by AHTA) – Paige Dinnie

Get your fingers ready to start bidding on the amazing donations to the “Canadian Eventing to Paris” online auction! After a gold medal performance in Santiago, Chili Pan American Games – our Canadians are preparing for the next HUGE event – 2024 Paris Olympics.

Auction opens in less than 24 hours!! (February 11th – 7 am PST to February 17th – 4 pm PST)

We (Kathleen Wilson, Sue Bundy, and myself) have been working very hard in collecting items (close to 200 wonderful products: experiences (boating, theater tickets, etc.); lessons with our top Canadian riders; equestrian/non-equestrian; massages for our equines, dogs, and humans; and so much more) from our North American supporters. We are still accepting items, which we will post as they come in.

Invite your friends and share the news – we are about to begin! and you don’t want to miss this!!!

Thank you to everyone supporting our Canadians, as they prepare for Paris! https://www.facebook.com/groups/867245465176568

The 2023 Young Prospects Program Evaluation took place on Thursday, August 17th at Alhambra Stables. The riders, their support crews, the evaluators and volunteers all endured the 30+ heat to showcase more lovely young horses though out the day.

Our Evaluators this year were Judine Maki, Lynda Ramsey and Caroline Petty.

Welcome to Tara Lambie, who came and worked with us at the triangle for the Conformation section with the 2 & 3 Year Old’s.

So much appreciation goes to our amazing scorer again, Lynne Wassick. Our pedigree reader for presentations was Michelle Naismith, and taking photos for us at presentations was Jasmine Jarvis. Everyone came together to make a busy day go smoothly.

A big Thank You also goes to Alhambra Stables; Ulrika allowing this to run leading in the biggest event of her year is a big ask and we all work diligently to make it work for all involved.

Also to say Thank You to our generous sponsors; the Thomas family, Four Winds Saddlery (Kelsey & Michelle), Moore Equine, Riding Defined (Robert Young), Hashbrowns Homestead Supplies, The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program and the Alberta Thoroughbred Aftercare Society.

2023 Hi Point Awards by Division

A lot of work goes into the preparation for this day and well as some fast work at the end of the day in taking it all out and making everything ready for the Alhambra Summer Event.

Taking a moment to thank some of my students and other good people for helping out on both sides of this endeavor, Sophie Pye, Audrey Van Leeuwen, Kylan Maki,  Skye-Lynn, Avery, Julianna, Sophie, Taylor, Aubrey, Brittany Olsen (& hubby Jaimie), Meagan Wenger, Thera Chandler. A huge thank you to Liana Shaw for orchestrating quick set ups of the dressage ring for us!

Thank you to everyone who continues to support the Young Prospects Program! There are exciting things to come in the future, just as exciting as  these young prospects.

The AHTA would also like to thank Brenda Thompson for all of her hard work organizing these evaluations.

This past weekend we welcomed top Canadian eventer Kyle Carter back again to Alberta for a 3 day Young Rider Clinic that took place at Prentice Creek Equestrian Centre near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.

This clinic was organized and subsidized by the Alberta High Performance program, and we also received a generous club funding donation from the Alberta Equestrian Federation.

This clinic was open to riders who are 25 years of age and under, competing at the EV75 (Pre Entry) level and above. The rider spots in this clinic were split between young riders who are attending the USEA Eventing Young Rider Championships; young riders from the Alberta High Performance/U18 program and young riders who are not on the High Performance team. Auditing was free to anyone who wanted to come out and watch and learn!

Kyle is one of Canada’s most successful riders, representing Canada multiple times at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, 2008 Olympics in Beijing, 2007 Rio de Janeiro Pan American Games, and 1999 Winnipeg Pan American Games. In addition to his personal accomplishments, Kyle is also a highly regarded coach and clinician, and has had great success bringing his students up the levels in eventing. Several of his students have gone on to compete at the 5 star level, and he holds the coaching record for having the most students win gold medals in Eventing at the USEA Eventing Young Rider Championships. Kyle continues to focus on competing at the highest levels of eventing and hopes to again represent Canada at the Olympics. He and his wife, Jennifer, own and run 5 Ring Stable, a successful five-star eventing barn in Citra, Florida.

The hot summer sun shone down on 22 riders who attended the clinic, as they rode in dressage, show jumping and cross country lessons over the weekend. There were many different horse and rider levels, from EV75 (formerly Pre-Entry) all the way up to EV115 and EV120 (previously Intermediate and Advanced).

In all 3 phases, Kyle emphasized strong basics, utilizing exercises that strengthened each horse and rider’s foundation and skills. Exercises and feedback were tailored to each horse and rider, some were more experienced combinations introducing some new concepts and challenges as they plan to move up the levels or hoping to attend the Eventing Young Riders Championships, and others focused on perfecting skills and solidifying the basics, focusing more on the developing their partnership for the future.

Kyle’s teaching style is very effective, blunt and honest, with a generous dash of comedy thrown in. Many stories were shared from his past success and failures, to help educate and explain the madness behind the methods. He has a great way of making his points clear and getting the information across, and he really takes the time to ensure horse and rider are understanding what he is explaining and the questions and exercises being asked of them.

Throughout the weekend Kyle spoke a lot about working smarter, not harder, as he explained the intricacies of training of the horse and setting them up for success using small steps and a progression that builds confidence and makes sense. He emphasized the little things, like the quality of transitions, working on the balance by transitioning down on a circle and on an uphill slope, not a downhill. He encouraged riders to really think about the steps and the little details, and instead of trying to force the horse to do what we want them to do, use movements and exercises that naturally help them do what we are trying to accomplish. The goal was not perfection, but to ensure that the exercises we ask the horses to do help us end up with a better horse at the end. “Don’t tell your horses NOT to do something, instead, give them something to do. SHOW them what you want them to do.” Kyle explained.

On show jumping day, each group started off with some basic pole exercises at trot and canter before moving onto some course work that included bounces, combinations, riding up and down hills, skinny jumps and lots of technical turning exercises. Each course he had the riders do required accuracy and very organized riding, and Kyle was great about pinpointing what each horse and rider needed to improve and then taking the time to really explain how to do that. Kyle included poles and technical footwork exercises not just at the beginning, but throughout the courses, to ensure horses and riders were staying organized and focused at all times.

Cross country day started very early and saw the first group warming up with the rising sun in the cool morning air. Kyle focused on using different exercises utilizing show jumps as well as terrain during each lesson to work on the education of both horse and rider. Riders warmed up over some hills and different cross country fences to practice their rhythm, galloping and balancing positions, before moving onto some exercises working on angles. Kyle emphasized that even on cross country riders needed to still be training their

horses between each fence. Then the groups moved on to some mounds where some show jumps were set up to help the riders and horses practice riding up and down terrain, and then each group progressed to adding some angled approaches to the jumps on and around the mounds as well. Kyle is a big fan of using show jumps on cross country to introduce new questions and challenges, as they are much more forgiving than a solid fence during the learning process. Riders finished at the water complex, practicing some different lines and questions that Kyle had again incorporated some show jumps into.

Kyle really took the time for each horse and rider, explaining things multiple ways until they understood, and often took more time than allotted for each group. You can tell he is very passionate and loves to share his knowledge, and he put in an incredible effort with each group from the very first in the morning, to the last group of the day.

“Knowledge is power” were some of the parting words as he wrapped each group up. He encouraged every rider to keep working hard, no matter what size their goals are, and to take every opportunity possible to keep growing and learning, and to focus on training and bettering the horse, not just winning. “Being competitive is NOT the same as being a good horseman” Kyle stressed.

Each horse and rider came away with lots of constructive criticism, encouragement and feedback, and were excited to take what they’d learned from Kyle and practice hard to keep on improving. We look forward to having Kyle back for another clinic in the future!

Huge thank yous go out to the Alberta Horse Trials Association, Alberta High Performance, Kathleen Ziegler for organizing, Canadian Eventing Development Foundation for their sponsorship, and Alberta Equestrian Federation‘s generous club funding donation.

We are so incredibly fortunate to have clinicians of this caliber come to Alberta, and are very thankful to the Alberta Equestrian Federation for their support in making this happen, and we hope to collaborate on more of these opportunities in the future!

If you aren’t a member yet, the Alberta Equestrian Federation provides many opportunities and benefits for all of their members. From clinicsand shows, insurance and coverage, to programs for the recreational rider, AEF has all your bases covered! Consider becoming a member of the Alberta Equestrian Federation! For more information see: https://www.albertaequestrian.com/membership/

Just a reminder that EC Coach Status goes into effect July 1st!

New EC Information updated May 29, 2023 – https://www.equestrian.ca/news/6gZZyYNHnsZ98szFJ/coaching-spotlight-understanding-coach

Getting a chance to visit somewhere warm and sunny and escaping a bit of the frigid Alberta winter is always a great thing, but having it include horses, eventing, and education makes it even better!

It was great to see a group of familiar Alberta faces as well as other Canadians at the 2023 United States Eventing Association Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) Symposium which took place on January 17-19 at beautiful Barnstaple South in Morriston, Florida. The Eventing Coaches Program was introduced in 2002, focusing on safety, continuing education, commitment to classical principles, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Coaches can be certified at 5 different levels depending on their riding and coaching experience, as well as horsemanship and practical knowledge.

In addition to workshops and assessments, another educational opportunity provided by this program is the annual ECP Symposium which is open to the general public as well as coaches. It was held over 3 days and provided the opportunity for coaches, riders, judges, and others involved in eventing to gather in an educational, collaborative, and interactive setting to explore skills, techniques, learning styles and philosophies related to the sport of eventing. It was great how the symposium focused on education of not just coaches, but riders and parents of riders as well.

A star studded line up of speakers and ECP faculty members, as well as many notable eventing coaches and riders from across the USA and Canada were in attendance. Each day had a different focus, Dressage on day 1, Stadium on day 2, and Cross Country on day 3.

A staple throughout the 3 days of the symposium was the new ECP Eventing Handbook By The Levels which was introduced in 2022. This incredible resource comprehensively lays out for Starter through Advanced, the purpose of each level, and rider and instructor expectations for each level. Each level is then broken down further by discipline, and then each discipline into 3 different categories:
• Position, Balance, Aids
• Rider Skills
• Exercises and Concepts

The handbook outlines a clear and structured progression through the levels which focuses on a strong foundation of basic principles, and mastery of skills before progressing to the next level. It is an extremely useful resource for coaches, riders, and parents. Attendees were encouraged to refer to the handbook throughout the symposium, and while creating the lesson plans, to ensure what was being discussed and laid out was appropriate to the level of each horse and rider.

Day 1 started out uncharacteristically crisp and frosty in the morning as we arrived and checked in and were assigned to our breakout groups. We were introduced to our host and faculty members, who included Karen O’Connor, Phyllis Dawson, Robin Walker, Mary D’Arcy, Bec Braitling, Jan Byyny, Emily Beshear and more. Guest speaker, dressage legend Peter Gray, started us off by discussing the new USEA dressage tests, many of the movements, as well as the nuances of training and judging dressage.

Then we divided up into our breakout groups for a brainstorming session about Managing Unrealistic Expectations between coaches and riders/parents, which is a common problem in many sports. There was much discussion about different approaches and ideas between the group members, and each group came up with 3 basic strategies or ways to help coaches, riders, and parents stay on the same page. All this information was taken away by the ECP faculty to review at a later date to help them find more ways to continue to assist coaches, and it was interesting to note that every single group listed the By The Levels Handbook as a helpful resource to assist with solving this problem. The Round Table: Harnessing the Power of Experience

By mid-morning the sun had started to thaw out our chills and we headed outside to watch the first riding session, a dressage rider being taught a demo lesson by ECP faculty member Mary D’Arcy.

After lunch we broke into our groups again and moved on to the interactive lesson portion of the day. Each group was assigned a faculty member for guidance, who rotated to a different group for each session, and in each of the sessions which covered riders from Beginner Novice through Advanced, a horse and rider were assigned to each group. The groups had the opportunity to ask questions of their assigned rider, and then observed their warm up, discussing and collaborating with their group and faculty member on what they were seeing, strengths and weaknesses, creating priorities for the pair, and referring to the By The Levels Handbook. The priorities were recorded onto a a flip chart for each group, along with possible exercises to use in the lesson, and then a lesson plan was developed. One group was chosen, and then the faculty member taught the lesson that their group had put together, and feedback, questions and comments were invited from everyone after the lesson. Many different approaches, ideas, and exercises came from the group members as they put their heads together, but the underlying theme of every single lesson was a strong foundation of the basics, focus on the training scale, and an appropriate progression through the lesson for horse and rider. One of the best parts of this interactive format, was that while one faculty member led the lesson, each faculty member assigned to the other groups remained with their group to quietly discuss and answer questions while each lesson took place.

USEA ECP Symposium Day 1 Recap

Day 2 started out with another guest speaker, clinical and sports psychologist, Dr. Paul Haefner, who is also a rider himself. He discussed emotional behavior in riders, and his in depth presentation really helped everyone understand the difference between negative and positive emotional behavior, self regulation, and different skills and strategies that can be used to help improve them.

We then headed outside and the faculty members gave a talk on all the different facets of show jumping, including the 5 rider responsibilities: direction, speed, balance, rhythm and tempo. We were encouraged to keep these in mind as we formulated the lesson plans for the show jumping sessions that carried on through the afternoon. Again we broke into our groups and faculty leaders rotated through again as we were assigned horse and rider pairs and developed lesson plans on our flip charts. Appropriate exercises were chosen to link proper flatwork to the jumping, and to improve the performance of each horse and rider pair in a structured and progressive way. The importance of the rider responsibilities and proper basics shone through in each lesson taught even at the lowest levels.

We wrapped up the day with the ECP faculty members discussing the program’s application process, workshops, and the assessment process. They also covered the expectations of the program and gave advice on what makes a successful coaching assessment, and then we finished with a Q&A session where attendees were given the opportunity to ask further questions about the program.

USEA ECP Symposium Day 2 Recap

The third and final day started out with a gorgeous sunrise on the cross country course as Phyllis Dawson and Robin Walker led a demo by advanced rider Alex O’Neal, who demonstrated the different types of canters needed during different part of cross country riding, jumping, and schooling, as well as the different rider body positions.

Karen O’Connor then took over to discuss the basics of cross country riding, emphasizing that we must by very clear and systematic about everything. She discussed rider and body positioning for different parts of cross country, as well as different ways to hold the reins, and everything was demonstrated by the demo riders as she spoke. The riders then put these basics to work in some lengthening and shortening exercises, and some small jumps. To view part of Karen’s session, check out: USEA’s Tip Tuesday: Cross-Country Positions with Karen O’Connor from USEA on Vimeo.

From there Robin Walker and Emily Beshear took over and discussed how to coach horses and riders through negotiating different cross country obstacles such as ditches, banks and water, with a demonstration rider on a green horse.

Again we broke into our groups and created lesson plans for our assigned riders, with the chosen faculty leaders teaching the lesson, keeping in mind the basics of cross country that had been discussed earlier. Different elements of the cross country course, including terrain and mounds, were incorporated into each lesson to help each horse and rider improve different skills. It was exciting to have one of our own Albertans as a demo rider in one lesson, Reagan Noyes and her thoroughbred gelding, Scooby Dude. They got a lesson from Phyllis Dawson that focused mainly on the water complex, progressively adding in more technical elements to build confidence.

USEA ECP Symposium Day 3 Recap

Continuing education is so important, and the symposium is a place where coaches can gather together, learn and collaborate. It provides an opportunity for coaches to ensure that even though everyone has different teaching styles, that the proper foundation and basics are being taught consistently across the board and that everyone is on the same page. Everyone who attended, whether they were a coach, rider or parent, came away more educated, inspired, and with more tools in their tool kit.

For more information on the program visit: https://useventing.com/safety-education/eventing-coaches-program

Check out what those who attended had to say!

“I was fortunate to attend the ECP Symposium in Ocala both this winter and last year. I found both symposiums so informative and super fun! Although these symposiums are intended for coaches, as a rider I learned so much about eventing, riding, sports psychology, and horses at them. I found myself often thinking “how do they know I do, think, react like that”. As a parent it is great to see how the ECP program is developing to support and improve riding skills, horse knowledge/horsemanship, and eventing knowledge, with the ultimate goal of safety for both the horse and rider. The symposium included presentations and talks by industry specialists, round table discussions with ECP Certified Coaches, group brainstorming sessions, and question and answer sessions, as well as riding demonstrations with Certified coaches coaching riders and providing feedback to the symposium participants on the coaching methods they used.

I found these symposiums SO informative and fun to attend. They are a great chance to learn from the leaders of Eventing and to meet and get to know other eventing coaches and participants. Everyone attending was more than happy to chat and give their thoughts and ideas to help each other. I can’t wait for Next Year for another few days of fun in the sun!” – Catherine David, Eventer & Parent of an Eventer

“I have been fortunate to attend many of the USEA Coaching Symposiums over the years. They had been organized, differently, in the past but I think that the current way the symposium is run is the most beneficial to coaches, as a whole.  

I found the candid discussions amongst the attendees regarding the pressure coaches are under whether its riders who want to move up before they are ready, the demands/unrealistic expectations from parents, the coaches in the industry who are not as educated as they could be, the microscope that the sport of Eventing is under because of negative public perception when there is poor riding exhibited and/or horse falls…this is so interesting when a group of coaches from across the US and a few Canadians are together and they share the same issues/concerns and the resulting discussions of how to cope.  I think the fellowship between the coaches is what helps create such a strong program.

I am not a coach.  I am someone who attends competitions and prefers to sit at the warmup, watching and listening to the coaches as they prepare their riders. I believe that we can not stop educating ourselves as increased education equals increased safety.  I am the AHTA Athlete Development Chairperson who is responsible for looking after the High Performance Program and who hires clinicians to teach the upper level riders. I use the topics that have been discussed at the symposium to help organize educational sessions in Alberta for the AHTA members and High Performance – topics that are relevant to ensuring we are developing competent coaches and riders.  And, hiring high performance clinicians who are very good at developing riders who are educated and competitive at their competition level. Most ECP educated coaches definitely fit this criteria. Many of the top US coaches and trainers are ECP certified so that speaks volumes for the quality of the program. People like Leslie Law, Karen O’Connor, David O’Connor, Phyllis Dawson, Peter Gray, Jonathon Holling, Bobby Costello, Allison Springer to name only a few…..the list of coaches is very long, who have gone through the Eventing Coaching Program. (The full list can be found on the US Eventing web site).

The ECP Coaching Manual is outstanding and I hope all Alberta coaches (and riders) take the opportunity to use this in their program. We do not have anything like this available in Canada.  (The manual has already been described in this blog so I am not going to repeat it here). 

Finally, spending a week in the sunshine in Ocala is a nice break from the winter weather.  Start saving the money to attend next year, whether you are a parent, coach or rider.” – Kathleen Ziegler, AHTA Athlete Development Chairperson

“This was the second year I have attended the ECP clinic, and every year I find it incredibly useful for my professional development and education. In particular, the ECP handbook is a source I use regularly in my program to help guide my students in their pursuit of their goals. Learning how to use the resource in a round table situation created opportunities to practice and learn from each other. Overall, having the opportunity to mingle, work, and discuss with other professionals in the industry was a real highlight from the clinic. I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in pursuing their coaching education to invest in the trip down to participate.” – Becky Staden – 2* Eventer, Trainer, and Equestrian Canada Coach

“The 3 days of the symposium were hands down some of the most educational days of my entire life. Just the fact that so many coaches traveled from all over the USA and many from out of the country speaks volumes to the quality and value the program and symposium offers. I love the structure of the program, focusing first and foremost on safety, the basics and a proper foundation of fundamental skills, and then an appropriate progression of skills from there as riders move up the levels. The handbook is an incredible resource, it really is like a road map up through the levels and I strongly urge all coaches, riders and parents to get themselves a copy and utilize it in their programs.

The symposium had amazing speakers on several different topics, but the best part of it for me was the collaboration of coaches together in our groups creating the lesson plans for the demo riders. It was such a great opportunity to hear everyone’s ideas and opinions, and so helpful to myself as a coach to see that even though we all have different teaching styles, the basis of WHAT was being taught was consistent across the board. If you don’t have proper basics and a correct foundation, you don’t have anything really at all. It was also amazing to pick the brains of the faculty members during the lessons, when else are you going to get to ask Karen O’Connor her opinion on what we were seeing or what other exercises she might use in a lesson? I loved that the group brainstorming exercise and creating of the lesson plans on flip charts wasn’t only just to benefit those who attended, I really appreciated the fact that the program took each and every one of those flipchart pages back to review later to find different ways to improve the program and support coaches in the future. It was really refreshing to see the passion and such a strong level of commitment to supporting the coaches and bettering the program.

I came away with so many new ideas and tools that I am excited to share and implement into my own teaching, and the whole symposium was incredibly inspiring. I want to find more ways to help support and inspire coaches and riders to keep learning and educating themselves here in Alberta personally, as well as through the AHTA. I want to thank Kathleen Ziegler for the opportunity to attend the symposium, I feel like it was a huge game changer for me as a coach. Stepping outside our bubble and continuing to learn and grow is crucial for coaches as well as riders, I highly encourage everyone to to attend this symposium if you get a chance, and I am so incredibly grateful that I got the opportunity to attend. – Jessica Kerschbaumer – Intermediate Eventer, Equestrian Canada Coach & AHTA President

“My main take away was how wonderful and useful the handbook is as a coach. It allows me to have something to refer to when a student or parent has questions about a possible move up or what is required for the level. It was so fun to watch all the different coaches do their thing, and I feel so much gratitude that I was able to attend.” – Sara Sellmer –  BC 4* Eventer, Trainer, Coach

“I had the opportunity to attend the ECP this year for the first time and found it incredibly educational. To see how many people have travelled across the country in order to increase their understanding in coaching and riding was inspiring. It was great to meet and converse with top level riders and coaches all focused on bettering themselves as horseman. As a younger person in the industry, I definitely like to hear all the different opinions and see different styles of riding applied in a way to better develop their horse. You’re able to pick and choose what might work best for you rather than such strict guidelines we seem to get set in. I can definitely say after meeting a few of them at the ECP clinic I’ve looked for them out at events and watch how they’ve applied what was said in the clinic to the real world and how it all works out. It’s great to be able to understand and apply bits and pieces of what were said to my own coaching and riding. Truly a great learning opportunity. Definitely excited for next year!” – Caitlyn Sutherland – 2* Young Rider