Professor Carol Dweck of Stanford University studies human motivation, delving into reasons why people succeed or don’t, and how having either a “growth mindset” or a “fixed mindset” affects performance. According to Dweck, “…having innate talent is not a goal. Expanding skills and knowledge is.” How teachers communicate with their students can also have a profound impact on how they view themselves and whether they see difficulty as a challenge to rise above, or become defeated and give up.
U.S. Eventing Team Chef d’Equipe Erik Duvander began coaching the U.S. Eventing Team at the end of October 2017 after having worked with the New Zealand Eventing Team for a decade. Duvander, who was born in the USA but raised in Sweden, rode for Sweden for many years, competing at the Olympic Games and World Equestrian Games and winning team gold at the 1993 European Championships at Achselschwang, Germany.
Duvander encourages a growth mindset in his training program so that riders will learn and grow from their experiences and ultimately become better athletes. Reflecting on the recent FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina, obviously, a gold medal was the goal. But things did not go as well as hoped
Wilhelm Genn has always been a man of hope. Fresh off a World Cup Qualifier win in Sacramento, CA, that hope is proving to be a smart thing to hold onto.
Hope is what drove him when he gave up opportunities in his home nation of Germany to start his Rheinland Farm operation in the U.S. with his wife, Patricia, more than 30 years ago. And it’s what he held on to as his two youngest sons Theo and Ryan grew up on the farm and sat astride their first Shetland Ponies, Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Chip.
Wilhelm hoped Theo and Ryan would catch on and join the family business, but he didn’t pressure them. He had to wait until both boys were in their teens for them to show interest in the sport of show jumping, but the Genn trio is now strongly making their presence known, with all three succeeding in the Grand Prix ranks across the country.
For the first time in history, a U.S. dressage rider is ranked number one on the world rankings: following her performance at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon in September, Laura Graves and Verdades, the 16-year-old KWPN gelding that she owns with Curt Maes, are placed one point ahead of German powerhouse Isabel Werth and Weihegold OLD. Their impressive team Grand Prix and individual silver medal Grand Prix Special performances at the WEG in September increased their point total to 2,714 following the WEG and ultimately edging them up to the top of the Leaderboard. (Read more about the changes to the FEI Dressage World Ranking list and view the updated standings.)
Laura and “Diddy” have a fairytale story that has seen them rise to the top of the sport from humble beginnings.
When the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon end, Robert Dover will retire as U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor, a position he has held since 2013. It will not be the first time that Dover has announced his retirement – he joked, “I’ve retired more times than Bob Hope and Cher” – and it is likely that horses will always play a role in his life, but what that role will be going forward remains to be seen.
At the moment, Dover just wrapped a week in Aachen, Germany, coaching the U.S. contingent at the CHIO Aachen, where there were four riders in the team competition and four riders in the CDI4*. All of these riders – Laura Graves, Kasey Perry-Glass, Adrienne Lyle, and Steffen Peters have been named to the 2018 WEG team.
Kate Leggat might be the show jumper’s secret weapon.
Kate, 27, is contributing to the clear rounds of some of show jumping’s brightest young and established stars. A reiner turned dressage rider that’s now fully immersed in the sport of show jumping, Kate is revolutionizing the rides of the likes of Quentin Judge, Caitlin Creel, and Andrew Bourns, among others, with her flatwork focused training regimen.
It’s dressage for show jumpers, and it’s catching on quickly. In fact, Olympic dressage medalist Laura Graves taught such a clinic in Virginia this past August, where she worked with a jumper-only group of students for the first time. Olympic show jumper Margie Engle has also publicly praised the help of fellow Olympian and dressage trainer Lisa Wilcox for her top mount Royce’s improved rideability this year.