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California Riding Magazine • May, 2010 On Course With Zazou by Zazou Hoffman |
While reading Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man I have related to his development into a talented writer. I have recently resumed my working equestrian life, after a much-needed break since last fall. My first venture was training a young boy named Richard Fuchs at a few horse shows. We have successfully made it through two shows with his large pony and had a lot of fun doing it! It is really interesting to experience a show from the trainer perspective without competing. Of course I always want Richard to do well, but there isn’t the self-pressure and nerves. Richard and I will continue going to shows through the summer, hopefully moving up to the regular Large Pony Hunter division. I also rode a horse for a friend at one of El Campeon Farms’ open schooling days. While the horse had some issues with a few of the natural jumps (mostly the ditch and the open water), the day ended successfully. It wasn’t without a fight though. The horse had no problem with the open water until the fourth time and then decided he wanted nothing to do with it. I tried about 10 more times (falling off once) and then got someone to follow up behind me with a whip. He finished by happily jumping everything on the field and went home on a good note.
Richard Fuchs on Pendleton Sly Fox. His owner rode him on the field the next day and had a fantastic time! It was nice to have confirmation that I had done my job well. For the summer, I am working on putting together a camp. Anybody in the Los Angeles area is welcome and I am open to any suggestions, so feel free to contact me. I’m calling it Summer Horsemastership and it will include video analysis of top hunter, jumper and equitation rounds from the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida. I will analyze the horse and rider combination and draw conclusions that can improve one’s own riding. Other subjects will include course design, tips for walking a course and mental strategy. We will also look into how to set achievable goals and the role of confidence in competitive and leisure riding. The sessions will be held at our house in Santa Monica and will include swimming and lunch.
Grooming and stable management instruction will take place in Sullivan Canyon. Riders will schedule lessons with their respective trainers in the afternoon. I will not be teaching any lessons as part of the camp, but I will be available to accompany some riders to competitions.
After a junior career capped by her win of the 2009 ASPCA Maclay Medal, Zazou Hoffman is now riding and teaching as a professional. She is available for lessons, clinics and private consultation, as well as Grand Prix sponsorship. Based in the Los Angeles area, she can be reached at zazouhoffman@gmail.com. |
