When it comes to teaching riders about eventing, good horsemanship and safety, there are few as passionate about it as Tauni Beckmann. Owner of So Cal Eventing, Tauni is a Level I USEA ICP Certified instructor and one of very few ICP certified instructors in Southern California. A busy woman, she splits her time between riding and teaching at her family’s farm, Sandia Creek Ranch, located between Fallbrook and Temecula and being a mobile trainer throughout Southern California. Wherever she is teaching, Tauni’s emphasis is on helping riders develop a sophisticated partnership with their horses.
“There are so many people that don’t have the ability to come down and train regularly at Sandia Creek Ranch,” explains Tauni. “After I became ICP certified I decided I needed to be able to reach out to students that couldn’t come to me. In addition, I regularly take clients out to go school official cross-country courses at 3day Ranch and Galway as well as the introduction courses at Fallbrook Riders Field; they are all very different courses. Every week I am literally all over the map. I travel throughout Riverside and San Diego counties, all so I can teach people at their own houses and get students ready for events.” She also does occasional clinics out of town upon request.
Tauni started riding at age 7, and she began eventing in the 80s with the Torrey Pines Pony Club. She credits the United States Pony Club (USPC) with not only introducing her to eventing, but teaching her the dual importance of solid, safe riding and good horsemanship. Therefore, Tauni and her mother Crystal, who also teaches lessons in addition to managing Sandia Creek Ranch, organized their lesson program similar to the USPC requirements.
This year Sandia Creek Ranch went from being structured like a pony club facility to being a Certified USPC Riding Center. Being a certified center allows students at Sandia Creek Ranch and other pony clubbers in the area to host and attend rallies and other activities without having to travel all the way to Fallbrook every week. It also offers an alternate facility for holding testing and certified USPC clinics.
In addition to introducing her to eventing and good horsemanship, Tauni says Pony Club encouraged her to become a riding instructor. “With Pony Club they encourage you to teach as you move up the levels. My senior year in high school, I was a C2 and there was a little barn down the street that taught the basics. I was hired to teach riding, horsemanship and do a little managing. I really enjoyed it, so the next year I applied to be a ‘Visiting Instructor’ with the USPC. It was really incredible because you don’t choose where you go, instead they have to choose you. Different pony clubs see your resume and get to apply for you to come and instruct their club. That summer I was able to travel all over the Pacific Coast and teach different pony clubs in different states throughout the summer. Every week I was somewhere else and often times they would request to keep me for the weekend where I would stay and judge a horseshow or teach a clinic.”
One of the many reasons Tauni thinks Pony Club is such a fabulous program is because it gave her the opportunity to ride with several extraordinary instructors she may not have gotten to clinic with otherwise. She recognizes the quality and appreciates those instructors as many of them provided her with the knowledge that she continues to share.
As Tauni recognizes the quality of instruction she got, the USEA recognizes the quality of instruction that Tauni has to give, resulting in the presentation of her ICP Certification.
Considerable other experiences also contributed to her success. Tauni explains, “I got really good at bandaging by being taught correctly from the beginning and then as a working student, I had to wrap all four legs on eight horses each day, that’s 224 legs bandaged in a week! But I just tried to remember, ‘practice makes permanent’ so be sure you’ve got it right.”
Not only does Tauni give her students the tools they need to be safe and effective riders, she also promotes a “thinking” rider in her students. She feels there is a subtle difference between riding instructors and horse trainers. Instead of just getting on a client’s horse and fixing it for them, which is what she feels many trainers do, she first makes sure the rider understands the task at hand and then talks them through - as they learn they can positively communicate with their horse. This way the horse also learns that their owner/rider wants to understand and becomes a partner with them. Tauni’s ultimate goal is to give her students the tools they need to collaborate with their horse and create an efficient relationship.
For her it all comes back to having her clients be happy, safe and successful with their equine partners. It’s one of the many reasons she hosts open clinics, both riding and un-mounted, at Sandia Creek Ranch and other various locations.
This year Tauni hosts “Friday Night Stadium Jumping Under the Lights,” a fun evening every other Friday night. Auditing is free and open to all, riding is open to all Fallbrook Riders Field Members. In addition, Tauni also has Tiffany Silverman, one of 30 Master Saddler’s Association (MSA) Saddle Fitters in the U.S., scheduled to give a clinic on how to properly fit an english saddle.
“My whole goal is to give kids and adults the opportunity to build a strong partnership with their horse and be safe doing it. If they want to learn more about how to take care of their equine partners and event safely then we’ll be a good match too.”
For more information about Tauni Beckman, Sandia Creek Ranch or to check the clinic calendar visit www.socaleventing.com, call 760-505-2468 or email info@socaleventing.com.