L.R. Davidson: On the Fast Track

L.R. has always tried to ride many different types of ponies in her training program. She and her mother have taken to task many green ponies and with great ability have trained, schooled and finished them to sell as made ponies. They often keep 2-3 in training and have produced ponies that have gone on to be successful in the show ring, such as Woodland's Glisten, Ain't She Sweet, and Ruthless.

"My training style is very much about compromising with the pony. I work with so many greenies or ponies who have to be retrained that I always try to let them get comfortable and relaxed before stressing the way something has to be done. I've also learned to deal with so many different pony personalities, that I would probably say my training style changes with every pony I ride depending on what needs to be done, and the way they prefer being ridden. If I have a lazy, bullheaded pony, I become a little more firm and aggressive and push a little harder- that is what they usually like. If I have something hot, I need to be all leg-to-hand work, have a lot of patience and do a lot of flat work to relax them (circles, shoulder ins, getting them to accept hand and legs). But I really like to ride every pony the way they like to be ridden, and personalize my ride for each pony. If no two ponies are alike- why should the way I ride them be the same? I really like to be flexible with every pony's personality and accommodate them as best I can."

Being successful with her ponies requires a great deal of time and work on L.R.'s part. A typical riding day for her begins at 10:30 AM when she arrives at the barn. She will often ride two ponies in two lessons before taking on any "hacking" opportunities or additional rides with her current trainer, Diane Carney at Telluride Farms, in the afternoon.

"I'll ride whatever I possibly can - to me that's the only way someone can progress as a rider. So I'll get on anything and everything at the barn. Green, made it doesn't matter!"

By 4:30 L.R. is usually heading off home and may continue on to the theatre at night where she works as a professional actress. She has been involved with acting since she was 10 weeks old and has been steadily offered parts since. Being home-schooled, she has the flexibility in her schedule to also participate in other activities that she enjoys, such as journalism and drawing. She has written for Show Circuit magazine and recently was invited by the Chronicle to become a free-lance reporter. She is an avid reader and has had sketches published in the last three Junior/Pony issues of the Chronicle. In addition to all this, she is also the moderator of the Towerheads.com bulletin board for the Pony Forum.

In preparing for a big competition, L.R. and her trainer like to logically think through what the course designers have in mind for the riders, and try to practice those things at home before the event.

"From spooky fences to things blowing in the ring, we cover all the ground. That way by the time the ponies get to the show there is absolutely NOTHING that will scare them, or make them feel uncomfortable doing because they've already done it! For example, you should have seen some of the fences Diane had me jump at home getting ready for Harrisburg this year! Believe me, nothing in the ring at the Penn National came close to the problems we worked on at home."

There is also the mental aspect of preparing for a big competition. L.R. likes to have goals for her performance, as well as her pony's. That way regardless of the outcome of the class, she has the ability to review her goals and see if they were met.

"This year at Harrisburg with Brick (Square Wind), I wanted to be clean and we were. In the jump-off, I wanted to ride aggressively and forward. We had a rail at the last fence but we got there fast! So, I was really happy."

L.R.'s goals for the coming year include "[qualifying] for Indoors and Pony Finals again (in the Pony Medal and the new Pony Jumper Prix De States), work hard, make the top ten in the Pony Jumpers again, learn as much as I can, and most importantly- HAVE FUN!"

Working with so many different ponies, L.R. has learned how to be the best trainer she can be and bring out the best in each pony she works with. She has learned so much, that when asked to choose a favorite she finds it difficult.

"I have been lucky enough to work with so many wonderful ponies, all of whom have taught me something, and helped to make me the rider I am. I had one pony that had been abused and she taught me patience. You couldn't rush her or lose your temper or you set her back weeks. She's now with a girl in Massachusetts who fox hunts with her and shows in the Pony Hunters. I had another pony with a real dirty stop. She taught me how to forget about looking pretty, to just sit down and RIDE. That pony is currently a top Children's Pony Hunter in NJ. I had one pony just really slow and lazy. He taught me about using my leg and not just my seat to get the job done. They have all contributed so much knowledge to me, I don't think I could choose a favorite. But, if I had to pick just one, that would probably have to be my pony "Phoenix" (Ruthless). We found her in Canada on a pony-buying trip and I begged my mom to get her even though she reared, bolted, bucked and basically pulled every dirty trick in the book. She had a major attitude (like me!) but major talent. She ended up being one of the top Pony Jumpers in the country, won everywhere from Ocala to Vermont in the jumpers (not just the Pony Jumpers - she won in Children's, Training, even Schooling). She was not a pretty pony. In fact she looked like a muscle with a head on it and her movement was unique to say the least. But she had a huge heart and I loved her."

What L.R. likes most about the world of showing ponies is seeing if what she has worked so hard on at home pays off at the shows. That is one reason why she enjoys the big shows so much. When she participates at a show like WEF or Indoors and places against the best riders and ponies in the country, she knows that all her hard work has paid off. She also loves the camaraderie of the pony circuit, and keeps in touch with many of her fellow riders through the Internet or by phone. "Most of the kids on the A circuit who show ponies are really nice and friendly. They may be serious competitors in the ring but outside the ring almost everyone gets along well."

One thing that L.R. really dislikes seeing at the shows is a pony being schooled by adults before their classes. "Kids should be taught to really ride their ponies and work through the problems themselves with an adult giving advice and helping from the ground. How else are you going to train real horsemen (or women!)?"

L.R. has competed long enough in the Pony world to make suggestions that would improve the pony division, including the addition of a "handy hunter" type class that would give each pony/rider combination a task to do, such as riding the class bareback, riding fences backwards, or creating your own course on-the-fly. Something that would make the ponies' mind continue to work and be challenged L.R. would also like to see the Pony Jumpers increase their jumping height and technical difficulty in a way more like the European classes. "Once that happens, I think that the kids will be riding better and riding more technically and not just galloping around. There are many ponies now that win by going at ridiculous speeds. They get away with it because the fences are so low. Course designers, even at the big shows and finals are making the courses so easy that speed becomes the determining thing. I think everyone should remember that in Europe they use the Pony Jumpers to train their International riders. We should be doing the same thing. The stuff that you train to win in the Pony Jumpers should be the same stuff you need to know to win a Grand Prix!"

L.R. is quick to point out that the new AHSA rule that restricts riders who compete in classes over 3'6" from showing ponies in the same show is also cutting into the excitement and support for the Pony Jumpers. "It means that a lot of kids are going to have to choose what they want to do. It's especially hard for kids like me who are short and will always fit a pony. This year my plan is to qualify my Pony Jumpers for Indoors early in the year and then show my Junior Jumper later in the season. But next year, I may have to make a final choice."

When asked what advice L.R. could offer younger riders looking to move into the competitive world of ponies, she offered, "Ride whatever you can. It's the ponies that don't look pretty, don't move well, or that no one else wants that can teach you the most."

It is insight like this that has made Lora Rachel such an inspiration to the Pony World!