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Champ influences Vernon rider |
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Written by TED CLARKE
Citizen staff
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Sunday, 06 July 2008 |
Karen Andrews and her horse Bergen follow the specified pattern during her dressage test in front of the judges Saturday at the Wood Wheaton Cadora at Exhibition Park. (Citizen photo by David Mah)
Janine Little is a firm believer in that philosophy, and is hoping her own experience training with the reigning two-time Olympic dressage champion will open a door to the world equestrian arena.
The 26-year-old Vernon rider spent nearly a year in Holland working and training with Anky Van Grunsven, who as an individual won Olympic gold in Athens and Sydney, and silver in Atlanta. The 10-time world title holder and three-time Olympic team champion is clearly in a class of her own.
“I come from a golfing family and it was like training with the Tiger Woods of horses, it was a fabulous opportunity,” said Little, among a group of 90 riders who competed in the four-day Wood Wheaton Cadora over the weekend at Exhibition Park.
“She’s the Number One rider in the world and you learn a lot about competition and how to prepare yourself to get the maximum out of your horse and keep them wanting to work for you. I’ve never been a person who gets intimidated or nervous, but it makes you that much more confident in your work when you’re competing.”
The two riders met at a World Cup event. After sending in her resume, Little was hired as a working student in Van Grusven’s barn in Holland. In exchange for her work grooming Van Grusven’s horses, Little was given the freedom to ride them.
Her European experience translated into impressive scores riding a six-year-old Hanoverian warmblood named Dominic LHF in her Third Level dressage tests Saturday at the Agriplex.
Little has been coming to Prince George horse shows since she was a junior rider and has fond memories of those road trips.
“I had a very difficult horse (Wintzer) when I was a junior and I think he won champion every time I was up here. He liked it here,” she said.
“Now, I have a young horse that needs to get away from home, and it’s low-key so there’s not as much stress on them as some of the bigger shows. My horse is a nervous traveler and they’ve got really nice stabling here. The arenas are challenging and they do see things and get nervous, but it’s not so overwhelming that they get terrified, like some other places. It’s a good introduction to some of the bigger stuff.”
This is Little’s first year to show Dominic. In his only other competition, in Red Deer, he won with scores of 67-70 per cent. Dominic was given to her to use by one of her clients at Coyote Canyon Ranch near Vernon, where she works as a riding instructor.
“He came to me a month after I got home from Europe and he’s exactly the type of horse I would have bought,” Little said. “Dominic was the name I had picked out for a horse I was going to buy in Europe and a couple things didn’t fall into place and I didn’t do it. This was something meant to be.”
Van Grunsven is the current World Cup champion and an obvious favourite to win next month at the Beijing Olympics. Little, who is currently employed as the Canadian distributor for Van Grunsven’s clothing line, has an open invitation to return to her barn in Holland, where she hopes to take Dominic.
“It’s always been my goal to go international and now I have a horse I think is capable,” said Little. “The goal between me and the owners is to get him as far as possible. He’s a very talented horse and it’s nice to finally have a horse behind you that can do it.
“It’s a long road to get to those levels and having that connection (with Van Grunsven) is very nice.”
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 July 2008 )
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