Who is your favorite eventing coach?

[Apolloflyin]

HI folks,

So who are your favorite eventing coaches?

I am looking for an eventing coach to work with long term (1-2 lessons a week). I have spent most of my 20’s as a working student, barn management, and teaching beginner lessons, and now I have the opportunity to go absolutely anywhere.

I have a new “Day Job”, that allows me to transfer anywhere in the U.S. and even a few locations worldwide.

I am looking primarily for eventing coaches. Coaches with working student opportunities are a plus, but not required. I love working in barns, and it’s hard for me to stay away. I can’t believe I am actually going to admit this, but I miss the 80-100 hour work weeks! I have my own horse, and I am looking to go as far up the levels, as I can.

So again, who are your favorite coaches? Why? What do you love about them?

[tldickinson]

I used to train with Caroline McClung (formerly Caroline Dowd) out of Eagle Rock, VA. She was tough but positive, always praising the good and pushing you further. She ran Rolex and Badminton and can cater up upper levels but is also great with lower level riders (i.e.: me). Your horse will always leave a lesson feeling like they learned something and confident in what they did. I can’t give enough glowing praise about her.

[PaintedHunter]

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Angela Bowles (formerly Grzywinski). She really gets the individual issues of both riders and horses and does not do things one-size-fits-all. She also believes in keeping things very natural with horses regarding turnout, etc. Great trainer, great horse person, and I’ve made immense progress under her. She works with everyone, from those just starting out to those riding FEI.

[JER]

Mike Plumb. You can learn a lot – everything, really – about riding and training and competing from him but you need to have confidence and commitment going in.

If you are the kind of person who can sit on the fence and watch him work with horses in your non-riding time, you’ll learn even more.

[Evntr4Life]

Northern Californian here!
Besides the fact that we have some seriously good weather…lol
I work with Dayna Lynd-Pugh, and her daugher Kelly Pugh, with Flying Tail Farms out of Gilroy, CA. (close to San Jose, ca)
I CANNOT say enough good things about these wonderful people.
Dayna has the most unwavering patience I have ever encountered in a trainer. To the point and will no doubt make you work for it, but super positivity to back it up. I’ve watched a number of students in their barn bring horses from young and green up through FEI competition with Dayna and Kelly’s guidance. Dayna has been a young rider coach numerous times over the years showing her natural ability to to effectively train and communicate effectively with her students. Kelly has competed through the 3* level herself and it’s been a pleasure every time watching her bring a new horse in their string, up the levels. The atmosphere at the barn is completely drama free and just so much darn fun. Everyone is incredibly supportive of each other.
The facility is AMAZING to boot. Groomed galloping track, small cross country course, large covered, large outdoor jumping ring, large, ample turnouts. The list goes on. I’ve added their website that also links to the facility’s website as well. =)
http://www.flyingtailfarm.com/

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

I think if I were in your shoes and could go anywhere, I would choose an eventing dense area where there are numerous good coaches who you know will be available to you at least part of the year - Aiken, Ocala, parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, Southern Pines, maybe Lexington… that way you would have multiple resources to draw on and wouldn’t be putting all your eggs in one basket (so to speak).

[Salty]

I agree with Groom & Taxi. If you can go to the British Isles & include point-to-point riding & fox hunting, even better.

[Apolloflyin]

[QUOTE=Groom&Taxi;8966255]
I think if I were in your shoes and could go anywhere, I would choose an eventing dense area where there are numerous good coaches who you know will be available to you at least part of the year - Aiken, Ocala, parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, Southern Pines, maybe Lexington… that way you would have multiple resources to draw on and wouldn’t be putting all your eggs in one basket (so to speak).[/QUOTE]

Yes, those are all amazing areas. But how on earth do you decide where to go?

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

If it were me, probably the most important factors in deciding would be climate, cost of living (human), and cost of horsekeeping.

Beyond that, there may be more personal factors - how close to extended family do you want or need to be? Do you need good access to healthcare or higher education or a major airport? Are you looking at the move as finding your next place as your life unfolds or do you want to stay there a while and really put down roots? What would your options be if something happened to your job?

It might be a hard topic to search, but there have been numerous threads here along the same lines that should offer more detailed info if you can find them.

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

If it were me, probably the most important factors in deciding would be climate, cost of living (human), and cost of horsekeeping.

Beyond that, there may be more personal factors - how close to extended family do you want or need to be? Do you need good access to healthcare or higher education or a major airport? Are you looking at the move as finding your next place as your life unfolds or do you want to stay there a while and really put down roots? What would your options be if something happened to your job?

It might be a hard topic to search, but there have been numerous threads here along the same lines that should offer more detailed info if you can find them.

[Winding_Down]

I would go to Northern Virginia. Lots of great trainers and access to north and south eventing-dense regions.

Southern Pines is nice but there are not a lot of trainers there.

Kim Severson is in the Charlottesville area. I am impressed by her dedication to students and teaching skills. And she does not go south for months at a time so she is available in the winter.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Well I moved to my area for work and horses. West Grove/Unionville PA. Dense area of top trainers, vets, farriers and just horse people. Tons of events at all levels. Beautiful horse country. Weather isn’t bad but it’s great if you can go south for the winter.

Otherwise I would go to Northern VA but I found it a bit more expensive there.

[lucegoose]

[QUOTE=Winding Down;8968165]
I would go to Northern Virginia. Lots of great trainers and access to north and south eventing-dense regions.

Southern Pines is nice but there are not a lot of trainers there.

Kim Severson is in the Charlottesville area. I am impressed by her dedication to students and teaching skills. And she does not go south for months at a time so she is available in the winter.[/QUOTE]

Agreed! I spent a summer in Southern Pines about 10 years ago and it was a bit of a wasteland. Winter-only kind of place. NoVa is amazing but expensive.

Cville has Kim S, Emily Beshear, Will Coleman and Mark and Mimi Combs all within reasonable distance and is a nice place to live without being crazy expensive. It isn’t terribly close to events but it’s easy to get to NC/SC/NoVa/MD/PA etc for the big events.

[fordtraktor]

I would go to Ocala. Great event trainers, great jumper trainers. my fav event trainers there are fantastic at dressage.

[JER]

[QUOTE=Apolloflyin;8966049]

I am looking for an eventing coach to work with long term (1-2 lessons a week). I have spent most of my 20’s as a working student…

I am looking primarily for eventing coaches. Coaches with working student opportunities are a plus, but not required.[/QUOTE]

Pointing out that the OP was asking for a coach with a program/system to work with, and not so much advice on where to live in the US.

While it’s nice to have a variety of discipline coaches from which to pick and choose, there are also phases in one’s riding career where what’s really needed is to study more intensively with one coach and learn their training system. This is what I thought the OP was asking for.

Will also say that having lived in SoPi very recently and still keeping horses there, it’s not a wasteland at all. SoPi is a bit isolated from any kind of urban life, but there’s a lot going on there, HR and otherwise.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

While it’s nice to ask for recommendations…a coach that works for one person may not work for another. So if you gave flexibility to choose where you are going to live (as the OP has said)…it makes far better sense to move to an area where there is a choice of a number of good trainers. And honestly…having a choice of top vets and top farriers and access to different competition venues is also important.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

And the OP did ask how you choose an area later in this thread.

[asterix]

I will agree that nova/md/pa are your best bet. There are a ton of coaches, and you can compete April-oct through intermediate without driving more than 2 hours or so. Great vets, farriers, etc. Near Philly, DC, and Baltimore, which gives you access to things to do, airports, good healthcare, and non-horsey jobs and people.

[gardenie]

Ah, Southern Pines is a wasteland? Will Faudree, Robert Costello, Mark Weisbecker, Mike and Charlie Plumb, and Becky Holder in Wadesboro an hour away…favorites depend on goals.

[Lusoluv]

Love Dom and Jimmie Schramm. They’re based in PA most of the time and I think S. Pines in the winter months.