Posted April 18, 2006

Olympic Training Taking Place at Florida Horse Park

Ocala, FL - April 17, 2006- It's official and has been for a few months. The Florida Horse Park is a U.S. Equestrian Federation Training Site.

But what does that mean?

Now is the time to find out. From April 17-19, the Florida Horse Park will be hosting a training session for riders short- and long-listed on the U.S. Eventing Team. USEF Eventing Managing Director Torri Nahorniak will be on-site and Capt. Mark Phillips and Robert Dover will be the instructors. Capt. Phillips is the chef d'equipe (head trainer) for the U.S. Eventing Team, an Olympian and a well-known course designer. Dover is a six-time Olympian and will be offering instruction in dressage for the eventing riders.

The training sessions are open to the public and auditing is free.

Nahoniak said the training sessions are more fun to watch than events for a lot of people, especially the dressage portion. "There are such subtle differences in tests, which are deciding factors when it comes to judging. Watching the training helps explain those differences." At the training sessions, you can see what the rider is doing to ask for a movement and also see how much work each movement requires. Combined with the great way Robert Dover explains things, suggestions that "make sense," auditors will be in for a real learning experience. "Even for lower level riders or people just getting into the sport, it is easy to understand him," said Nahorniak. "It is amazing to watch him teach." She advised: "Bring a chair and set yourself up right next to the fence. You will be close enough to see the riders clearly and hear the training comments."

Photo Credit — Nathalie Pollard of Georgia, who is short-listed on the U.S. Eventing Team, receives some instruction from Capt. Mark Phillips, chef d'equipe of the U.S. Eventing Team, at the Florida Horse Park on April 17. The training sessions for the team riders will continue until April 19, and many of the riders are planning on participating in the park's two-star event, beginning April 20. Photo by Shaneen Kohler