{"id":19525,"date":"2014-12-30T15:23:29","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T04:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=19525"},"modified":"2015-01-22T07:10:48","modified_gmt":"2015-01-21T20:10:48","slug":"emma-flavelle-forming-a-grand-prix-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2014\/12\/emma-flavelle-forming-a-grand-prix-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"Emma Flavelle – Forming a Grand Prix partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EmmaTitleWeb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Story \u2013 Shannan Makauskas & Photos \u2013 Alex Makauskas<\/h3>\n

The first day of spring set the perfect backdrop for our photo shoot with a budding talent on the Grand Prix circuit, Emma Flavelle.<\/p>\n

On the outskirts of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland we stepped out of the car and into the taste and smell of sunshine in the air, new life bursting from the ground, the sounds and smells of a spring morning. But never mind all that, while I admired the scenery, poor Emma Flavelle was completely out of her comfort zone.<\/p>\n

We had hired a hair and make-up artist to prep her for our photo shoot, and while the photos show a beautiful character ready for the latest Saddle Club installment, the real story involves scoping for locations around the property and putting Emma in place with a rigorous checklist: breeches zipped, dog on lap, hair blowing in wind, etc. For all the result was darn near perfect, it really wasn\u2019t Emma\u2019s thing, and it was only when she finally able to get on her horse and take to the arena, that the poor girl breathed a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

Northern Meara is this monstrous 17.1hh mare, while Emma is a petite and elegant rider, making them look like the most unlikely pair. Nevertheless, when you put Emma in the saddle, these details become irrelevant.<\/p>\n

They go together with a familiarity that comes from a partnership developed over ten years. When Emma was 16 years old she had her first ride on the four year old, \u2018Big, lanky, all over the place mare\u2019:<\/p>\n

\u201cI got on and she was charging around the arena. So I brought her back and straight away she offered these amazing half steps. I thought, \u2018Wow this is going to be a fun horse\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EmmaFlavellepir\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At the time Emma was working at the dressage stables of Linda Schmerglatt and making some big decisions: \u201cI was doing a Diploma in Business, but from the time I started working at Linda\u2019s I thought, \u2018Yeah this is what I want to do.\u2019 I hated an office, I hated doing business because I always wanted to be outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was also making some changes with her riding: \u201cI decided I wasn\u2019t good enough at jumping and I just like the technical aspect of dressage. I really thought that I could get somewhere with it. I was comfortable doing it. I liked it. I thought, \u2018Okay to be serious I need to specialise\u2019, and I made the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

The choice to stick with dressage was influenced by her mentor, Linda Schmerglatt: \u201cWhen I was working there she had Fenton. I only got to see him a couple of times but I remember it vividly, that horse, he was very inspirational. Seeing them working together, I just wanted to be as good as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I watch Emma ride, the similarities between her and Linda jump out at me. As well as a likeness in physical traits they both posses an elegance and natural \u2018feel\u2019 in the saddle that can\u2019t be taught.<\/p>\n

This is a trait Emma admires in another influential figure from her riding career, German National Young Rider Coach, Hans Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen. On her first trip to Germany at 19 years of age Emma based at his stable for six months:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the most feeling rider I think I\u2019ve ever seen, just amazing to watch. You could learn so much just from watching him ride and I think to ride with that much feeling and that much\u2026I can\u2019t even describe it. Just watching him and wanting to be able to ride like him, it was so inspirational and it made all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma formed a good relationship with Hans Heinrich and it paid off when she got to ride the now deceased legendary young horse, Poetin: \u201cShe was, it is my most vivid memory, the best thing ever, she was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to ride her three times. Either Hans Heinrich thought I was good enough to ride her or maybe he was just being nice. Her weakness was the walk, so besides working in the arena I would walk her out around the roads to try and improve the walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo ride a horse of that calibre was amazing. I also got to work Kaiserdom, who won the six-year-old Bundeschampionate and the World Young Horse Championships. But Poetin is an unforgettable horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps Emma could get a ride on Poetin Z someday, her clone: \u201cI read about that, it\u2019s a bit freaky, it\u2019s too much I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her first trip was to get a feel for the scene in Germany: \u201cI wanted to see what it was like, what I was in for, what opportunities there were. I knew I wanted to take two horses on my next trip and that it was going to be difficult. I just needed to know I could do it, and be able to move around if I needed to. I wanted to go and learn the ropes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two years later, when she was 21 years old, she made the leap and based in Germany for three years. This time taking her own horse, Northern Meara, and a young horse owned by Lorraine Gough, Exklusiven Armani. A pretty daunting experience for a young rider:<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think about it at the time. I was just like, \u2018Oh yeah that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do, no problem.\u2019 Now when I look back on it, yeah it was quite a big thing. It could\u2019ve been disastrous, but I never thought about it and luckily everything went well.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what were the challenges? <\/em>Surprisingly, it wasn\u2019t the workload: \u201cThe hardest thing for me was the winter. I feel the cold incredibly and I just hate it. The work was fine because I\u2019m pretty disciplined with what I do at home. Obviously the language, in the beginning, was hard. But you pick up on that and most of them speak English so you can get by.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot of young riders go to Europe to train and end up cleaning boxes all day\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell two of the stables I was at, employed somebody to do it, so we didn\u2019t have that problem. Then at J\u00f6rn Kubelke\u2019s place they only cleaned the boxes every six weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every six weeks! \u201cThat would get a bit stinky,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it doesn\u2019t actually,\u201d said Emma.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you just got used to it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell maybe that\u2019s it\u2026yeah,\u201d Emma laughed. \u201cWe would add straw every morning on top and it would build up and up and up and then we\u2019d have a hard time digging it all out. It keeps them warm in winter though, the build up. But they get a lot of foot problems there.\u201d<\/p>\n

So we\u2019d suggest a five-week training stint if you\u2019re going to J\u00f6rn Kubelke\u2019s\u2026 besides this revolutionary stable routine, did Emma learn a lot from J\u00f6rn?<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026yes,\u201d said Emma hesitantly with a cheeky grin on her face, \u201cThat probably wasn\u2019t my best experience, what can I say? I was there for eight months but J\u00f6rn didn\u2019t have the quality of horses that other places had. You are constantly learning from every place you go, picking up ideas from every trainer and at J\u00f6rn\u2019s it was no different. I just felt a lot more restricted in my opportunities at that particular stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

From there, Emma went to work at the stables of Danish Royalty: \u201cIt was awesome to work for Princess Nathalie (zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg). It was nice to be able to ride there because they had these amazing gardens. After doing arena work in the morning the horses would be taken out through the botanic gardens for the afternoon, it was lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Princess Nathalie has given many clinics throughout Australia and riders are always surprised to find she doesn\u2019t fit the \u2018princess\u2019 stereotype: \u201cShe was strict, but she was very lovely at the same time so it didn\u2019t feel like you were under the whip or anything. She was really lovely and it was a very good atmosphere there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer training method is very classical, very empathetic towards the horses, her way is brilliant. I picked up a lot from her. She was a real mentor to me and just a lovely person, very down to earth and loved the horses, it was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year ago Emma went back to Germany, this time basing with Isabell Werth\u2019s trainer Wolfram Wittig: \u201cThat trip was just a touch up to get my eye back in, have a few lessons and see some brilliant horses again. It was organised through Robert Schmerglatt because he was training with Wolfram at the time. I got on really well with Wolfram and his facility is just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was it always the plan to try so many different trainers? <\/em>\u201cIt was always my plan, I wanted to pick up on a few different ideas, a few different styles of riding while I was there and obviously you can learn from everyone. I picked up different ideas at different places.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is that what you\u2019ve got now, your own system with a little from each trainer? <\/em>\u201cI hope so. It works for me and I\u2019ve picked up the things I thought worked well for them and what I can do myself as a rider. Because I\u2019m obviously no Hans Heinrich, I\u2019m no Princess Nathalie, but from working with them I\u2019ve picked up some ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did they all use very different methods?<\/em> \u201cGenerally not, generally they all worked on the training scale. But different exercises they had worked for different things and it\u2019s good seeing a few places to get a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s anything Emma\u2019s time overseas taught her, it\u2019s that dressage is the sport of discipline. She advises aspiring travelers to be prepared: \u201cAlways be wanting to do something. Always ask, \u2018What can I do now?\u2019 Just be very motivated, very keen, very much wanting to be there and wanting to do your best. The attitude must be in order.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a matter of making the most of the time you\u2019re there: \u201cI learnt to do everything a hundred percent. Every time you ride, do it to a hundred percent of your ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt each stable I was riding between seven and ten, even twelve horses a day and you can\u2019t slack off. Generally you start at 7am and finish at 6 in the evening, sometimes a lot later, but each stable had a different system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EmmaFlavellePORT\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Do you have a trainer who helps you in Australia?<\/em> \u201cI go to Linda when I can, and back to Germany. I\u2019m going to go there once a year. Financially it\u2019s not so easy sometimes. But you\u2019ve got to do it if you want to be good at this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you ever find you get a bit off-track? \u201c<\/em>You do. I was just with Carlos de Cleermaecker at the squad clinic and he pulled me up on a few things I realised I\u2019ve let slip. That\u2019s why they\u2019re so good in Europe, they\u2019ve constantly got somebody there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In comparison to Australia, what was the most striking difference in the dressage scene?<\/em> \u201cIt\u2019s just very professional, just ultimate professionalism. Every show has this amazing atmosphere and the prize giving ceremonies have this great music for every presentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all mounted, and there\u2019s big crowds, and they have these awesome lolly shops at every single show. They have every single lolly you could ever want,\u201d she said with her face lighting up at the mere memory of it.<\/p>\n

Besides going over for the lollies, Emma thinks it\u2019s worthwhile taking a horse with you: \u201cFor me it was. I could put what I saw and what I learnt into my own project, and for me that was important. It kept me motivated, and wanting to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all worthwhile to be able to put it into my own horse to take back with me because you\u2019re busting your boiler everyday riding ten horses to the best of your ability and you want to be able to put that into your own piece of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resultant piece of work was dancing in front of me in the form of Northern Meara. Emma began the session with a lot of walking and talking and Meara was showing her quiet side. If you\u2019ve seen Emma compete this electric mare at competition you may be asking, \u2018What quiet side?\u2019<\/p>\n

In this case it turns out the saying, \u2018Things aren\u2019t always what they seem\u2019, is true: \u201cThey\u2019re horses and you might see something, but what\u2019s going on in the horse\u2019s mind is something totally different. A lot of people come up to me and say, \u2018Oh she\u2019s so hot. She\u2019s a really hot, tense horse.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen in fact she isn\u2019t, she\u2019s such a quiet horse. My nieces and nephews walk her around the arena or in the field on a long rein and she never puts a foot wrong. You\u2019ll see in the first ten, fifteen minutes of riding that she\u2019s so lazy. She\u2019s not this hot, crazy horse. She\u2019s got a beautiful temperament. She\u2019s very gentle and very calm. It\u2019s just those moments when she gets worried that make her come across that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having trained the talented mare from a four year old to her first Grand Prix dressage horse is quite a milestone: \u201cShe wasn\u2019t the easiest horse and still isn\u2019t the easiest horse. But to be able to achieve that is a great feeling and it was one of my goals in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma remembers their first Grand Prix test, an unofficial competition on the Sunshine Coast at the end of 2008: \u201cIt was very overwhelming. Everything comes up so quickly it\u2019s bang, bang, bang. You don\u2019t have a lot of time to think in the test about what you\u2019re feeling but after it I felt great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Compare that to her ride in the Grand Prix at the Australian Dressage Championships last year. Emma made quite an impression, even receiving a standing ovation from the crowd: \u201cThat was very emotional. I remember in the test being very emotional. I had time to think how I was feeling because everything was just flowing and it was a good feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then Emma has been working on the difficult parts of the test for Meara: \u201cThere are a few issues to overcome at the moment. She gets worried on the centreline for some reason. She knows the test and she knows the last centreline is passage, piaffe, passage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer piaffe and passage are her strong points and she\u2019s quite comfortable in them, but for some reason that last tour makes her worried. She gets insecure, so we\u2019ve got to go back to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done everything I can in the classical way to try and fix the problem, so now I\u2019ve got to think outside the square and see what else I can do. Maybe some clicker training will work – I started with her yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

As is often the case, great horses take time: \u201cShe tries too hard and it gets all too much for her. She over-tries all the time, which is great in some ways. She lowers so much behind that she actually loses balance. At least I\u2019m never going to have the problem where the piaffe is not good enough. I don\u2019t need to worry about that, I\u2019ve just got to worry about trying to keep her mind relaxed and willing.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Emma working on building Meara\u2019s strength and consistency in the test, she knows her biggest hurdle is keeping her state of mind. But with almost two years of Grand Prix competition under her belt, will the mare ever turn the corner?<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think about that, you\u2019ve always got to look forward and be optimistic and if something\u2019s not working, try something else. She\u2019s definitely worth every single bit of effort. I think I can do it. It\u2019s just a matter of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s definitely got a lot of miles left in her. That\u2019s another thing I learnt in Germany, you don\u2019t ride everyday with so much power. You don\u2019t ride the big trot everyday. You just work on the basics and every now and then you bring out that top gear. I do that at home all the time, because I\u2019m very conscious of keeping the soundness right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma is setting her sights on the London Olympics in 2012 but realises it\u2019s a long, tough road to get there: \u201cI just want to know that I\u2019ve done my best to achieve what I can. I\u2019m not going to say, \u2018I want to compete at the Olympics or win medals\u2019, because there\u2019re lots of variables. There\u2019re lots of things that could or could not go wrong. At the end of the day I just want to know I\u2019ve done the best I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

To add to the dilemma, Emma feels there needs to be an outdoor qualifier in Australia: \u201cI\u2019ve got a bit of a problem with the fact that in Australia they don\u2019t have a freestyle competition or a qualifying competition that is run in conjunction with the conditions they have at WEG or the Olympic Games. Why not have the freestyle outside? Why does it have to be for everyone\u2019s entertainment rather than the welfare of the horse?\u201d<\/p>\n

The selection process can also get very political\u2026<\/em> \u201cIt is everywhere you go. You can\u2019t get away from that part of the sport. But I want to know that I\u2019ve done everything I possibly can for that horse to get her there and I will regret it if I don\u2019t do everything I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan involves taking Meara over to Germany next year to base with Wolfram Wittig or Hans Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen. But with big schemes come big sacrifices: \u201cWe\u2019ll see financially how things are going. I\u2019ll have to sell a few horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to go over there and work full time because I found after riding ten horses, you can\u2019t put as much into your own horse at the end of the day. I\u2019d like to go over and maybe work half a day, just to cover expenses like Meara\u2019s keep and my board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you think it\u2019s easier to qualify overseas?<\/em> \u201cI\u2019m undecided about that at the moment. I would go over for the consistency in training, the constant help you get and the raised level, being able to see and surround yourself with all the amazing horses and riders and really push yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end that\u2019s what it all comes down to. We are in a sport that is a way of life and requires many sacrifices. With little hope of ever making it to the medal podium, riders go on. Quietly working away at achieving greatness.<\/p>\n

Whether that lies in producing a harmonious test, a brilliant piaffe or a line of ones without it all falling apart, the goal is different for every rider and yet the same, to be one with the horse. Hopefully this promising combination will get to represent their country, but that would be the icing on the cake after the all the beautiful moments Meara has given Emma.<\/p>\n

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