{"id":28190,"date":"2016-07-27T12:10:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T02:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=28190"},"modified":"2017-02-10T10:33:18","modified_gmt":"2017-02-09T23:33:18","slug":"training-at-home-with-kevin-mcnab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2016\/07\/training-at-home-with-kevin-mcnab\/","title":{"rendered":"Training at home with Kevin McNab"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"101_0758\"Story & Photos by Shannan Makauskas<\/h3>\n

As I drive into the Kelecyn Equestrian Centre I\u2019m not blinded by huge signage declaring its name and the many achievements of talented riders within it, instead I\u2019m guided by neat, white post and rail fencing with mares and foals grazing quietly in the paddock beside it. Like the property itself, I\u2019m soon to find, Kevin McNab and his dedicated team of riders prove simple methods and hard work pay off. <\/strong><\/p>\n

At only two years of age Kevin begged his parents for his first pony. Len and Cynthia McNab willingly bought him one. They have proudly supported all their kids fleeting interests ranging from motor cross to ballet. Kevin, now 31, decided to stick with horse riding. He confirms, \u201cI never wanted to do anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, every decision he\u2019s made reflects his lifelong passion. Even his choice of school, Kooralbyn International, was chosen because they were the only one with an equestrian team. There is a strong sense of family at the property. Whether it\u2019s the camaraderie between the riders, pupils, Kevin, Cynthia and his brother, who all live in the one house – or the name given to the Kelecyn team; \u2018ke\u2019 stands for Kevin, \u2018le\u2019 stands for his father Len and \u2018cyn\u2019 for his mother Cynthia. Whatever you attribute it to, one thing is certain, they are a team in every way.\"101_0878\"<\/p>\n

The Kelecyn Team<\/em><\/p>\n

Situated on 50 acres in Tamborine with around 55 horses (no one\u2019s exactly sure how many there are because it changes every day) they manage to keep things running smoothly as well as improving the facilities.<\/p>\n

Kevin says, \u201cIt took us a while after EI to get things back up to speed but we\u2019ve been adding to the cross country course over the last couple of years, built sand and grass arenas, a sand showjumping arena, a horse swim and we\u2019re always planting the gardens up.\u201d All the workers, Kevin included, don\u2019t waste any time in taking up the reins of a horse or the steering wheel of a heavy piece of machinery.<\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s day begins at around 6.30 am, depending on the weather, usually with riding one of the 45 horses in full work here. Today Kevin starts with a cross country lesson to prepare one of his many talented students, Amy Abrahams, for their first competition of the year at Sydney\u2019s Horsley Park. Although 16 year old Amy didn\u2019t start riding till she was 11 she already exhibits the successful hallmarks of Kevin\u2019s training: a natural balance, soft hands and a calm disposition that gives her a quiet confidence over any cross country fence Kevin puts in front of her.<\/p>\n

\"101_0647\"<\/p>\n

Amy Abrahams and Switch<\/em><\/p>\n

Amy\u2019s father, Mike, has ensured her success by putting her aboard the 12 year old bay gelding, Switch. Formerly owned by Heelan Tomkins in New Zealand, Switch was purchased by Kevin and brought over to Australia. Amy and Switch are beginning pre-novice this year and will certainly be a combination to watch on the eventing circuit. Then it\u2019s on to Gameplay, Kevin\u2019s World Cup hopeful. Oscar, as he is affectionately known, works on his dressage with Kevin four to five times a week as well as one day of jumping and fitness training. He begins on a long rein in walk, stretching and warming up. After 20 minutes of light work he progresses seamlessly into half pass left and right, counter canter, flying changes and working pirouettes.<\/p>\n

Kevin uses a lot of flexing, leg yields, shoulder fore and transitions between collected and extended paces. Always keeping the horse in total concentration of what he\u2019s going to ask next. There\u2019s never a moment of pressure or anxiety, just a picture of perfect harmony. Kevin plans to compete Gameplay lightly this year, \u201cI\u2019ll aim him at the Adelaide four star but I\u2019m going to concentrate on doing lots of showjumping and dressage. I\u2019m planning a pretty cruisey year for him and if everything goes to plan we\u2019ll go to America in 2010.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time, only one World Cup qualifier will be run in each of nine countries. Previously, Australia\u2019s two qualifiers were held at Melbourne and Warwick but this year will see all the action unfolding in Sydney. Kevin says, \u201cIt\u2019ll make a difference only having one qualifier but in some ways it\u2019ll be better this year because they won\u2019t be running it against a CIC three star which is how they\u2019ve done it in the past.\u201d\"101_0733\"<\/p>\n

Kevin and Gameplay<\/em><\/p>\n

This will no doubt allow Kevin to concentrate more on his ride with Gameplay as the usual competition sees a round-up of fifteen horses from the Kelecyn team spread throughout the classes. Kevin is hoping to represent Australia for a second time, \u201cIt puts a lot of financial strain on the business but you get to a point in your career when you say I\u2019m going to take the next step and compete overseas. Otherwise you just stay where you\u2019re at and nothing changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a team of six riders and working pupils they always manage to keep Kevin on schedule. Even putting the horses into their paddocks has become a quick task by towing them off a four wheeler. Kevin says, \u201cThe property\u2019s come a long way since I moved here five years ago. Back then we had to get water by bucketing it out of the dam and leading the horses to their paddocks. Which, when you live on 50 acres, makes for long days. When it rained all the laneways would be a foot deep in mud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s next ride, Khan, is a beautifully put together nine year old Thoroughbred owned by Gendy Parry-Okeden. Khan will be beginning one star this year and judging by his lovely outline and scope over a jump it won\u2019t take him long to move up the ranks. They begin with some light flatwork to warm up and then it\u2019s over to the cross country course for a refresher before next weekend\u2019s competition. Kevin says, \u201cI usually put them through the cross country once a week but sometimes more in the lead up to a competition. It\u2019s good for keeping their confidence up. Khan sometimes gets a little sticky with the water but it\u2019s just a matter of keeping him used to it.\u201d\"101_0762\"<\/p>\n

Kevin and Khan<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s back to the arena for his next two rides. Kelecyn Divergence is a six year old chestnut gelding with 30 owners behind him and an eventing career boasting four wins and a third from five starts. Kwin, a 12 year old thoroughbred owned by the Oppermann family is another one star horse Kevin will be campaigning this year.<\/p>\n

Last year Kevin had five three star horses to choose from but the sale of Stiff Drinks to England and Major James to a local buyer has left him with a large group of pre-novice and one star horses. Kevin\u2019s other three star mounts, Kinnordy Galera and Belcam Caesar, are not in full work. He may be selling horses to clients all over the world but he assures me he will always live in Queensland.<\/p>\n

At 16 years of age Kevin first cast his eyes over The Horse Magazine and noticed a lack of Queensland eventing riders making it onto the pages. He then decided to base himself in south-east Queensland. This decision has remained unaltered despite assurances from fellow competitors in New South Wales and Victoria saying he won\u2019t get the support or facilities he needs to make it\u2026 Not to mention the very generous offers made by the NSW State Squad.<\/p>\n

Kevin says, \u201cIf we don\u2019t have top eventing riders choosing to stay in Queensland then nothing will change. I\u2019m going to stay here and hopefully I can get a few more riders to do the same. Ideally I\u2019d like four top riders all at Kelecyn with their own clients and horses. It\u2019s more fun and beneficial if you all work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s well on the way to achieving that goal with his first student turned professional trainer to base at Kelecyn, Emma Dougall. She started working at Kevin\u2019s in 2005 and now, after being a working pupil for three years, Emma is forming her own list of clientele. Kevin talks about her like a proud parent and thinks it will make the transition into starting her own business easier if she doesn\u2019t have to worry about building her own facilities. \u201cEmma\u2019s been a very successful rider and she\u2019s won a lot of classes, particularly when Dot.com was at his best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"101_0778\"Emma\u2019s up and coming star, who she hopes will continue the success of Dot.com, is the athletic dapple grey Axle. He\u2019s a five year old gelding bought by Kevin as a two year old. But it certainly wasn\u2019t love at first sight for Emma. Kevin broke Axle in and rode him for a week which gave him plenty of time to showcase his bucking abilities. It therefore took a lot of convincing on Kevin\u2019s behalf to get Emma to ride the horse.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a decision he now regrets: \u201cI told her not to get attached to him because he\u2019s mine and she\u2019s never having him.\u201d Before you know it she\u2019d fallen head over heels for Axle and started dropping hints as to who should own the horse. The least subtle of which involved Kevin finding her contact name in his phone changed to \u2018Axle\u2019s owner\u2019. After two years Kevin reluctantly accepted Emma\u2019s proposal to trade Axle for Gameplay.\"101_0828\"<\/p>\n

Emma Dougall and Axle<\/em><\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s next two rides are both by Vivant and out of his beloved broodmare Taj Mirage. It was the grey mare who first took Kevin into the limelight on the eventing stage\u2026 When I ask after Taj\u2019s foal that was to be due this year, Kevin\u2019s face, once animated, immediately drops. \u201cWe don\u2019t talk about that anymore. We lost her and the foal a couple of weeks ago.\u201d Her first two babies now hold a special place in Kevin\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n

Although three year old Tia and four year old Celeste are small and not Kevin\u2019s usual lean, mean, cross country machines they are of sentimental value to the trainer, \u201cI\u2019ll keep them both just for fun and mucking around on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair of them seem unrelated in both appearance and temperament. Celeste is a petite grey who Kevin fondly remembers didn\u2019t like to do what she was told from the beginning: \u201cShe wouldn\u2019t even follow her own mother. We had to move them to another paddock and as soon as we got them out Celeste just turned and went the other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tia on the other hand is as solid as they come and after only two rides under saddle was jumping her first cross, \u201cI don\u2019t think I even needed to break Tia in, I could\u2019ve just jumped on her in the paddock and she wouldn\u2019t have minded.\u201d<\/p>\n

The day\u2019s not over for Kevin who, after entertaining me, is off to give some more lessons. I\u2019m left with the impression he cares just as much about his student\u2019s success as he does his own: \u201cMy main goal is to not only keep producing horses at the top level but to train riders who will go on to be professionals and help me grow the sport in Queensland. Fingers crossed I\u2019ll be in with a chance on Gameplay at Kentucky and London.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"chestnut\"<\/p>\n

Kevin and Kelecyn Divergence<\/em><\/p>\n

The whole Kelecyn team sits down to a beautifully prepared lunch, thanks to Cynthia, and after she fondly goes through the family album I question Kevin about his riding tactics:<\/p>\n

You seem to take a very straightforward approach to your training…<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWith dressage, showjumping and cross country I like to keep things simple. Even if it takes longer I don\u2019t like to pressure them so that they still enjoy their work. That way they\u2019ll try a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you train them to showjump clean? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they knock a rail I\u2019ll bring them around to jump it again until they do it clean. Sometimes I\u2019ll move the ground rail out to stop them coming in too deep. But if they\u2019ve tried hard and didn\u2019t knock it because they weren\u2019t concentrating or being slack then I\u2019ll just go onto the next jump.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if it\u2019s a refusal… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe key to stopping a horse from refusing is not getting them in the situation where they\u2019ll refuse in the first place. You need to gradually build their confidence up and only jump them at a height they\u2019re comfortable with \u2018til you think you can expand on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you think of the \u2018Express Eventing\u2019 concept? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a great idea and it would be awesome if someone picked it up and ran with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your most memorable moment… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe World Cup final in France last year. It was a great event, I didn\u2019t have a good run but it was fun. It was an amazing experience getting to travel plus the food and wine were good. I went for three weeks. First in London and then when we were in France all the competitors were put up in a five star hotel which was a nice change from camping in the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most influential person… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTony Manca. He\u2019s been my coach for around 14 years. He\u2019s also been a good friend and somebody who\u2019s been to the top level himself so he\u2019s been able to guide me well through the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coaching has always been a passion for you… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love most about teaching is when you\u2019re able to see your pupils improve regardless of what level they\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve already trained some of Queensland\u2019s top eventing riders… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAll my students are talented and dedicated to their sport. A couple that stand out though are Emma Dougall and Jonathan Paget. Chris Burton was another successful rider but he only stayed with me for 12 months. He was my first working pupil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any fond memories of teaching these riders… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember Jock\u2019s (Jonathan Paget\u2019s nickname, although no one knows how he got it) first three star at Melbourne. He\u2019d taken a horse from scratch to three star in only 24 months. We were walking the cross country course together and Jock\u2019s eyes nearly fell out of his head! I told him, \u2018Just make sure you ride him all the way home\u2019. So he cleared the course until he flipped him over the fourth last. The rule is that if your horse\u2019s shoulder touches the ground then you have to pull up. But he wasn\u2019t sure if he had so he finished the course. Jock was met by the ground jury at the finish line with mud all the way up the horse\u2019s shoulder. When we asked him why he didn\u2019t stop after the flip he said, \u2018Kevin told me to ride him all the way home\u2019.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared in the May 2009 issue of THM.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shannan Makauskas visited Kevin McNab at home at the Kelecyn Equestrian Centre…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1571,1244,1570,428],"class_list":["post-28190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eventing","tag-emma-dougall","tag-eventing","tag-kelecyn","tag-kevin-mcnab"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28190"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32435,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28190\/revisions\/32435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}