The Master showman, Vince Corvi, at work teaching
VINCE CORVI
Why do Australians have to lop the heads from their tall poppies? In any other country in the world, a man like Vince Corvi would be a national treasure. A consummate horseman, a renowned showman, and, a superb teacher of riders!
Sadly for the wider equestrian world, most of Vince’s teaching talents seem to be confined to the hack world and there he has produced a succession of wonderful riders. Judy White, Mary Williams, Roy Davis, Vicky Lawrie, Juanita Carr, Peter Weston, Gay Erickson and Terry Cowan. Certainly Vince was a hard taskmaster. Vicky Lawrie remembers riding in pairs with Roy Davis (and perhaps not quite so seriously in the ‘consolation’ events as they might) when Vince rode over with the stern admonition: “If you don’t intend riding properly – leave the arena… ”
There is nothing ‘new’ in the Corvi equestrian philosophy, just the tried and tested lessons of a lifetime spent with horses. Here’s just a taste of what was on offer…
“If you ride the green horse straight too long, he’ll end up crooked. If you bend the green horse he’ll end up straight.”
“Never kick a horse when his head is in the air – he must be down before you send him forward.”
“Widen your chest, open your shoulders, let your hip burst forward in rising trot more…”
“Don’t make your horse a criminal, don’t let him do things wrong all the time. You musn’t make the aids stronger and stronger or the horse becomes a criminal. Give him one good rap.”
“Put your right thumb in your left hand, that way you can’t bounce two of them at once. Now do your hands feels stiller? Use it as an exercise every time you feel your hands are unbalanced.”
“Concentrate every movement on the purity not the pace. Start every movement round. Circles must be round, perfectly round.”
Beaten by the pupil. Gary Beaton wins Champion Galloway on Occasion at Melbourne 1983 – Vince and Mirani settle for Reserve.
“You have shouting aids, whisper, whisper with your aids. Your horse is too smart, he shouts back at you. Your horse, he just becomes dull to the aids.”
“Start little in the trot, and build the trot slowly.”
“If one hip collapses, swing one leg then the other from the hip, and put your seat bones in an equal position.”
“When the rider is sitting right he must be awarded long stirrups.”
“Even when you are leaving an arena after a lesson, you must be looking great. When you are on a horse you see nothing but him, especially at a show, and remember you are always on show.”
This article first appeared in the April 1989 issue of THM.
Vince touched almost every rider
Vince had many sides of witch a lot never saw I was very lucky as I spent so much time with him and the crew at Marburg,from doing stables, to grooming,riding & working with Vince with the Hackneys, and all the time we would talk about anything & everything, I remember having my 21st up there,I was taken to a show we did very well but Vince wasn’t in a hurry to get home witch was strange but by the time we got there Mrs Corvi had a party all put together I couldn’t believe it they tried to get me drunk and they did but we all had fun,but the next day it was back to work even with a big head Vince just laughed & out came with the jokes but that stays in house like everything else and I loved every minute up there with the nicest person and man I have ever known,a true friend