When we put up our story on one new face in the Aussie team, Alexis Hellyer, there was a comment, great story, can we have one on Shannan Goodwin.
Shannan is one of the non-traveling reserves for the WEG team, although there are plenty of people who think she deserves to be in the team – and would have been if the selectors had followed their own guidelines. Actually we’d already done a profile of Shannan when we were lucky enough to sit in on the Debbie McDonald Master Class at QSEC. Here it is – and is you haven’t read the Debbie McDonald story, here is the link, it’s super reading.
Shannan and Debbie – an inspiring performance at the QSEC Masterclass
Shannan Goodwin and her horse Aristede were called in at the last minute at the Debbie McDonald Masterclass at QSEC last when one combination pulled out. It was fortunate, because this combination really inspired the teacher.
Shannan tells us, “It was lucky, I almost went home at lunch time!”
Her bay gelding is by Aachimedes, but unfortunately for Shannan, his hind end looks – and works – are a lot like his dam sire, Lander – an old fashioned, out behind, Holsteiner…
“He’s my first dressage horse. I bought him as a breaker and I’ve brought him through since them.”
That all sounds quite simple, but not many people start out on their first dressage horse and end up taking it to Grand Prix…
“No, it’s his work ethic and trainability, and I guess I’ve had good coaching on the way from Melissa van der Berge. She picked him up about two and a half years ago when he was competing Advanced and they clicked completely. He struggles with his hindlegs, they are a bit out the back, which is how he is built, he is built croup high. He just found a way to engage as best he could and soared through to the higher levels, it was quite effortless.”
Debbie was quite moved that you had taken a horse with less than perfect conformation, and still got to Grand Prix…
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
How did you find Debbie’s coaching?
“I loved working with a trainer who takes what you’ve got and works on it, then you can replicate that at home. Sometimes trainers want to change so much of what you are doing that you can’t replicate it, and you get a bit lost. Debbie was so clear about little exercises that just brought his shoulder up and allowed him to engage. That’s the 5% more that he’ll work on for two months and get stronger, then the next step is to get the other 5%. That’s my style of training to build those increments as he gets stronger and he gives me what he can.”
Who helps you day to day?
“Melissa van der Berge.”
But don’t you live in NSW and she lives in Queensland?
“Yes, but she comes to me once a fortnight and does a clinic at my property, and I get up to her and Tor when I can, and have weekends up there.”
And you have a life away from horses…
“Yes, I’m a child psychologist. I also have a dressage stable and I teach most weekends. I spend a lot of my day before work riding but that’s nice riding, it’s not all psychology.”
Child psychology might be a useful skill set for dealing with the Dressage Divas…
“It definitely helps when I’m teaching dressage to have that psychology background.”
What lies in the future for you and your horse?
“I just took him to Sydney for the CDI – that was the dream to ride the Freestyle at SIEC. That was a real kick for me. (Shannan is being too modest, she and Aristede finished 6th in the Grand Prix, in front of some famous names) Now it is just a matter of keep going. I realise now just how many intricacies there are, and that’s what I’m loving at the moment, the fine details, improving each transition. I’m just going to keep doing that because I realise how much it is improving me as a rider – every day I get to sit on a Grand Prix horse.”
In fact, at the end of the selection series for the WEG in Tryon, Shannan had the highest score – 70.5%, of all the contenders. Yet she did not make the team… Anyway, back to that training session with Debbie.
I thought one of the things about Debbie was not only how accurate and sharp she was, but how warm…
“Wasn’t she lovely? Just the most encouraging woman. I really thrive on that positive motivation. If someone has that kind heart to your horse, it is so motivating.”
It came as no surprise that Debbie’s message was simple – “the reaction to the leg is everything. The ability to collect a horse from the seat and leg, not the hand, is quite an art. This horse has a nice piaffe, the passage is harder for him but I think we can work on that, but first we’ll do a bit of canter work – the zig zag.”
“Get a little more collection, get him a little more uphill, and get him straight for a beautiful change…”
And the twos?
“Sit straight, keep the bounce, look at the letter between his ears…”
Now Shannan is playing with the ones on the long side.
“Good changes, your changes get better when you don’t have to move your leg so far.”
Let’s try the piaffe and passage:
“Establish a really good trot, first I want him to shorten in a good forward way, with the balance more uphill. If he gets too hangy then a couple of steps of medium. Always think forward to passage, think leg before hand. Weight back a little more, let him think creep – good job Sweetie.”
“It has to be clear in the horse’s head that passage is just a trot, just a trot, just a trot. If they start to think it is a trick, that’s when they worry.”
“In the piaffe, make a little pirouette, that makes the horse think about going somewhere. Help him with the whip, especially coming into the piaffe, don’t wait until it gets slow, help the first step.”
Debbie was really impressed that Shannan had been able to turn her duckling into a Grand Prix Swan. “Look at him – really?? But he is a Grand Prix horse, someone has taken the time and preserved the brain, and he is a happy horse.”
“Oh yeah, half passes.” And forget that Debbie is on her fourth training session in a very long and demanding day, she says it with real enthusiasm.
“Half pass to the wall, now shoulder fore, that’s good for him. Take what you get with the movement and make it the best you can.”
The pair finish with style: passage / piaffe / passage. “GOOD GIRL! Praise the heck out of him, you have to love and appreciate a horse like this.”
Shannan also took part in the years’ Carl Hester Masterclass at QSEC – read the story.
And in another twist in Shannan’s story, her godmother worked with Carl Hester when he had his first job. When Carl left the Isle of Sark as a nineteen-year-old, he worked at the Fortune Centre in Hampshire. The Centre worked with adults with learning and physical disabilities and Shannan’s godmother also worked there at the time. Shannan’s very proud godmother was there a QSEC this year to see Shannan ride in the Masterclass this year, and catch up with Carl.
