Young equestrian talent unearthed

To say that Matahiwi riding instructor Kate Klingender keeps herself busy would be a gross understatement .
Not only does she prepare her own horses for dressage competitions but she tutors in three different centres, Wairarapa, Paraparumu and Hawke's Bay.
And judging by results at last weekend's Wairarapa A and P Show at Clareville she has helped unearth some highly promising talent in the local region.
Featuring prominently on the prize list were Henry Booth, Ashleigh McIntyre, Charlie Booth, Ella Hume and Nikita Lamb,aged between 5yrs and 12yrs and all members of the Klingender training group
"Most of them are still relatively new to competitions and they coped really well," she said. "The pressure didn't seem to worry them at all."
Klingender said much of the training for riders of such a young age was done on an individual basis.
"When you have both a rider and a pony involved it's much more sensible to work on a one on one basis," she said. "For starters every pony has a different personality and you need to know what works for them and what doesn't."
As to her own dressage horses, Klingender has high hopes for Adler who has just earned the right to compete at international level and is part of a national training squad.
For Klingender the 2010 world dressage championships in Kentucky is a realistic objective for Adler and his programme is being aimed specifically with that in mind.