Jeremy Steinberg

The man charged with developing America's future equestrian talent will be sharing his knowledge with New Zealand riders, coaches and judges at Manfeild Stadium next month.

There will be four attention-grabbing days of dressage activity at Manfeild from Thursday August 25 to Sunday August 28, organised by Dressage New Zealand in association with Massey University and the FEI, the international equestrian body.

Top guest Jeremy Steinberg (www.jeremysteinbergdressage.com), the youth coach for the United States Equestrian Federation, will present throughout to offer his expertise to a wide-ranging audience of equestrians.

This is the third such forum at Manfeild Park since 2008 and continues the trend of involving leading international experts, Manfeild Park chief executive Heather Verry noted.

"The Forum has in a few short years become a major equestrian development event, nationally and internationally, in its own right and reinforces how important our premier venue is to the equestrian scene.

"It also serves as a reminder of how significant the region is becoming for the development of horse-riding talent, due to the combination of our international facilities and the specialist skills offered by Massey.

"Manfeild's key role in this high performance sport was cemented last year when Dressage New Zealand became a partner in the Manfeild Stadium development.

"Their commitment to our venue becoming central to their sport has already been evidenced twice this year, with the NZ Pony and Young Riders Championships in January and the even larger Bates New Zealand Dressage Nationals in March," she said.

Mr Steinberg, of Kirkland, Washington, was a 1996 North American Junior/Young Rider gold medalist and later competed at Grand Prix international levels, including the United States League Finals for the World Cup.

His passion for motivating the next generation of riders has driven Dressage New Zealand to offer a first ever Youth Equestrian Forum on August 25, beginning at 1pm.

Dressage sport manager Wendy Hamerton has invited North Island secondary schools, pony clubs and youth riders to 21 years' age, and their associated coaches, to this free-of-charge session.

Youth Forum attendees will be treated to demonstration rides by the Dressage NZ Young Rider Squad, and a short display of the sport at its highest level, Grand Prix.

Youth Forum subjects include goal-setting, code of conduct and welfare of a horse, the importance of learning correct and quality training practices, correct riding positions and, in conclusion, a question and answer session.

Mr Steinberg's involvement is a huge bonus, Mrs Hamerton says. As in New Zealand, the USEF Youth Dressage Programmes are seen as a critical link in the pipeline for development of future US team riders.

"The National Youth Coach needs to help develop the next generation of riders, trainers, teachers, and knowledgeable supporters to ensure that dressage sport flourishes," Mr Steinberg said in a recent interview.

"The youth riders are our future, whether it's at international level competitors or local horse trainers."

August 26 brings a selection trial for riders seeking to be considered for NZ team of four for an Olympic Games qualifier in Sydney on October 28. Two team places for the 2012 Games in London, England, are available. NZ will compete against Japan, Australia and South Africa.

The weekend itself will host the FEI Regional Dressage Forum, where again Mr Steinberg will be a key presenter, offering training advice for all levels up to Grand Prix.

Other international guests at the FEI Regional Dressage Forum include Trond Asmyr, the FEI Dressage Director from Switzerland who was also at the 2009 event, and Australian Susie Hoovenaars, a newly appointed FEI Level 5 judge. She is qualified to judge at Olympic Games and World Championships.

"Their presentations will help us bridge the geographical gap between the development of the sport in this region and the international European hub and give an overview of our region's statusin the global dressage community," Mrs Hamerton said.

Massey University will lead sessions using both local and international expertise and will focus on hoof balance and shoeing, problems and corrective actions, anatomy and preventative care of the lower limbs, equine physio and veterinary management. These sessions involve Dr Willem Back of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Dr Chris Rogers from Massey and Dr Debbie Prattley.

Sourced from: http://www.voxy.co.nz/sport/us-equestrian-great-manfeild/5/95427