Will Rogers

Tuesday 19 September 2023 at QSEC – One on One Students

 

Your Business / Organization Name

Silver Sky Equine

Your Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083332112831

Your Instagram Page

@skyeanneli

Tell us about you

Passionate about horses from a young age, Skye grew up in Queensland and competed at interschool events and also showed extensively in both hacking and dressage.

A five-year stint on the Gold Coast followed, working for the Australian Outback Spectacular as a trick rider/stock person while studying to be a school teacher. Once qualified, it was on to the small mining town of Tom Price in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where Skye taught for three years. Although it was a long way from the bright lights of the Australian equestrian scene, she still found a way to work with horses: After school Skye would give kids riding lessons and also started a few horses for people. I competed in hacking, campdrafting and dressage, even though she had to drive 400km to get to some competitions!

The time came when overseas travel to further her equine knowledge became a top priority, and so Skye travelled to North America. She wanted to learn as much as I could from different trainers, so she packed up and moved overseas.

The journey started in Canada working for a chuck-wagon driver, where Calgary Stampede was a highlight. Skye then worked for good friends as a wrangler in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, about three hours northwest of Calgary. In October 2016 she arrived at Dan and Elizabeth James’ farm in Lexington, Kentucky; the plan was to spend a few weeks learning from the team, however, a job offer was too good to refuse!

Passionate about horses from a young age, Skye grew up in Queensland and competed at interschool events and also showed extensively in both hacking and dressage.

A five-year stint on the Gold Coast followed, working for the Australian Outback Spectacular as a trick rider/stock person while studying to be a school teacher. Once qualified, it was on to the small mining town of Tom Price in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where Skye taught for three years. Although it was a long way from the bright lights of the Australian equestrian scene, she still found a way to work with horses: After school Skye would give kids riding lessons and also started a few horses for people. I competed in hacking, campdrafting and dressage, even though she had to drive 400km to get to some competitions!

The time came when overseas travel to further her equine knowledge became a top priority, and so Skye travelled to North America. She wanted to learn as much as I could from different trainers, so she packed up and moved overseas.

The journey started in Canada working for a chuck-wagon driver, where Calgary Stampede was a highlight. Skye then worked for good friends as a wrangler in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, about three hours northwest of Calgary. In October 2016 she arrived at Dan and Elizabeth James’ farm in Lexington, Kentucky; the plan was to spend a few weeks learning from the team, however, a job offer was too good to refuse!

Over the three years she spent working for Dan and Elizabeth, Skye was fortunate enough to participate in clinics and lessons on the property with some other world-renowned trainers from various disciplines, including Clayton Fredericks, Brett Parbery, Craig Johnson, Vicki Wilson and Josh Lyons. Skye travelled extensively throughout the USA assisting Dan with clinics, expos and performances. At his home base she was an assistant trainer, and in 2018 she travelled as Dan’s groom to Tryon, North Carolina, for the World Equestrian Games where he competed as part of the Australian reining team.

While in the US, Skye took part in the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover. Partnered with Sacred Promise, aka ‘Brumby’, Skye had six months to transform the OTT into a horse that could perform not only in the dressage arena, but also tackle the ‘freestyle’ – a test that involved a range of diverse skills. Skye’s performance included liberty work from a quad bike, obstacles, whip-cracking, the Spanish walk, the lay-down and Brumby sitting on a bean bag. Her hard work paid off — Brumby won the dressage and placed fourth in the freestyle event from a field of over 100 competitors.

 In 2019, it was time to return to Australia. When she first got back, she stayed with Dan and Pia Steers for eight weeks and helped them prepare horses for the Landmark Sale (now the Nutrien Sale). She then came back home to Queensland and has been building her own business, Silver Skye Equine, ever since. Skye is currently based at Canungra, 40 minutes from the Gold Coast and with the use of fantastic facilities.

A large part of her business is retraining horses for International Thoroughbred Retirement (ITR), a program run by Amy Taylor and funded by trainers and owners that brings retired racehorses back from Hong Kong to Australia.

Skye enjoys competing in both dressage and western events, and also takes on clients’ horses for training and offers clinics with a particular focus on liberty work. Her next goal is to establish a liberty program, including clinics and lessons, and eventually I want to run mini competitions. I really feel like that’s my niche and I’ve got a really good team behind me that wants to see this liberty program grow.

Tell us about your horse

https://www.tiktok.com/@skyeanneli/video/7175298912029314305?_t=8fGkxPjLjph&_r=1

This video is the beginning of our story. I was invited to compete in Way of the Horse at Equitana last year in November. I then purchased her during the competition, I had her trucked up to QLD in December. Since then we have been slowly ticking away at our liberty and ridden work. She is a 4yo Connemara x Clydie. Maya has changed my life forever.

What makes Will appealing to you as a coach?

I love his softness and love for the horse. In every video you can see confident horses with a soft eye. I feel like we have similar backgrounds ( from travelling, learning from others across multiple disciplines and a love of liberty and dressage). His concepts and the way he teaches is very easy to follow. I’m constantly trying to better myself everyday and feel like Will is the perfect person to help me take the next steps with Maya in her liberty journey.

What topics would you like to cover with Will?

Liberty- Anything and everything to help Maya and I in our partnership.

Video File Link 

https://www.tiktok.com/@skyeanneli/video/7274540162409925890?_r=1&_t=8fNTZHC3j6I

Your Business / Organization Name

Ash Barnett – Your own Ethos

Your Facebook Page

ash barnett

Your Instagram Page

ashbarnett55

Tell us about you

I have always had horses apart of my life. i truely believe horses make apart of my identity. I have tried my hand at almost all horse disciplines, from challenges, dressage, eventing, showjumping, camp drafting but my true passion is liberty. i have been lucky enough to win Equitana’s first liberty competition in 2022. I break and train horses for selected clients. I pride myself on adapting my program to suit the horse rather than asking the horse to change to the program.

Tell us about your horse

I have 2 horses in the team currently and in the process of introducing a third horse to the team. Both horses have solid liberty foundations alone and are working well as a team. The third mare is also becoming more confident and finding her way in the team. She is a brilliant horse under saddle.

Chilla is unique, he is a 10 year old Warmblood x quarter horse. Chilla is home bred gelding that lost his left eye in a paddock accent. He is the most educated and trained of the two horses. He is very willing and eager to ease. Chilla is seasoned in the movie world featuring is a new Australian movie. Chilla is becoming well rounded and more relaxed at his bridle-less work at shows.

Spider is a 6 yo Quarter horse. He has been apart of the team for the past year and a half. He is a very level headed willing horse.

Daphne is Chilla’s mum and 14yo. Strong ridden foundations, becoming more confident at liberty.

What makes Will appealing to you as a coach?

I have always been captivated by the artistry and grace that can be achieved through liberty training. Witnessing the seamless communication and harmonious partnership between horse and trainer is truly awe-inspiring, and I want to acquire the skills necessary to establish such a profound connection that is truely evident with Will and his magical team. I really believe that learning from from Will who is an exceptional liberty horse trainer will not only enhance my horsemanship abilities, but i also believe i will achieve personal growth and improve self-discipline. The opportunity to work closely with someone who possesses a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a deep understanding of equine psychology is invaluable

What topics would you like to cover with Will?

I would love to learn more about connecting with a team, improving and creating a space where every horse feels valued and has the confidence in all environments. I would love to really hone in the horse and human psychology. Being the horseman that my horse needs for them to reach their potential and improve their trust and increase there confidence in them selves and what i ask them to do.

Video File Link 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/nb2ftgi5wup3spx4xyxgh/h?rlkey=lznuoam2utqp1twz21ihq0zmu&dl=0

Your Business / Organization Name

PVS Training & Equine Services

Your Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/pvstraining

Your Instagram Page

@pamela_dressage_pvstraining

Tell us about you

I own and manage an equestrian centre in the Whitsundays. I compete, train and coach in the discipline of Dressage but ultimately I would like to be known as an all round ‘horse woman’ who has an empathic approach to understanding and guiding the horse through its journey with their rider, whether that be geared towards competitive dressage or general pleasure riding or anything in between. Equally being able to impart my knowledge onto the riders is imperative.

I have ridden all my life but since an adult, i’ve backed, trained and ridden numerous horses to FEI (Inter 11) and have been a member of the QLD State Dressage Squad on a couple of occasions. I compete locally and also throughout QLD and into NSW.

I currently have a broad range of dressage horses (with varying abilities) that I am bringing through. FEI, Advance, Novice (5yr) and Prelim  (4yr).

I have am coached by 2 wonderful people (Kim Weston & Jacqui van Montfrans) who add value to my riding in different but similar ways.

I also have attended a few clinics run by David Stuart who is an all round wonderful human and offers so much knowledge in horsemanship. I thoroughly enjoy learning.

I am married with 2 beautiful children (4yrs and 2yrs) who have changed my outlook on life to become more balanced, with less tunnel vision focus on solely being a competitive dressage rider at ‘all costs’. Ultimately I would like to rider, train and compete overseas with the ambition of riding for Australia if the opportunity arose.

Tell us about your horse

A) Why Waltz Hotshot – 10yr old bay warmblood gelding | Training PSG competing Medium/Advance.  I’ve owned Harry since he was a yearling and have also backed, trained and guided him to where he is today. This horse is really cool. He has a solid work ethic and is very powerful. He can work, work, work. I have had to learn not to ask too much of him even though he can offer a lot.

We have been a member of the QLD Regional Talent squad in 2019. He is quite heard dominant in a paddock and he also seems to be like this towards his handler at times. Nothing too big but I would like to understand him better to help him connect with me so he doesn’t see me as ‘work’. Harry is a clever horse and also very powerful.

I would love the opportunity to campaign this horse overseas in the near future. To be able to do this successfully I really feel like I need to understand more about how to have the horse trust me so that we can have ‘relaxed’ power and energy throughout our training and competitions.

B) Keepit Intrepid, rising 6yr old bay warmblood gelding (Dressage) | Solid in Prelim/Novice work and touching on more advanced lateral work and has started to play with flying changes.

I have owned ‘Trip’ since he was a weanling and have helped him develop as a horse both on the ground and under saddle.
This horse makes me very proud as he was/is a sensitive soul but also so sweet, kind and sensible. As a weanling he was very sensory aware. If I put my hand on the opposite side to where i was standing he was very unsure about where this feeling was coming from. This followed through to the initial preparing to back stages.

I would have to say this horse was the one who made me really re-adjust my thinking/approach to backing horses. I wanted to find a way that allowed him to stay relaxed during the process and didn’t want him to feel like he should be afraid of the saddle or eventually the rider.
He has taught me a lot from the ground. It took a while to complete his backing (I fell pregnant with my son) but also we had to learn together, but I wasn’t in a rush.I was so proud on the day that he allowed me to fully sit up on his back and not be afraid.

Trip is now in full dressage education and is super smart. He is coming along very quickly and picks the work up easily.
He hasn’t been out a lot (learning to juggle family life with competing) but I have had him at a few different venues. As he has mostly been ridden/trained in our indoor he does find being outdoors quite daunting.

I don’t have any expectations or timeline with my horses (especially the young ones). I mostly want them to enjoy the journey and for me to be able to bring out the best of what they can achieve. If it aligns with my competition ambitions, great, if not then it will still align with my self development goals and I will enjoy the process along the way.

C) Hugo PVS 15yr old, grey warmblood gelding | Training Intermediate 1 dressage.

I want my horses to have joy in their training and in their day to day life and surrounds.
I feel that I could of done better by this horse in his earlier years. Now that I am evolving as a rider/trainer/person I see that he lacks the trust in me and lacks confidence in himself when work gets difficult and also when he is away from his home environment.
I live by the saying “Once you know better, you should do better”. I know my horse need more support from me to show him how to enjoy our time together. I would love to increase my knowledge to offer this to him.
He is a little ‘pocket rocket’ but in all honesty I think he just doesn’t know what to do with all his feelings he has so he turns it into ‘flight energy’??

What makes Will appealing to you as a coach?

I love that he wants the horse to trust him/us and also trust themselves. His approach is calm and relaxed with patience. He reads the horses body language really well. I think that it is wonderful that he has worked and connected with other trainers, riders, professionals in his journey to evolve as a coach.

A horse is a horse no matter what training discipline you choose to ride. He appears to have an empathetic approach to working with and bringing out the best in the horse. Both for their mental wellbeing and also physical.

The connection and trust that he obtains with his horses is pure magic. A true lover and understander of the horse and I would hope to gain just a glimmer of his approach to evolve my journey with horses and dressage in particular.

What topics would you like to cover with Will?

Horse A

Heard and people dominance in horses

Relaxing/Coping in big environments for competitions

Positive tension for energy

Horse B

Anxiousness
Distraction
Relaxation during big atmospheres (coping)
Long term happy and willing competition athlete

Being a competitive dressage rider and a lover of bringing out the best in each and every horse I work with, I think I would thoroughly gain valuable insight into Wills approach for the competitive dressage horse.
Learning how to help horses cope with bigger atmospheres. To be able to give them confidence so I can ride overseas in big arenas or larger events.
Some horses are braver than others and display more confidence when out. I would really like to understand how to help the horses find confidence and trust in me but also how I can show them to be confident within themselves.

Horse C

Any of the mentioned would be advantageous:

Anxiousness
Coping with bigger atmospheres
Piaffe
Relaxation while introducing new work or increasing the degree of difficulty.

Being a competitive dressage rider and a lover of bringing out the best in each and every horse I work with, I think I would thoroughly gain valuable insight into Wills approach for the competitive dressage horse.
Learning how to help horses cope with bigger atmospheres. To be able to give them confidence so I can ride overseas in big arenas or larger events.

The horse in question is training FEI (Inter I) dressage and piaffe would be where Hugo gets a little unsure at the moment.
The connection between horse and riders and noticing the subtle ridden (or ground) cues that the horse gives us.
Creating a happy athlete that enjoys working with me.

Video File Link 

A) https://youtu.be/gYa4TiQc8Rc

B) https://youtu.be/JLg2KzM_7vw

C) https://youtu.be/_ZrtP3y8VUU

 

Your Business / Organization Name

N/A

Your Facebook Page

N/A

Your Instagram Page

N/A

Tell us about you

I am 31 years old with a passion for all things horses and horsemanship. My goal and intentions forever has been to learn and improve communication with horses.

I have started breaking-in horses under saddle to satisfy my desire to always be learning from horses and challenging myself. I have not had much to do with competing, but have performed with El Caballo Blanco travelling horse show for 8 months which sparked my interest for classical dressage.

Tell us about your horse

Misty is a 6 year old OTTT, previously known as Zamzara, by Red Element (AUS) out of Zamboni (AUS) , trained by Shaun Dwyer Jnr and previously owned by M P Sherrin, from the Sunshine Coast. We purchased her at the end of 2021. I intend to keep Misty and develop our skills and connection to perform high level dressage and liberty work with a classical flair

What makes Will appealing to you as a coach?

I love that Will comes from a place of seeking understanding. He achieves happy partnerships with his horses and is the proof that horses approve of his method of communicating! I’d love to learn this and fine-tune my intuitive ability to feel and communicate with horses on a deeper level, with absolute body awareness.

What topics would you like to cover with Will?

Misty is beautifully soft and elegant, but I have hit a roadblock with how I can be for her, to overcome the separation anxiety that she experiences away from her paddock mates and at outings. She is always super willing and wants to do what I ask but gets frazzled, tense and distracted. She is constantly calling out, chomping and chewing the bit, jig jogging and hates to stand still when out without her friends.

I would really like to be guided on how to become the leader that Misty feels safe with, without needing her friends nearby. The only way I have been dealing with it is just to keep going and riding or distracting her, but I don’t feel this is addressing the issue and we have not been able to overcome it thus far.

Video File Link 

https://youtu.be/37r0uaxarBY

Your Business / Organization Name

N/A

Your Facebook Page

LS Trickrider

Your Instagram Page

@Trickriderlexi2

Tell us about you

I have had many experiences in the equestrian community, so my dedication to the sport has also taught me the importance of hard work, perseverance, and sportsmanship, which are values that I would bring to any event. My work within different events and disciplines and my experience in training and competing with horses have given me a well-rounded understanding of the equestrian world. Additionally, I am committed to continuously improving my skills and knowledge. I have done many disciplines over my 10 years of riding, including one of the most extreme and dangerous disciplines of the equine sport. I have been lucky to be able to express my passion and bond both on and off the horse, as I have also learned the art of liberty, which allows me to have a stronger relationship with these amazing creatures. But when I am dressed in cowgirl boots and a hat, I can cut, box, and rope a cow. And with a quick gear change, it’s off to pretty it up in the show ring and compete in many events like jumping, dressage, pony club, show horse, hacking, and hunter. But then come my more extreme and unique sports, like trick riding from the age of 7 (the youngest trick rider on the HLS performance team), vaulting, or shooting arrows off them. Now at the age of 14, my diverse range of skills and experience in various disciplines of equine sports has allowed me to become a versatile rider.

Tell us about your horse

“…for there is no other feeling in the world to compare with it if one loves a horse. It gives a thrill that nothing else ever can. It cannot be put into words because words cannot express it.”

My horse storm is a 7-year-old rescued grey paint that we believe is an Irish sport horse. 2 years ago storm was pick up after being starved, that he was scare would be an understatement. now storm has a quirky personality and has come leaps and bounds. After being broken in at 6, storm has done many disciplines like cutting, jumping, dressage, trick riding and dabbled in liberty. Although storm has made so much progression, he still panics and switches off in new environments or new meeting people.

What makes Will appealing to you as a coach?

I admire the way Will Rogers trains as he is interacting with horses in an active, focused, and trustworthy manner that aids the horse to trust ultimately creating a bond with the horse. This is why I believe he would be so beneficial for storm who doesn’t trust many people because of bad experiences.

His perspective on a horse’s attunement is very open and uses the horses body language to help the horse feel in tune with the human. It employs constructive methods to assist the horse and the human in resolving issues rather than blaming it all on the horse. I also admire how he takes in the physical and emotional care of the horse in training and in an everyday environment. This is like his training method called response training in the way he tailors the program to suit each unique horse as an individual.

What topics would you like to cover with Will?

I would love Will to cover liberty movements and how to keep the horse engaged in liberty when out in larger scenarios like crowds or different places. I’d like to talk about liberty movements like flection and engagement, but also how to keep the horse interested in working under saddle when  out in more challenging situations, like crowds or other locations. Another thing I would like for Will to cover during the sessions is how he gets horses to stay engaged during dressage movements as it is so fascinating to watch Will’s horse Esmeralda just be so willing and engaged in every move. This would be so inspiring for equestrians to be able to enhance their own horse’s responsiveness and willingness.

Video File Link 

https://youtu.be/kjhZ31tRXp4

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