We had the opportunity to catch up with Missy Clark and one of her top students, Blake Rowan, just before USEF Talent Search Finals. Missy is the head trainer and owner of the prestigious North Run Stables (Warren, VT and Wellington, FL based), and also an NF+ instructor. They filled me in on their preparation for the event and what’s coming up for them this indoor season. We look forward to following along with Blake and Missy’s journey this fall through indoor finals! *Update: October 14th: North Run student JJ Torano and Favorite Edition Z won the Dover Saddlery USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final, and Blake Rowan laid down some stellar trips to place in the Top 25!*
Hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.
Megan: Missy and Blake, you’re one day out from USEF Talent Search in Gladstone, New Jersey–what does your preparation look like today? How have you prepared in the weeks leading up to the Finals?
Missy: Today everyone is pulling into Gladstone, and the weather is perfect so we are fortunate. We did a bit of jumping this morning, with some gymnastics-type exercises, and now everyone is just flatting around. The prep leading up to today has been more important–it’s a cumulative effort of all we’ve been doing throughout the year, beginning in Florida in January when the season starts. It’s a continuation of what we do in our lesson program and when we are practicing–it’s all very related, so it’s not like our students are our riders here are experiencing anything that’s brand new to them.
Megan: Blake, how are you feeling? What have you been busy doing since you arrived? And which horse are you riding in the Finals?
Photo credit: Kind Media
Blake: I’m really excited. I’ve been with North Run for about a year now, so this year is my first time doing all the big equitation finals. For these Finals, we’ve mostly been getting the horses in the ring, getting them acclimated with lots of flatwork and lessons. We have five horses with us for the Finals. The horse I’m riding is named Knew Age, and we call him Augie. He was a big jumper in Europe, and Berry Porter [Texas-based Brookside Pine Farms head trainer] has been extremely nice to let me use him for these Finals. He’s a very kind horse, and super brave and scopey, so I’m really excited to show him.
Since Medal Finals are indoors, we take a lot of flat lessons in our indoor [to prepare], and specifically for use at the Finals we do more gymnastics. Missy likes to set up old Medal Finals courses in the indoor and it’s really cool to practice on those!
Megan: Blake, there must be a lot of pressure heading into such a prestigious competition. What do you do to cope with nerves? And do you have things you do outside of riding to keep fit?
Blake: I actually don’t feel that nervous. I think taking care of the horses can take your mind off the nerves, and I mostly just get excited. As for fitness, I like going for runs and walking my dogs, but mostly just riding as much as possible, and riding lots of different horses. I usually ride 5 or 6 horses a day.
Megan: Missy, what techniques or factors are you anticipating the judges will be mindful of this year? Have you been thinking of those things in the context of your lesson plans leading up to the competitions?
Missy: It’s hard to predict exactly what the judges are going to be looking for, but you just try to cover all your bases leading up to these events. When you have great horse people sitting there judging you pretty much know what direction they might head in and hopefully you’ve covered all those bases ahead of time.
Megan: That makes a lot of sense. And from your perspective, has equitation and hunters judging changed over the years? And are there core values/methods you’ve stuck with over the years, despite any changes?
Missy: Yes, I think it has changed in a few respects. People think more outside the box than 20 years ago, when it was “leave out a stride, leave out a stride.” Now, in today’s world, you see the ability of riders to pace themselves in a way that matches the specific horse they are on that day, but also there are often questions about the ability of a rider to shorten their stride, which I don’t recall as much 20 years ago as I do today. I love the transition into that mindset, because that’s such an important component of riding: your ability to shorten and compress the stride is hugely important. For me and our North Run program, we have the mindset that we are aiming towards the jumper ring, so in my opinion equitation is not a separate sport, with a different mindset or preparation. Okay, you have the testing, but it’s all about good riding, and the ability to have adjustability in your horse whether it’s a hunter, a jumper, or an equitation horse at the end of the day.
Megan: On that subject, when teaching and training, how do you balance effective riding and “pretty” riding?
Missy: Of course you want a correct position, but I think each individual rider’s personal style is a component which sets each one of them apart. There are differences among top riders–Hunt Tosh, for instance, in the hunter arena, and Kate Conover–they are very correct in their positions. You watch the difference between Darragh Kenny (who used to work for us and join in on our equitation lessons years ago) and McLain Ward, and Rodrigo Pessoa–they have different styles but each is highly effective. Judges are more accepting of different styles, which has been a good trend.
Megan: Do you have any resources you recommend to your students when they’re not in the saddle–theory, books, exercises, etc.?
Missy: There are a lot of books, some written by Bertalan de Nemethy, and I know Bernie Traurig has done a lot of podcasts and social media posts that highlight some specific exercises. I’ve worked with Bernie a bit in the past and it’s been very helpful and fun for everybody. I think he has a great program.
There are so many resources that people can access on the internet. I think that watching the top riders in the world is invaluable, like [replays of] the Olympic Games–all of that is wonderful for any young rider, to watch those top people perform. If they are lucky enough to come to Florida, they can watch them in person, and even have the advantage of seeing them in the schooling area to watch them prep.
Photo credit: Kind Media
Megan: What methods do you use to help build a rider’s confidence before a big competition, especially in high-stakes situations like the Medal Finals?
Missy: Each individual rider is unique, but there’s no better tool to build confidence in any rider than getting in the show ring, and the more you get in the ring and have that mileage and experience, the more you gain confidence. Of course, not everybody is going to have a winning day, and everything may not always go according to plan. In those situations I always say “Well, you have two options: you can get stronger in those moments or you can get weaker.” Everyone has to deal with down times, or the times when things just don’t go right, and that’s not just a part of horses, it’s a part of life. I think you become stronger when you look at it as if it were a learning moment, a tool, and you walk away from a situation that isn’t the best performance and take it to the next performance and improve upon your errors. But you can’t be crushed by your errors–everybody makes mistakes.
Photo credit: Kind Media
Megan: That’s great advice for anyone. I’d like to pivot a bit now and talk more about Blake. How have you seen Blake grow as a rider? What are her standout qualities that make such a strong competitor?
Missy: Blake started with us just before we went to Florida in January, and she’s a wonderful student. She’s very willing to listen to a suggestion and then implement it in what she’s doing. She has a great mind for competing–she can keep her focus when she goes into the ring and she’s very adaptable in her ability to transition from one horse to the next. She has certainly developed in all those capacities since last January through to today. It’s been a fun journey with her, and I think it’s due to all those variables. First and foremost for any rider it’s your work ethic and your ability to try things in different ways when they are suggested. I have to put Blake in the A+ column in that department.
Megan: Looking beyond the Medal Finals, what are your long-term goals for Blake’s career, and how do you envision her continuing to develop as a rider?
Missy: I think Blake can do whatever she wants with her involvement in the horse world, because of all her qualities, and I think that she can go on to be a very good hunter rider, a very good teacher. I could see her getting more into the jumper ring where she doesn’t have as much mileage yet. I think Blake could do pretty much anything she wants to do in this sport as time goes on.
Megan: And Blake, what are your personal goals for the Medal Finals? And what’s happening over the next few months and the year ahead? Also, do you have any role models you look up to?
Blake: For the Medal Finals, I’m just hoping to be consistent, stay focused, stick to the plan, and breathe! And of course since it’s my last Junior Finals I want to do my best. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to show here at the Finals–I’ve never done them so I’m really excited and happy to get some experience. After Gladstone I’m headed to Harrisburg [for the Pennsylvania National Horse Show], and then the Maclay Medal Finals in Kentucky will be my last indoor of the year. I love Kentucky and it’s a beautiful horse show, so I’m really excited to get there.
After that, I’m committed to Oklahoma State’s Division 1 Equestrian Team. I deferred this semester to make traveling to the Finals easier, but then I’ll start college [this January 2025]. I’ll mostly be riding for the OSU team but I hope to also go back and forth between college and North Run for training. One of my other dreams is to start doing the jumpers.
Photo Credit: Andrew Ryback
I’m very inspired by the North Run team and I especially look up to Luke Jensen [professional rider on the NR team]–he’s such a hard worker on and off the horses, and so kind and successful, with great horsemanship, so he’s definitely one of my idols.
JJ Torano winning the Equitation Championship at Southhampton
Photo credit: Kind Media
Megan: Missy, are there any resources for riders who want to compete at this level, in competitions like the Medal Finals, but may not have the financial means?
Missy: I wish I had the recipe for that but I have to say you just have to keep moving forward, talking to people, seeing what opportunities might be out there. If you contact someone and they’re not available, go to the next one. You never want to give up.
Photo credit: Kind Media
Megan: And finally, you’ve built a huge name for yourself and North Run as one of the best equitation trainers in the world. What are the things you’d like to be remembered for (other than winning)?
Missy: I’m very proud of how many of our students have gone on to be professionals in the sport, and have also gone on to ride for their country, whether it’s the United States Equestrian Team–we’ve had many riders of the years compete with USET–but also Darragh [Kenny], from Ireland, and Tomi Yofre, who did his Nations Cup debut for Argentina while riding with us. Also Erynn Ballard, from Canada, who rode with us for a bunch of years. I’m so proud of Erynn and everything she’s accomplished in her career. I’m proud of all those people who’ve come across our doorstep over the years and I’m proud of the program.
Thanks so much to Missy and Blake for chatting with us!
If you’d like to get a deeper insight into Missy and North Run’s program, the good news is that now you can! Head to NF+ and watch Missy’s intensive master course “Recognizing and Riding the Distance” where you can learn like the North Run riders do.
*Thank you to Helen Townes for her help transcribing this interview.*