The Greenhorn Chronicles 50: Conversation with Beth Underhill on Horses and Tragedy (3)

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2023/10/08

*Interview conducted December 22, 2022.* 

*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citations, after the publication.*

Abstract

Beth Underhill’s biographic sketch states: “Beth Underhill’s International Show Jumping career places her today as an impressive veteran of Pan American, Olympic and World Equestrian Games. Beth is one of Canada’s top coaches for junior/amateur riders through to Grand Prix athletes. Beth’s successful career and the knowledge she has gained allows her to guide, train and mentor both horse and rider from junior to world class competition level. Beth has a wealth of experience to share with students; as the Leading Woman Rider in the World in 1995, also the first woman to win the Canadian World Cup League as well as representing Canada in the Olympics and many Nations Cup Competitions across the world: Italy, Spain, Luxemberg, Germany, Equador, USA, Holland. Today Beth is still competing at the highest level and is a great asset to any rider who is looking for coaching from an extremely passionate equestrian. Beth is also successful in training riders and horses in the Hunter and Equitation divisions, guiding one of her students to win the CET Medal Finals at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Beth was also the leading trainer of the Ultimate Hunter Challenge and has twice been named Coach of the Year in Canada. Beth has acted as Chef d’Equipe for the North American Young Riders Team and oversaw the National Talent ID Program. Beth identifies up and coming talent for Canada’s future team riders. She is also a member of the High Performance Committee that selects our team riders for international and major games competitions. Canadian Grand Prix riders have elected Beth as their Grand Prix rider representative to the Jump Canada Board for the past 8 years as well as the FEI Competitions Approval Committee representing Canada. In October 2015 Beth was appointed Jump Canada’s Young Rider Development Program Advisor, a position she held until 2019. During Beths tenure with the team, Canada won an unprecedented number of medals. Including in 2017 when the Canadian Senior Young Riders team swept the podium individually, a feat that had never been done before.” Underhill discusses: longevity; Denmark; and emotional difficulties.

Keywords: Beth Underhill, Beth Underhill Stables, Erynn Ballard, equestrianism, Europe, Nations Cup, North America, Olympics, Show Jumping.

The Greenhorn Chronicles 50: Conversation with Beth Underhill on Horses and Tragedy (3)

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What countries do you think are doing the best right now? What factors do you think are behind their great success? 

Beth Underhill: I think that, obviously, the Europeans have been fantastic across the board. I mean you, you see different events, and you see different strengths; I think that being able to compete in Europe is a definite asset for us as North Americans because it’s a different level of competition. You get comfortable competing against the best in the world. I think that when you go to Europe, then you see the amount of shows and the amount of opportunities those guys have to compete in Nations Cups. In North America, we have a handful of Nations Cups, and so being where you get better is being able to practice something, like I just mentioned, to be able to get comfortable doing something over and over again; it’s not something you do once or twice a year. I think that the opportunities that are in Europe, whether it’s the number of five-star shows even for younger riders being able to meet at The Young Riders level, more competitions. The Nation’s Cup opportunities, the global tour, and the level of competition create strength and confidence and create horses and riders that are going to be the best in the world. I think that we’re mindful of that and the necessity to compete outside our comfort zone. It’s not just about, you know, going to Europe for the sake of being in Europe; it’s the fact that we are all comfortable competing at shows nearby us. It shows that we know the people. That we know the venue. We’re comfortable being at home. We have to push outside our comfort zone. That’s where the support needs to come from financially, so that we’re able to do that and be able to compete in situations and in competitions that are a little bit foreign to us. That’s what makes us better.

Jacobsen: Are there any countries that have stood out from the global South or the global East? Because we focused mostly on North America and Western Europe.

Beth: That’s a big topic. I think I answered that pretty much just in the last question.

Jacobsen: Where do you think the sport is headed in terms of some of the things that we discussed before, sort of the ways in which training develops, the ways in which horses and riders are brought along, as well as the development of aspects of the sport like the technicality of the courses?

Beth: That’s also a very, very big topic. I think what’s tricky for us in North America is that in Europe, the horses are raised and developed in Europe. A lot of their local or national shows are very inexpensive relative to North America. So, it’s much easier to develop young horses and riders at less cost. They have access to the opportunity to be alongside all these young horses that are developing throughout the year, so they’re able to be earmarked and identified much earlier. Whereas, in North America, we go over to Europe specifically to look for a horse for a week or ten days, whether it’s a client or whether it’s for ourselves. So that’s much more difficult to find horses and to make it affordable. So, I think the access to the horses makes it tougher for us in the West. 

In terms of the sport, in terms of course designing, it’s changed so much when you look at where the sport was even 15-20 years ago. The courses have become much more careful, the jumps that are built are so beautifully designed. They’re light. They’re careful. The time allots have become so much quicker. The training has to be commensurately more specific to each horse. Horses have to be more naturally careful, naturally quicker, and more agile. Before, we were jumping into much more solid courses in much less time allowed. So it’s just become exponentially more difficult and more technical. How much more can you do? I don’t know, but every year you see the heights going up a meter 65, a meter 70; there are so many top courses and riders in the sport. When compared to 20-30 years ago, it’s just become much much more sophisticated.

So I think it’s been fascinating to be part of that trajectory and have to adjust your training and level; the type of horse you gravitate towards can’t just be a huge scope-y horse. It has to be a horse that is able to be quick and competitive in order to win. So I think the veterinary care, the blacksmiths; they’re seeing some horses now jumping without shoes. We’re seeing riders trying different things and more changes and adjustments in the sport that dovetail with the changes we’re seeing in the courses. That part I find fascinating as riders where we have to stay so current and so up on the changes of the rules and the changes of what’s expected of the horses and riders these days. And that part of it, I think, is only going to get better. It’s fascinating to watch how it has changed.

Jacobsen: You mentioned finances as an issue in terms of what the national organization can bring forward for support of some riders at the higher levels. With respect to sort of the provincial-territorial or national organizations, where are they the strongest in terms of their support for riders and so on? Where do you think there is room for improvement?

Beth: It’s difficult to answer that question because I’m not privy to how the funding goes with the provincial versus the Federation. I know more just from what we have access to, but I know, for example, there’s not any money that’s earmarked for the young riders this year and for Canada. These kids need to get out, and they need to have support to be able to compete at these shows. We have invitations and opportunities to compete in Europe. We can’t go; we can’t take advantage of them because there aren’t the finances there. I’m not saying the federations should pay everything, but they should certainly pay something. It’s the same thing for the National Federation for our team in Europe; there was no funding for them to go to Spain. So I mean to me, we need to do better. We need to be able to support not just the senior teams, but the young riders teams that are at the provincial level. That’s at the federal level. That’s across the board.

Jacobsen: What do you notice are some aspects of becoming more seasoned in the sport that are pluses and minuses? I recall Ian Miller speaking to the fact that as one progresses in their age. Your strength might not be as much, but your technicality and finesse will be better, something to that effect. 

Beth: Yes, and I mean, I think you could drill that down even for women and men in this sport. I mean, women obviously aren’t as physically strong as men, but they can, maybe, bring a different type of empathy to a partnership. They’re, maybe, going to be a little more patient in the training aspect of it, sometimes; you’re going to bring different things. For sure, as you become older in the sport, you become more, I think, mentally strong. When I was younger, it was just, “Oh, I’ve got to make this team. I’ve got to do that. I’ve got to make this competition be the best.” I would say I look more long-term now. I enjoy the process even more than I did when I was younger. You come at the sport with a little bit more of a calmer attitude. I think for sure it’s fascinating as you grow older the relationships you make with people, not just in North America but in Europe and everywhere across the board in the sport, whether it be veterinarians or blacksmiths.

I’ve been so fortunate to have so many people that I’ve learned from and been able to access when I’ve needed them. That longevity, those relationships, those friendships, and those business relationships come with time. They come with experience. So, I think that’s something I’ve also learned to appreciate, but definitely, the technicalities and the things you learn as you get older help you to outweigh the fact that you may have some more physical limitations. 

Jacobsen: Now, I haven’t broached this topic with too many interviewees or even in much depth, but I do come across as conversation while working in the industry a bit. Many years ago, there were cases of individuals misbehaving with the trainees or others and then in different organizations outside of show jumping. They’re dealt with in organizations in different ways, people coming forward, and so on. I know in show jumping. There have been a couple of cases, at least, of individuals who have had claims put forward against them around sexual misconduct in historical circumstances or, maybe, even recently. Do you think these are being handled well or unwell in different ways by sort of the community or by the organizations when these come forward?

Beth: I honestly don’t know enough about it. I can’t speak to that; I honestly don’t know. I think it’s too early days there; I mean, I don’t know the situation specifically you’re speaking of. I don’t want to speak on someone else’s behalf. That’s not something I feel I have knowledge to speak of.

Jacobsen: In 2024, the Olympics in France are coming up. I know many people are excited about that and looking forward to it and trying to put their aims towards it, setting it as part of their plans for the next five years. When you’re looking at that, if you are, what are those steps that you look towards to get to that point? That’s because, as you were noting before, it’s not just you’re there. It’s that you have to make a plan and try to get there while also focusing on contingencies that come about.

Beth: Yes, I mean, obviously, you have a long-term goal, and you have a plan, and you start to think what is the best way in time to peak, assuming you have a horse in mind; the best way to create an optimum situation where your horse is going to be peeking physically and mentally at that time for that competition. Obviously, it’s some time away still. So, with horses, you have to always have that long-term plan in place, but also be able to make adjustments quickly because based on how they feel, based on how they are competing. You may make a change and decide, “My horse needs to break now,” or, “I always need some more competition to get to his level of expertise,” where it needs to be for a top event like the Olympics. So, I always try and be very malleable in my training plan whilst having a very strong overall plan in place in terms of the shows that we think will best create the horse to be comfortable, confident, strong enough, but still fresh enough for competition such as the Olympics. But it would be a little bit early right now to be mapping out the exact shows and competition schedule that we would have 18 or 20 months away.

Jacobsen: When I first interviewed another similarly accomplished woman rider, Erynn Ballard, about a year ago, she warned me. She warned me that if I don’t have a feeling for the horses, then I won’t understand where riders are coming from. And after a sufficient amount of time, I think in this industry. I do have feelings towards the horses. It’s a weird thing that grows on you as you work with them more and more. Do you have any sort of recollection of when you first developed a sense and a feel for horses? I don’t just mean hanging around them doing Pony Club riding and so on. I mean, actually having feelings for them.

Beth: I would say I had an affinity. Like I said, I’ve always been an animal lover since my earliest recollections. So, I’ve always had an affinity for all animals. I am also a very competitive person, and I liked that juxtaposition of having an animal that I loved but still being competitive in a sport that I enjoyed and that was fast enough for me and competitive enough for me. So, as I mentioned, it took a while to decide which avenue because I did have different opportunities through the Pony Club in different aspects. I did some dressage, eventing, and show jumping, but the love of the horse and that competitive nature that I had gradually drew me towards show jumping, but in terms of an affinity for a horse and an understanding and an innate empathy and ability to create a good partnership even with difficult ponies I had to ride at the beginning, that I had early on. I would say I was more brave than technically good initially, but as I got older, a technical aspect of the sport became more and more fascinating for me.

The more I knew, the more I learned, the more I had a hunger for knowledge, whether that was the flat work or whether it was working on making myself a better and faster rider. I always had that hunger for knowledge, and it was just always a natural fit, a natural evolution for me, but the affinity with the horse was always there.

Jacobsen: Do you have any regrets?

Beth: No, not really. I mean, I regret maybe that I didn’t go to Europe sooner. I had some opportunities over the years to go there with a couple of offers, but then when I look back, I mean I’m very close to my family. I created a very strong business in Canada. I’m Canadian through and through, and I loved being a part of the Canadian circuit. So, when I truly look back on it, I don’t know. I’m very much a fatalist; I feel like I made decisions as I went, but a lot of things also presented themselves in a way that seemed to navigate me down a particular path. So, honestly, I don’t have too many regrets. I don’t think too much about could have, should have, would have.

Jacobsen: Ian Millar famously retired in his 70s. Do you have any sort of time that you would like to retire, or is this something you just want to keep going for as long as you can?

Beth: I will know when it’s time. There’s no doubt about that, and I’m very honest with myself in that respect. I don’t sugarcoat things to myself. I’m very hard on myself in terms of what I expect from myself, and so if I felt that I was falling short of what I could do to contribute to the team or to contribute to Torrey Pines at the level of riding that I’m doing, then I would be very clear to stop. I think every rider who has had the experience and ridden as many years as myself or I have done, we have a very clear sense of what you need to do to be successful in the sport. So, that’s not something I dwell on because I know that I will do it as long as I feel that I’m contributing.

Jacobsen: What literature should young riders read to become more educated on the discipline of show jumping?

Beth: I like reading some of Mclean’s books. It was great. I like reading more about riders as opposed to a how-to book. I know when I started, I read a lot of how-to books because that was all that was out there. When I started, you had the Pony Club manual and the horse masters notebook, which were really great for horse husbandry, and I feel like we’ve lost a lot of the horse husbandry with kids getting started at riding schools and things like that. Honestly, when I started, most of us came from a farming community or a country aspect and had access to those types of things. What you learned was what was right and what didn’t work just from experience. 

I would say I do feel more and more that people should spend more time at the warm-up ring behind the scenes, and to me, that’s what’s fascinating when you watch the warm-up ring when people are getting ready to compete: the top riders; how they warm up, how they flat their horses in the morning; those are missed opportunities I feel for a lot of people. They come and watch the actual event, but there’s lots and so much to be learned. I like to hear the last-minute advice and the last-minute adjustments that each rider makes and how they mentally step into the ring, whether it’s really quiet or whether they’re talking to their groom or the last-minute advice from a trainer. I find that part of it very, very interesting. So, that to me is something that whether you can be a working student, whether you can volunteer in different aspects of the sport, work for the vet for a week or for a blacksmith, just any you can make your knowledge. Not just specifics to the jumping aspect of it but also to the generalities; the horsemanship, that aspect of it I think could be stronger in young riders coming along.

Jacobsen: I thought of two more questions to wrap us up, I think. One, Sean Jobin spoke to using a lot of modern technology like video recordings and analysis, things of this nature to improve performance in the sport. Do you think this stuff is effective, or not, in a more serious performance level of the sport?

Beth: Oh, I think for sure it is. I mean, I don’t think there’s much that I wouldn’t utilize. I might say it’s not for me, but I would say for sure we all rely heavily on videos. I think you have to be mindful. Sometimes, a round can look better and smoother in a video, and sometimes it can look worse. I mean you also have to go with your feelings. I also find it useful to watch a video right away and then leave it for a few days and look at it again, and you often see something quite different that you missed or just a different sensation. I think we all do rely on videos, particularly those of us who are, you know, at this age and stage in the sport. You don’t always have someone on the ground all the time. So that part of it, I think, is very, very helpful, but I think we also very much have to learn or consider the feel that we have, what our horse is telling us because they communicate very, very well without the spoken word. And I think that it’s easy to get… we all have our own habits, good and bad. I think it’s important as riders that we keep going back. Sometimes I like to jump, just some cavaletti. There are some smooth jumps and really focus on position and focus on my delivery, and you catch yourself doing things that have become a little sloppy or not what they should be. 

So, I think you always have to have a self-awareness of what your own individual weaknesses are. We’re all stronger on one side than the other. We are stronger on one side than the other. We are constantly working on strengthening and developing the weaknesses that we have ourselves, so that we’re not creating a detrimental effect on our horses. So, I think we have to consider not only what we can see in front of us, but also what we feel and what we know to be true.

Jacobsen: A lot of the really great riders, as with anyone else, have gone through tragedy in their personal lives. I’m aware of your own. How do you set aside the time to properly grieve while still in the midst of a high-performance level of the sport and continue to compete?

Beth: It’s a good question. I would say that it’s actually been my solace. Oftentimes, when there’s been a tragedy in my life, it is the horses and the competition that have actually brought me back and centred me. I’m a pretty strong individual. I mean, there’s not a lot that brings me down. Still, obviously, there are times in our life and everyone’s life when unexpected tragedy happens. I always found that having the horse and going back to what’s familiar for me and being able to focus on something other than that immediate situation; it has given me great solace. I felt very fortunate to be able to have something like that to lean on to go to and not only the horse, but my colleagues and my friends who are in the industry who understand what we do, who understand what it takes and who is there to lean on as well.

Jacobsen: Beth, thank you very much for the opportunity and your time today.

Beth: You’re very welcome, my pleasure. Thanks for the call.

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