Eventing Finds Its Place in the Northland
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DULUTH - The art of horseback riding has been around for thousands of years and over those years has developed from herding animals on a ranch to the Olympic sport you see today.
"Many people don't understand that equestrian sports are part of the Olympic process and is a real sport. It's the only sport where two mammals are working together," said Jim Graham, a world renowned rider and instructor.
Graham has represented the United States in numerous international competitions, including the World Equestrian Games in 1994.
He has since retired.
Now he focuses on teaching the sport of Eventing to aspiring riders.
Eventing includes three phases, the first being dressage, which he says is similar to ice skating on a horse.
"That’s where you do your circles and your side steps and you're judged on accuracy," said Graham.
That's followed by cross country.
He said, "That’s when you gallop over large fences that do not fall down, jump into water, over ditches and stone walls."
Finally, there's show jumping.
"That’s where you have the striped rails and the bull's–eyes and if you knock a rail down there you're penalized," he said.
Eventing isn't something that can be mastered overnight.
Instead, it requires an incredibly strong bond between horse and rider.
Graham said, "To get on a horse and gallop over a ditch that's wider than your car and for the horse to take us with them it takes years of trust, training and a lot of skills."
For some riders, the bond between the two may be as close as one comes to an out of body experience.
"It feels comfortable and it feels sometimes like I’m one with the horse," said Abigail Blair, a youth rider attending the Jim Graham’s clinic.
It's that feeling that Graham hopes will help groom even the greenest horses and riders into the most advanced competitors.
"I hope to leave feeling that every horse and rider will be more educated and lift their expertise a higher level than when I came."
Jim Graham's clinic was held at Aspen Ridge Stables just north of Duluth.
The stable started in 1980 and provides one–on–one and group riding lessons.
