Sweden’s Stefan Jansson in the clinic arena. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)
The clinic featured horses from Interagro Farms in Brazil, the largest exporter of Lusitano horses in the world and winner of the prestigious “Best Breeder of the Year” Award by ABPSL in 2009/2010. Jansson thought the horses were excellent to work with and the riders were all very professional and focused. He enjoys working with Lusitanos because they are typically a very forward breed with a good mind for work, and he thought the Interagro horses at the clinic were a very talented group.
Jansson operates Marcusa Farm in Varberg, Sweden, and has competed and trained at all levels of dressage, from the young horse divisions to the Grand Prix. His training philosophy focuses on preserving the horse’s will to work and happiness through a varied training system. He strives to bring out the best in each individual and refine the talent of both his horses and his riders, which was evident in the methods he employed at the clinic. Jansson, who has an upcoming Grand Prix horse and another horse who is competing on the Small Tour, is a coach for Interagro’s horses and trainers, including head trainer Pia Aragão. “Pia has two talented horses in Vade Mecum Interagro and Zepelim Interagro. I am excited to follow her career and assist her as she competes,” Jansson said.
Jansson’s training seemed to be paying off as a few days after the clinic both he and Aragão attended the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI where Aragão competed aboard Vade Mecum Interagro. The pair scored a 66.886% in the FEI Intermediaire I CDI, and a 66.842% in the FEI Prix St. Georges. Aragão, who began riding with Jansson in 1994, praised Jansson’s training techniques with the Lusitanos and said he helped her reach her goal of competing in the Pan American Games in Santa Domingo.
CharAnn Ireland’s six-year-old Lusitano, Alter Interagro, also took part in the clinic with Jansson. Ireland, who splits her time between Florida and Pennsylvania, owns 8 Lusitanos from Interagro. “There is a real simplicity in riding Lusitanos,” she said. “The Lusitano teaches you how little you have to do, and if you do it effectively it will work.”
Ireland recently bought a new Lusitano named Cronus Interagro from the 2011 Lusitano Collection. The handsome bay stallion has three nice gaits and she is looking forward to seeing how he progresses in his dressage career. Tim Mellott trains Ireland’s Lusitanos and rode Alter in the clinic with Jansson. “I bought Alter Interagro at the auction two years ago. He is a six-year-old, very easy to train and uncomplicated. Tim enjoys riding him and we see a bright future ahead of him,” Ireland said.
Cherri Reiber, an accomplished Grand Prix dressage trainer who represented the United States at the World Cup in 2000, also took part in the clinic on Sargon Interagro, a Lusitano owned by Dr. Louise Turkula. “Stefan is a great set of eyes on the ground and we covered everything from the basics to the piaffe and passage,” Reiber said. “It was a great clinic and wonderful that the Interagro Lusitanos offered us the opportunity to ride with him.”
Gary Lane of Country Club Stables also rode his four Interagro Lusitanos in the clinic: Borodin Interagro, Ariston Interagro, Chopin Interagro, and his striking Isabel stallion, Alvarinho Interagro. Lane’s partner, Dean Camp, also rode his own Interagro horse, Zurbaran Interagro, in the clinic. Lane and Camp have a total of 9 Lusitano horses at Country Club Stables. Lane said that Stefan’s training really “fit his style” of working horses and his comments on the clinic reflected the general consensus of all the riders. “It was a super clinic. Stefan was informative and it all centered on very classical training,” said Lane.
For more information on Lusitano horses, or the horses offered in the recent auction, visit www.lusitanocollection.com.
ENDS