Washington State Rider Wins A Day with Olympian Anne Kursinski in Practical Horseman’s Training with the Stars Contest

May 29, 2014–Jennifer Harper and her friends continually seek to improve their riding and create a stronger equestrian community at Cornerstone Hunters & Jumpers in Portland, Oregon, despite its distance from major hunter/jumper hubs.

Now they’ll get the chance to do both after Harper won a day of free instruction for them from Olympic show-jumping rider Anne Kursinski through Practical Horseman’s Training with the Stars contest.

In partnership with Finish Line, Back on Track and Nutrena, Practical Horseman sponsored the contest giving Harper and up to nine of her friends a full day of personal, on-location instruction from two-time Olympic show-jumping silver medalist Anne Kursinski. An acclaimed equestrian, Kursinski represented the United States in five Olympic Games and three World Equestrian Games and earned team and individual gold medals at the Pan American Games. She is known for her fluid, classical American riding style and trains and teaches out of her premiere equestrian facility, Market Street, in New Jersey.

More than 800 participants initially entered the contest by writing an essay describing why they deserved to win. From those, 10 finalists were selected to submit videos of themselves and their horses. Harper was chosen from the finalists based on both her essay and video.

In her essay, Harper, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, wrote, “Although somewhat geographically removed from the major centers of the hunter/jumper word, we take sincere pride in our region and its riders. Because of the challenges of relative isolation, we continually seek the means to improve our skills and build stronger equestrian community. Having the opportunity to work with Ms. Kurskinski would certainly contribute toward these goals.”

The essays and finalists’ videos confirmed that there are many people dedicated to learning and growing as riders and horsepeople. “That was particularly evident in both the essay and video of Jennifer Harper,” said Practical Horseman Editor Sandra Oliynyk. “Jennifer also conveyed a strong sense of camaraderie among the riders at her barn and a desire to share knowledge with the local equestrian community. This convinced us that Anne’s teaching would have a far-reaching impact and that Jennifer was the best recipient for a day of her training.”

The 10 finalists will receive a copy of Anne’s book, Anne Kursinski’s Riding and Jumping Clinic.This book outlines the key elements of her riding techniques, including her secrets for analyzing jumping courses and her strategies for riding them. Whether you aspire to ride hunters or jumpers, Anne’s unparalleled book will improve your chances of success. The book is available for purchase at HorseBooksEtc.com.

For more information on the contest, go to www.PracticalHorsemanMag.com/WinAClinic.

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