Kim Severson Jumping Clinic Joanne Morse

GDCTA was excited to get to host Kim Severson September 11 and 12 at the beautiful Starting Point Farm in Moreland, Georgia. The weather was perfect, and we had a fantastic group of riders that showed up eager to learn and soak up the knowledge of a trainer and competitor whose results speak for themselves. I had always heard great things about Kim and was ready to learn as much as I could. All riders started off their weekend with technical jumping in the arena and then moved onto cross country style riding in a field with a mixture of different types of jumps and exercises designed to equally challenge the horse and rider.

As a spectator, my biggest take away from the weekend was the need to be accurate and hold ourselves as riders to a high standard to set our horses up for the best chance at success. Blake Fortson, GDCTA member, commented that “the weekend with Kim Severson was invaluable confidence building for Q and myself and really honed in on my technique and giving her the best ride possible.” We had a blend of green and experienced horses and riders. Kim was quick to correct when a mistake was made but also just as quick to encourage and say it was okay to make a mistake when the situation called for it. Her consistency and clarity for how to answer each question allowed every horse and rider to finish stronger than they started. Kim’s approachable personality made it easy for riders to ask questions and kept the mood light during each session. This nurtured the rider’s mental game even if they didn’t know that was what she was doing.

GDCTA would like to thank Kim Severson for making the trip down to Georgia to educate and enlighten our local eventing community. We would also very much like to thank Melissa and Phil Town, owners of Starting Point Farm, for sharing their lovely facility with us for the weekend. Also, many thanks go out to all the riders, auditors, and volunteers that helped to make this clinic happen.

Above: Emily Rusinyak

Below: Riding horse and pink pig: Kim Keeton

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