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| Kathryn Vanderpol, Equestrian |
Riding in Belize: An
Interview with Kathryn Vanderpolby Gina McKnight
No duplication without permission.
“For those buying their first horse,
don't go for looks,
any horse can be an amazing teacher and
with your first that's what you need.” Kathryn Vanderpol
Welcome horse trainer
Kathryn Vanderpol! A horse owner at a young age, Kathryn knows the joys of
owning horses. Currently in Belize, Kathryn provides insight to Belize’s indigenous
horses, her own beautiful stable of horses, her new Heeler pup, and more!
From Kathryn’s
Instagram bio “Christian, farm girl, cowgirl. All the horses and a dog. Canada
to the tropics. Makin’ a crazy neat life in Belize.”
Welcome, Kathryn!
GM: From your bio, I
take it you are from Canada, an artist, working in leather, moved to Texas, now
in Belize training horses, with a new puppy! Tell us about a day in your
life with horses…
KV: Hey, thanks so much
for reaching out! Yes, I'm from Canada where I had my own custom leather
working business, and after a 5-month road trip in the USA, recently moved to
Belize. Here in Belize I have been boarding my horses, so I don't always get to
see them every day with work and such. On days I do work them I try and get in
as much time as possible to improve my own horsemanship and their training. The
horses I currently own are Jaz, a 10-year-old black Quarter Horse mare; Ice, a
coming 3-year-old chestnut Quarter Horse filly; Dually, a 6-year-old chestnut
mare, and her foal a 3ish-month-old chestnut filly. They all keep me pretty
busy, along with a few of my friend's horses that I've had the privilege of
riding as well.
GM: A seasoned horse
trainer, what training methods do you use?
KV: I do use a lot of
natural horsemanship, mixed with my own ideas and things that I've found work.
I find that each horse is so different and so then requires different training
techniques. One horse may do amazingly well with positive reinforcement (like
treat training), while another with a different past will do so much better
with a different kind of reinforcement (more like pressure and release). While
I never had the funds or means to go to clinics or buy online courses to learn
how to train, I watched countless hours of videos of other people training,
watching what worked and what most definitely did not work, read books, talked
to other horse enthusiasts, and naturally learned from mistakes I made and
watching other people’s mistakes and trying to take any bit of information and
put it to use in my own training.
GM: Belize has
indigenous horses, I believe. Is the horse culture different than in the
US and Canada? How is it different?
KV: The horse culture
here in Belize is so very different than any I have seen. Horses are still used
as a means of transportation, especially for some of the Mennonites, as well as
being used for a lot of ranch work. Horse racing is probably the biggest sport
with horses down here, along with a few rodeos a couple times a year. There is
very little to no English riding, so it's interesting to see the differences
here.
GM: We all have that favorite
horse that we will remember forever. Who is your favorite and when did you first
meet him/her?
KV: There sure is
always a favorite horse! Out of all the horses I have owned probably the most
vivid to remember was my 3-year-old Quarter/Arab black gelding, Link. He was
never an easy horse, he was always super mischievous and would find ways to be
naughty. Link was a dream to ride by the time I had to sell him.
Right now out of the
horses I currently own, Dually is my favorite. She was my first horse buy in
Belize, I knew the second I saw her at the local horse auction that she was
coming home with me. She's taller than a lot of the rancher's horses, and nice
and sturdy. She foaled 3-4ish months after I bought her, and the foal is Hemi,
the cutest little filly ever.
GM: When did you meet
your very first horse?
KV: My first horse was
a miniature horse named Minnie that my parents gave me as a birthday present. I
had her for two years before moving on to bigger horses. Lots of people say
that miniatures are no fun and you can't do anything with them, but I learned
so much from training her and she taught me a lot about body language and how
much it affects everything you do.
GM: Minnie sounds cute.
What do you miss the most about living in Canada?
KV: With this time of
year coming around I miss the cooler Fall days, the looking forward to snow and
frisky horses. Along with the availability of good quality horse items, tack,
quality feeds, and brushes, literally anything is hard to find and basically
has to be ordered from the USA.
GM: Living in the USA,
we take for granted the availability of a variety of supplies. You remind us
that we need to remain grateful for what we have. I saw a photo of your new
puppy on Instagram! She’s adorable! Tell us more…
KV: My puppy, Sage,
she's a Red Heeler (basically the same as a Blue Heeler just in red). She is a
handful. I was warned about getting a Heeler and went for it anyways, I’m so
glad I did. She is the sweetest dog, and super smart. I realized a couple of
weeks ago that I had to find something to do with her to get rid of some of her
energy, so we've been working on learning some frisbee and she's loving it.
GM: Heeler’s do have a
certain disposition! But every cowgirl needs a trusty dog. Back to horses…do
you have advice for novice riders and those looking to purchase their first
horse?
KV: Find someone to
help you, a friend who's known horses longer, a trainer, a farrier, really
anyone. Reach out and don't be shy, everyone has to start and it's nothing to
be ashamed of, your attitude in learning is what will help your progress go
faster or slower. If you're willing to learn and open-minded you will get so
much farther than if you think you already know it all. It's so helpful to have
someone you can ask questions and advice from. For those buying their first
horse, don't go for looks, any horse can be an amazing teacher and with your
first that's what you need.
GM: What does
horsemanship mean to you?
KV: Horsemanship is
really an art, something to be mastered, something you will always be able to
improve on. Being able to work with horses is truly a gift and something some
people take for granted. Something I always try to remember when working horses,
or posting about it on Instagram, is that there are people watching, wishing
they could be doing that very thing and that I was once there. So being able to
share what I do and to hopefully inspire some people (even if that's just one
person) to try and get out there and do the same is just amazing.
Follow Kathryn on
Instagram: @lopin_easy
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| Dually and Hemi |
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