Karyn in the Spotlight!
Our knowledgeable coach Karyn is in the spotlight this week. Originally from New Zealand, she joined the MC Equestrian coaching team in Oct 2021 and quickly established herself with a loyal following of clients.
Having ridden and competed horses from a very young age in NZ, she started coaching and working with horses overseas in the USA and the UK including working for a show jumping stable.
Initially her background was in IT and she worked with horses part time in her spare time. When she moved to Australia her IT role landed her front row seats to the Olympic Equestrian venue (SIEC) for the duration of the Olympic Games in 2000.
In 2021 she decided to move away from the office and into full time coaching, a role she finds extremely rewarding watching riders gain confidence with their horses and increase their prowess in riding.
What do you like best about working for MC Equestrian?
I coach riders of all levels at MC Equestrian from children to adults and I genuinely love seeing my students develop and improve their skills on and around horses. It’s also so great to see how professionally the horses are managed and cared for at MC Equestrian.
Tell us about your favourite horse adventures?
I had the most fantastic adventure in Giza, Egypt - galloping across the sand dunes on a black stallion toward the Pyramids, it was quite special. Nepal was another great trip I did. I also had many adventures in New Zealand, where I kept and trained my horses. They were on a large station, close to the coast, so great pleasure was taken riding through the nikau palms, over the hills and trails to the beach.
Do you have a favourite horse at work?
I think all of the horses have their cheeky moments. Laddie is a bit of a character and has a very nimble mouth, he likes to zip up your jacket with his teeth. It’s quite an art!
Tell us about a funny horse moment:
We had paddocks in NZ so my horses were not stabled. One show day I had a very early start and needed to be on the road by 5am. It was dark when I went to catch my horse. He decided that he would rather stay in the paddock with his friends then proceeded to gallop around the paddock out of reach. It seemed like nothing would tempt him, so thinking my day was over, I walked back to take the float off, only to have him see me go, walk-up and stand by the gate waiting for me to come back and play.
What is your favourite horse quote?
“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle” — Winston Churchill
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