Maximilian of W’rttemberg is ranked 8th in the nation for a four-year-old and will be heading to a national championship this weekend because of it.
No, he won’t be competing in a finger-painting championship at his preschool.
He’s competing at the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Young Horse Dressage Championships in Lexington, Kentucky. Horses aged 4-6 will compete at the event.
Maximilian, or ‘Max,? is a young, black W’rttemberger horse, trained and ridden by Oxford special ed teacher and Brandon Township resident Laurie Lavins.
The horse, which Lavins boards and trains at Diamond M Stables in Brandon Twp., is one of 20 other horses in the nation to qualify for such an honor. He’s also the only horse from Michigan competing at the Sept. 14-16 events.
The USEF Young Horse Dressage Program’s goal is to promote and prepare young, talented horses for their performances in higher-level competitions, such as the national championship.
Dressage is a French term meaning ‘training? and is a destination for those who do competitive horse training.
Unlike most horse competitions where the rider and horse are judged after their appearance in the ring, Lavins said this national competition is most nerve-wracking for riders because they are critiqued over a loud speaker while still in the ring. Everyone hears everything.
Max will be judged on his trot, walk, canter, how submissive he is to Lavins and the judges general impression of him.
To make it even harder, the entire 29-point test of what Max and Lavins will have to do in the ring must be completely memorized.
He will be judged on a scale of 0-10, like at the Olympics, with the hopes of obtaining a Blue Ribbon.
Lavins, who has worked with horses since graduating high school, said she’s ‘excited? about the event and how Max will do.
‘He’s got a great attitude, he loves to perform,? she said. ‘I just have such confidence in this horse.?
If he does well, he could go to the world championship next year when he turns 5-years-old.
Max is owned by Grosse Pointe Shores resident Patsy Denton. Denton sought out Lavins to find her a horse that was in her budget, easy to handle and ‘kissable.?
They had to travel all the way to W’rttemberg, Germany in April 2006 to find the perfect horse.
For Denton, choosing Lavins to train her horse was a no-brainer.
Lavins has trained extensively with a U.S. Dressage Hall of Famer, Chuck Grant and even completed a week-long program with Scott Hassler, the head of USEF, in Maryland.
She has shown at the international level in English, western and driving competitions, but her emphasis has always been dressage.
‘I firmly feel that dressage is the foundation needed for any riding discipline in order to be an active rider,? she said.
Lavins also teaches therapeutic horseback riding at Diamond M Stables and is a certified instructor through Purdue University by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.
She said her career in horse training and teaching special ed ‘fit hand in hand.?
‘I have spent so many years working with animals that are non-verbal and learning to read the signs, whether it’s a flick of an ear or a muscle twitch,? she said. ‘Training horses is behavior intervention and that’s what I do with special ed.?
Be sure to read next week’s Leader to find out how Max and Laurie Lavins did at the national championship.