4E April FOCUS ril 8, 1981 The Olsen Arena Where Horsemanship By Nan Chalat When Maryann Olsen tells you she loves hones, she says it with the conviction of one who knows what it is like to heft 1,000 lbs. of hay twice a day and what it is like to spend the night in the barn watching over a brood mare. There is grave seriousness in her voice when she talks about horsemanship and the respect she has for her thoroughbreds. Trainer Wendy Larson understands and has proven herself equal to Maryanns ambitions. As a team the two have created a program capable of training young to compete on a national level. Soon they hope to enter the Olympic arena. In the meantime, hunter-jumpe- rs On this particular Saturday, after two days of heavy snowfall, the horses were frisky. Students Jody and Usa Olsen, Kim Prince and Sara Moreton were working hard to direct their attention to the course knowing that their trainer placed great value on a horse with a quiet mind. Kim had just returned from a jumping competition in Arizona, where she placed fifth in the Tucson Winter Classic in the Junior Hunter-JumpDivision. Jumping has done a lot for me, she confided. It has taught me patience. About her future, she says, Sure there is the Olympics, I might want to become a professional but er even if I dont, it is something I always know Ill have. Lisa Olsen holds Second Place in the Utah Hunter-Jumpe- r Association Junior Gass. She is also on her school gymnastic team. The two activities complement one another but they also demand almost all of her time. Her younger sister, Jody, a sixth grader at Carl Winters Middle School, fol- lowed the older students with quiet determination. She rides a pony suited to her size but with no less spirit than the larger horses. When she jumps, her eyes are on the course ahead and when her pony has cleared the gate with inches to spare, rider) long before she is approval. Two promising students were not at the class on Saturday. Andrea Peterson and Sephanie Sitzberger not only train with the Hunter-Jumpebut they also ski on a Junior Olympic Alpine Team. Wendy explained that she was most interested in the Then we horses stride. she exwork on height, to The riders plained. horses stride and approach to the jump and by rearranging the placer poles on the ground, she is able to avert problems before they cause a serious accident. ' Wendy has been working with horses since she left high school. She worked on a ranch in Draper than spent four years as a jockey on the paramutual race hone cir- she looks to Wendy for rs Wendy, are secondary. When she squints as Jody sails over a gate, she is probably analyzing not Jody but her pony's form In fact, she will lunge a horse (lead him over a gate without a interested in seeing the rider. By analyzing the cuit. She switched from racing to jumping because a jumper is a longer investment. According to Wendy, a good jumper may take 15 yean to reach his peak. In the ring she maintains there are daily training sessions throughout the winter in the indoor arena off of Old Ranch Road, there is a mare about to foal and there are students. The first thing one notices about the Saturday morning class is an aura of concentration so intense that one can almost see it in the dusty air. Even though there is just Wendy, Maryann and four students, it is as if a hush has just fallen over the grandstand at an important figure skating event. The students give Wendy their undivided attention and Wendy in turn treats them not as 11 and IS year olds but as serious athletes. Maryann has instilled in them a respect for their trainers time and . experience. Maryann met Wendy two years ago when her daughters were learning to jump in Salt Lake City. Her daughters, Lisa and Jody, were doing well and showed a genuine interest in competition but Maryann knew that in order to compete, they would have to be able to train daily all year long. Her husband, Dan, agreed to finance an arena closer to home and after watching Wendy closely, Maryann asked her if she would be willing to move to Park City as trainer for her horses and a small group of students. Wendy, who holds the states high jumping record of 63 in a puissance event in 1978, consented. Construction on the 60 ft. x 150 ft. arena began 1 Vi years ago. Maryann explains that this is really the first competitiod season they have been ready to train for. She is pleased with the progress the students have made. Clockwise: Lisa Olsen approaches the gate. Students Jody Olsen, San Moreton, Lisa Olsen and Kim Prince, have demonstrated a dedication to jumping which will make them formidable competitors. Tnfner Wendy Larson. Maryann Olsen smiles in the background as her daughters pony lunges over the gate in winning form. ,