GoHorseShow.com in partnership with SmartPak are pleased to continue the highly popular column, GoSmart with Charlie and Jason. Team SmartPak riders, Charlie Cole and Jason Martin have achieved success beyond compare. Since founding Highpoint Performance Horses in 1992, they have trained over 100 World Champions and 200 All-American Quarter Horse Congress Champions.
Exclusive to GoHorseShow.com, GoSmart with Charlie and Jason will give you access to Charlie and Jason and the secrets to their success like never before. Charlie and Jason have a long track record of successfully finding the perfect horse for their client and have built a reputation in the industry as being great match makers. Their next GoSmart column deals with their outstanding ability to match the ideal horse with the appropriate client.
When we asked Charlie and Jason what was the most important criteria when matching a horse and rider, they both stated that the horse needs to fit the buyer more so than the horse needing to fit the trainer. They both believe that knowing the customer’s strengths and weaknesses, goals, availability to practice, and riding ability all go into finding the right horse for each rider.
“We always discuss with each buyer what their goals are and how realistic they are. We talk about what their favorite classes are and ask them to rank them by their order of preference,” Charlie tells GoHorseShow. “Then, we look at the rider’s ability and temperament and match that to the horse. We have riders who like riding a ton and others that come to the shows, but still have to work and have less time, so, we wouldn’t buy them a horse that takes a long time to prepare or settle in at the shows.”
Jason adds, “For me it’s about not settling. It sometimes takes us a long time to find the right horse. I see other trainers find horses in a weekend and hear them say ‘it’s not a great one but it will work.’ I don’t want it to just work. I want it to be great!”
According to Cole and Martin, there are several things that make a good horse and rider combination. As for the horse, they want a good mover with a good mind and a pretty horse is always a plus. “I’m doing good if I find two out of the three!” Charlie says. “We look for good horses. There are trainers we’ve bought from multiple times, but we don’t have a set group we buy from. We really like finding diamonds in the rough and I am always looking for those.”
What about people with a limited budget? “That just means you have to look harder for that diamond in the rough,” Charlie says. “Jason and I bought a horse last year off the internet for $5,000 and that horse won a trophy at the AQHA World Show last year. They are out there, you just have to look and recognize them and put the training in to make them realize their full potential.”
Charlie and Jason said that their best matchever was buying Acadamosby Award (Oscar) for Chelsea Knox (pictured left). Oscar was
only three years old when they bought him, and up to that point, he had only shown in hunter under saddle. At the time, Cole and Martin had no idea that he
would jump, drive or win like he did for Chelsea, but boy did he ever. Knox had never even
ridden English prior to buying Oscar, but, they were nearly unbeatable
and won two World and two reserve titles at the AQHA Youth World in hunter
under saddle.
“Oscar had the most amazing presence in the show
arena, and he always took your breath away when he entered the arena,”
Charlie recalls. “Chelsea was a good match with him because she was a
confident rider and never second guessed his talent. She knew she was on
the best horse and they both commanded the attention of the judges.”
Another great match was Harley D Zip for the Papendick family. Cole and
Martin originally bought Harley for one of their long-time clients, Harriet Yakatan,
but, eventually, the Papendicks bought Harley upon their urging. Harley made all
three of the Papendicks, Kerry, Ali, and Kristina, into world champions.
“I
think Harley was just maturing at the right time and he was in his
prime when the Papendick’s bought him,” says Cole. “The family was
able to utilize Harley well and appreciated him for who he was–they let
him be himself and didn’t try to push him. Harley was the type of horse
you had to go with whatever he was willing to give you that particular
day and for the most part, it was still better than most of the
competition. We also let him peak at exactly the right time for the
big shows. I don’t think he would have done as well with a rider that
demanded perfection and pushed him to do more.”
Making a Mistake
Of course, not all matches are made in heaven. How do Charlie and Jason handle if they make a mistake matching horse and rider? “Well, unfortunately that happens, but Jason and I have always had the same philosophy in our training, and, it almost always works if we make a mistake buying one,” Charlie states. “First, one of us usually recognizes we may have made mistake, but every horse has a purpose and a job–it’s just finding out what it is for each horse. I can think of several horses we bought that didn’t work out well for what we bought them for, so we just tried different events with them until we found one they liked.”
For instance, Martin and Cole had a sour hunt seat horse that they taught to jump and drive that became multiple world champions in those events, and, then, went back to working successfully on the rail. Same with western pleasure horses–if they turned out to not work well, they taught them to do trail and western riding.
“Matter of fact, Jason’s first western riding world championship was on Dun Some More who had been written off by several trainers and sold for $1,500 when Jason got him,” Charlie recalls. “My first trail horse that I taught myself was a reject western pleasure horse that cost $1,800 and I won the honor roll and a reserve world championship. You just have to figure out what they are good at and utilize their strengths.”
