Clinton Anderson Brings Downunder Horsemanship to 2010 Games

LEXINGTON, KY—As the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games approach, guests should not only be looking forward to the competition, but also to the multitude of equine entertainers and demonstrators that will be a part of the Equine Village.

Among the entertainers in the Equine Village is Clinton Anderson, a clinician known around the world for his training method known as Downunder Horsemanship.

Anderson, who grew up in Australia, became infatuated with riding at a young age. Anderson’s grandparents bought his first horse, Casey, when he was 9 years old. Anderson became involved with polocrosse, a combination of polo and lacrosse that originated in Australia.

During a polocrosse game, a man approached Anderson’s father, suggesting clinician Gordon McKinlay could help improve Anderson’s horsemanship skills. Anderson soon attended one of McKinlay’s clinics, and discovered that training horses was actually a career option.

“We’ve gotten to where we have been by a lot of hard work and dedication,” Anderson said about his career. “I started studying this method when I was 13 and once I realized I liked the method, I decided to make a career out of it.”

Anderson decided to leave school at the age of 15 and become McKinlay’s apprentice. After two years with McKinlay, Anderson pursued more training in reining and cutting, working for champion reiner Ian Francis.

After working with Francis, Anderson opened a training facility in Australia and bought one of his star horses Mindy. Anderson competed with Mindy in the National Reining Horse Association Futurity in Australia and the pair finished third in the finals.

Anderson’s success in the arena influenced him to take his knowledge overseas. He made the U.S. his second home in 1997. He began training, touring and conducting clinics—and Downunder Horsemanship took off.

In addition to his clinics and tours, Anderson wanted to “duplicate” himself so others could benefit from his methods even when he was busy. In April 2001, Anderson launched a weekly training program broadcast in the U.S. on RFD-TV, a satellite network focused on agriculture.

“Downunder Horsemanship is idiot-proof horsemanship,” Anderson said. “We make it simple for people to understand how to train their horses at home.”

Being a part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is just another step in Anderson’s plan to share his training methods on an international level. Anderson will be giving demonstrations at the Equine Village throughout the duration of the Games.

“We’ve got demonstrations on problem trailering horses, problem groundwork horses and advanced riding demonstrations as well.” Anderson said.

Building on the success of his Walkabout Tour that covered the U.S. this year, Anderson is planning more tours and clinics for 2011. Anderson said being a part of the 2010 Games is a great opportunity to be involved.

“It (the Games) will give me a chance to expose my methods.” Anderson said.

Access to the Equine Village will be available with a Grounds Pass or a competition ticket. Grounds Pass ticket sales begin April 16 at 10 a.m. at [URL="http://www.alltechfeigames.com/"]www.alltechfeigames.com[/URL], www.ticketmaster.com, at any Ticketmaster outlet, and at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets will be on sale at a promotional rate of $20 until May 31. Grounds Pass tickets will be priced at $25 after that time. All children 12 years of age and under will be granted free entry with a paying adult.

For more information, visit [URL="http://www.alltechfeigames.com/"]www.alltechfeigames.com[/URL]