Saturday, July 22, 2017

An Interview With Nick Peronace

Online controversy seems to surround this particular dressage enthusiast, yet he is also extremely successful as a trainer. In this interview, Nick talks about his online reputation, and also shares with us some of his training techniques and training philosophies. 

AN INTERVIEW WITH NICK PERONACE

                                (Start)


Q: How did you get started in horses?

A: I started riding at a day camp when I was just 4 years old. I started taking formal riding lessons when I was 7 with an Event/Hunt Seat Trainer. 


Q: What kind of competing did you do as a child?

A: My first show was in 1990 and I'd compete once or twice a month during the summer. I won numerous championships in equitation classes, and jumping classes.


Q: When did you become interested in dressage?

A: When I was 14. My instructor had a lounge above one of the barns. While I sat in the lounge waiting for my dad to pick me up to go home one afternoon, I scrolled through a horse magazine and saw an advertisement for the Iron Spring Farm stallion Roemer. I was taken by his beauty! After that day I started jumping a lot less. My lessons began to focus more on dressage.


Q: Did you compete at dressage shows as a teenager?

A: Yes I did. I never competed at recognize shows, but on a regular basis was competing. I competed up to Second Level.


Q: Is it true that you were just a teenager and competing at Grand Prix Dressage?

A: No it isn't. I was 17 when I taught myself and my horse "Chevy" Grand Prix, but we never competed at a recognized show. He could ride the test and perform anything asked of him.


Q: Pictures from a recent show with Carpathia have appeared online. What do you say to people who criticize them?

A: People will pick apart the snapshots (a moment in time) that are bad.There are plenty of good pictures out there also! But that's how a hate campaign works, and my critics are very sick people with a hateful agenda. Constructive criticism from someone who has trained up through the levels is a valued opinion. An armchair dressage master struggling at Training Level, or someone who only rides School Masters, isn't someone who's criticism I take seriously. "Consider the source" basically.


Q: Your critics have pointed out that at your first 4th Level show you scored a 75%, yet your second you scored in the 40's. They seem to really harp and berate you about the low score. Why do you think this is?

A: Carpathia scored a 75% at home. It was also a musical freestyle and a schooling show. The second show was at a horse park and USDF recognized. She was clearly distracted! Half the time it felt like she was going to jump in the judges box! But as she attends more shows she will get more comfortable with her surroundings. This is the difference between a good trainer and a bad trainer. The good trainer understands that things happen and horses are unpredictable. They understand that with time, things will improve. The bad trainer goes online to pick apart pictures and scores because they've never been there themselves! Or they HAVE been there, but it makes them feel powerful to pick on someone. Cyber bullies basically.


Q: Why haven't you competed at a recognized show until 2017?

A: I have always been more focused on Dressage as "ART". With "SPORT", often the horse isn't moving correctly yet receiving high scores. Most of the riders are all garbage, yet they don't get marked down. I also think the judge isn't judging what he is seeing, he is judging against a comparison, or politically who else is competing that day. Plus the idea of someone judging my ride when they know nothing about my horse has never seemed fair. But I enjoy watching the sport of dresssage, and I compete if I feel it might be fun. 


Q: Is it true that Lorinda Lende trained you to Grand Prix?

A: No. Lorinda was very good at teaching how things felt when they were correct. She was a major stickler for correct dressage. Every day was different. Every horse was different. Over the course of 3 years I was a working student for her during my summer breaks, and school vacations. Over time the "feel" was ingrained in me and so I would take that feel and transplant it onto Chevy back home.


Q: What was it like being a working student?

A: It was an incredible experience and life changing. Lorinda was a beautiful person then and she is a beautiful person now. She's filled with a lot of knowledge, and she is a lot of fun to be around. The days were long but I got a really good education. She instilled in me a level of expectation with the bar set pretty high. Looking back I have lots of wonderful memories.


Q: How many FEI horses have you trained?

A: This isn't an easy question because I don't want to take away from other trainers. Certainly it's easier to bring them along if they're already halfway there. I put the finishing touches on a few, though not going to give a specific number out of respect for the other trainers. However, Chevy I do feel confident in taking most of the credit for. Chevy didn't even know english-style riding when my parents bought him for me. There was another horse named Carisma that I brought up to FEI from practically nothing. I'm currently training Carpathia up to FEI Level also.


Q: Why did you delete your Dressage Facebook page?

A: I felt dismayed that I would post comments and pictures while answering questions, yet saw time & time again pathetic attempts to tare everything I do apart, and scrutinize my comments. It became a game of gotcha. People would pick apart words I said to invent an issue. I got tired of blocking people, and I found it unfair that every time someone posted something positive about my riding or teaching, they got harrassed by internet trolls.

I feel that posting my lastest accomplishments, and issuing statements on my blog is a much better, and much safer idea. There is an unhealthy level of hostility in the comments said about me online, and said from anonymous people with fake accounts or bogus screen names. 

It's important to point out that these are people WHO-HAVE-NEVER-WORKED-WITH-ME.

It is very unfair! I am a very nice man, and a lot of fun to be around. If people just took the time to get to know me personally and asked me questions one on one, I'm sure we could be great friends. But the narrative never changes! I could be talking about a training technique, and they still want to talk about lies said about me online somewhere, or they criticize without asking questions. If I post pictures and talk about a recent accomplishment, they cut it up and try to discredit it. I mean it never changes! No matter what I do or what I say, the narrative remains the same.


Q: What do you have to say about the obvious hate campaign against you?

A: These people have a hateful agenda that is deep rooted in jealousy. I was able to train (largely self-train) my Appaloosa Quarter Horse to Grand Prix when I was only 17. Their heads exploded with jealousy when they learned this about me. They see pictures of me riding in lightness they will never be able to achieve. Most of them are old ladies struggling at Training Level, or a teenager who rides hunter-jumpers who wouldn't know the first thing about dressage anyway! And then there are also the lonely internet trolls.

But these people heard me announce in 2016, that by 2017 Carpathia will be competing at 3rd and 4th level. That would mean that I'm able to achieve in one year what would take them three or four. Then I actually did it! I've announced that by 2018 I'll be competing her at FEI (if she doesn't sell), and their heads explode yet again. I go out there and I do it. I have always been honest and have done exactly what I said I was going to do, or what I'm capable of doing. I have done this time and time again and will continue to do so.

What I wish they did instead of cyberbullying, was engage me and learn how I'm able to achieve what I'm able to achieve. It's so easy to label something as "abusive" because you don't understand the method or the philosophy (which is something else they have done). I could really help these people. It's such a shame. I have a full time career outside of horses. I don't need horses, It's only a hobby. So I feel at some point that the dressage community as a whole suffers. My philosophies and my methods could really be a game changer for a lot of people. It makes no sense to me (it shouldn't make any sense to anyone with half a brain either) that these people prefer to continue to Cyberbully, instead of taking me up on my offer to give a free clinic. I've offered several times to give this clinic anywhere, to anyone in the United States. If they really wanted to expose me as a fraud or an abuser, (or whatever other ridiculous thing they want to dream up about me) taking me up on my offer would be an excellent opportunity wouldn't it?

Also, they conduct these little witch hunts and like to share screenshots, but what you're actually seeing is a one-sided conversation. They will post something that I said, but won't post what they said or how how harassing they were towards myself and my family. It's also important to note that I have been blocked from several pages, so I can't even defend myself! My supporters have also been blocked! So you see, it is a one-sided hate campaign and very unfair.

By the way, when I had my Facebook page I could read my stats of activity. The most activity the page would get would be on a Saturday or Friday night, or a holiday weekend. That tells me that these people have absolutely no life! Instead of being with their family and friends, they're sitting alone on a computer trashing someone they've never met.


Q: There is a photo online of you using Draw Reins. Critics have ridiculed you for using them. How do draw reins tie into your philosophy about lightness and self carriage?

A: Even Nuno Oliveria used Draw Reins, and he is the undisputed master of lightness! Anyone who wants that photo of Nuno using them, just ask me. I have it. It's clear as day that he is using draw reins. I also have a photo of him using the Baucher flex (hyperflex). Draw reins can be very good for teaching a horse to stretch and relax the back. Once the horse is relaxed, then lightness and self carriage can happen. You have to free the horse of all stiffness. In the right hands, draw reins are a very valuable tool! It's the same with Baucher. There is nothing wrong with asking a horse to stretch their neck to their shoulder for a brief moment. It only becomes abusive when the neck is held there extensively. Deep riding isn't Rolkur either! So many get them confused! They are conditioned to believe that anything behind the vertical is bad for the horse. I wish more people would open their mind instead of labeling things they don't understand as "abuse". I don't use draw reins on every horse nor do I use Baucher. It depends on the horse and what their needs are. A good trainer can keep an open mind and tailor their style accordingly.


Q: Name some farms you worked at.

A: I've never worked at farms people would know, I've only ever worked for privately owned. There was a time when I worked for 2 private breeders, and my job was starting young horses. I've started more horses than I can remember! Getting bucked off was what I did for a living! But I got a good education out of it and a lot of permanent nerve damage. Most people don't know, but I have nerve damage in my lower back and my left leg due to falling off so many times. On my wedding day I was working with a Thoroughbred Colt, and it was only my 2nd time on his back. I softly closed my leg to tell him to trot and he stopped dead in his tracks. He reared up and fell right on top of me! I laid there in the arena asking myself how I was going to walk down the aisle in a few hours!


Q: You have over 30 years of experience. You have trained to Grand Prix, and have worked with young horses. You've also trained other horses to FEI. So why aren't you more mainstream?

A: I think it's because I don't have a lot of show experience. I think when people hear my name the first thing they do is research my scores and what level I've competed at. That seems to be most important to people today. That and video. Everyone is about watching a video. It's such a shame that we have become a global society of instant gratification! I first discovered Nuno Oliveria when I was 16. I didn't see video until much later with the invention of YouTube. I first started riding dressage when I saw a photograph of a dressage stallion. So I wish people would stop being so superficial! A picture is worth a thousand words! But I think that once I start competing at the FEI level, more interest will be generated. Horses also require money. Lots and lots of money! If you don't have it, your talent will only get you so far. When I was a working student I saw a steady stream of amazing riders, yet most of them don't ride today. You can go to any top facility and it's the same story. Horses aren't like getting in the NFL, where you sign a contract and they throw a bucket of money at you. No, with horses you're on your own. There are so many talented riders and trainers that we never hear about.


Q: What is your preferred method and advice in regards to working with young horses?

A: Move slowly. Don't rush. Give them a solid education from the ground first. When you do start the backing, keep the lessons short and have an assistant. The biggest mistake I see are trainers pushing young horses too much, too soon. I also believe in waiting until the horse is at least 4 years old before getting on. I like to start them from the ground at 2, so by 4 they are much more prepared.


Q: How do you determine if a horse is ready to move on to the next level or next exercise?

A: When the horse is performing with ease and they understand what you are asking, then it is time to introduce new material. The great trainer Herbert Rehbein would plant little seeds along the way, then later go back and touch it all up. I've heard stories from his students. They've told me that he would teach a young horse Piaffe but the horse wasn't even on the bit! Herbert just wanted the horse to understand the aids and the movement, and later on he would perfect it. I tend to use the same method with most exercises in development. I've been criticized for it also and that's okay. To each their own. I teach what I have found to work for me. Nuno Oliveria had a great expression: "Ask for much, be content with little, reward often".

If you're going to train horses to the very top levels of dressage, you have got to think outside the box. You have got to experiment! And then you will learn that just because an exercise is difficult at the time, or you're encountering some resistance, does not mean you're doing anything wrong. Persistence beats resistance and dressage works every time.


Q: Do you consider yourself a Dressage Master?

A: Absolutely not! Everything that I teach and every method I use, was either taught to me, or I learned it on my own through experimentation. I haven't invented anything new. Now, I have been able to accomplish some pretty amazing things in terms of training, and people who have worked with me have been known to be extremely satisfied. These people have given me some wonderful reviews. I think I would be a complete fool not to feel that I have some talent. I'm also a very humble man, but very confident in my own abilities. People have often confused my confidence with arrogance, but I do not consider myself a master. Not at all.


Q: Who are trainers you have looked up to in the past, and who do you like or dislike today?

A: I won't go into who I dislike today. I used to be pretty vocal in my criticism of others. What I have learned is that the dressage community is wicked enough without other people openly criticizing each other. I will speak generally of an issue or situation, but I no longer name names. I don't think it's fair and I don't think it's right. But as far as trainers that I like, I like Nuno Oliveria, Baucher, Rehbein, Decarpentry, and other classical masters. As for who I like today, I think Kyra Kirkland is amazing and I also really like Anky. In the show ring I like Steffen Peters and I like Helen Langehanenberg.


Q: Do you support Rollkur?

A: No way! Not only do I feel it is inhumane, but I don't feel it develops the muscles properly.


Q: There are pictures online of you using Rollkur. How do you explain this if you are against it?

A: Correction, there are pictures online taken from video as screenshots to misrepresent me as a trainer. The horse goes behind the bit for a few strides, and they accuse me of using Rollkur. It's just not true. I don't use Rollkur.


Q: What is your method?

A: I believe in lightness and softness. I also have found deep riding and the Baucher flex (known today as hyperflex) to be very beneficial. My reins are normally longer than anyone else around me, and my hands are often the lowest and the softest. I don't agree with this "Short rein, elevated arms" we see everywhere in the show ring today. I think judges are giving high scores for really bad riding! Riders are picking up more & more bad habits, because they think that's the path to success.


Q: What was Chevy's Cup and why did Dressage At Devon yank it?

A: Chevy's Cup was a memorial trophy that I sponsored every year at Devon. It was awarded to the highest scoring non warmblood competing at FEI Level. Chevy was never taken seriously (still isn't) because he was an Appaloosa. I also trained Chevy to perform some of the Airs Above Ground. If he was a warmblood we would have competed all over the place, and we probably would have ridden at Devon. So in a sense, such a prestigious show like Devon allowing me to sponsor a trophy in his name, was correcting a huge injustice. It was a wonderful experience and I made a lot of friends through it. I made the decision to stop sponsoring the trophy because I didn't like what was being rewarded as a whole in the show ring. I really feel that the classical principles largely are obsolete, and it's all money and politics today. 

Devon did not "yank" my trophy. I willingly ended it. I've been considering sponsoring it somewhere else, but I'm undecided.


Q: When people Google your name, some very derogatory information pops up. Specifically, do you hate fat people and do you hate Homosexuals?

A: No to both questions. It's all bologna!

I had a friend defend me and he created a hate page against those cyber bullying me. And while I don't condone the behavior, honestly I don't blame him for doing so. Where does it say that I'm supposed to allow myself to be a victim? Why is it that people can slander and poke fun and spread all kinds of rumors and lies, but yet the second I defend myself or fight back, suddenly now I'm wrong? Suddenly they are offended. Give me a break! 

As for gays, I have no issue with them. I'm a Conservative Trump Republican and far from a liberal. I'm not politically correct by any stretch of the imagination either. So over the years some things have been said that people have taken the wrong way. I'm allowed to have my conservative opinion, and freedom of this is what makes America great. To ridicule me over my opinion is unamerican!   

And for the record here, I don't wish anyone any harm. I said some things in my early 20's about gays that I no longer agree with as I'm approaching 40. I know that what is said on the Internet is there forever, but people can change, and at some point you got to let it go folks.


Q: Is there anything you'd like to say specifically to your critics?

A: Not really. I don't try to win over those who don't support me. They're never going to support me. They are never going to be satisfied and they're always going to have heat. I don't care about those people.

I care about the people who are truly interested in what I have to say. I care about those who are interested in true equestrian art. I care about those who have worked with me and have gotten fantastic results. I care about people willing to give me a try and see what I'm all about, and what I can offer. I care about people interested in learning how I'm able to accomplish such fast and marvelous results. I care about people asking the right questions because they want to become educated. I care about people who truly want to help themselves by learning my techniques and my methods.


Q: Why would somebody want to work with you as opposed to any other dressage trainer?

A: I don't think every trainer is going to teach the same way, and I don't think you're going to get the same results either. I have encountered many people who have said that they worked with this "top name trainer", or some other "so and so", but yet my clinic offered them the results they were seeking. I'm a largely self-taught rider so therefore I had to memorize all the books written by the masters. I am a walking encyclopedia of dressage knowledge! I also have put theory into practice and able to produce positive results. People who have worked with me in the past have also said how easy and simple I can translate dressage to them. I'm also known for working specifically with the non warmblood. People are often amazed that their average fairly inexpensive breed they are currently working with, is able to perform to the highest levels.


                                    (End)

Nick Peronace is available to teach a clinic anywhere in the United States. 

The following were questions collected sent in via email. Some other questions are those frequently asked. If anyone else has further questions, or interested in Dressage training, please send them to Nick Peronace directly at:

Contactnickperonace@gmail.com

This blog is not managed nor maintained by Nick Peronace. If you are interested in his personal blog please visit. https://nickperonace1.wordpress.com

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