Margie is Back in Business...Louise Parkes reports from Switzerland for PhelpsSports.com
Equestrian News Release
Lucerne, Switzerland –June 3, 2006 – Margie Engle is sitting in the stadium seating watching Saturday's young horse competition play itself out. But she's not just thinking about what's going on in the ring right now. She's thinking about what it will be like when she climbs back on to Hidden Creek's Perin tomorrow ahead of the Lucerne Grand Prix.
"I haven't competed since the fall at Aachen" she says, "so I'm not sure how it will be when I get back up, but right now I'm planning to do the Grand Prix if I'm feeling OK". The snowcapped mountains in the background provide a constant reminder of the unseasonable weather pattern that had dogged the Swiss event. The ground conditions have been causing problems all week. "If it's holding up again tomorrow I'll probably jump - we'll see" she says quietly.
If she does decide to go in the ring, it will be exactly two weeks after her crushing fall during the Grand Prix at the German fixture. "I was knocked out so I don't remember a whole lot about it" she says in a very matter-of-fact way. But that doesn't explain away the shattered mouth, smashed nose and stud-marks all over her heavily bruised body and swollen legs. Injuries like this would normally hold a body back for a little longer, but Engle has no time for fluffing about. Get over it and get on with it - that seems to be her style.
She talks about the 2006 Samsung Super League tour so far. "We started off really good at the first two shows and the team did well in Rome. It was not so perfect here yesterday but the ground was a big factor in that result" she points out.
The 48 year old American has been a frequent visitor to Europe during her long and successful career. "I've been jumping in the World Cup series since 1988 and on teams since 1997" she explains. She has noted some distinct differences between the sport in the USA and Europe - "the crowds are bigger here and the sport is better known" she says. "We used to have some great Nations' Cups at indoor shows at home but many of those shows have gone by the wayside. Florida now has a lot of top riders now though, so the sport is thriving there".
She says that Chef d'Equipe George Morris is a great asset to the American campaign. "He has done a very good job, he puts a lot of effort into it and he's a great communicator. He keeps people informed and when riders come to Europe for the first time he explains the difference in the rules and the competition format so that helps them a lot" she points out.
Based in Wellington, Florida, Engle grew up in Miami. She has probably told her story a thousand times but she patiently recounts it yet again to another willing ear. "I don't come from a horsey family" she explains. Her parents and two older brothers had no connection with the horse business but young Margie went with a friend to a local riding centre "it was a boarding and show stable" and she was hooked right away. "I did everything I could to earn money for extra rides. There was a dog boarding kennel there and I used to help out with that and do some grooming - then they hired me at the barn to do some breaking and showing" she says. Her diminutive stature led others to try to guide her towards a career in horse-racing rather than jumping "but I loved show jumping, I always enjoyed it and when something is harder to achieve the more you want it" she says. I'm beginning to sense the steel in this lady's character now. But then she turns all mushy because she's talking about her horses.
She's hiding behind sunglasses and her mouth is swollen from the dental work she has been undergoing over the past few weeks but you can still see her face light up when she talks about Perin. "He's one of my favourites. He's like a big pet, even if he was not a great show horse you'd still have to love him. He would climb onto your lap if he could. He's just one of the sweetest horses you could ever meet" she points out with a rush of enthusiasm. "He's been to the Pan-Am Games and the Olympic Games in Sydney. He's very scopey and very careful - he does everything so easy and he's the one I'd like to take to the World Equestrian Games. The team for that will be picked after we are done here" she points out. She recalls her former star Salute "he was a Dutch stallion and a real winner, what he lacked in scope he made up for in heart" and she describes the mare Hidden Creek's Lauren as "one of the classiest mares I've ever ridden. She rode like a hunter, she had a fantastic technique and in 1997 when I came to Europe with her everyone wanted to buy her" she recalls.
She says her riding style has been influenced by a lot of different people "I trained with George of course and early in my career with Karen Harnden and I've taken a lot of clinics with different trainers" she says. She sees how coaching now plays such a hugely important role in the development of young riders - "when you are hungry you soak it up" she says, but she knows that her own skills were developed more by the seat of her pants than anything else. "In the end horses let you know what works and what doesn't, they have their likes and dislikes and just like people some are subtle and some not so subtle. A feel for the animal is vital, especially with mares. You have to be adaptable and flexible - each horse has his own build and his own way of going - you might learn to ride one horse well but they are not all the same. Some like to be ridden firmly, others softly - you have to adapt to the individual" she points out.
Her relationship with her own horses is fairly evident. When asked about the horrible fall that has left her so battered and bruised she will not accept any criticism of Perin who stood all over her when they crashed during the Aachen Grand Prix. "It wasn't his fault - he couldn't help it, he was all tangled up in the poles and he was just trying to stay on his feet" she insists. Tomorrow the partnership should be back in the ring and they must trust each other again. For Margie, that's a given......
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