Teadora Media 2009 - Allrights reserved
For the Win ~ Jeanne Lambrecht
Little girls that are crazy about horses are a dime a dozen. What snaggle-toothed six-year old little girl doesn’t want a pony? The difference is that some girls out grow their dreams and some never let them die.
Jeanne Lambrecht is one of those girls that held fast to her dreams, focused on making them come true and has succeeded in making her every day reality horse-filled.
The youngest of four sisters, raised in an upper middle class family that put more value on academics than sports or horses, Jeanne was able to take riding lessons but she was required to earn them. Earn them, she did.
She loved the barn, the smells, the soft nickers of hello on misty spring mornings, loved to warm her hands under the manes of her equine friends on cold winter days.
The barn was geared toward the Hunter / Jumper discipline, so that’s how Jeanne learned to ride. It wouldn’t have mattered to her the saddle type or the breed of horse.
People truly afflicted with “the horse disease” have no initial preferences. They are enamored by grace, beauty, spirit and the joy that comes from climbing on the back of an animal that can transport you not only to a destination, but also right into your dreams.
The sleek coat can be black, brown, gray or white … it doesn’t matter, as long as the eye is soft and gentle, the muzzle is softer than the most velvety suede, the feet can be swift or slow. A horse, is a horse.
Jeanne made many horse friends in her quest to eventually be a horse owner. As she grew into a young woman and attended college, her best rewards for academic achievement would have many people thinking she was a bit crazy.
“I would buy a new bridle, a halter, even a tack trunk,” Jeanne laughs … laughs because then, she had no horse, just the dream of one.
“No matter where I was, I’d find a barn nearby … somewhere I could go to be around horses,”
It has been said that horses are the greatest therapists. How fitting is it then that someone like Jeanne, with such a great love of the horse, has spent better than a decade educating herself on how to help people overcome mental obstacles … most notably, fear.
As a “peak performance coach”, Jeanne is qualified to assist anyone with any type of performance related challenge. Her favorite thing to do, is to help horse people conquer fears associated with riding and performance.
Jeanne Lambrecht is one of those girls that held fast to her dreams, focused on making them come true and has succeeded in making her every day reality horse-filled.
The youngest of four sisters, raised in an upper middle class family that put more value on academics than sports or horses, Jeanne was able to take riding lessons but she was required to earn them. Earn them, she did.
She loved the barn, the smells, the soft nickers of hello on misty spring mornings, loved to warm her hands under the manes of her equine friends on cold winter days.
The barn was geared toward the Hunter / Jumper discipline, so that’s how Jeanne learned to ride. It wouldn’t have mattered to her the saddle type or the breed of horse.
People truly afflicted with “the horse disease” have no initial preferences. They are enamored by grace, beauty, spirit and the joy that comes from climbing on the back of an animal that can transport you not only to a destination, but also right into your dreams.
The sleek coat can be black, brown, gray or white … it doesn’t matter, as long as the eye is soft and gentle, the muzzle is softer than the most velvety suede, the feet can be swift or slow. A horse, is a horse.
Jeanne made many horse friends in her quest to eventually be a horse owner. As she grew into a young woman and attended college, her best rewards for academic achievement would have many people thinking she was a bit crazy.
“I would buy a new bridle, a halter, even a tack trunk,” Jeanne laughs … laughs because then, she had no horse, just the dream of one.
“No matter where I was, I’d find a barn nearby … somewhere I could go to be around horses,”
It has been said that horses are the greatest therapists. How fitting is it then that someone like Jeanne, with such a great love of the horse, has spent better than a decade educating herself on how to help people overcome mental obstacles … most notably, fear.
As a “peak performance coach”, Jeanne is qualified to assist anyone with any type of performance related challenge. Her favorite thing to do, is to help horse people conquer fears associated with riding and performance.
At press time, Jeanne is a psychologist who has just completed her doctorate! Her areas of expertise range from the inner workings of ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) to a very rare condition called “trichophagia”. Jeanne has won awards for her work in the field of psychology and will do some clinical work i n a conventional atmosphere.
But horses have been Jeanne’s greatest friends and confidants over the years so her desire to see people excel in their equestrian efforts or more especially to transcend fears associated with riding is a great passion.
The very idea of a psychologist puts one in mind of a serious somewhat studious individual. While it’s safe to say that Jeanne has the capacity to be serious and studious those two adjectives would be adverse to the core of her personality.
Jeanne is the girl you invite to the party to liven it up!
She’s pretty, vivacious and secure enough in herself to sing karaoke badly (even though she’s an accomplished soprano), it insight uproarious laughter with her stellar Molly Shannon impressions and chat with you half the night about all sorts of topics. She’s the quintessential “BFF”. She's a cornacopia of trivial though extremely intellectual knowledge.
An adventurous spirit and a fair amount of athleticism make Jeanne up for about any challenge. She is, along with being a well rounded rider, a runner, a tri-athlete, a former competitive bicyclist and an avid scuba diving enthusiast. Jeanne enjoys all of these activities as well as riding with her long-time boyfriend Dennis Suchyta.
It was this enthusiasm for personal and physical challenges that prompted Jeanne to work toward a new and varied goal … trying new things with horses.
The Cowgirl Up Diaries where born out of Jeanne’s insatiable hunger to learn. She decided that it would be “fun” to introduce herself to new disciplines of riding or the accoutrements of riding (ie: roping, ranch skills etc.) and chronicle them for both publication and posterity.
Her first adventure with 2009 Certified Horsemanship Instructor of the year, Steve Landvit is part of this issue. Steve took Jeanne through the ins and outs of colt starting.
The hope of the project is multi-faceted. Jeanne would like to relate to as many of her clients on a tangible level as well as provide inspiration to seek new challenges and transcend fear.
“I always try to explain that fear is in the future, you can’t be afraid if you ground in the present,” she explains. “If you look around you and see that you are, in fact, ok and understand that your fear only limits you from achieving your goal … no matter what that goal is … then you’ll be a lot closer to casting fear aside."
If you meet Jeanne at an expo or the Rolex, or some other event we might sent her off to, you might think she's nervous. She's not. She has a neurological condition that causes tremors. Her hands just shake a little. It is with great courage that Jeanne stands up in front of crowds of people to talk to them about overcoming obstacles, creating patterns for success or tackling tremendous fear when her own issues make her self conscious.
Jeanne told us that she has always wanted to be a psychologist and she knew she was supposed to help people.
Newly armed with her degree proclaiming her officially as Dr. Lambrecht, she's at the beginning of fulfilling a life long dream. Interestingly, she's been helping folks all along her whole life. Not only does she help people but she helps animals. All but one of her many dogs are rescues. Rocky, the Chinese Crested, was a gift. Her horses are also from situations that warranted Jeanne and Dennis roll up their sleeves and restore health and vitality. Click here to meet Jeanne's dogs and here to meet the horses.
While your there, browse around and learn more about this fascinating woman and her charge.
A Horse that can Fly ~ Frankie Lovato
Frankie Lovato, Jr. is a giant among men. His stature is only representative of his former profession. His spirit, his attitude, his personality are all colassal!
A former jockey, Frankie along with his wife Sandy now spend their days both teaching and mentoring future jockeys and making miracles.
Frankie invented “The Equicizer”, a wooden replica of a race horse built to simulate riding.
The beauty of the Equicizer has transcended imagination.
Envisioned as an aide to help keep jockeys on
A former jockey, Frankie along with his wife Sandy now spend their days both teaching and mentoring future jockeys and making miracles.
Frankie invented “The Equicizer”, a wooden replica of a race horse built to simulate riding.
The beauty of the Equicizer has transcended imagination.
Envisioned as an aide to help keep jockeys on
No Daisies ~ Steve Landvit
It’s the cowboy way to not pull punches. The idiom “shoot from the hip” was coined in the Old West. So, while it should be no surprise that Stetson-clad personalities are often simplistically direct, sometimes it’s still a shock to ears more accustomed to peremptory political correctness. It must be said that a lot of Stetson-clad individuals are posers and not cowboys at all. In the words of the late Conway Twitty, “don’t call
him a cowboy, until you’ve seen him ride.”
You can be sure that Steve Lantvit is, in fact, a cowboy.
him a cowboy, until you’ve seen him ride.”
You can be sure that Steve Lantvit is, in fact, a cowboy.
He is simplistically direct.
He shoots from the hip.
He knows horsemanship.
He wears a Stetson.
He can flat, ride the hair, off a horse.
He shoots from the hip.
He knows horsemanship.
He wears a Stetson.
He can flat, ride the hair, off a horse.
Steve is a fan of the movie Tombstone. He’s often heard saying things to his students like “no daisies”.
Since Steve is the 2009 Certified Horsemanship Instructor of the year, he has a lot of students.
Some might say he is perpetuating the cowboy code. More would say it’s about time someone did!
You don’t have to be around Steve long to understand who he is and what is meaningful to him. A good horse, good friends that you can be yourself with, people that stand up for the things they believe in, a shot of Vodka at the end of a hard day’s work, his beautiful wife Jen, his dogs and his property this is the essence of Steve. It’s not the whole of him.
He’s quick witted and is a gifted storyteller with
great expressions and an ability to put you in
the scene with him. He’s knowledgeable about
his craft and he’s able to answer any training
Some might say he is perpetuating the cowboy code. More would say it’s about time someone did!
You don’t have to be around Steve long to understand who he is and what is meaningful to him. A good horse, good friends that you can be yourself with, people that stand up for the things they believe in, a shot of Vodka at the end of a hard day’s work, his beautiful wife Jen, his dogs and his property this is the essence of Steve. It’s not the whole of him.
He’s quick witted and is a gifted storyteller with
great expressions and an ability to put you in
the scene with him. He’s knowledgeable about
his craft and he’s able to answer any training
related question you can dream up. He loves his job, but he isn’t so wrapped up in it that it’s all he talks about. He’s good at it, he takes pride in what he can do and what he knows but it’s not the be-all-end all-of what makes him compelling. It’s not why we featured him.
We featured Steve because he's hella cool! He's the real deal and he's a blast to be around. Watch him in the round pen, you saw him as Craig Cameron's pen wrangler at the 2010 Road to the Horse. There's no doubt he's a great trainer. There are a lot of great trainers.
Honestly, Steve's the first yankee trainer we've ever featured. Scott Purdum doesn't count because Maryland is too close to Virginia.
Steve actually talks like Yankee. So, it's a first.
I'm going to switch to first person for thematic effect.
Steve and I hung out a lot at Road to the Horse. This is an event, that if you are working, will wear you out. So all the staff and pen wranglers would meet in the hotel bar and have a night cap. Steve drinks vodka. Southern boys drink whiskey. I like vodka on the account that you can put it in anything. Cranberry juice, hot chocolate, 7-up, it doesn't matter. You can't really taste it much and it'll make you drunk! Steve drank his straight. I found that admiriable. I mentioned his story telling abilities. They are fabulous. He told us of intruders on his property and how he divested himself of them. *Don't tresspass on Steve Lantvit's property*. He belives in stealth and a strong defense and is explaining his prowess in the woods (as Jen rolls her eyes), we are riveted to his story. If you ever have the opportunity for Steve Lantvit to tell you a story ... sit.listen.learn. ... laugh.
Some horse trainers are nice, some are funny, some are handsome, some are articulate, some are naturally gifted, some care about helping their horse and human clients get on the same page, some are safety minded, some like to give you a foundation to work with. Steve is all these things and more. If you are fortunate enough to be anywhere close to Steve and Jen's High Grove Farm in Northwesten Indiana, call and schedule a visit. SteveLantvit.com
Articles
their game, it soon evolved into opportunities for therapeutic riding, overcoming riding fears and allowing the disabled to appreciate and feel motion without the danger and unpredictability of riding a real horse.
Frankie’s vision has healed the hearts and souls of many who once bound to a wheel
chair now felt flight ... wings!
The feel of a horse cantering, galloping even beneath you is like no other feeling.
Frankie is an Eclipse Award winning jockey and his
wins are numerous. It is said that a race horse must have “heart” to win ...
There has never been a horse with more heart than Frankie.
His drive to teach and help others shines in his gracious smile. Add in fiesty, funny Sandy and this demenutive couple are larges than life. The Lovato's have three children and live and work in Norwalk, Ohio. Look for a more comprehensive feature on Frankie and Equicizer in an upcoming issue of HorseSouth. For now be sure and visit the Lovatos at Equicizer.com