SA SADDLE HORSE | 7TH EDITION - Magazine - Page 5
Liané speaks with deep gratitude about Enid Norton, the
mentor who has stood beside her every step of the way.
“She has never given up on me for one moment. She
always sees the best in me, even when I doubt myself.
She teaches me, encourages me, and develops me to
become the best rider I can be.”
With the support of her trainer, her family, and her
incredible horses, Liané continues to grow into the rider
she dreams of becoming.
And that dream is a big one.
“My dream is to one day become the best Protea
equitation rider for my country.”
For now, the young rider continues to ride with
determination, heart, and humility one stride at a time.
And if her journey so far is anything to go by, the future
of South African saddle horse sport may very well be
watching the rise of a champion in the making.
We asked her coach,
Enid Norton, to answer
a few questions:
1.Describe what it’s like to coach Liané?
The 昀椀rst time I got to work with Liané, I realised she
had “the feel” and talent unparalleled in the then eight
& under athlete. I thought of what John Tufel said “Some
people have innate physical gifts that give them an
intrinsic advantage for certain sports”.
Liané meets all the requirements to become a great
athlete and sportsman. She is mentally tough, optimistic,
courageous, focused, honest, respectful, straightforward
and cooperative.
sport-speci昀椀c movements and techniques, physical
conditioning, goal setting and evaluation sessions.
We built a supportive environment, moved her from the
foundation stage to investing in the specialisation of her
equitation training and horsemanship.
3. What makes Liané different from other
riders her age?
Liané has a maturity about her that only seasoned riders
possess.
Beneath the surface, Liané knows that it’s the “repetitive,
boring work” that makes her a better athlete. She puts in
the effort and is determined to become one of the best!
Mounting Liané on her mother, Lucia’s former stake
horse, The Unstoppable. Everyone told me I was crazy,
he is too much horse for an under 10 rider, he is dif昀椀cult,
he is high powered, he has a mind of his own and, and,
and!
Surika & myself went to work, strategically planning how
we were going to make this possible. Even meticulous
planning isn’t a guarantee!
Well it turned out well from day one, they bonded, he
loves her, she respects him and “Stoppie” keeps us all
grounded.
He challenges her, teaches her and makes sure we all stay
humble. Every small step in the right direction is a win
and a victory on its own.
He still has a lot of history to leave behind him before
they truly become the ultimate pair, but at every show,
win or loose, the duo is “Unstoppable”.
Liané has a relentless desire to improve, paying careful
attention to instruction and execution thereof. Liané is
always receptive to constructive criticism, eager to learn,
coachable and possesses a deep love for the sport and
horses.
It has been easy teaching her riding skills, with her talent,
she would make any coach look good.
2. Is there something you changed in
Liané’s riding?
One of the additives we focused on, were her cognitive
abilities, this was to help her regulate her young self,
emotional awareness and control her internal dialogue.
She still needed to learn how to master her mind. We
worked on building resilience & con昀椀dence which will
ultimately in昀氀uence her performance in the saddle.
We altered her basic 昀椀tness and focused on
Surika & Liane
SA SADDLE HORSE
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