Richard Spooner AGUA DOLCE, CA
Where were you born?
I was born in Redondo Beach, CA.
Where did you ride for the first time?
I was 10 years old and it was with Danielle Colbert Rainwater at the Four Seasons Farm in Huntington Beach, CA. The farm is now condominiums.
Do you remember your first horse?
Yes, Rusty. A quarter horse with the show name Business As Usual.
Do you remember your first fall?
I had a lot of falls and I don’t remember the first one. I used to fall off a lot, just like now. Some things never change.
Your first show?
I was 10 years old and I’d been riding for 3–6 months. It was a leadline class and I towered over all the six year olds. I wasn’t ready to be on my own on a horse for another year.
Your favorite thing about competing or working with competitors? Competing gives you the opportunity to see if all the work you’ve done is correct or incorrect. Competition gives you a yardstick with which you can measure your training.
Your best memory of 2015 to date?
You know what, when I won the Del Mar National Grand Prix. I had some injuries the year before and I had just started back halfway through Thermal. I would say Del Mar was the first time I could put my injuries behind me and go ride.
Your favorite thing about horses and what you do? They deal with you from a position of honesty. They aren’t interested in who you are or what you’ve
Photo courtesy Spruce Meadows Media
done. They’re willing to give 100% of themselves in their relationship with you. They just judge you in that moment, at that time. Every day for them is new. If you treat them honorably and justly, they will reciprocate. They deal with you the way you deal with them.
Your goals going forward – horsewise and otherwise?
My goals going forward horsewise is to try to keep getting the best possible athletes that I can so that I have the raw material to create the competitors I need and to continue to show at the top level of the sport. Also, to keep working on having a balance in my life between my competitive necessities as well as the rest of my life.
A quote or keywords that best describe you...
Well, when I was 10 years old, I rode so poorly, I was on the lunge line for about a year. At a Christmas party, I was voted most persistent. At the time, it was a bit of an insult but I would say that does sum up a lot of my personality. I have a tendency to persevere, to drive on.
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