by Caroline Williams
Focused. Intense. Quietly self-assured. All of these are apt descriptors of Duane Latimer, Canada’s home-grown cowboy who won the 2006 individual gold medal at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, Germany.
Latimer shared his WEG experience and his insights into the reining industry with a large audience at a question-and-answer session at the Horse Breeders and Owners Conference in Red Deer, Alberta, January 13.
Latimer’s previous achievements are lengthy and impressive, with Top Canadian NRHA money winner and NRHA’s fourth Million Dollar Rider being at the top of the list.
He modestly sums it all up: “It’s all I’ve ever done in my life is ride horses. I’ve been so fortunate to ride so many great horses.”
Born in Bienfait, Saskatchewan, and growing up in Rimbey, Alberta, Latimer was raised in a family steeped in ranching tradition. Working cow horse, cutting, calf roping, rodeo, and reining are as familiar to Latimer as computer games are to today’s youth.
His father, Wayne, who was instrumental in bringing reining to Alberta three decades ago comments, “Duane always did have energy to burn, it just needed to be channelled.” Duane acknowledges his dad as one of his main mentors, and jokingly remarks that “My toughest apprenticeship was working for my dad. After that, it was all a holiday.”
Latimer has rarely looked in the rearview mirror since he won his first Open reining competition that Wayne entered him in at age 12.
He began specializing in reining about 14 years ago, apprenticed with Bob Avila, and then travelled to Italy with his wife Wendy, to work for several years where the sport was already much more highly evolved. After his European experience, he returned to Canada to work alongside Bob Loomis.
Describing his recent gold-medal experience, the conversation is dotted with superlatives: “It was incredible! An experience of a lifetime! Representing Canada and seeing our flag fly as the Canadian Team took the silver medal was an unforgettable moment.”
Latimer and his WEG mount, the five-year-old stallion Hang Ten Surprise, have been a team since the horse was a two-year-old. Owned by Manntanna LLC of Montana, Hang Ten also has many feathers in his cap including AQHA champion, futurity and derby finalist, and two-time NRBC finalist.
During the WEG competition, Latimer was forced to do a second run to clinch his placing. Asked when he knew he had won individual gold, he says “I knew I had it right before my last sliding stop. I said to myself, ‘Don’t screw this up!’ The crowd was so loud, I had to say ‘Whoa’ just a bit louder.”
The prospect of having to do a second run didn’t phase Latimer much, as he believes that one of Hang Ten Surprise’s greatest strengths is his consistency. He recounts that the horse was a little tired on the second run and that he had to push him just a bit more to achieve that winning score.
Latimer has plenty of sage advice for developing a great reining horse. On bloodlines, he comments, “Our industry is paper driven.” Not necessarily for a trained gelding, but for a mare or stallion, he recommends purchasing proven bloodlines.
He knows which bloodlines are successful at the sport and likes to purchase stock at yearling sales, where the prices are a bit lower than for two-year-old prospects.
What does he look for specifically? “How they move, how they act, what their eye looks like. If you buy a started two-year-old, you almost don’t want them to do too much in the sales ring.” The implication is that they may have already been overworked.
The next step in his program is veterinary checks on each prospect before they start training. This minimizes the number of lameness problems by culling horses that may not be up to the physical demands of the sport.
His five-day-a-week training program for two-year-olds usually starts in January. By the time they are three years old, the successful reining horse must have developed both mental and physical toughness. Some critics say that reining horses are started too young. Latimer’s opinion, “Some people will ride them too hard whether they are three- or four-years-old.”
He believes the trick to keeping a reining horse fresh and willing to please is to not keep asking for everything they’ve got if they already understand. “Practice runs should be enough to keep them in shape to do the required patterns,” he says.
For mature reiners, he believes that two sessions a week may be enough. International and FEI events have, in effect, extended the useful competitive life of many reining horses, as older, more experienced horses can compete in these events.
If your goal is to be an accomplished trainer, Latimer’s advice is simple, “Find the best trainer that has an opening, and spend as much time as you can working with him or her.”
Latimer recommends spending four to five years training and learning the business from a trainer you respect before stepping out on your own. In fact, one of Latimer’s only regrets is that he moved around a little too much in the early phase of his own career, despite working with well-respected horsemen such as Bob Avila.
“Once you are a trainer, you face huge responsibilities, and you often don’t have time to continue your own education.”
Lifelong learning is an obvious priority for Latimer, who states that he frequently rides with his peers to keep his skills honed. His parting advice: “Have a dream. Set goals. Strive to be the best you can be.”
We may have read it all before in sports psychology books, but it sounds oh so much better coming from a world champion gold medalist home-grown in Canada.
