Our Riders
Cowan Cavalletti has a special partnership with professional Waikato rider, Lizzie Green, a non-profit Cambridge business Event Stars, and Meila Picard dressage rider from the Tasman, South Island. The founder’s daughter Jenika Cowan’s passion for show jumping inspired the founder Tammy to make a better, easier jump for equestrian training.
Lizzie Green
Cowan Cavalletti is very proud to have Lizzie Green (her married name) using Cowan Cavalletti. Lizzie Brown (her Maiden name) won the famed three-star horse trails in Boekelo, Holland in 2013. This event attracts 60,000 spectators and top Olympic and world champion riders. Lizzie was riding her New Zealand bred Hanoverian gelding, Henton Attorney General when she won this esteemed event. Lizzie was based in the UK and represented New Zealand in many international team competitions like the Nations Cup. Now she has set up home in Te Kowhai in the Waikato and produces top horses and teaches around New Zealand.
Cowan Cavalletti encourages riders to book lessons with Lizzie as she is skilled in training horses in so many disciplines – eventers, show jumpers, dressage riders or pleasure riders. Check out Lizzie’s facebook page. For information on coaching and clinics around New Zealand or her website.
Lizzie’s recommendations for beginning your collection of Cowan Cavalletti:
“I have been getting quite a few messages about which Cowan Cavalletti I use and recommend, so here we go!
In order of priority if you’re thinking of stocking your arena 😉 my opinion of course!
I absolutely love the “Original Cowan Cavaletti” for most canter and jumping exercises such as bounces, grids, lines etc I would recommend a minimum order of 3 of these first and foremost 😀
For raised trot poles, we use and love the “Mini Cowan Cavaletti” 🤩
I also recommend x2 of the “Knee High Cowan Cavaletti” however these are a bit taller so better for the more established horses.
For safe ground lines and take off or landing poles I highly recommend a few of the “Foam Safety Poles”
Finally the “Skinny Lizzie Cowan Cavaletti” are great for introducing horses and riders to narrow fences or for smaller arenas.”
Event Stars Ltd
Event Stars Ltd is a wonderful organisation that re-homes thoroughbreds when they have finished their racing career. It was started by Gina Schick. Gina used to break in Kaimanawa horses, the NZ wild horse. She says it is a big ask to break in a wild pony for children as they need to be very safe. So when Gina was given a free thoroughbred to train to sell she was sold on working with thoroughbreds, and this is where Event Stars began.
She says they Thoroughbreds have a great nature and are quick to learn. Off the track thoroughbreds are not fazed by much because they have extensive experience so early on. Gina’s ideal thoroughbred horse to re-home is sound and sane. Event Stars sell mainly local riders. There are a few exceptions, where one went to the NZ Olympic event couple Tim and Janelle Price who are based in the UK, and another turned in a top level Eventer with Wendy Schaeffer-Macdonald in Australia.
Gina uses Cowan Cavalletti and she says, “they are FANTASTIC, they are quick to set up, easy and durable”. According to Gina, “everyone needs a dozen in their arena”.
Jenika Phipps
Jenika Phipps, the rider in some of the Cowan Cavalletti videos and daughter of Tammy (founder of Cowan Cavalletti) bought a thoroughbred from Event Stars to enter in the Beyond the Barriers competition at Equidays 2016. Toffy/Tofino who went from tripping over a pole on the ground to six months later being placed second in a two fence challenge class in Beyond the Barriers by jumping 1.4m jump. Have a look at the Easy to Move, Safe to Use video as Toffy was good at knocking the cavalletti over in the beginning. Toffy mainly jumped Cowan Cavalletti and rarely trained over big jumps.
Meila Picard
Our youngest equestrian Meila Picard, at 18 years old is a dedicated and committed rider specializing in dressage and showing. She started with us when she was riding her pony Buckton Denniston (Dennis) whom she trained herself to Level 4 to win Reserve Champion Dressage Pony of the Year at the Horse of the Year 2019. ESNZ selected her to represent NZ in Sydney in September 2019. Meila brought her first hack, Joe a 16.2hh gelding and trained him from green Preliminary to Medium in a short period of time, scoring in the seventy percent. In October 2020 Meila welcomed Zisco into her family, a four year old by the gorgeous stallion Zonik and now is offering her services to others as both a trainer and rider.
Follow her on Meila Picard Equestrian.
