BELWOOD – As a professional dressage competitor, horse breeder and trainer, Janet Konyer wears multiple hats. She competes on the international stage with Centaur LF, the grand prix horse she bred and raised on her horse farm, Lookout Farm in Belwood.
Currently her main focus is training with Centaur LF ahead of four upcoming Canadian Dressage International (CDI) competitions starting in May, including the 2019 Kawartha Spring Classic at Essa Agriplex in Thorton May 3 to 5, the Ottawa Dressage Festival May 16 to 19, the 2019 RCRA Spring Classic Dressage May 24 to 26, and the Caledon Spring Jubilee in Palgrave, May 31 to June 2.
After that, it’s off to the United States in the fall.
Depending on how the competitions go, Konyer and Centaur LF could find themselves representing Canada at the 2020 Olympics.
“Training is going very well,” said Konyer.
None of which she said, could be achieved without the support of their sponsors – ZenA min and Equine Omega Complete.
“Everything in his grand prix is improving … all of the movements are getting better.”
Every morning Konyer said she trains with Centaur LF and her trainer Nancy MacLachlan before she then trains some of MacLachlan’s horses. By 2pm she is back at Lookout Farm to ride her other horses in training and teach students in the evening.
Centaur is the highest-level competition horse that Konyer has developed over the course of her long career.
“Through our partnership and the years training, I mean it takes eight years to develop a grand prix horse ,so we know each other pretty well. I’ve come to learn, he really needs to know his test before, he needs to know where he is going and what is coming up,” said Konyer.
To get a horse to that elite level, she said, also takes daily discipline and a dedication to extensive training program.
“I think it takes a lot of mental preparation as well on the part of the rider and the horses need to be prepared mentally and emotionally as well and that’s a big part of the discipline that perhaps isn’t addressed enough,” Konyer added.
However, out of all of the disciplines, Konyer recognized from a very early age that dressage improved all aspects of a horse’s behavior.
“Even as a child I could appreciate how much good dressage improved everything from the jumping to the horse’s way of going to even obedience on the trail. I learned to appreciate that very young,” Konyer said.
Without being born into a horse-riding family, Konyer persuaded her parents to put her in horse-riding lessons when she was 12.
Soon after that Konyer got her first horse when she was 13.
She began breeding out of necessity when she was a university student and her event horse had to be retired following an injury.
“Being a poor university student, it was the most economical way for me to get another horse,” said Konyer.
She bred a mare with the best stallion that she could afford through the help of her old instructor and hoped for the best.
“That’s how I got into breeding, I was fortunate enough that my old instructor and very dear friend bred my very first horse for me. I paid it off through training horses for her,” said Konyer.
The first horse she bred was a full sibling to some of the other horses she had trained, but Konyer said the horse was completely different to her siblings. Ultimately, like humans, each horse is different.
From that experience, Konyer has gone on to breed, train and sell horses internationally to buyers as far away as Guatemala, Bermuda and Hawaii.
“We sold lots to the States,” Konyer added.
At Lookout Farm, Konyer said she has between 25 to 30 horses. Out of those, typically 10 are in training programs to be sold when they reach the elite level.
“An international grand prix horse would be valued anywhere from $200,000 up to and probably over a million dollars,” she said.
According to Konyer, the horse breeding community in North America is small, especially when you ride in the elite circles. Being a coach during the 2015 Pan American Games helped.
But initially her contacts were made through the internet. Once that initial connection is made, it is common to keep selling to the same contacts.
“We have a reputation for being very forthright about our horses that we sell and so we have had multiple sales to the same people. We have had a number of people, even internationally, that buy horses just through conversations and knowing and trusting us,” said Konyer.
While training for the CDI events is Konyer’s main focus, she said Lookout Farm is also looking forward to the spring for another reason.
“We are expecting three foals this spring,” said Konyer.
Like Centaur LF, Konyer will train these horses, starting the cycle again.
“However, she said it’s important to nuture and respect their individuality.”
To that end, Konyer said she tries to put them into a role where they are happiest.
“We try to find what they are good at and what they enjoy doing and we fill them in that discipline.”
