Astounding 2011 Pan Am Games Results Prove There Are “Predictable Paths to ‘Making It,’” Says Denny Emerson. The US Eventing Team took home the Team Gold in an unprecedented effort with terrific performances by Buck Davidson and Michael Pollard and both Buck and Michael are featured in Denny’s bestselling book, "How Good Riders Get Good," as examples of riders doing what it takes to get to the top, and stay there.
You know how a good agent can pick a raw manuscript and know it will be a bestseller? How a professional gambler knows where to place his bets? We like to say luck plays a part—which it certainly does—but the agent and gambler have something else in common.
They both know their “business” and do a lot of research before making a choice or making a play. Whether luck is on their side or not, both the agent and the gambler KNOW what it takes to make a winner.
If Denny Emerson made book deals with top riders, it is clear after the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico that he would have several bestsellers on his hands.
If Denny Emerson placed bets on the results of the Pan Am Games, chances are, he would have made some money over the past week.
Did Denny know that Buck and Michael would find such success when he determined that their stories were worth including in the pages of his recent book? Well, in the world of horse sports, no one can ever know for sure.
But Denny does know what it takes to make a winner. And he knew both Buck and Michael had the right stuff—the work ethic, the support system, the “true grit” that he writes about in "How Good Riders Get Good"—to propel them to the top.
They also both have the right horse, another integral factor on the path to achieving your riding dreams, according to Denny. And in Buck’s case, even his mount Absolute Liberty (owned by Sharon Will), has a connection to How Good Riders Get Good—her sire, Aberjack, is pictured with New Zealander Mark Todd, named by the FEI “Horseman of the Century,” in the chapter where Denny examines what it takes to choose the right horse for the riding job and the riding dream.
It’s no secret that the US Dressage Team dominated the Games, as well, with a “dream team” of sorts on horseback, coached by technical advisor Anne Gribbons.
And yep, Denny featured Anne in "How Good Riders Get Good," too.
“This is it,” says Denny. “The Pan Am results validate the message I am trying to get across in "How Good Riders Get Good." There are predictable paths to ‘making it.’ Buck and Michael’s successes are evidence of how it works.”
"How Good Riders Get Good," the book John Strassburger (Performance Editor, Horse Journal) calls “as close to a blueprint for success as we’ve ever seen” is available now at Trafalgar Square Books’ online bookstore http://www.HorseandRiderBooks.com.