Julian Hyde making big leaps with horses

Julian Hyde effortlessly guides his horse to clear the hurdle during a showjumping exercise, doing so with an elegance that he has garnered over the past two decades.

Hyde has a natural inclination for sports, born into a line of athletes led by his father, football great Lenworth Hyde. But the younger Hyde found his niche as an equestrian. At age seven, his mother allowed him to begin riding with equestrian coach Betty Wates.

Taking the trek from Ewarton to Kingston daily, he would gaze at the horse stables and wished he could interact with them.

"One day she gave in and stopped. Ever since then I never left," Hyde said. He credits his mother, Heather-Gail Lewars, for pushing him to become involved with horses, entering both local and regional competitions. Today, he owns Hyde Riding Academy, with stables at the Kingston Polo Club, where he is a horse-riding instructor to both children and adults.

The 34-year-old said his days often begin at 7 a.m., making preparation to exercise the horses for the day's classes at 1 p.m.

"I guess the inspiration from Mrs Betty Wates pushed me into taking it as a career. She is still my coach, she still helps me out with giving advice if a horse is giving me trouble; and just through her, learning from what she has done, I just really feel like I need to give back, and it is a sport that I love. So why not do the sport you love and make a little money on the side?" he said.

CERTIFICATION

Hyde left his sociology studies at The University of the West Indies to pursue a career as a rider and trainer. He holds a level II International Equestrian Federation coaching certificate that he got in the Cayman Islands in 2012, and coaches Jamaica's equestrian team.

"I love seeing smiles on the faces of children when they get to go over a high jump or when they get to gallop a horse for the first time. Also, I love working with adults, people who want to try something new. I find that they really get into the sport and get competitive, so it is good also. But for me personally, I just love being with the animals," he said.

At age 12, Hyde represented Jamaica at a competition in Trinidad and Tobago, performing exceptionally well despite a few falls.

Hyde shared that horse riding is an increasingly appreciated sport and is inviting more Jamaicans to get involved, as more trainers are needed.

"I want everybody to be a part of it, and I know it is a very expensive sport and not everybody has the ways and means of getting into it. But the main focus is getting more horses so we can get more people in. I do think it can develop into a major sport," he told THE STAR. He finds it funny that persons think equestrian is an easy sport.

"Persons see us riding and think that we are not riding, it's the horse doing all of the work. But you definitely have to be fit and ready to ride. It takes a lot of patience and dedication," Hyde said. The veteran trainer said that he wants to see the sport develop.

"I've never been to the Olympics, but, definitely, it is a goal of mine. I'm working towards it; we are trying to raise the funds and get the horses necessary to help with the preparation," he said.