StaffThe people at Kensington Stables are as friendly as the horses and ponies. Here's more info on some of the folks you'll meet around the stable. Walker took up riding in college to lend credence to his imaginary characters in the medieval role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. He and his family acquired the stable in 1993 from the family that had owned it for the previous 100 years. His expertise extends to many areas of horsemanship and includes an in-depth knowledge of Prospect Park and the surrounding area. In addition to his responsibilities as stable owner and manager, he also provides instruction, leads guided rides through the park, and rides his horses in a wide variety of events throughout the Tri-state area. You can email Walker at bhorsetamer@aol.com. Samsam Yung joined the Kensington family in 2003. She started riding when she was growing up in Japan. In 1985, she came to the U.S. for studies. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Brown University and a M.S. in Computation Finance from Carnegie Mellon. Samsam was a performing modern dancer and Wall Street banker prior to becoming the head trainer and manager at Kensington Stables in 2008. What she brings to the table - a little feel, a little smarts, and a whole lot of discipline. In working with her riders and horses, her approach is thorough and methodical. She works with a general plan, while remaining observant and flexible, adapting to the needs of each rider and situation. Her favorite George Morris quote: "there is sloppy, and there is meticulous (and pretty much nothing in between)." Meticulous riding, in fact, any type of effective riding demands good equitation. Good equitation demands body awareness. This is where dancer and trainer meet. Samsam has a keen eye for movement, position and alignment. By choosing the appropriate exercises and imageries, Samsam helps her riders progress to the next level.
At Kensington, Samsam teaches up to Level IV in dressage and up to 2'6" in hunter/jumpers. She is currently training and competing under 2000 Olympian Nona Garson. Samsam finds it to be an invaluable privilege to be under Nona's tutelage. Samsam's past mentors include Austrian Trek Champion Gunter Wolf, Indigenous Horse Society of India executive member Devendra Singh Navalgarh. Finally many thanks to James McDonald who helped me build a solid foundation in my riding, and was most exemplary in his patience and kindness. So if you should ever find Samsam acting too much like a drill sergeant, and you would like her to rest her vocal cord, remind her of James. Ryka was a former hostler for the New York City Parks Department Mounted Division. She loves working with children and counts several disabled yougths among her students at the stable. She has over 30 riders taking lessons from her. (From the Northeast Equine Journal, vol. 9, no. 12)
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On whether Samsam teaches hunt seat or dressage seat, she would like to quote Bertalan de Nemethy - "In fact, there is no essential difference... there is only one correct way to sit: so that the rider's center of gravity is coordinated with the horse's center of gravity in every situation". It follows naturally that a rider should adapt his weight distribution and hip angle according to what the horse is doing or how the horse is reacting.
