What I Learned at Windurra Camp with Boyd and Silva Martin

From the very moment I arrived at Boyd and Silva Martin’s breathtaking 75-acre farm in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, to be on site at the third annual Windurra Camp as Practical Horseman’s eyes and ears, it was clear that this weekend is a special week for Boyd, a four-time Olympian in eventing, and Silva, a Grand Prix dressage rider.

While the exuberant participants filled the main dining tent to enjoy drinks and barbeque at Windurra’s welcome party, Boyd took on the role of sommelier, moving from table to table to take drink orders and greet guests; meanwhile, Silva, with their 3-year-old son Koa by her side, was also welcoming the other camp participants.

A little later that night, Boyd jokingly invited those present to visit their “very expensive stable block that’s about to fall down”; a reference to Windurra Farm’s iconic old-fashioned shed-row stable.

He accompanied the guests along the short path there, where his older sons Nox and Leo, along with his head groom Steph Simpson, had prepared 25-pound bags of carrots and were encouraging the participants to feed the horses.

Boyd introduced some of his top horses to the participants, including his partner at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Fedarman B, as well as Commando 3, and Cooley Nutcracker, the former horse of Liz Halliday, whom he is set to compete with in August in Aachen, Germany, at the FEI Eventing World Championships.

While the campers happily fed carrots to Bruno, Conner and Bali, I couldn’t resist the temptation either and grabbed a few to join in the fun; after all, how often do you get the chance to feed a four-legged Olympian?

Windurra was very much like the beloved summer riding camps that introduced many of us horse-loving kids to the equestrian world; a unique and magical experience.

Here, we offer an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at exactly what Windurra Camp consists of and review the key points raised by the riders and auditors present about their experience.

Creating Windurra: Learn How Top Riders Train Windurra Camp 2026, which was held from June 25 to 28, drew about 70 riders and auditors from across the country to this farm; a packed and intensive weekend of training and one-on-one instruction with Boyd and Silva, as well as Peter Wylde, Olympic gold medalist and one of the leading show jumping trainers, dressage trainers Brett Parbery and Laura Graves, and steeplechase jockey Mark Beecher.

In his welcome speech, Boyd explained that he and Silva had launched Windurra Camp with the goal of sharing the most important components of their training program to help riders improve in their disciplines and become better horsemen and women overall.

Boyd, during the cross country lesson, guides campers Kate Wood and Emma Whitaker across the vast Windurra Farm training grounds.

©Amy K.

Dragoo He explained: “Here we try to share things more deeply than you can find in a book or by watching a 30-second YouTube video.

” He added: “Over the past few years, the people who come to this camp really want to get better.

And I have realized that you cannot just sit back and expect progress.

Sometimes you have to step into the arena and take a little risk.

Boyd and Silva have both come to the conclusion that old-fashioned but effective “consistency” and “discipline” are the key to success in this sport.

Boyd said: “Sometimes it is frustrating, because the amount of progress in our sport is often hard to detect.

So it is important to look not at where you were last week or even last month, but at where you were six months or a year ago.

” He explained that the camp atmosphere — including the crowd of auditors, riders’ families, and supporters — is designed to put both riders and horses in a competition mindset.

Boyd advised campers: “People will be watching you this weekend, and you will probably get stressed by some of the big trainers coaching you.

The horses are going to be energetic and may be scared of some of Silva’s kids on the tractor or of the flags in the jumping arena.

So this environment puts you in a position where everything can go wrong.

” In addition to the eventers, several riders from the classical dressage discipline were also present at Windurra Camp for private lessons with Silva Martin, Laura Graves, and Brett Parbery.

©Amy K.

Dragoo However, she reminded riders that if problems did arise over the weekend, it would not be a bad thing.

Boyd said: “Tomorrow will be a challenging day.

This experience is very similar to your first ride at a competition; when horses are in a new environment, among spectators, noise, and other distractions.

Come with an open mind and know that everything is not going to be perfect.

When you are put in a slightly uncomfortable position, it simulates the feeling you have in competitions, and that is often when you learn the most about yourself.

” Summer Camp on Steroids In addition to the individual coaching the campers received, they also benefited from several non-riding educational sessions, including an interactive sports psychology session with personal performance coach Natalie Hummel, practical bit-fitting tips from the experts at Stübben, advice on stable management and horse conditioning from Simpson, a horse nutrition session with SmartPak, and a session with Kevin Keane, DVM, in which he explained his top five reasons for when you should call a veterinarian.

The campers also learned more by watching jumping demonstrations with Boyd and Wylde, a dressage demo with Silva and Graves, a lesson on galloping position with Beecher, a course walk with Wylde, and a cross-country ride with Boyd showing what he is practicing ahead of Aachen on Cooley Nutcracker.

Top steeplechase jockey Mark Beecher was at Windurra Camp 2026 to teach participants about the different gallop positions and when each should be used, while Boyd demonstrated them.

©Amy K.

Dragoo The camp also included a stretching session with Boyd’s physiotherapist, Andrew Russell, and a yoga class with his trainer, Biz Magarity.

Boyd, who never takes a break from his own physical fitness or from being the “director” in camp, was there from the early mornings along with the Martin family’s dog, Sugar, to demonstrate the various stretching and core exercises that Russell taught the participants, as well as yoga with Magarity.

He also made bits available to the participants for comparison during the bit-fitting session and was also present at the Hummel session to explain how his coaching methods have helped him become a more resilient athlete and get through difficulties and disappointments.

Sugar, the Martin family’s dog, helps her in an early morning session with Boyd’s yoga coach, Biz Magarity, to perform her yoga poses more accurately.

©Alana Harrison Boyd jokes with this personal trainer during Natalie Hummel’s sports psychology lesson with the participants.

©Alana Harrison The night before the official start of Windurra, Boyd told the participants that he hoped they would leave on Sunday with one or two key points from each camp session; points that could positively affect their riding skills and horsemanship.

He said: “To get better, guys, you’re just trying to steal a little information—take an exercise from Peter’s jumping lesson, a tip from Brett’s session about the way he prefers to warm up his horses, an ‘aha’ moment from me in cross-country, or some advice from Natalie about the mental side of competition, or from Mark about your gallop.

Then you can shape your own riding style based on what works for you and your horse.

” (To watch the live video summary of this year’s Windurra Camp click here.

) Kate and ‘Mopsi’ Cruise into Confidence After an incredibly educational experience at Windurra Camp last year, 16-year-old Kate Wood was eager to return.

Kate, who has been riding competitively for eight years, together with her tough 17-year-old German Riding Pony Prinz S.

, nicknamed “Mopsi,” and her mother Claire Wood, made the four-hour trip from Earlysville, Virginia, to attend the camp again this year.

Claire said: “Kate learned so much from each of the sessions last year and enjoyed the experience so much that her father and I truly understood the value of the opportunity.

It’s rare to have access to so many top coaches, riders and their support teams at one time.

To help cover the costs for this year, Kate started saving from the moment we got back last year.

She rode a horse for a neighbor and did farm-sitting jobs.

She has been looking forward to this program all year and it seems Mopsi enjoys it too.

We don’t think he minds showing off in front of Olympians either!

” Kate Wood, who returned to Windurra Camp for the second year in a row with her 17-year-old German Riding Pony, “Mopsi,” felt she had gained more confidence in answering tougher questions after Boyd’s cross-country lesson.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Kate said after the cross-country lesson with Boyd, who is currently training under Kiki Osbourne, that his advice for her practice at home has been very useful.

He said: “The fact that Boyd taught us how to sit deeper in a driving seat was really helpful in helping Mopsi see the jump better and gain more confidence in his takeoff point for all kinds of questions.

He also helped my confidence and taught me when to give a gentle tap-tap with the crop to encourage him if Mopsi was unsure about something.

” Kate also appreciates Boyd’s calm and composed way of teaching.

She said: “He is really an amazing coach.

Very kind and encouraging, but at the same time he really pushes you to be your best.

He gave us a few tougher questions too, but in a way that we could answer them with confidence.

And after doing those hard questions, I feel much more prepared for my next competition.

” Claire pointed to her daughter’s remarkable progress in recent years and said that last year both she and Kate were inspired by the positive, can-do spirit at Windurra.

During the cross country lesson, Boyd helped Kate boost Mopsi’s confidence in meeting new questions by placing her in a deeper driving seat.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Kate and Mopsi worked on improving basic fundamentals and the extended trot in their dressage lesson with Silva.

©Alana Harrison Claire said: “Seeing him learn how to pick himself up again when something doesn’t go perfectly, make the necessary adjustments, and figure out what to do next time has been really meaningful for me.

That is hugely valuable, because that is exactly what you do in eventing.

On top of that, just being around riders of this level over the course of a weekend and receiving all this one-on-one attention from them, along with all the bitting and stable management experts who are there to help you and your horse be the best possible partners for each other, is really incredibly beneficial.

” Karen and ‘Match’: Putting It All Together Karen Elbert, who came from New Jersey, returned to Windurra Camp for the third time this year with her Dutch Warmblood mare, Matchpoint.

Elbert says all the information she gains during the three-day experience makes the trip worthwhile every year.

This year marked Karen Elbert’s third appearance at Windurra Camp with her Dutch Warmblood mare, Matchpoint.

©Amy K.

Dragoo She said: “The Martins family and all their team members put a tremendous amount of energy and effort into this camp.

Their program is fantastic and they bring in so many top-class experts who provide fresh information on all the aspects needed for success in eventing.

I really can’t imagine how complicated it is to coordinate everything with Peter, Brett, Mark and Laura, alongside all of us participants and the tents, stables and other requirements.

It is truly an amazing experience and it has been absolutely worth attending all three years.

” Elbert welcomed the way Boyd showed during this year’s cross-country session how he introduces horses step by step to the different elements of a course or a final combination before putting everything together, a method that, she says, helps both horse and rider enter the exercise with greater confidence.

He said: “The whole camp experience for horses is a chance to encounter different conditions.

The first time ‘Match’ went into Boyd’s show jumping ring, it took about 15 minutes for her to decide that the flags were not going to kill her.

” He added with a laugh: “And working in the cross-country field allows us to familiarize horses with water, all kinds of inclines and uneven ground, and new obstacles.

As Boyd always says, everything comes down to the little details that ultimately add up.

” Elbert admitted that she and “Match” are much lower than they should be in dressage, and said Silva helped her encourage the mare-horse to relax her topline and use her body properly.

©Alana Harrison Between training sessions and coaching sessions, Elbert grazes “Match” in Boyd’s cross-country field while also getting to know the other participants.

©Alana Harrison Emma and ‘Melody’ slow down to find their rhythm Emma Whitaker, 14, traveled from Howard County, Maryland to attend Windurra Camp for the second year in a row.

This year, Whitaker came with her 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, Sing To Me Cooley, or “Melody,” a mare she has only been working with for about six months.

Emma Whitaker attended Windurra Camp last year and returned this summer with her 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, “Melody.”

©Amy K.

Dragoo She said: “There are lots of opportunities to learn here.

You can take part in any session you’re most interested in.

You can watch Boyd riding his horses, and see Silva and Laura in the dressage demos, and also get to know the behind-the-scenes methods they use to manage the farm and prepare horses; so you can take away tips that might also work in your own stable.

” Whitaker said that in the cross-country section, Boyd helped her take time to assess how Melody was going to move through the scenic and colorful Windurra course, since Melody tends to run at obstacles in competition.

She said: “He reminded me that to bring her back, I need to use my core and seat and keep my legs steady so I can get her balanced sooner.

He really helps you slow down and fine-tune everything.

When you slow down, you can better feel any flaws or problems that you might not notice when you’re going full speed.

” During the dressage lesson, Silva helped Whitaker and Melody solidify their basics for better self-carriage and more balance.

©Alana Harrison Whitaker (right) said Boyd encouraged her to slow down in cross-country so she could more precisely fine-tune the subtle details that might get lost when moving at speed.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Whitaker also liked that Martins had arranged a session and individual consultation with Stübben representatives to help her find an ideal bit for some of the training issues she is working on with Melody.

She said: “They gave me a new bit to try, which was valuable, because this is an important part of how your horse moves.

» An Auditor’s Experience Katie Goodrich keeps her mare at Woods’s small private stable in northern Charlottesville, Virginia, and after hearing about Kate’s experience in 2025, decided to attend this year’s Windurra Camp as an auditor.

She said: “Even though I only do show jumping, I thought the knowledge I’d gain from listening to instruction for all three phases of eventing would be incredibly useful for me and my horse.

Hearing different perspectives from the trainers has really been enjoyable for me, because sometimes all it takes is hearing something explained a little differently for it to click.

” Goodrich came away from camp with a long list of new training tips and techniques that she is eager to apply in her own riding as an adult amateur.

She said: “I think I’m leaving here with a huge amount of valuable information.

It has also been really encouraging that everyone has been so friendly and approachable.

Even though they are among the top riders and trainers, they are not pretentious.

You really feel welcome here—and that matters a lot, because not all the clinical environments I’ve experienced have been like this.

” Katie Goodrich, one of the Windurra Camp attendees, said that all the trainers, including show jumping coach Peter Wylde, answered participants’ questions openly and enthusiastically.

©Alana Harrison Goodrich appreciated Peter Wylde’s consistent emphasis over the three days of instruction and commentary in the show jumping section that there is never a stupid question when working with horses; only opportunities to learn, gain clarity, and improve.

Goodrich said: “I really appreciated their warmth and willingness to answer questions, even if it wasn’t their turn to teach.

Or if you didn’t quite understand what they were explaining to another rider, they were more than happy to help and explain it in a different way.

Learning becomes much easier when you don’t feel insecure and aren’t afraid to ask questions.

” Fore More: To watch Practical Horseman’s curated videos from this year’s Windurra Camp, click here.

Watch a video of Boyd giving participants tips about maintaining the driving position, here.

See our reel from the first day of Windurra Camp 2026 here.

Click here for another behind-the-scenes video from Windurra.

Stay tuned for more of our exclusive coverage from Windurra Camp 2026!

At a Glance: Windurra Camp 2026 Below, you’ll see a few more behind-the-scenes shots from this year’s exciting Windurra Camp experience to give you a better sense of the overall atmosphere of the weekend.

Boyd, in a ground demo without horses, does his best to show how to get into the driving position in cross country, while observers watch.

©Amy K.

Dragoo In a bit-fitting session with Stübben experts, Boyd held a range of bits so participants could compare the different designs.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Peter Wylde coaching a rider through her difficult show jumping course, which included a bounce grid and a triple combination.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Boyd, with Cooley Nutcracker, performed a cross country demo and explained what the two have been working on for Aachen.

©Alana Harrison Boyd led the participants through a variety of stretching exercises in an early morning stretching session with his physiotherapist, Andrew Russell.

©Alana Harrison Kevin Keane, DVM, was on hand at camp to explain his five main reasons for when to visit the veterinarian.

©Alana Harrison Wylde offered tips on how to ride on the show jumping course, and Boyd also demonstrated while riding Fetiche des Rouges — known in the stable as “Radish.”

©Amy K.

Dragoo Boyd was explaining things to the campers while Wylde was show jumping on Cooley Nutcracker.

©Amy K.

Dragoo a horse scratches its nose a little while waiting for its turn in a bit-fitting session to try on its new bit.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Boyd and Radish go through a bending line on Wylde’s show jumping course.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Wylde helps a rider get through a triple combination on her difficult show jumping course.

©Amy K.

Dragoo one of the campers enjoys meeting Boyd and Silva’s horses during a barn tour and feeds them carrots.

©Alana Harrison During a Q&A session with the coaches, Boyd, Silva, Wylde, and Beecher discussed parts of their training programs and answered the campers’ questions.

©Amy K.

Dragoo Wylde shows what he and Boyd have done with former Liz Halliday rider “Bali.”

©Amy K.

Dragoo Wylde makes a point emphatically during a course walk with the campers.

©Alana Harrison Hummel emphasized in his sports psychology session the importance of not making excuses that get in the way of progress; weather is one common excuse.

A few motivated campers also got the chance to put this into practice, as they endured the heavy rain to finish their dressage lesson with Parbery.

©Alana Harrison Boyd and Silva’s youngest son, Koa, insisted on wrapping himself in white polo wraps so he could become a “ninja” in yoga class.

©Alana Harrison After taking off the polos, Koa wanted to reclaim his ninja identity again during one of Wylde’s show jumping lessons.

©Alana Harrison Boyd demonstrates during Beecher’s lesson how a rider should be in the correct galloping position before and after obstacles in the cross country section.

©Amy K.

Dragoo At the welcome party, Boyd jokingly invited the campers to tour his “very expensive stable block that is falling apart,” a reference to the old shed-row-style barn that is the signature of Windurra Farm.

©Alana Harrison Silva offers one-on-one instruction to a dressage rider in Windurra Farm’s advanced outdoor dressage arena.

©Alana Harrison is one of Windurra campers receiving direct guidance from Beecher to improve his gallop in cross country.

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