Boomerang Combined Training Center

The farm and training center have available several hundred acres of varying terrain along the west branch of Plum Creek south of Sedalia and Metro-Denver. Here, we are dedicated to the equine endeavor known as "combined training". For those aspiring to the top, this path takes one to the "Three Day Event" or Concours Complet (Complete Competition) as it is known in French, a comprehensive test of all around ability of horse and rider. It was originally a military event, drawing on the requirements for a top class officer's charger - steadiness on parade, the ability to cross the countryside fast in battle and to be fit and tough enough to continue with duties after a strenuous day.

The three tests, Dressage, Cross Country, and the Stadium Course, have become over the years more demanding technically with a little less emphasis on being placed on endurance. The ability of the rider may now be more important than the qualities of the horse, but to succeed both must be highly trained in all three Tests. The marks are cumulative and elimination in any one test brings elimination from the whole competition.

The owner, manager and head trainer at Boomerang, Karen Paul has made combined training her life's work. She has trained, coached and competed both in Australia and the U.S., racking up more than thirty years total experience in the sport. At home, she coaches a small number of select students, trains a few outside horses, and usually competes two or three horses of her own.

Not to mention her many successes in competition and numerous year-end awards, Karen is an excellent instructor, requiring strict focus from her students while at the same time providing an environment that makes the students feel comfortable learning and having a good time as well. The young riders and adults alike enjoy her "Aussie" sense of humor and her obvious and genuine enjoyment of her role as teacher and trainer.