Walkin’ the Dog….
January 31, 2010
It’s analogy time again! Had to come up with some way to describe a consistent rein contact while still invoking a feeling of giving, or riding towards the horse’s mouth. I think I’ve seen a wheelbarrow used to describe such a connection, but I thought updating the analogy with a more modern apparatus that had a lighter appeal might be effective.
Then it came to me. Of course! The invisible dog!!! Remember the 80′s gag leash that had a collar attached to the end, and appeared to be harnessed to an invisible dog? (see photo above) If you don’t, you might as well go ahead and read one of my other blog entries because this will make no sense at all! I asked a few of my students this week to imagine each of their reins as if they were one of these leashes and that they were connected to the bit in the usual fashion.
Instead of constantly giving, taking, retracting, then dumping the contact for the sake of lightness, they could pretend they instead were walking two invisible dogs. The reins (leashes) must keep enough connection to avoid any loops and must never be pulled backwards toward the rider. Who would walk an invisible dog like that anyway? The contact is steady and consistent, giving the horse a reliable reference for balance. It also gives the rider the desired feeling of riding toward the horse’s mouth without abandoning the connection, thus creating a sense of trust and allowing for engagement of the hind end.
Maybe they got it and maybe not…we’ll see next week if I’m in the doghouse!
Sweep your Cares Away….
January 30, 2010
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- Take your pick!
The trends in horse care have changed considerably over the past few decades. For many, a shift has been made from the backyard barn to the bigger boarding facilities. With economic dips forcing job constraints on precious horsey time, more people are inclined to pay a facility to give their horse the day-to-day care they once provided themselves.
On a daily basis I am fortunate enough to travel to many such facilities. Enough praise cannot be heaped on the generous souls who commit their life to caring for horses. It is a twenty-four hour a day job and is often underappreciated.
When I hear a fussy boarder complain about trivial matters I ask them the amount of board they pay per month. I then divide that number by thirty, and figure a per day price for their horse board. In our area it usually runs fifteen to twenty dollars per day. I then ask them if they would mind providing feed (x 2), hay(x 2), shavings, shelter, electricity, water, arena footing, fencing, paint, insurance, stall cleaning, blanket changing, lead in lead out, fertilizing, grass cutting, jump repairing, jump painting, arena dragging (you get the drift) for fifteen dollars a day. I haven’t had any takers yet.
Many years ago I taught at a boarding facility that was beautifully maintained by the owner. Once when asked if she could help do the final stall pick at the end of the day a surly little girl stated “that’s what we pay for”. I thought the barn owner was brilliant, as she replied “No, honey, you pay me to take care of your horse when you’re not here!”
I have told that story to many of my young riders, as I want to foster in them a sense of community in the barn. A few people can keep up the day-to-day activities at a barn, but if you expect excellence, becoming involved is essential (and can be fun!). The barn should not be considered a country club and helping out creates a sense of pride and cohesiveness in a facility. Organized workdays can be fun if everyone brings food, drinks and music is provided!
If you are at the barn in the winter, and you can throw a blanket on a horse, (any horse, it doesn’t have to be yours) it is good exercise for you, and the barn help will appreciate even one less horse to blanket, so they can get home and warm up. Sweeping the aisle, raking the yard, picking up debris, painting fences and mowing grass are all activities that greatly raise the barn morale and keep the facility neat. If you are at a jumping facility, organizing a jump painting party is a nice way to make the place more respectable for everyone.
So grab a rake, a broom or a paintbrush. Call the boarders on the list by the barn phone and pick out a date for a work-day. Take the time out to pitch in at your horse’s apartment complex. The people who care for him while you’re not there will definitely appreciate it!
Checking in to the Clinic…
January 29, 2010
Lisa Wilcox helps Suzanne and Wango Tango
I love clinics! Riding clinics that is! I love teaching them, riding in them, and auditing them. I have never audited, or ridden in a clinic where I left feeling disappointed. As an instructor I love to listen to great trainers teach. There is no better money spent than an auditing fee that covers an entire day of lesson watching from a top trainer. I am always amazed at the small turnout of auditors when an international caliber trainer comes to town. In the Atlanta area alone there are always a number of great clinics available to audit or ride in. The GDCTA calendar is a good place to check for upcoming events.
It is a good idea to audit a few clinics to check out the protocol before signing up to ride, and if you have a trainer, it is best to confer with him or her before riding with a clinician. A good trainer won’t mind a client riding with a reputable clinician; however, it is helpful to determine if the philosophy of the clinician is a good match for your current program. There are several different schools of thought that all produce effective results, but the components of the programs are not always interchangeable. Mixing and matching the philosophies can be very confusing to the student and very irritating to the trainer!
Enough can’t be said for auditing a clinic. It gives you a chance to learn from outstanding trainers as they teach multiple horse and rider combinations. Many new concepts can be learned, and sometimes a concept that has been difficult to grasp, when explained in a different way, makes complete sense! Taking a notepad and pen is a great way to jot down the ideas that you want to mull over later. I once sat next to an international judge, at a clinic, that kept a three-ring binder with notes from every clinic she had attended, dating back to the seventies. I would like to have had a copy of that book!
When auditing I think I speak for the entire horse community when I say, please keep quiet if you’re within earshot of anyone that’s interested in actually hearing the clinician. I have sat at countless clinics and repressed shrieking when otherwise very nice people talk the entire time a clinician is teaching. I don’t know why it feels too rude to jump up and stalk off, but I usually just sit there instead, being very angry and wondering why anyone would pay money to come sit and talk when they could do it for free at home. Any other time, I’d love to hear the anecdotes, but in the dressage world, many of these clinicians are the PhD’s of the discipline, and deserve the respect that would be given any professor.
So, check your GMO calendar or local newsletter. Be willing to drive a little if needed. Bring your writing materials and a comfortable chair and be ready to sit awhile. Your time won’t be wasted.
How-to..sit like a Shoebox…..
January 28, 2010
Two of my younger dressage enthusiasts, Sheba and 10+ Jordan prompted me to come up with a way to explain lateral balance in a way a young rider could digest. It was either that or continue watching them canter around corners like champion barrel racers!
Lengthy dressage analysis tends to make the rider’s under the age of 65 eyes glaze over. Mine included. Not only are they overly mechanical in their explanation but usually don’t inspire any logical reaction physically. I think “”knowing” the definition is important but using it in an internal dialog with your horse is confusing.
In searching for a kid friendly way to describe a laterally balanced horse and rider combination, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a dear friend and accomplished equine artist Jean Abernathy. Jean has, among many other artistic achievements, illustrated a book for Monty Roberts. When I expressed envy at her drawing abilities, she explained that everything was just geometric and gave me many examples that were available where we were sitting. It very much reminded me of the elementary how-to-draw books we have all seen, with the circles and rectangles connected to make horses and people, etc…
I told the girls to think their horse Prince like one of these drawings, his body a three-dimensional rectangle, like a shoebox, with some cylinders and the like coming out for legs. The girls torsos were also like little shoeboxes, only they are sitting up on end with little heads on top. When they were going around corners his shoebox was tilting in as if balancing on its edge, and the girls were also tilting onto their “shoebox” edge. The goal being to get the horse to distribute weight back on its outside legs thus making the shoebox flat again. In order to do this the girls had to concentrate on keeping equal weight in each corner of their “shoebox”.
I don’t know if that made any sense to them at all, but the lateral balance improved and I could open my eyes again.
One Blog leads to Another…
January 26, 2010
Sherry on Wango Tango!
The public nature of this blog requires a huge amount of consideration of other people’s perceptions. Frequently, for the sake of brevity, I simplify stories that if explained in their entirety would read more like novels. This was troubling to me when writing the blog “You had to See this One Coming...” about my true love, Nickel (Wango Tango). There have been so many people in my life (and Nickel’s) that have made such profound differences that it would be impossible to credit them all in one blog. To attempt it would be ludicrous. I offer the disclaimer that if you are one of these people, know that I appreciate you more than you know and your time will come to be heralded in my blog! Keep reading!
That said, Nickel would not be the confident, capable horse he is today without the love and training bestowed upon him by my friend Sherry Rafter. Again, in the sake of keeping things short, I will oversimplify the story. After a year in a wheelchair, due to a fall from a three year-old, I was not the best candidate to start the young horse I bought while recuperating, (brilliant, I know). In between retiring her FEI horse and waiting on a horse too young to break, Sherry stepped in and started the young, feisty, Nickel for me. She is the type of rider that always has time to brush, pick hooves and feed lots of sugar. She treated Nickel like her own and for that I will always be grateful.
I could go on and on, because in addition to her dignified friendship with Nickel she did a stellar job starting him. His scores will testify to her correct training and he is a joy to work with today because of it. Because this blog is linked to my website, Tango Dressage, I should make an attempt at an educational point in my homage to Sherry.
Anyone considering purchasing a young horse must understand that the quality of the training of a young horse dictates the quality of life the horse will lead. A horse started poorly will be sold over and over and never receive the love and appreciation he would if he was handled more capably in his youth. Likewise, a horse handled well and treated with respect learns to trust and bond with people. A horse trained without a cohesive program becomes confused and resistant to work. A horse started with correct fundamentals finds his job enjoyable and rewarding. It is the correct kind of training that has made Nickel the horse he is today. Sherry, for this I thank you, and Nickel thanks you too.
Ode to Joy….
January 20, 2010
Every show that comes up, it never fails, one of my kids will ask me “Do we have to braid for this show?” I guess they’re hoping that I might slip up and say “no, not this one”. Never going to happen. Even judges at schooling shows (maybe, especially judges at schooling shows!) deserve the respect shown by a neatly turned out horse. Whether or not you appreciate the scores and comments the judge gives you on your ride, a huge amount of time, dedication, and education goes into becoming a judge and due respect should be shown.
In our area there is a great professional braider named Joy. Many people’s show have been saved when they see Joy’s sign up sheet at the show. Instead of uneven, loose scraggly balls of tangled hair their horse will have even, neat, perfect button braids lined down his neck. Now, I don’t want to put Joy out of business, (I use her myself, don’t tell anyone!), but I do think it’s important to know how to braid. If your worst nightmare should come true and you run frantically around the showground asking for Joy and she happens to be at another show that weekend, don’t even think of looking at me! If you’ve seen my clip-jobs my braiding jobs are about as good so I’ve attached a really helpful video on braiding for you. Enjoy and see you at the show! (Pray for Joy!)
And the deciding vote goes to Axel..I mean Simon!!
January 18, 2010
Inspiration comes from unlikely places sometimes. With the competition season coming up tensions are running high. The warm-up arena, to some people, is far more daunting than the competition arena itself. Everyone in the warm-up arena seems so confident and prepared, flawless in their preparations. It’s easy to feel diminished if you compare yourself with the competitors that grace the pages of “Dressage Today”. With the ever-increasing quality of dressage horse breeding, and the widening gap between those that can compete at the top-level and those whose purse can’t match their ambition, it is important to remember that the beauty of dressage competition is that the competition is with yourself. Your horse, on his best ride may not have the natural movement to score in the 70% bracket but that does not prevent you from competing him all the way to the Grand Prix. An honest, less than flashy mover that can earn in the 60%s all the way to Grand Prix is an admirable horse indeed. Your co-workers and some of your barnmates may not understand this logic and possibly never will. If you do and your horse does that is all that matters.
We’ve all heard this rhetoric before and sometimes it is more obvious in other arenas in life than our own. Watching ”Britain’s Got Talent” on YouTube one day I saw a clip from a show that featured a dance group from London named Flawless. Their obvious determination and focus on themselves is summed up when Simon Cowell asks the leader what the “dream” is and the young dancer confidently replies, “chase the dream, not the competition”. Seems like a good way to keep your positive energy focused on what’s important, your dressage dream, whether it involves competition or not. It’s become a mantra for me whenever I fall into the trap of comparing myself to others. I guess I’ll take the inspiration from wherever it comes as long as it comes…
But what’s your real job?
January 14, 2010
“What else do you do?” Hmmmm….that’s it I guess. The ever-present jodphers and boots make my job a frequent topic in the grocery store line. Horse training as a primary occupation seems to baffle the average Krogerer. In Europe the job seems to carry a little more respect, it seems. I think it may be because the importance of the horse is more visible in a continent that has more reminders of a time when a well-trained horse and riding skills were a critical part of everyday life. This was true in America’s beginnings as well, of course, but there are few reminders of the days of war ponies and wagon trains in most modern American cities.
Dressage, unfortunately, has gone down a seemingly aesthetic path. This was not always the case and I hope dressage can remain the dignified art form that it is, while still existing as a practical blueprint for horse training for any purpose. Most people, I’m afraid, think of dressage only as it relates to competition. It’s history, as training for war horses, has been mostly replaced with images of riders in tuxedos and top hats. These formal competitions have evolved from tests whose standards were originally set by military horses. See USDF Dressage History In addition to carrying soldiers, horses were also used in warfare to pull cannons, supplies, etc.
The first person believed to have written about dressage had no idea that the top hat and tails would eventually emerge. Practicality was key in 360 BC when Xenophon wrote “On the Art of Horsemanship”. Much of what was written at that time rings true today. The trappings are different, but the horses haven’t changed. So when people ask me if horse training is all I do, I consider how civilization owes so much to this generous animal and proudly answer “yes, thats all“.
Interesting website with history of horsemanship
Don’t leave home without it….
January 11, 2010
One of the most underutilized pieces of tack I know of is the ever absent grab strap that should be connected to the d-rings of every saddle. You won’t see one of my saddles without one. It’s usually overconfident teenagers that are the hardest to convince of its necessity. They see it as a sign of weakness, an admission that they are fallible (pun intended). I see the absence of it as a sign of poor training. There are many reasons the strap is necessary in training that have nothing to do with falling off. I will cover a few, although there are many more than I can cover in a short blog.
- When riding a young horse, or really a horse of any age, care should be taken to never, even one stride, bounce on the horse’s back. One unbalanced bounce can make a tentative horse tighten his back to protect it from pain. This is a trust issue that is hard to overcome once the horse becomes defensive.
- The horse that snatches at the rein will persist if he is successful at disrupting the contact. It is never permissable to snatch at the horse but holding the strap lends stability to the rider’s hand and the snatching horse will soon desist with the evasive behavior if he is unsuccessful at altering the length of rein.
- When the rider’s response is delayed, even for a moment, because his brain is occupied with self-preservation, the training suffers. This occurs frequently when flying lead changes are introduced. The few seconds that occur when the disobedient horse bucks or evades by dropping behind the rider’s leg are the critical determining point over whether the horse or the rider has the upper hand. No matter how skilled the rider is, if the resistance is not immediately addressed with forward driving aids then the training opportunity is missed and the disobedience is reinforced. If the rider is already posed with the grab strap in hand there is no hesitation between the resistant act and the corrective response.
- When working on the seat, as all riders should do, it is not beneficial for the rider, or the horse, for the rider to bounce on the horse’s back. When being lunged for seat work, hold yourself into the saddle to get the feeling of a correct seat. Nothing is gained from practicing bouncing.
- Horses that have become confused about stepping forward into the contact can become more confused if the rider does not keep a consistent point of reference for the horse to find his balance. Help the unbalanced horse find stability by using the grab strap to ensure the consistency of the connection.
The most common complaint about the strap is the difficulty a rider feels in holding it and riding at the same time. Frequently I will attach a double ended snap to both ends of a strap to lengthen it. In this way the reins can be held as usual without disturbing the rider’s balance. With the strap lengthened to accomodate the rider’s hand position there should be no difficulty riding with certainty while holding the strap. If there is still a problem after lengthing the strap, it is probably not the strap, and the rider may need to go on the lungeline anyway. With a grab strap.
So, forget what the railbirds think, pick up a strap for your saddle and don’t be embarrassed. In the end, it is the effectiveness of your training that impresses a good horseman, and a good horse.
No Homework today!…just riding!!
January 9, 2010
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- books on horses…
Thought that it might be prudent to have a reading selection for learning dressage, then I remembered I don’t read dressage books! Whooops.. probably shouldn’t admit that! The “L” judging program has a recommended reading list..usdf reading .. that has all the books they recommend for aspiring judges and instructors. I own them all and have poked through them a bit. Pretty dry reading for the most part. As far as reading goes, the best literature on this subject I can recommend is the USDF glossary of terms. I tried to find one online but it seems for the comprehensive list you should visit the USDF website and join! Here is the link..USDF …be sure to request the handbook as it has the glossary, list of competitions, scribing abbreviations, rules for the warm-up arena, etc. It has all the information you must know without all the esoteric blathering. Sounds elementary but just reading the straight definition of each movement and what defines each judging term will clarify exactly what is desired.
For educational (and fun!) purposes, auditing clinics, symposiums, and lessons are more relevant as dressage is typically a dynamic activity. In the Atlanta area alone I have ridden in or audited many great clinics, Conrad Schumacher, Col. Axel Steiner, Lisa Wilcox…the list goes on and on, and I am always surprised at the relatively small group of auditors that attend. Horseshows, too, lots to learn, not many spectators. If watching competition is a little slow going for you scribing is a great way to learn about riding and meet some interesting horsemen as well.
There are lots of good video series but they can be pricey. If you have a budget that allows for educational materials I like the website Dressageclinic.com Plenty of instruction to watch when you can’t be at the barn riding.
Riding is, of course, the activity most conducive to learning to ride. Whether your goals are competition or competent riding for pleasure you will learn exponentially more by spending your time with your horse instead of your books. There is nothing a person can write about horses that your horse can’t tell you better himself. So put up your books and go ride..your horse will never know.
The call we all want!!!!!
January 8, 2010
"I think that call is for me!"
Ditched the planned blog today because I am so excited and proud!! Longtime student and friend Dani Dichting received a call from the Olympic selection committee notifying her that she has been long-listed for the US Olympic Eventing Team! I met Dani many years ago when she and her trainer from England, Lucy Stevenson, came and lessoned with me at the barn I was training at in Alpharetta, GA. We trained together for many years on her dressage work while she would simultaneously train in jumping with some excellent eventing trainers we have in our area. She had, at that time, a fantastic schoolmaster eventer named Leo who jumps like a dream but struggles with dressage. To Dani’s credit she works as hard as any rider I’ve ever known and never whines, even when faced with setbacks. Leo, who taught Dani so much and looked after her in the cross-country field, took her to the Intermediate Level in eventing, making her the youngest competitor at that time in that level (I think!) While competing Leo she bought Tops (Nemo), a lovely grey four-year old Irish Sporthorse found by her trainer in England, Lucy Stevenson, and brought him up the levels. He is quite a horse now and has his own fan club of little girls when he goes to the events!
In addition to congratulating Dani I think it is important to acknowledge that this kind of achievement is possible because so many people believe in Dani because of the dedication and compassion she shows for her horses and her sport. Her parents, Pam and Doug, are steadfast supporters in her choices and still manage to keep her humble and well-rounded. Her sister Lauren, her biggest fan and best friend, is a loyal supporter and if she has ever complained about the time and expense involved in her sister’s sport I am unaware of it. Lucy, her trainer before me from England, came and helped her settle in to the community here in Atlanta and helped her find trainers, a very selfless act for a trainer that has developed such a bond with a student. There have been a host of other trainers and horse professionals and I can’t list them all in fear of leaving someone out but I know they are all as proud as I am to have had a part in Dani’s training. She is now working in Newnan, Georgia with Julie Richards who has represented the USA on the Olympic team in the past and more than likely will again. I know Dani is just where she needs to be.
A special thank you to Dani for working so hard and making me so proud. It is days like this I can look at my career choice and know that it was all worthwhile. 
You had to see this one coming…..
January 6, 2010
Most of you know me personally, and felt compelled to visit this blog by my constant pleas on Facebook. Thanks for that! For those of you that don’t, you should probably meet my horse, Nickel, (his mother’s name was Penny). He will probably guest blog for me sometimes when I’m out-of-town or something. Don’t believe everything he says though. Nickel and I have been partners since before he was one. He’s been the horse I’ve always wanted and as good a friend as anyone could ask. The last year, however, was rough, as around Thanksgiving ’08 an infection developed in his right eye and all the efforts of good doctors, friends, family and myself were not enough to save it. The surgeon at the University informed me that removing his eye was necessary as the pain resulting from the infection and treatment could cause further systemic damage.
I don’t want this to become a tear-jerker (he wouldn’t like that), but when the patch came off after surgery it was difficult not to pity this horse I’d known since he was a baby. It was only with the help of family, good friends at the barn, and the horse community that had once again supported me in difficulty, that I was able to adjust. Everything, all of a sudden, was a new experience. What was he going to be like in turnout? How would the other horses react? Would he be spooky to ride? Would he bump into things? So…a year has passed, hair has grown over the indentation where his eye once was. The other questions? Shhhh…. Don’t mention it too loudly, I don’t think he’s noticed yet. Goes out with the other horses, still bossy. Doesn’t spook, works as well as ever, in the arena and out. Thinks he is the hottest looking horse at a showground. I’m not telling him any different. I think so too.
The photo above was taken by my dear friend and equine photographer Kay Woody of MKW Photography and is Nickel with my main sponsor “Mom”. Kay won my endorsement as best photographer ever after she told me of trying to photograph Nickel and Mom- “I kept trying to take it with his good side showing but he doesn’t seem to care, so I thought, why should I?’
And the deciding vote….
January 6, 2010
Short blog today- must get some work done sometime! Speaking of showing the other day reminded me of last competition of the season (at least for me) in 2009. Had an adult amateur, an anonymous regular commenter on the blog, showing in her first recognized competition. Luckily her horse, a saintly big grey, knows his business. After a couple of wardrobe changes and a bee sting before warmup, said rider was ready to show. All was quiet and tensions were mounting as our nervous rider trotted around and around the competition arena while the judge slowly labored over the previous rider’s remarks. Finally.. the bell rang and the now pale rider made the last loop around the arena to enter at A. Just as she was making it down the long side, a little girl and her mother appeared about seventy-five feet away on the sidewalk. Clearly this was the little girl’s first dressage show and upon seeing the beautiful grey horse with his mane braided like something from a girl’s dream, she cupped her hands over her mouth and screamed “I LOVE YOUR HORSE!!!” right before the grand entry at A.
The test went well and the judge seemed happy with the horse and rider combination; however, to me the most important vote had already been cast by the horse crazy little girl with dreams of white horses.
Let them Laugh…..
January 4, 2010
I judged a schooling show for a lady that ran a large lesson program years ago and one of the classes consisted of people leading children through intro tests at a walk. Man, what a long test. When I questioned her later about the class, suspecting she was including everyone to boost entry fees, she told me “If you can get them competing while they’re kids they won’t mind competing the rest of their lives. Once they get a little older they’re too embarrassed and never feel like they’re ready.” Now that I have been teaching for quite a number of years I know what she means. A young child puts little to no thought into the question if you ask them if they would like to participate in the upcoming show. “Yes!” they answer almost unanimously. Very competent adult amateur riders, while tempted, will anguish over the same question. I have found that convincing them that they are performing the requirements of the tests beautifully is impossible so I have abandoned the direct approach. Getting the proposed competitor to come watch a show while I’m coaching others is helpful. While we are watching the warm-up arena or even a competition arena I will point out some unlucky rider struggling with their test. Once we have diverted our attention from the flawed performance I ask the future competitor to describe the rider or the markings on the naughty horse. Even after only seconds have passed nobody can describe the person that was bucking in their test. I point out that even though it feels like everyone notices every mistake we make in the dressage arena, in reality nobody is even giving it a second thought. After the show I ask my client if they saw anybody that was so bad they wanted to laugh them out of the arena and; of course, the answer is no. Now, don’t get me wrong, we’ve all heard nasty remarks around the arena at shows or clinics, but in most every case it’s from someone too insecure to put themselves up for criticism. The person that feels far more comfortable pointing out other’s mistakes than working on their own. Because their remarks are the most memorable they seem the most prevalent but I contend these people are the minority and should be ignored. Most people including judges, instructors, and fellow riders are far too busy working on their own goals to try and foil anyone elses. I’ll proudly coach the hard-working, struggling, honest competitor over standing with the best dressed, most opinionated critic any day.
Make them earn their Check…
January 3, 2010
Reading the responses and postings from adult amateur riders compels me to address a common misunderstanding between instructor and instructee. In a fellow blogger’s comment section I referenced the different psyches involved with teaching teenagers and teaching adults. (see comments) This generated some discussion on why adults may have specific concerns. Alas, I too am an adult and have indeed suffered injuries from riding. I however, seem to believe more in some adults than they believe in themselves. This is usually illustrated when we first meet and are setting long-term goals. Almost invariably if I ask a teenager what they would like to accomplish they say “I want to ride in the Olympics.” Lofty goals indeed. We then discuss what kind of dedication is involved in reaching that kind of commitment. When I ask an adult with seemingly the same ambition and enthusiasm the identical question I usually get a somewhat embarrassed laugh and an off the cuff comment like “Well, I know we’re not going to the Olympics or anything, but it might be nice to show training level or something.” I then know that in addition to the technical aspects of dressage I am in for a big confidence building campaign as well. It’s not that I mind working on this aspect of my job, I am just left to wonder what happens to people who seem perfectly fine in every way, that somewhere along the road in life they went from believing they had the world by the tail to doubting they could perform at the basic level. I have seen many adult amateurs reach FEI levels when someone believed in them and they coupled that with the required amount of work to accomplish the goal. So the next time your trainer asks you what your goals are, don’t let them off easy, they might take your word for it. Tell them what your goals are and be willing to make the sacrifices to get there. You’re probably just one believer’s opinion away.
*Photo by MKW Photography
I come in Peace!
January 2, 2010
Freaked out last week by responses from visitors from another blog by an amateur dressage rider going by the pen “dressage rider”. This is a great blog with a lot of humor and insight I can only aspire to. In reading others blogs it becomes clear that one must find common links in a horseman’s life and not just give a blow by blow of day to day activity. I found the resposes to my posts interesting and will try and address their points of view through blogs of my own in order to give them the trainer’s point of view. I hope this can be a fun way to bridge the educational gap and have a few laughs in a discipline that can use a little humor. Check out dressage rider’s blog- especially the one about boot reading, and be sure and leave me ideas about future blogs. I can take the heat!!
No charge for horses, surcharge for people
December 24, 2009
With the family at the beach today (shore for Northerners) so we took advantage of the guided sea kayaking. Hours of paddling through Mother Natures best, seagulls, pellicans and a host of other birds to admire on the route. Listening to our guide, Gavin, identify the local wildlife reminded me of what inspired me to quit my career as an insurace agent and train horses full time. Many years ago my mother gave my brother and I a whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado River as a gift. We had an amazing time, some in part to a great guide that manned our raft. He explained that in the summer time he and his guide friends escorted tourists down the beautiful Colorado River and in the winter they taught skiing at the resorts in Utah and Colorado. I’m not sure it had ever occurred to me that life could be that perfect. I decided that training horses all day was a real possibility. It was what I would do even if I didn’t need money.
Back to the current trip- while we paddled along contentedly with the current I considered Gavin’s role and thought “He shouldn’t be getting paid for this, it hardly seems fair”. He even spoke of how he kayaked alone every morning so how is this different? It occurred to me that many people have said this to me before. Riding horses all day and spending my time at the barn is an enviable position for many paople. I figured what differentiated the time I train for money and the time I train for fun came down to the human element. Horses by nature are much easier to contend with than people. Communicating with them is far less complex than the dealings we endure with each other. Constantly changing termperaments, moods, goals and loyalties are but a small bit of the baggage human relationships come with. Don’t get me wrong, all of my clients are lovely people and their business is very appreciated. So when the time comes for me to collect my fees I never charge for training and spending my time with the horse. That’s my passion. I only charge for his owner.
Bulletin Bored?
December 22, 2009
There are a few dressage related bulletin boards that I browse through almost daily. One of the most humorous is the equine magazine Chonicle of the Horse Board http://www.chronofhorse.com. This one contains anonymous bickering about the controversy surrounding the use of rollkur in elite equestrian training. Never heard of it? Neither had I until I started reading the board. Another board that allows anonymous debate that usually takes on a life of its own is Ulitmate Dressage Bulletin Board http://www.ultimatedressage.com. In order to understand these boards a few acronyms are needed. RK=rollkur, also written as HP (hyperflexion), much debate is given to determining the difference if there is any of the two terms. ODG= old, dead guys. This refers to classical dressage masters that are no longer living but have created a legacy that no living mortals can equal. OTTB=off the track Thoroughbred. Not used too much in the dressage boards.
You get the idea- live a little and create a nickname of your own (if you use your dog’s or horse’s name your friends will know who you are). You can even learn something from the informational posts. But to live dangerously tread into the RK debate. Or post your admiration for Anky VG or Edward Gal then stand back for the blast!
Don’t let your jacket kill you
December 21, 2009
Here we go again with the knee therepy…RICE…rest, ice, compress, elevate. For the second time I have fallen victim to the swishy jacket. Yes, it is important to test the sensitivity of the noise of a swishy jacket on the horse you have only known through hot weather. My first encounter was with a Morgan that had been broke by an apparently incompetent cowboy that tied a tarp to the horse in order to “desensitize him”. Worked like a dream…the first coldsnap we had I pulled out my windbreaker only to be left crunching arena sand between my teeth when the rustling sound of the fabric caused a tarp session flashback.
Deja vu on the day of the barn Christmas Party. My mad dressage skills were very impressive to the boarders and their families while snacking on appetizers at the annual Christmas party. That is until I started trotting and the swishy jacket struck again. Rodeo bucks were more than I had planned on exhibiting but my flying dismount was impressive. If you bought your horse in the heat of summer in the South be sure and check the impulsion and engagement of your dressage horse from the ground by crinkling your slickest windbreaker to gage a response. It might save you a lot in knee braces.
