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Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Day of Awesome!Things here are great. Morten just got home after
two weeks away and I'm SO GLAD he's back! It's fun to have extra riding when he's gone but it sure takes its toll. And of
course it's great to have his eyes on the work again.
I finally feel like we're
really back on track with the Orange Goodness. There have been a lot of ups & downs since her back treatment. I've felt
like I'm doing the right thing but lacked confidence in my plan at times. And of course, this Grand Prix business is REALLY
HARD!
Last week she came in from the field with a cut on her hock; it was just superficial,
on the skin, but I still decided to take it easy Friday morning. So I put on the snaffle (which I generally hate on
her) and spent a lot of time in the walk, making lots of transitions to halt, riding them how I wanted all my transition
to be. Then after we pooped around at the trot & canter, I realized that I was having one of the best rides ever.
All the transitions were soft, quick, and from my seat. She bent evenly both ways, her frame was uphill, steady, and held
by her - not me. The whole feeling was harmony!
It was really cool and
was a big aha! moment for me. It's so easy to say 'slow it down, take the pressure off and it comes
faster,' but to actually do it? That's hard. I've stayed in the snaffle
(which I normally hate on her) this week, lunged Sunday and rode yesterday and today, and I'm SO EXCITED! I feel like the
last two months of basics & boring have given us such a better foundation for the harder work. Far from perfect (is it
ever?) but really getting fun.
After not seeing us for two weeks, Morten came in to the
ring this morning just as we were doing on the spot perfect canter pirouettes, then he complimented our flying changes. We're
still making mistakes in the one-times, but now we don't freak out, we just fix it and keep going. The passage was incredible
today too. Morten told me to think about the front legs more today and by doing that the rhythm got better, she stayed super
behind, and did she ever lift! It was the best she's ever felt.
Morten
wants to look at the show schedule and get us entered in the "hard Intermediare I," which is easier than the Intermediare
II. It asks for only 5 one-time changes and small piaffe & passage bits. This means we will have a goal to work towards;
I'm looking forward to it :) All of the horses were great today, so it made me look
smart on Morten's first day back. Gotta love it when they all step up for you like that, I'll try to remember it the next
time they embarrass me in front of the judges. It was funny, I was so, so tired this morning; the knowledge that Morten was
back just made me think thank god, I don't have to work them all! and I was dragging my ass around for the first
hour. But then Countess was a rock star, as was the Banana, and then the next and the next. And having Morten giving me pointers
here and there, bringing everything from pretty darn good to great, well before I realized it I was back in high spirits and
full of energy. I love days like this!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Still Here...Well, once again I've sucked at updating the blog, haven't I? I'm just gonna say it like it
is; I'm tired!! Boo-hoo for me, I know. But Morten has been gone again and each day I'm
riding between 11-13 horses and trying, with varying degrees of success, to go to the gym afterwards. I think of a lot of
things to blog about, but by the time I get in for the evening I usually have the energy for emails and then to bed. Even though it's busy it's been great. The sun has been out every day for over a week now (soon
we'll surely be complaining that we need rain!) and the horses are happy and filthy after going out naked and rolling in the
fields. The riding has been good too, as if spring weather makes horses and riders ready for the next challenges. Countess still challenges me daily, but in good ways. I really can't be set in my ways with her,
I need to listen and be willing to try different approaches, even if it means I'll make mistakes. Better new mistakes than
always repeating the same ones, as I tell students. The Banana has been awesome. I tried
different bits in his double bridle and it was like magic. Normally I hate riding him in the double because he curls behind
so quickly, but now he takes the contact and maintains his uphill frame! This lead me to change his snaffle bit, which resulted
in even quieter and smoother contact than he already had. I feel like an idiot for not thinking of this all sooner; oh well,
at least I'm trying. Goose and I are getting to know eachother better every ride and I'm
absolutely smitten! He is such an overachiever, always trying to do the right thing. He's very sensitive, in a good way, letting
me ride with the lightest of aids. He is so clever and each day I feel like we make progress. Yippee! Kathryn, our awesome groom/working student, had her Danish debut horse show the other weekend and ROCKED IT. She
rode Marlibu, the super pony, to place 4th of 29, and was the only pony in the class! A well-deserved 69.23% has set the bar
pretty high, I guess I need to get my act together! The only downer recently has been the
disappointing withdrawal of Jim Koford from the World Cup Finals next month. Just after they officially announced that Jimmy
was representing the USA in 's-Hertogenbosch his horse strained himself at a show. Luckily the horse should be fine and only
needs 4-6 weeks off, but to be so close to making your big time debut and then having this happen... well, it sucks!
My heart aches for Jim, the owners of the horse, and everyone involved. I guess at least I'll save that money I was going
to spend on the trip to the show... Alright, that has to be enough for now. I'll
leave you with the video of Kathryn and Marlibu showing the big horses how it's done! Enjoy :)
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Full Speed Ahead!It was another fantastic clinic in BC, going at full power from lesson to lesson. Lots of familiar faces with many new
people joining in this time. It’s a bit of a thrill when I can give riders tools to improve their communication with
their horses. I know it’s hard to stay inspired and focused during the daily training, but I always hope that some of
these tools are straight-forward and easy enough to replicate the feelings we achieved during the clinics.
An added benefit of teaching is when I am reminded of tools that have grown dusty in my own daily training. I always
come back home to my own horses with a bit more clarity and thoughtfulness, remembering my purpose in the saddle and speaking
in a more clear language to my horses. Teaching is also good for the trainer!
I
always wish I could stay longer and come back more often, but this trip I also couldn’t wait to get back to Denmark.
The reason for my impatience is that I knew that GOOSE was waiting for me!!
Tagus
Corona, or Goose as he is known, is a 10 year old Lusitano stallion that just made the trip over from New England to work
with me. I met Goose and his wonderful owner, Annette, during clinics in New England and just fell in love with this magical
steed. I confess, I have a bit of snobbery about non-warmblood breeds, always thinking why would you want something like
that? Then I rode Goose, and Goose changed my mind.
Goose is a fighter,
the good kind that fights for the rider. No matter what question you ask him under saddle, his answer is, “how
much do you want?” and gives 100%. He has total focus on the rider, he’s absolutely brave and unconcerned with
what’s going on around him. Even though he was just collected for frozen semen before his trip over, he is absolutely
polite and respectful to handle on the ground. He’s also so comfortable to sit, and he’s got talent for all the
hardest movements. Maybe these are some of the reasons someone would want something like that!
He has had excellent training, so it’s fun for me to just get on and get on with it. I’m very fortunate to
have such a fun project in the barn and very grateful to Annette for trusting me with her Goose.
So now I have a Goose, a Banana, and a Countess (a friend remarked that it sounds like the beginning of a children’s
story!) to make my days full of awesome. They, and the rest of the horses, have made my return to Denmark great! It’s
been full speed every day, and as I suspected I felt like I’d been hit by a truck Tuesday, the day after my first full
day riding. It’s amazing that after one week “vacation” I am so out of shape! My muscles hurt for days and
I’ve got blisters and chaffing where no one ever wants blisters and chaffing. Ouch.
Every day this week I’ve said, “this is the best ride I’ve had on Countess.” I’m really
excited about how she’s feeling; the work is getting back up to our best pre-back-pain level, but with a better connection
through the bridle. Yay!
There are no shows on the horizon for any of my horses,
but I’m really not even interested in that at the moment. I’m having such a good time training, and and enjoying
getting closer and closer to the Grand Prix. So for now that’s what it’s about.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
In CanadaI've wrapped up my first day teaching in Canada and am this close to passing out, like a nerd, at 8:15 pm!
Jet lag is awesome. It's been a great day with everyone riding well and improvements from all since last visit.
A few new faces also proving to be a lot of fun. Every time I do clinics I am reminded how much I love teaching and how lucky
I am to be able to work with fun people! Yay! This just went up on Horse Junkies United this morning, my latest installment of Dressage for Dad. Have a look at Double Up's "M" test from last November, with all the scores and judges comments. Ok,
I'm off to sleep...
Monday, February 27, 2012
What a Monday!I know, two days in a row of writing? What's come over me?! My week just had such an amazing start I had to write
it. My first ride of the day was Double Up, and along with some other great work, he did 11 one-tempis. ELEVEN! He's such
a good one. I felt like I could have done more but since I've only tried eight before, I thought I'd better quit right then
and there. So, so proud of him! Then Morten and I were talking about his clinic this past weekend in Muenster, Germany.
He worked with Ingrid and was so excited about her riding with Alfie (Dresden Mann). He said, amongst other things, that once
they're ready for the Grand Prix, "the rest can just go home." As in, no one will be better. There are few
things that make me smile so much as my new boss talking about how awesome my old boss is. Well, maybe when I hear this after
riding 11 one-tempis on an eight year old smarty pants. Maybe that could make me smile even bigger!! Hope the rest of
the week keeps up with this great start!
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