tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18857822435003158982024-03-14T05:23:43.278-05:00Ellie and WertherA hunter rider with Cerebral Palsy's adventures with her new horse.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-59467457660838970692010-01-04T13:27:00.002-06:002010-01-04T13:42:46.981-06:00New Year, New Goals!I'm back after a bit of a hiatus. I've been really busy studying for my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GRE</span> and riding a lot. I addition to regular lessons I have been doing monthly lessons with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">FEI</span> judge, Janet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Foy</span>. She has been really great about encouraging me to take my riding to the next level and to try and get my qualifying scores for selection trials for World Equestrian Games. Also on the horizon, I am going to spend mid-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">February</span> to mid-March training with Debbie McDonald in California and riding in my first Para-Equestrian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">CDI</span>. Werther has been doing really well, Sarah is going to ride him one more day a week for a little bit, to help get him a little more supple, now that I am capable of establishing the forward on my own.<div><br /></div><div>This is what I wrote to Debbie about my current training goals:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "> To improve my ability to ride effectively. I need to get my hands out of the way so they don't interfere with the forward but still have connection. I also need to sit further back, and rewire my way of thinking a little bit, when I get my self into trouble I get into to more of a hunter position, which is not effective when you are trying to do dressage!<br /><br />To improve Werther's lateral suppleness. He is really good longitudinally and has really nice extensions but I have to work really hard to get him soft laterally. I am always looking for ways to improve his suppleness.<br /><br />Increase Werther's responsiveness to the forward aids. Werther is by nature a quiet horse, which is good. I don't have the finesse to handle something really hot with my disability, but I would like to see more promptness in my requests for him to move forward. Some of this problem may be because my balance and aids aren't the same as a typical rider and he gets a little confused. For example, right now I am working on walk canter transitions and I have to use a little kiss voice aid, I would like to eventually get away from that.<br /><br />Improve may ability to preform movements that challenge me. In the para-FEI tests, if I had to pick the three movements I am probably going to have the lowest scores on/and or most difficultly performing they would be the right lead counter canter, the turn on the haunches, and the walk canter transitions</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My showing goals for the next year are:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">To successfully ride a CDI (just halt to halt without any errors)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Get my 60% at a CDI to ride in selection trials</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ride my first freestyle (I have to have one ready for the CDI)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Move up to first level (i'd like to revisit training level test 4 and see how I score on that before I do)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Have fun!</span></span></div>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-1327062839456337312009-10-08T23:58:00.002-05:002009-10-09T00:13:21.696-05:00Last Thursday's hack and Friday's mini lessonI just did a really quick hack with Werther on Thursday. The extra training rides seem to really be helping Werther. He was much more responsive and round. The only thing I struggled with was the canter, it seemed flat to me and I just could not get the uphill quality I wanted. Sarah just found out on Thursday that she had a spot in the clinic, so with only one week until the clinic she wanted to put in some extra rides on Werther to get him a little stronger in his collecting muscles and a little more sensitive to the aids to do the 4th/ prix saint george work. Sarah came out on Friday, I groomed Werther. She got on and put him though all the movements you would see in a 4-3 or the PSG tests. She said he was a little stiff in the canter half passes, and she was having some issues with her rhythm in the tempi changes but not too bad, for a horse who has basically had a eight year break from upper level dressage. I got on him for a few minutes after Sarah was done and she gave me a mini-lesson. He definitely had more self carriage after Sarah rode him, but Werther was still a long way away from being hot. We got to start to play with lengthening and collection at the trot, and Sarah let me try the flying changes again, which were still a little late, but better than last time. The really cool thing about Werther is that most horses would be really hot to the aids after that kind of work, he never overreacted to anything I did, he was still very calm. It was a short ride for me, but very fun.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-66543859418159192032009-10-02T15:31:00.002-05:002009-10-02T15:50:32.079-05:00Exciting events on the horizon!I had a mini vacation this weekend, I went to New York City to visit some friends. I saw Jude Law in Hamlet, a excellent production, I recommend it to any theatre junkies. Sarah worked with Werther while I was gone. She is going to be working with him a little bit more in the near future, Sarah's mare Sabrina is hurt, which really sucks. Since Sarah can't ride Sabrina in some clinic she was going to participate in, Sarah is going to take Werther, he is the only one of her regular rides that has the level of training to match Sabrina. The next one coming up is the Conrad Schumacher Symposium. She is definitely going to ride on Friday, and depending on if Conrad thinks he is a good demo horse, he will go back on Sunday. I'm really excited, it should be really cool to get feedback from such a well known trainer. I'm going to ride Werther in two three day Janet Foy clinics in October and November. I'm also going to attend (and hopefully riding a borrowed horse) a para-clinic in Maine at the end of October with Paulien Alberts. If Sabrina is still out of commission Sarah may also ride Werther in a Betsy Steiner clinic in November. I had a lesson on Tuesday, Sarah got on Werther again first. We were able to dive right in because I had the impulsion and roundness right off the bat. After a weekend off it took me a little bit to get into the rhythm of things but I felt like it was a pretty good lesson. We spent quite a bit of time practicing leg yields, it has been awhile since I have done those, I had a hard time finding a happy medium between being to restrictive with my hand, and still having enough contact to keep Werther round. I'll have to put these in regular rotation in my hacks, so I can get better.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-35957479430137174162009-10-02T14:05:00.003-05:002009-10-02T14:35:55.658-05:00New StrategiesI keep meaning to do a big post on my last show, but I have to get the photos from my Mom. I had a lesson on Tuesday after the show. Sarah and I are trying a new strategy, she got on Werther first, and work with him for about 15 minutes. The plan is that she gets him really jazzed up and listening, so I don't have to spend half the lesson establishing impulsion and I can have a better feel of where Werther needs to be all the time. It really helped, because Werther was going forward I was able to make smaller corrections. When Sarah rode Werther one of the last things she did was some two tempis. Sarah let me try some flying changes on Werther in the lesson which was just a blast. I've done flying changes on Werther before, but this was different because I had been doing changes the hunter/jumper way. using opposing leg and hand. With the dressage change you ask with your leg and your hand on the same side. It is going to take a lot to get my muscle memory switched over! Thursday's hack also had some change in strategy, but nothing that was planned. I decided to ride Werther outside, and as I was getting on I dropped my whip. Now if I were to get off and get back on again, it would probably take me awhile depending on how cooperative Werther would be about standing. So I decided to try riding without my whip and see how it would go. Werther was really lazy without it. I did coax him into a canter, and got up to two point and got into the worlds slowest hand gallop in an effort to get Werther jazzed up. I went back down to the trot, and it was much better. I took advantage of some ground poles someone had left out and trotted and cantered Werther over them in a little course. Werther hasn't been jumped in a long time but he had a lot of fun with the ground poles, especially when I took a longer line, he really got his eye on the poles and got excited. While it wasn't my planned ride, it was a good lesson in how to work with what you have.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-62598989252570767322009-09-22T21:54:00.002-05:002009-09-22T22:08:35.893-05:00Last Tuesday's Lesson and Last Thursday's HackLast Tuesday was kind of odd, I was on too early for my lesson and Sarah was late because of a issue in the lesson prior to mine, so Werther and I walked for a long time before we got started. When Sarah got to the barn we rolled up our sleeves and got right to work. We started out with the trot, working on getting it really energetic. The main theme of the lesson was "quick feet". We don't necessarily need to be really fast, but the steps need to keep coming very quickly. We worked on this concept at the trot and canter, as well as using it for the free walk, really pushing to make him come through and over his back. After our break we ran through both Training Level Test 2 and Test 4. We talked about the four things I need to do in my tests: short reins, impulsion, connection, and quick feet. The tests went really well, the canter transitions have really come along nicely, I am still struggling with the serpentines though. On Thursday, I did a lot of transitions in my warm up to get Werther sensitive and then ran through my two tests again. I really liked the energy and impulsion of the tests, but I had trouble with the free walk and the stretchy circle. I just could not get him to come down to me. The stretch is always a challenge for Werther, but I have been making a lot progress on it lately, it is frustrating to have a set back.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-8571362441766361892009-09-22T15:53:00.003-05:002009-09-22T16:03:36.746-05:00One Year with Werther!Shows always get me a little behind on this blog and regular programing will resume soon but I just wanted to take some time out today for my one year anniversy with Werther. It has been a wild (metaphorically speaking) ride. In one year I got a new horse, changed disciplines, and changed trainers. This past weekend was the last show of my first dressage season, and while I wasn't high in the ribbons, we had a blast and it was a great way to end out the year. I'm excited for the off season of the fall and winter, getting to work hard and a chance to educate myself more on dressage theory. First Level and Para-FEI are still in my sights for next year, but now I have a better understanding of how hard I will have to work to get there. Werther is just great, he has been a excellent teacher for me. He is always demanding precision, but not getting mad when I get it wrong. They say it takes a year just to get used to a new horse, now that we have had a year together getting to know each other, I think things can only go up from here.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-14923830237085620212009-09-17T16:07:00.003-05:002009-09-17T16:22:05.954-05:00centerlinesIt is really nice when you finally get something in a lesson. The big thing for me in my lesson on Saturday was the 10m turn onto the center line. Werther was good all through the lesson, we did our transition work and did our trot and canter work before finishing with our centerline turns. It was hot and humid on saturday so Werther lacked some of the impulsion that he had on Thursday and Friday, but he was nicely round. Sarah had me do a exercise to practice the turn on the centerline which was to pick up the trot, and as you are approaching the long side of the area, make a 10m circle at every letter. Doing those little circles, so quickly back to back, you realize right away that you cannot make those turns with just reins alone. The posting, steering, and using your leg at the same time was hard in that tight situation, so I eliminated the posting. That helped the situation immediately. Then I was able to shift my weight onto my inside seat bone and Werther turned very easily underneath me, in fact at times I got circle too small. after practicing those 10m circles down the long side we went back to the centerlines which were significantly improved. The last thing we worked on was making sure to give a little half halt while turning onto the centerline so the horse can finished the turn in smooth and balanced manner instead of fish tailing with his hind end. I was really happy with how things finished out, I've gotten 8s on my centerlines before, I hope to see some more of those this weekend!Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-23367853493923695952009-09-14T16:16:00.003-05:002009-09-14T16:40:35.350-05:00Osteopath, Thursday and Friday's HacksDr. Audrey came out and adjusted Werther on Wednesday. She was really pleased with his progress from a month ago, and thinks he can be adjusted on a as needed basis now. Audrey's a beliver in getting them moving pretty quickly after a adjustment, so Werther had Wednesday off and I rode him on Thursday. Werther felt awesome, his impulsion was a lot better, however now that I have my impulsion I need to work on my connection, it was not as consistent as I would like it to be. I started out the ride doing walk/halt, walk/trot, and trot/halt transition. Werther is getting better about moving forward right away, but still wants to come above the bit as he moves off. I practiced a couple of serpintines and those were great, I could really feel Werther wrapping his rib cage around my leg. I picked up the canter, we didn't do anything fancy, just went around the ring with a few circles thrown in, practicing our jump, connection, and my geometry. I took a break went out of the ring, and warmed up like I would for a test, getting a good walk, a forward trot really asking Werther to lengthen, and then picked up a canter, and really asked him to climb up and extend (not a real extension, I'm not that good yet) went back to the trot half way down the long side, and entered the ring. I rode Test-4, which went really well, especially with the upward transitions. I finished by practicing a few turns from the left and on to the centerline which I am still struggling with. Friday, I didn't have as much time but I did a condensed version of what I worked on Thursday. He was better connected Friday, but I lost a little bit of the impulsion and flexibility that I had on Thursday. I did test 2 instead of test 4, I was happy with it, I felt it had good accuracy. I finished by doing some 10m circles and then turning on to the centerline. The turns still are not were I want them to be, but they did seem a little bit improved.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-85204660173603503242009-09-08T22:33:00.002-05:002009-09-08T22:55:50.085-05:00LessonToday I sent in my check to audit a Betsy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Stiner</span> Clinic. I hope I get a spot, they are only allowing 25 auditors a day. I had a lesson tonight, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Werther</span> had a big hive on the side of his hip he did not have yesterday, it is almost as big as my hand. It didn't have any heat though, and wasn't in a place were the tack would bug him which is good. The barn was toasty tonight even with the fans on, it was warm out and the farrier was there shoeing horses. We started out the ride with me encouraging <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Werther</span> to have a vigorous walk. Sarah and I have talked a lot lately about how I can't let my focus go at all with this horse, and I have to demand quality work from him the whole ride, because once I loose some ground with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Werther</span> especially with impulsion, I have to spend a long time gaining it back. After we got the walk established we did some walk trot transitions and did some trot work. We focused on getting that initial impulsion in the upward transition to the trot and insisting that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Werther</span> stay round at the same time. In the trot we also spent time on impulsion and roundness. Getting that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">initial</span> impulsion is getting better, but he is still getting too strung out on me, I need to figure out how to make him do both at once, a little walking and chewing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bubble</span> gum. We did a little bit of canter work to warm up, working on improving the jump and connection. I had some really good moments but nothing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">consistent</span>. We finished with a stretching circle at the trot, which are getting so much better now that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Werther</span> has had his hocks done. We took a long walk break, and we went in a rode test 4. Sarah had me go outside the ring, and develop a really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">foreword</span> trot and she had me do some canter with some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">lengthenings</span> down the long side to get him ready to go into ring. We had to practice the turn on to center line a few times before Sarah deemed us fit to continue. She also had us repeat the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">serpentine</span>, I'm still working on perfecting that movement, I tend to get too much neck bend or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Werther</span> leg yields over, but it is getting much better, especially over the last week. The canter on the long sides and in the circles was pretty good, as was the trot diagonal. Free walk and medium walk is a challenge, but my tactics we good. We had a very nice stretching circle, but my turn on to center line was utter fail. I just could not get my brain to make the connection to get my body to do what Sarah was telling me I needed to do. You can bet I will be working on that this week, no riding on Thursday though, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Werther</span> is seeing the osteopath tomorrow to get adjusted.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-4622431439582262852009-09-08T16:45:00.001-05:002009-09-08T16:48:33.430-05:00Sarah's Ride Yesterday<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><div id="post_message_4359896">I got to go out to the barn and watch Sarah ride my Werther yesterday. It was fascinating. She was able to talk me through a lot of what she was doing and why. This isn't a exact blow by blow of the session, but these are the exercises that really stood out to me.<br />1. Early in the ride, after warming up she did a lot of shoulder in at the trot down the long side of the ring, stopping at the short side to do some turn on the forehand, the going back down the long side and doing renvers. She did this exercise several times to loosen him up and get him jazzed up about the ride.<br />2. The second highlight of the ride for me was something new she just started doing with Werther today. She had him to eight meter leg yield circles at the trot, kind of coiling him up like spring, and then made him give a really good quality trot across the diagonal, so he has more air time at the trot and gets stronger and already improves upon a already very good gait.<br />3. Sarah's rides are a little like circuit training for people, after doing that bit of strength training, she made sure to do more stretching exercises at the trot and gave him a walk break. After this she did some schooling canter pirouettes intermixed with some extended canter. I haven't seen Werther do pirouettes before, so even though they were not show ring pirouettes, they were still fun to watch.<br />4. Lastly she rode Werther through training level test 4 for me. It was really good opportunity for me to see how she would ride the test. It helped me to understand the serpentines a lot better, the bend is actually a lot more understated that I thought it was when I have been riding them.</div><div><br /></div></span>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-89372449982962671882009-09-07T23:37:00.002-05:002009-09-08T00:11:45.534-05:00Quick August PostA very quick recap of August so I can move on to current events.<div><ul><li>At home I've been working on impulsion, a more consistent connection, and suppleness, I fell of once at home doing no stirrups work and scrapped up my nose, but was no worse for ware. I've also been able to sneak in a few trail rides which have been really nice. </li><li>I've been to two horse shows, the first show I got some pretty good scores in the low 60s on T-3 and T-4 from Betsey Berrey and Kristi Wysocki. I really liked Betsey Berrey, every time I halted at "G" she had something nice to say about Werther. The second show was tough, 3 out 4 of my classes Ulf Wadeborn who seemed like a nice guy but was very tough, I got my lowest scores yet from him, but I did get some helpful comments. My one T-4 that was with Sue Madden Madras. I got a 60.8, straight 6s through the whole test, except for a 7 on Werther's gaits.</li><li>We have been doing some matinence work with Werther, we had a really good osteopath Dr. Audrey come out and work on him, and Dr. Sarah did hock injections.</li><li>I recently read "Principals of Riding" by The German National Equestrian Federation, excellent read for newbies as well as experienced horseman, I would recommend it. </li></ul></div>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-1539235285307642712009-09-05T19:08:00.002-05:002009-09-05T19:11:51.803-05:00I'm back!Sorry I have been away for so long. I got very busy finishing up an internship and studying for the GRE so I can hopefully get into grad school, as well as horse showing and summer activities with the family. I'm planning on doing a recap of August, and I want to add a new feature of horse related book and DVD reviews. Thanks for being so patient with me!Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-33076523029007678492009-07-30T00:37:00.002-05:002009-07-30T00:57:41.851-05:00Last Friday's HackI'm trying to get everything up to speed before I head out to Mason City on Friday. I rode in the indoor on Friday so I could practice in the dressage arena again. I made him march right away from the mounting block and he actually had really nice impulsion for me the whole ride. Probably still not as much as I need, but a much better start. When I went to canter he swapped going to the right and had an e<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">piphany</span>, or more accurately, a "duh moment". I thought to myself, why is it I don't have as much trouble with this when I go to the horses shows either in the warm up ring or riding the test. I figured out that when I am riding alone, I am focusing on making sure his neck is straight, and looking down, instead of looking at where I am going, like I am supposed to. We did <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Werther's</span> neck stretches and turn on the forehand steps, then finished up by riding Training Level Test 3. The circles in the figure 8 and the half circles were a little wonky, but I was happy with the rest of it. The stretching circle we finished on was particularly nice.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-88475554896125046702009-07-28T00:29:00.005-05:002009-07-28T00:46:59.504-05:00PIC-SPAM: Photos from Alpine<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652542184_113300124_30530843_6419180_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652542184_113300124_30530843_6419180_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652527214_113300124_30530840_5549613_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652527214_113300124_30530840_5549613_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652532204_113300124_30530841_364020_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652532204_113300124_30530841_364020_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652522224_113300124_30530839_4392391_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 402px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652522224_113300124_30530839_4392391_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652512244_113300124_30530837_7887358_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652512244_113300124_30530837_7887358_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652512244_113300124_30530837_7887358_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652512244_113300124_30530837_7887358_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652502264_113300124_30530835_5648964_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 402px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652502264_113300124_30530835_5648964_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652507254_113300124_30530836_3439133_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 403px; height: 604px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652507254_113300124_30530836_3439133_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652497274_113300124_30530834_5063782_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652497274_113300124_30530834_5063782_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652492284_113300124_30530833_5782197_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 403px; height: 604px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652492284_113300124_30530833_5782197_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652487294_113300124_30530832_387333_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652487294_113300124_30530832_387333_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652477314_113300124_30530830_1900954_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652477314_113300124_30530830_1900954_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652482304_113300124_30530831_7830842_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652482304_113300124_30530831_7830842_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652472324_113300124_30530829_8262048_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652472324_113300124_30530829_8262048_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652467334_113300124_30530828_2419164_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652467334_113300124_30530828_2419164_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652462344_113300124_30530827_3927301_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652462344_113300124_30530827_3927301_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652452364_113300124_30530825_3441941_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 431px;" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652452364_113300124_30530825_3441941_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652457354_113300124_30530826_646347_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652457354_113300124_30530826_646347_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652447374_113300124_30530824_7471123_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 431px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652447374_113300124_30530824_7471123_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652442384_113300124_30530823_970926_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 403px; height: 604px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652442384_113300124_30530823_970926_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652437394_113300124_30530822_5521622_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 403px; height: 604px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652437394_113300124_30530822_5521622_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652427414_113300124_30530820_892072_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652427414_113300124_30530820_892072_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652432404_113300124_30530821_6983660_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 403px; height: 604px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs157.snc1/5855_510652432404_113300124_30530821_6983660_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652422424_113300124_30530819_3116251_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652422424_113300124_30530819_3116251_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652417434_113300124_30530818_3403624_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 604px; height: 403px;" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs137.snc1/5855_510652417434_113300124_30530818_3403624_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>EDIT: Blogger cropped images, click on picture to see the full thing. Second time training level over fourth of July weekend. My position is cringe worthy, Werther looks great as per usual.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-64462671401782065522009-07-28T00:19:00.003-05:002009-07-28T00:25:00.338-05:00VideosHere are the videos from the Stillwater show in June. I should be getting the training level dvds and will put those up when I get a chance.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9PnqenSiv4">Sat. Intro A</a></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt2v37TQUYQ">Sun. Intro B</a></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXI2eD09kDU">Sat. Intro A</a></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOb7AfW6RXA">USDF Intro Test B</a></div>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-29289090775771783222009-07-23T23:47:00.005-05:002009-07-24T00:14:52.771-05:00HackI started out today in Werther's stall doing carrot stretches. He is getting much better at the side to stretches, but he still has a hard time holding the low stretch. It was really nice tonight so I rode Werther in the outdoor. I got on and thought about making Werther march off right away, like he did after Sarah got on him in my lesson on Tuesday. Werther didn't respond to my calf, so I tapped him with my whip and he broke into the trot, I brought him back down to the walk and he lost about half of the energy we had gained. I spent some time trying to get a really forward walk and maintain the longer frame we worked on in my lesson. Again I struggled with the either or, I kept getting my frame or the impulsion. Rather than have both be poor quality the whole ride, I decided to focus on the impulsion. If I can just establish the impulsion I need and have Werther keep it, then I won't have to work as hard. Once I got a decent walk, I moved on the the trot work. He was especially resistant to maintaining impulsion in my circles, he really wanted to use them as an excuse to die out on me. By the end of my trot work I was getting some quality impulsion with a nice frame, but it took way to long to get there. In the canter transition I really focused on keeping my outside hand down and I had some nice transitions. I started out the right and I had a swap while I was playing with my rein contact, figuring out what I need. Werther's canter to the right felt very put together and his neck felt pretty straight, but I struggled to get the amount jump I needed. When I switched to the left lead I had the opposite problem. Werther had awesome impulsion but I was really struggling to package him. I felt like I could get each rein to work independently, but I was struggling to get them to work in sync. I feel that I was relying too much on my inside rein to steer, which should not be happening. Then when I softened that rein, I wasn't sitting deep enough to back up my outside rein with my inside leg, so I struggled with my steering. I finished up by letting Werther walk and catch his breath, then I did his neck stretches, and some steps of turn on the forehand to stretch out his hips. His turn on the forehand was really good today, even with my left leg. Werther is such a smart horse, I think he is really starting to understand what I want, even with my weaker leg. It gives me hope for the impulsion issue, if he can understand my left leg when I want a turn on the forehand, he can certainly understand when I want him to go forward. I have to be more vigilant about not letting him get away with being lazy, ever. He is to learn that it is not on option in his playbook.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-36547034546990647412009-07-21T23:36:00.003-05:002009-07-22T00:09:19.294-05:00LessonIt was so nice to see Sarah after our missed lesson on Saturday, we both felt like we had not seen each other in an age. We rode inside today because the weather was being a touch unpredictable, and I need to use the dressage ring to get back into test riding mode. Sarah came out on Monday and rode Werther. She said Werther felt more supple, and she spent some time in a slightly longer and lower frame to stretch his top line muscles. We started by developing energy at the walk, a little squeeze with the calf and then loose legs. When we had a good level of impulsion, Sarah had me take a feel of the bit and frame Werther up but encourage him to keep the length in his neck and not curl up. Once we had the impulsion and the contact at the walk established, we moved on to the trot work. This is where I started to struggle, Werther was really testing me, trying to be either round or forward and not both. I was getting moments of correctness, but nothing consistent, and Werther kept ending up behind my leg. Sarah had me jump off and she hopped on Werther. One look at Werther and you could tell what he was thinking, "Just joking guys, give me back the other lady, she doesn't make me work as hard". Sarah started with Werther like I had, making him give her a really good walk before moving into the trot. She made Werther give a nice trot, and did a few trot canter transitions before handing the reins back to me. she couldn't have ridden him for more than five minutes but the difference was marked. Right away moving off of the mounting block I gave a little squeeze with my calves and he marched off for me. We repeated our initial exercise of establishing the walk and the trot. Once we had a good trot going we moved up to the canter. Here I struggled a little. I wasn't clear enough in my transition aids, and Werther kept offering extended trot rather than canter. Sarah said part of that was Werther, he was feeling really good today, very loose and swinging in his back, so he offered the extended trot instead because he is really good at it, and it was less of an effort for him to give a really good extended trot than a quality canter. Sarah said something really interesting that people often had the impression that horses should be working their back muscles all the time, but the back should never be tense. Instead the back should be loose and swinging and the strength should come from the horse engaging his core abdominal muscles. I kept trying to sit back and keep a good contact with my outside rein but when Werther wouldn't pick up the canter right away I would get out of balance and lean forward and throw my reins away, which unbalanced Werther, so it was all very cyclical. I got a little bit of really good canter, but in a effort to keep up my connection I would balance too much with my hand and not back it up enough with my leg and Werther would break. By the time we finished I felt I was getting comfortable using more leg, and really dressage subtle leg, not cowboy leg. We finished on a stretching trot circle, I had a totally had a brain lapse when we first started, but our second attempt was better. I getting the hang of keeping contact on the outside rein even when it is super long.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-53586667970424187372009-07-21T11:15:00.003-05:002009-07-21T12:04:21.761-05:00New Blog Award!<div><br />Thanks to Overanxious Horse Owner and few others who gave me this award:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNGF6LRqzwHHySpcq-2yXm9sPT8eSdFbuT_QThjUVNVTcqq_BvzbXRVOxVzXD42kGkouYIfzhDy3CGKKhoYM2kUnjDsbyEMwgEZccCBnuJg3eZhNe-K6YsE_T-okN-p516TzxvBOc4JLi/s1600-h/honestscrap.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNGF6LRqzwHHySpcq-2yXm9sPT8eSdFbuT_QThjUVNVTcqq_BvzbXRVOxVzXD42kGkouYIfzhDy3CGKKhoYM2kUnjDsbyEMwgEZccCBnuJg3eZhNe-K6YsE_T-okN-p516TzxvBOc4JLi/s400/honestscrap.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360948252610733778" /></a><br /><div>I think this award is very appropriate for me. My main reason for blogging is that it keeps me honest. Outside of shows, I never get to watch any other dressage riders so it can be a challenge to keep my progress or set backs in perspective. By blogging, I force myself to reflect on every single ride. What was my plan? Did I achieve my goals? What is my strategy for the next ride? I'm really happy to have such a nice group of readers who give me encouragement and support.</div><div><br /></div><div>5 things about me</div><div>1. I'm interning at a research library for a multi-national corporation and I'm studying for the GRE so I can get my masters in library sciences.</div><div> 2. In addition to riding four days a week, I go to the gym three days a week. Yesterday, I did 100 pounds on the squat machine.</div><div>3. Next three movies in my Netflix queue: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6xhnSp5Gdw">Reprise</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Q_FGhTCCU">The Year My Parents Went on Vacation</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ok7SaVXOpI">The Order of Myths</a></div><div>4. I was in a very old riding secret society in college. </div><div>5. My family travels a lot, the most interesting place I have been is Antarctica.</div><div><br /></div><div>Passing it on to five blogs:</div><div>1. <a href="http://iamsrg.blogspot.com/">http://iamsrg.blogspot.com/ </a>SRG is a new blogger, and also a para dressage rider. </div><div>2. <a href="http://www.rebeccalosesit.blogspot.com/">http://www.rebeccalosesit.blogspot.com/</a> New weight loss blog of long time reader Rebecca.</div><div>3. <a href="http://sabumi.blogspot.com/">http://sabumi.blogspot.com/</a> Heather is currently going through some challenges with her horse, but is handling it really well.</div><div>4. <a href="http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/">http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/</a> Because I am a big Dr. Who geek.</div><div>5. <a href="http://morewaystowastetime.blogspot.com/">http://morewaystowastetime.blogspot.com/</a> Design blog, sometimes a little too modern for me, but has some really neat ideas.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-82617643278722935312009-07-19T13:56:00.002-05:002009-07-19T13:59:44.441-05:00Milestone<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; ">A small brag, I'm really happy. I found out the other day that I have all of the scores I need for the USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award. I have only showed training level over 3 shows, two one day shows over one weekend and one weekend long show. The scores scores I used:<br />65.375% Training 2 Judge: Fatima Kranz<br />63.929% Training 2 Judge: Marlene Schneider<br />62.609% Training 1 Judge: Janet Hannon<br />60.000% Training 1 Judge: Dinah Babcock </span>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-82905270191867252082009-07-19T11:06:00.002-05:002009-07-19T11:19:48.205-05:00Friday and Saturday's ridesWoot! Finally catching up. I couldn't get out the barn on Thursday so Werther had a extra day off. I started out by grabbing some horse treats and we did Werther's carrot stretches in his stall. He was very excited about the treats, so it was hard to get him to wait and hold the stretch. I did some warming up, and then did the stretching exercises from my lesson on Tuesday. The neck ones were fine, but the turn on the forehand steps are a challenge. I spent the rest of the ride working on our frame and connection, finding that sweet spot where the head falls from the shoulder, and I have Werther forward enough that I can allow the trot to come through and just enjoy the ride. At the canter I'm just working on keeping the neck straight and suppling, so the connection isn't stiff. I ended on doing stretching trot circles, which were OK. I'm better when I have someone watching me and telling me when I need more bend, energy or stretch. Saturday, Sarah was away so I just hacked. I did all of Werther's stretches then I rode though Training Level Test 3 and Test 4, which we are showing next weekend. I still had them memorized fairly well, but made one wrong turn in T-3. Werther's impulsion was much better in the trot and canter, but I need to work on his walk and I need to work on my figure 8 and the half circles in T-3.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-62694874957465803462009-07-18T20:11:00.003-05:002009-07-18T20:26:44.245-05:00Tuesday's Lesson<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sarah rode Werther on Monday and she said he was particularly tight in his back. The main goal of the lesson on Tuesday was to get me used to doing some exercises that will help Werther with his suppleness. We did a little walk trot canter to get Werther warmed up first, the Sarah had me come into the middle of the ring to do some suppling exercises. We started by d</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">oing a series of small circles with almost no outside rein contact, asking him with a soft inside to bring his neck over by my knee, but not for too long, think about as long as you would hold a stretch doing yoga. Then we did some steps of turn on the forehand each direction to help stretch his hip muscles. Going to the left was very hard for me in the turn on the forehand, Werther is not particularly sensitive to leg to begin with and the turn on the forehand has to basically come entirely from the leg, and that is my weaker side. We went back to trot and canter work, which was much better after doing those stretches and then ended by doing quite a few stretching circles. It was really hard work, you can't let up at all in that movement yet for him, you have to keep on asking, but it kept getting better and better. </span></span></span>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-76543964211896162302009-07-15T15:49:00.002-05:002009-07-15T15:59:11.315-05:00Saturday's LessonSaturday we started out by working on stretching Werther's back. It was a nice day so we were in the outdoor ring. Sarah set up a grid of poles to walk though. My job was to make sure Werther kept his energy though the poles and stayed in a frame. It is really weird maintaining contact through poles like that, even over ground poles my first instinct is to release. The rest of the lesson we spent working on impulsion. We started out by getting Werther to the correct level of impulsion then I have to go into "neutral" with my body, soft following hand and no leg whatsoever. As soon as Werther starts to loose energy I squeeze once with my calves and if he does not respond come with the whip, but as soon as he starts to carry himself again I go immediately into neutral position. Werther's reward for doing his share of the work is that I will leave him alone. We did that exercise at the walk, trot, and canter. I think I am starting to get it, it really helps my position to be able to have effective smaller corrections at my disposal and Werther feels more balanced, especially at the right lead canter.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-42478320826367824182009-07-14T22:06:00.004-05:002009-07-14T22:28:40.182-05:00Thursday's Trail Ride and Friday's Hack<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5auZpCAgbBk1XIawq4EgTQ_Vtb0w6IiKndb1KPXR67ljgQaxLB2XEqX7FLExoBMok4Ql7l-G3mo5k3vuodKoEY4F9ikkdNJfQ-rFQ2qgO8-D0JMovhIsiUbJdORDlvnU72q5ap5RQGWL/s1600-h/muzzle.jpg"></a>Thursday we went on hack with my Mom on Stoli, and my Aunt Karen who was in town visiting on Tryst. It was really fun to have Karen meet Werther in person, she follows my blog, and was nice enough to give me her dressage tack for Werther. We took the boys out for a nice leasurely walk around the property, the gnats were bad in some places but other than that the boys gorged themselves on the pretty purple alfalfa blooms. I cut the ride a little short and went in the outdoor ring and practiced some transitions. Mom bought Werther a grazing muzzle, to help combat him wrecking the fence with his cribbing, Werther was pretty displeased. Friday I hacked outside and spent some more time on transitions from sitting to two point and loose legs. I definitely need to shorten my stirrups until I get the hang of this new balance. <div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5auZpCAgbBk1XIawq4EgTQ_Vtb0w6IiKndb1KPXR67ljgQaxLB2XEqX7FLExoBMok4Ql7l-G3mo5k3vuodKoEY4F9ikkdNJfQ-rFQ2qgO8-D0JMovhIsiUbJdORDlvnU72q5ap5RQGWL/s400/muzzle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358522155407401522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-10139546715441679412009-07-13T22:11:00.002-05:002009-07-13T22:16:34.147-05:00Lesson last tuesdayWe rode outside on Tuesday. The main goal of the lesson was to work on getting me to use my calf more and Werther to respond to my calf pressure. Once I got a a foreword moving reaction from him, I have immediately go to "loose legs", Werther's reward for going foreword is that I leave him alone. With my disability I tend to find my thigh a more stable point of balance, but that isn't going to work if I want to move up the levels. We spent a lot of time transitioning between two point and sitting or posting. I could get plenty of weight in my heels when I was in two point, but I found myself loosing my balance in the posting trot. This is definitely a long term project, it will be a lot of work but worth it in the long run.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1885782243500315898.post-2074977997670434952009-07-13T20:21:00.002-05:002009-07-13T21:04:56.907-05:00Alpine RecapI thought I rode well, but this was a really tough show and the judges were scoring everyone very conservatively. Particularly the judge I had for 3 out of 4 of my tests. Sarah also told me she is partial to very hot horses, which is definitely not Werther's wheelhouse. On the bright side, Werther had his own fan club by the end of the show, the ladies working the rings loved him, and a couple trainers even came up to Sarah to tell her what a nice horse her client has. (:<div><br /></div><div>Training Level Test 1 Judge: D. Babcock</div><div>1. 6 Balanced halt, right of center line after</div><div>2. 6 Little unsteady, maintains energy</div><div>3. 6 Transition should be clearer</div><div>4. 6 Needs better balance</div><div>5. 5 Crooked off rail</div><div>6. 6 Should maintain more energy</div><div>7. 5 Must develop more stretch and energy</div><div>8. 6 A little unsteady</div><div>9. 6 Could have better balance</div><div>10. 6 Needs better balance</div><div>11. 6 Needs better balance</div><div>12. 6 Little unsteady</div><div>13. 7</div><div><br /></div><div>Collective</div><div>Gaits 7</div><div>Impulsion 6</div><div>Submission 6</div><div>Rider 6 underline effect of aids a little unsteady</div><div><br /></div><div>60%, 4th place</div><div><br /></div><div>Further remarks: Try to sit up straighter to develop better balance, from seat and leg - talented pair with lots of potential.</div><div><br /></div><div>Training Level Test 3 Judge D. Babcock ( first time showing this test)</div><div><br /></div><div>1. 6 not straight</div><div>2. 5 too much bend, unsteady, small</div><div>3. 6 needs better balance</div><div>4. 6 hollow</div><div>5. 5 behind riders leg, sluggish</div><div>6. 4, turned at E not 1/2 circle</div><div>7. 5, lateral tendency</div><div>8. 4, must develop more stretch and longer frame</div><div>9. 6, needs more activity</div><div>10. 7</div><div>11. 6, a little hollow, needs jump</div><div>12. 5, half circle unbalanced</div><div>13. 6, needs more release and consistent cadence</div><div>14. 6, needs energy</div><div><br /></div><div>Gaits 7</div><div>Impulsion 6</div><div>Submission 5 circled attention, confidence, ease of movements, and acceptance of bridle</div><div>Rider 6 circled effect of aids</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Remarks</div><div>Horse a bit less energetic in this test, also you are falling in on half circles. </div><div>56.4% 3rd place</div><div><br /></div><div>Training Level Test 4 Judge: D. Babcock</div><div>1. 6 needs more energy</div><div>2. 6 could show more suppleness</div><div>3. 6 a little crooked</div><div>4. 6 a little labored</div><div>5. 5 becoming unbalanced and ___ corner</div><div>6. 5 sluggish</div><div>7. 5 very tight in back, needs stretch</div><div>8. 6 bending well, but needs energy</div><div>9. 6 a little labored</div><div>10. 6 needs energy</div><div>11. 7 better balance</div><div>12. 6 unsteady</div><div>13. 6 stretch OK some resistance into contact</div><div>14. 6 little unsteady</div><div><br /></div><div>Gaits 6 lateral walk</div><div>Impulsion 5 desire to move foreword, elasticity of steps, suppleness</div><div>Submission 5 a little behind the leg and should bend better</div><div>rider 6 effect of aids</div><div>57.2% 6th place</div><div><br /></div><div>Training level test 2 Judge M. Schneider</div><div>1. 6, straight fairly round resistant proceed</div><div>2. 7, round & steady</div><div>3. 6, straight & steady but ___ corner</div><div>4. 7, fairly balanced</div><div>5. 6, steady pace, unsteady lead</div><div>6. 6, on shoulder at transition</div><div>7. 7, fluid transition, fairly good accuracy</div><div>8. 6, needs more activity and stretch </div><div>9. 6, needs rounder</div><div>10. 6, resisted transition at C</div><div>11. 7, round and steady</div><div>12. 7, straight and steady</div><div>13. 7, prompt and balanced (our problem lead!)</div><div>14. 6, steady pace, unsteady lead, needs to return to track at B</div><div>15. 6, against hand</div><div>16. 7, straight, round</div><div><br /></div><div>Gaits 7</div><div>Impulsion 7 (whoo!)</div><div>Submission 6 </div><div>Rider 6</div><div><br /></div><div>Remarks: Nice gaits! Needs quieter connection! Nice coping by rider!</div><div>63.929% 2nd place</div>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056502913404304546noreply@blogger.com1