Dressage Day by Day

Well, 2016 is coming to an end and it's been another interesting year full of highs and lows. I started out the year with a real drive to get healthy and I dieted and exercised like crazy. The scale didn't move much, and I was ridiculously frustrated. I had blood-work checked, tried cutting carbs and nothing worked. I basically gave up and gained a good part of the weight back. Looking back at the pictures from the Spring, I definitely was leaner, even if the scale didn't say so. In 2017, I am getting back on the bandwagon and I am going to try to once again to get back to a good, healthy weight. The show season this year was great. My first show at the MODA show in April was a big learning experience riding 4-2 and 4-3 for the first time. Moving up to PSG by July was truly a lifetime dream accomplished. I hoped that I might finish my silver medal, but I'm fine with leaving that for next year. Breaking my foot on October 29 was one of the lower points of the year.

Gadget has had a lighter workload the last couple months, but I have been trying to get us both back in gear over the past couple weeks. I have been really nailing my tempis, so I was excited to show Ryan our progress. I also have been riding Gadget in the snaffle exclusively and felt like I was getting a better connection in the canter, so I decided day 1 of the clinic would be the snaffle. In this clinic, Ryan really focused on getting Gadget more active behind. We spent a lot of time in our "smaller trot" where we make it as small as possible while still asking for activity. Ryan said this has a better rhythm than it used to (he doesn't try to walk), but we need to get more power from the hind end. I was constantly reminded to keep my hands low, even though they felt fairly low. It's amazing how "feel" can be so misleading. We did some shoulder-in to half-pass in trot. This felt pretty good. We moved to canter, establishing shoulder fore before doi

August 2016 Kenny Clinic Although I had not ridden with Kenny since the spring, he immediately picked up on all of our current issues. He has an amazing eye and way of bringing out the best in a horse and rider. The first day of the clinic, we rode outside in the blazing heat. Gadget loves Robin's outdoor arena, so I was thrilled to be outside. I warmed Gadget up in walk, trot, and canter in my very long and low and stretching mode. It's brief, but I like to think it will help keep his back happy. We then moved into some trot work. To the left, I am to get Gadget more "up" and ride less angle than is my tendency. The right shoulder-in is lovely, so there's not much to fix other than to take a touch of right rein to make sure the bend and flexion are clear. Trot halfpass felt good. Canter halfpass to the left was sticky as Gadget thought I was collecting him for a pirouette and would take over. Kenny emphasized to keep straighter and move my right rein away

I am so behind on this blog! After my wonderful first outing at PSG in July, I hurriedly looked for another competition this season where I could try to earn my last score for my silver. The week before the next competition, I really struggled to get Gadget connected and the changes felt like a mess. I found out that Gadget had been off of his previcox for about ten days. If there was any doubt in my mind that it was making a difference, it was quickly dispelled by the difference I can feel when he is not on it. I gave him a couple days off, did one more light schooling ride and off we went to the show. I really thought I would get my last score for my silver at this show. Yet, even though I didn't have the rides that I expected, I had such a great time at the show. I've learned that who you show with and their attitudes really make such a huge difference. I stabled with my favorite group of ladies, and we were all chasing scores toward silver or gold medals or toward judge&

We did it! Gadget and I officially made the jump to Prix St. Georges. I felt so incredibly nervous and rode terribly in the warm-up until Kristin literally coached every step to get me to relax and ride the way that I know how. Our first test felt good! I got the fours, but blew the threes. The left pirouette was fairly good, and I got a 6. The right pirouette was way too big (judge described it as "huge.") Overall, I felt like I belonged there. I had lots of mistakes that were purely from inexperience. For instance, I rode the 8 meter trot voltes way too big and lots easy points there. I also let some of Gadget's changes get late after the halfpasses and pirouettes. We ended up with a 58.9% from a tough judge, so I was thrilled with that score for our first test. The next day I felt much more relaxed and the warm-up went well. I nailed my threes and fours in the warm-up. We cantered down centerline just as lightning struck. I was told to dismount in the ring

It's been so long since I have updated this blog! As a bit of an update, I finally ventured out and tried 4-2 and 4-3. The tempis are still a bit of a crapshoot due to my timing, but overall, both tests are totally doable for me and Gadget. I have been having really amazing clinics with Ryan Yap. He has really helped me simplify my aids and make Gadget sharper. After a little basic stretching warm-up, we move into tons of quick transitions, in which he must given me an immediate reaction. It doesn't have to be the correct answer (if he canters instead of trotting, he still gets a "good boy!"), but he must give a reaction. This is so basic, but so important. It has, once again, improved our tempi changes. Now I just need to stay straight and ask for the changes at the right time, and we mostly get them! The pirouettes have also really come a long way. Ryan rode Gadget last month for the first time in many years, and it was amazing to see. He really schooled the

Lesson 4 --  When a Difficult Lesson is the Lesson you Need Gadget spent two weeks with Kristin riding him and she said she was so happy with his attitude to come out and give it his best every day. Even work that is hard for him, he would absolutely throw his heart into it. It feels great to work with a trainer that appreciates that quality in him and knows not to ask too much of him because of it. POSITION -- RIGHT SHOULDER BACK After 10 minutes walking, we warmed up in a forward rising trot. Right away Kristin made me accountable for my position. I twist to the left, so she really had me focus on taking my right shoulder back and loosening the left to come forward a bit. I also kept my reins short with my hands in front of my body (but not up) and staying on the front of my seat. After the loosening work, we decided to revisit the shoulder-in and half-pass. As Kristin said, once I learn to control the shoulders and keep myself and Gadget straight, the pirouettes, the h

Lesson 1 - It feels appropriate that the first day of the new year is the first day of my Gifted scholarship adventure. I thought this balmy winter that we've been having was playing perfectly into my winter plans, but today had a high of 32 degrees with strong wind that made it much colder. But after adding a couple layers, I drove to Akron, Ohio for my first lesson. I brought Gadget to Shade Tree Farm train with Kristin Stein on Christmas eve, so he has already had four rides with her. Even with only those four rides on him, I could feel a big difference in the quality of the canter he offered in his warm up. As Kristin says, I have gotten used to the feel of his canter being a hair away from four beat. We want the canter to "roll" and to feel fluid because he uses his whole body. He's strong enough to really carry with power now, but I have to ask for it. And it's going to take time to get the expression all the time. The theme of this lesson was POWER! N