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Volunteering I’m so excited! I decided to volunteer at the NEDA Fall Festival in Saugerties, NY for four days. I’ll be totally saturated in dressage and I can’t wait! I might even be able to squeeze in a visit to my family near Albany. In exchange I’ll get free room and board for each full day of volunteer work I give them. I can’t go wrong with that deal. You don’t have to be a member to volunteer at this event. If you’re interested in learning more please visit their volunteer page. To learn more about the event visit the NEDA website. Below is an excerpt from their press release.
A Dressage Event Like No Other!
New England Dressage Association
FALL FESTIVAL OF DRESSAGE
$44,450 Purse
for benefit of
JOSLIN DIABETES CENTER
“Conquering Diabetes in All of Its Forms”
September 9-13, 2009 ~ HITS on the Hudson, Saugerties NY“…This event is one of the few internationally recognized American competitions (CDI-W J/Y Saugerties) recognized by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). International competitors earn scores toward representing their countries at competitions such as the World Games or the Olympics. Specifically, Fall Festival is a qualifying event for the 2010 USEF Grand Prix and Intermediaire I Championships and for the US Grand Prix Freestyle Championship which selects the American representative at the annual FEI World Cup competition. On Thursday afternoon the International Competition begins with the formal inspection of the horses by FEI Officials, certifying their identity and their fitness to compete. Riders from Denmark, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and other countries will compete. Classes are held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with the Grand Prix de Dressage on Saturday afternoon and the crowd favorite Grand Prix Special and musical freestyles Sunday afternoon…”
I had a great lesson the other day. We had some nice long and low moments. Being a TB the horse I rode had a lot of movement and I had trouble here and there with steady contact. Quite a change from the QH I usually ride. At the end I was asked to dismount while my instructor left the arena.
She quickly returned with a small trampoline and a bridle.
Uh-huh.
She set the trampoline down and called over some of the other students. My instructor became “the horse” by placing the bridle over her head and her hands on the snaffle bit, fingers away from her face. She asked me to became “the rider”. I picked up the reins, mounted the trampoline and picked up a sitting trot. I shifted my weight from leg to leg / side to side/ up and down trying to achieve the same motion as when I’m mounted.
If my elbows opened enough to absorb the motion “the horse” barely felt the bit moving, even when asking to turn left or right. The minute I tensed my arms the bit became jerky and she’d stumble back towards me. Ouch! We traded places and I became “the horse”.
It was an eye opening experience. Although I didn’t have a bit in my mouth I could sympathize with the horse. I didn’t like the jerky motions either and even kicked out at one point. We experimented with two other riders.
While mounted you could visualize:
1. that your wrists are on a shelf
2. your hands are bookends with books between them
Oh, what fun! Now if only the rain would stop.
New England Wild West Fest
Helping to fight against childhood cancer!
June 26–28, 2009 Marshfield Fairgrounds, Marshfield, MA
PRCA Professional Rodeo
Live music by Nicole Frechette, Johnathan Scott & The Blazing Hearts, Digger Dawg
BBQ & Chili cookoff (YUM!)
Massachusetts Team Penning and Mounted Six Shooters, Civil War Calvary Demonstration
My job description As a volunteer ring steward I get to follow the judge around the ring, notify the judge when all riders for a class are present, keep the classes moving and on schedule, make sure all riders stay safe, communicate to the riders when to halt, walk, trot or canter according to the judges requests, and to deliver the class results to the announcer.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with Joe Lombard again. Joe is a licensed horse show judge, instructor, clinician and equine appraiser. I appreciate the fact that he explains things to the riders and he’ll answer questions.
Equitation The judge focuses on the rider’s position and ability to ride correctly with effective aids. The performance of the horse is not judged but a poorly performing horse is considered a reflection on the rider’s ability. A good rider will always be in balance and maintain a correct position in every gait. This is a more difficult class to judge.
Calf wrapped around barrel of horse.
Rider position When sitting correctly in the saddle, an invisible line should exist from the ear to shoulder to elbow and the heel. Your heels should be down with a little weight in them. The calves should maintain contact with the horse’s barrel and the heels should stay off the horse’s side unless being cued.
Reins Make sure that the reins aren’t twisted. Hold the reins properly with your thumbs on top. Maintain light but steady contact without a sloppy loop in the rein.
Heels There should be some weight in your heels and they should be down. (I sit at a desk all day with my feet on a cardboard box so I can practice heels down.) A lot of riders have their heels up with their toes down. Make sure that you adjust your stirrup length if needed.
Stirrups The stirrup should rest on the ball of your foot. Your foot should not be three quarters of the way through.
Diagonals Know your diagonals in both directions.
Gaits You’ll be asked to ride in different gaits. A good rider is an effective rider and capable of communicating and listening to the horse. Do not break gait unless the judge/ring steward asks you to. A walk should be a good forward walk, same with the trot and canter.
Transitions Practice making good, smooth transitions from one gait to another. The judge doesn’t expect you to immediately change gaits but definitely within a few strides. If everyone’s walking and you’re still trotting you’ll lose points.
Canter leads Make sure that you get the correct lead each time. If you don’t get the correct lead fix it immediately. You’ll still lose points but the judge would rather see that you noticed it and fixed it.
Poop breaks The horse should not stop to poop. EVER. If you allow the horse to stop you’ll lose points.
With a little practice you’ll be bringing home the ribbons!
My job description As a volunteer ring steward I get to follow the judge around the ring, notify the judge when all riders for a class are present, keep the classes moving and on schedule, make sure all riders stay safe, communicate to the riders when to halt, walk, trot or canter according to the judges requests, and to deliver the class results to the announcer.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with Joe Lombard again. Joe is a licensed horse show judge, instructor, clinician and equine appraiser. I appreciate the fact that he explains things to the riders and he’ll answer questions.
Entering the arena Walk with purpose, this isn’t a stroll. Think of the military with their crisp, smart walk. Smile and look at the judge while you’re walking around the arena. You’ll make a good, confident impression, remember that you’re being judged from the moment you enter the arena.
Line up You’ll be asked to line up next to each other so watch your spacing. Square up your horse’s feet and make sure that you’re straight. Check your position by looking at the wall or fence behind you. You should make a T shape with the wall. Smile, look for the judge and find your quadrant. Even if the judge isn’t at your horse you should still be presenting like the rider’s in the photo. Your horse should stand quietly and pay attention to you. If you horse moves out of line you can circle around and reposition. Don’t be afraid of correcting your horse for bad behavior.
Leadline The assistant should be appropriately dressed and match the rider. Therefore dressed in English or Western attire. It’s all about presentation and a slumpy assistant makes a bad impression. The assistant should assist but not take over. The child should be trying to do it.
Speaking to the judge The judge will greet you and possibly ask you some questions. Smile and speak to the judge. If you don’t know the answer be truthful and admit it.
Know your Quadrants
Judge comes to Quadrant I, the handler should be in Quadrant IV.
Judge moves to Quadrant II, the handler moves to Quadrant I.
Judge moves to Quadrant III, the handler moves to Quadrant IV.
Judge returns to Quadrant IV, the handler returns to Quadrant I.
Patterns The judge will ask you to do a pattern. Pay attention to when you should walk, trot or halt. Make the pattern as exact as possible. A straight line should be straight and a circle should be round. If you’re asked to do a straight line stop the horse and square up before turning back. It isn’t necessary but it adds a little extra polish to the presentation. Stop and square up again and wait for the judge to say “thank you”. Then return to the line up.
Turning the horse Don’t block the judge’s view of the horse with your body. Always turn the horse to the right so that your body is on the outside.
With a little practice you’ll be bringing home the ribbons!
My Hunter Jumper personality rears it’s ugly head Er, no offense to all you H/J riders out there but I changed disciplines. I’m a Dressage Diva now. (Yeah, right.) <cough> OK, let’s rephrase that. Make that Dressage Diva Wannabe. Hey, is there a level for that? I think Wannabe Level would be perfect for all us adult amateurs changing disciplines.
Oops, I’ve digressed.
My upper body was very forward during my dressage lesson. My back was arched and my bum was stuck out behind me like tail feathers. I was falling forward onto my crotch (ouch! I felt that later). That meant that my core muscles weren’t engaged. (Core muscles!? What core muscles? Oops, off topic again.) This all lead to closed hips and mixed messages. Posting with a closed hip prevents the horse from coming forward into my hands. <sigh> Go forward but not really. My horse hollowed out in response and being a mare looked…well, marish. (Is that a word?) Oh, and my thighs were gripping due to this mess.
And that wasn’t all…my 20 meter circles continue to be the bane of my existence. I’m soooo frustrated that I gave some serious thought to quiting. As usual I ended up with my inside leg turning so that my toes are out and the back of my calf and heel are against the horse. (The toes of my inside leg should turn in slightly to indicate the turn and to keep my hips open. Think of knocked knees.) My inside hip ends up moving back instead of being forward and my upper body twists as I then try to pull my horse around the circle with the inside rein. Bad. All bad.
We moved on to sitting trot to get me thinking of sitting more upright and vertical. I experimented with how things felt if I moved too far forward, into a correct balanced position or too far back. In both the too far forward and back position my thighs would grip to make up for my compromised balance. In the correct vertical position my legs hung down the sides of the horse and my hips were open and flexible, absorbing the movement from side to side, up and down. Because my hips were open I had nice breathing legs and I could use my inside leg to outside rein for better connection. Every so often I had absolute lightness and it was perfect. Then my brain would kick in, I’d start to THINK about it (bad) and everything spiraled downhill. I need to stop thinking and just go with feel. Thinking gets me into all kinds of trouble.
Quiet.
Stillness.
Zen like peace.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I’ve been ill and we had a H-U-G-E (please use the Paris Hilton inflection) layoff at work. My head is still spinning and I miss many of my co-workers and friends.
Back to my lessons I haven’t had a lesson in eons! My instructor was showing this weekend so I snuck onto another instuctor’s schedule. She has some knowledge of what I’m working on but it was a group lesson so I missed out on the individual attention I get in private lessons. She didn’t push me very hard either. I’m sure to get my butt kicked in the next lesson.
Releasing the inside rein We focused on my inside rein and riding more with my seat. I really have a problem with this on circles. A good test to see if your horse is through is to give with the inside rein by moving it forward slightly or by petting the neck. If all your other aids are being applied properly you’ll notice that your horse will round through the topline and you’ve just rewarded him!
Remember the following:
1. Don’t throw away the connection. You want a light and steady connection.
2. Keep your elbows bent and near your hips.
3. Use your seat and inside leg to outside rein basics.
4. Half-halt
5. Breathe!
Practice Rides I’ve tried to apply all these things in my practice rides and below is what I saw.
Improvements:
1. If I gave with the inside rein she was more through and round.
2. When I brought my elbows back toward my hips she rounded more.
3. By using my inside leg to bend her and my outside leg to contain her haunches (not the inside rein) we made better circles. I stayed centered in the saddle and the whole twist and shout disappeared. OK not totally but that’s what practice is all about.
4. My half-halts when properly applied help keep her round and in the outside rein. I could also regulate her speed.
5. Breathing is good. I sometimes exaggerate it and give power inhale and exhales like a weight lifter. The amazing thing is that I see an immediate response from her. She rounds more and starts to breathe too!
Ride on and I’ll update you soon.
I have declared war on dust. I was chasing the dust bunnies around the house with my Miele when I started to sniffle. Not unusual considering that I’m allergic to the cat, the dogs and the dust mite. What was unusual was that my sniffles just got worse and by evening I was totally congested. I started running a low grade fever and the doctor has diagnosed me with a mild upper respiratory infection.
All week I’ve been held up in my bunker armed with the latest artillery in the defense against germs. I’m flanked by my Golden Retriever and Chocolate Lab. At a moments notice I can deploy the box of tissues, Delsym, Afrin, Advil, water and the hand sanitizer against the invading forces.
Enter spouse
My husband has just arrived home from work and is standing in the kitchen staring at the bag of dog food on the floor in the corner. I’m still on the couch…errr in my bunker, surrounded by the wreckage of battle.
“Honey, why is the dog food upstairs?”
Sniff “I didn’t feel well enough to refill the container this morning when I fed them. It was just easier to bring the bag up and leave it there.”
HELLO. Upper respiratory infection here. You know, SICK and I’m still getting up at 6:00 a.m. to feed the animals and get our son off to school. While you only get yourself ready and leave. Unfair.
“Oh.”
While I watch from my bunker, he picks up the bag and returns it to the basement. Then he refills the containers we keep upstairs. Good man. Maybe I’ll keep him after all.
Later that day
I hear things hitting the side of the house and our Jeep. Sniper? After some recon, I discover that the enemy….errr my husband is standing on his putting green lobbing plastic golf balls at everything.
I opened the window, “What are you doing?”
“Practicing.” Hits another ball at my Jeep. “Shanking them all over the place.”
“Oh. How about coming in and snuggling with your sick wife?”
“I know I said, “in sickness and in health” and everything but I don’t want to get sick too and you’re germy.”
I stick my tongue out at him. That’s code for I love you. “Be that way then.” And I closed the window.
Revenge. I’ll let the dogs out. They’ll keep him busy trying to steal his golf balls. He-he.
Anyone need a husband?
