Piaffe Dreams

The Announcement is Official

2011-12-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

I made it on Facebook. So, if you are reading it here, it likely isn't news. Just in case you hadn't heard, I'm pregnant. Yep! I'm already daydreaming of leadliner saddles and cute little teeny tiny riding jackets and jodphurs. Augie, will be a perfect leadline horse to start with--at least I can see it in my mind. :-)

I'm still riding--and loving it. Our weather has been astoundingly good. This of course also means its been dry and warm which doesn't bode well for our upcoming summer. In the meantime, the riding is good. When I'm waddling around come April and likely out of the saddle by then, it can rain all it wants.

This also brings my desire to sell one more horse into focus. With that in mind, I took new video of Breanna, started her in the double bridle, and posted a new ad with her show record from the Fall shows. Its disappointing, but necessary. A funny thing happens after you take two horses to the FEI levels. You can feel it in the next ones and show them the way so much easier. I feel things in her now I didn't yet with Ernie and Philipe at the same stage in their training. I'm able to take a more direct and clear route. She's pretty talented too, so that just ads to the wonderful progress she makes. But, it is in this horse. She's a bit laid back and takes some consistent progression in the aids at times to liven her up in reaction, but she has a better combination of flexion through her hind limb and lift through her wither than either of the other two. Each of them had one, but not the other that makes putting them together a little different.

Brea is elastic and boingy in a way that will 'explode' into dramatic changes of gait when she gets the strength of the upper levels. None of the flat or quick work Philipe is prone to. So, I find myself daydreaming also of watching her with a new owner, sporting a tailcoat some day down the line, cantering a centerline at a CDS Annual Show or other big event and thinking, that was my girl and I knew she had it in her.

For now, its off to imagine colors for a nursery, and names, and budgeting diapers along with horse shoes. ;-)

2011-11-15T10:50:00.001-08:00

Starr Vaughn Dressage II was absolutely beautiful this past weekend. For a mid-November show everyone lucked out. Not only was it not raining, it was sunny with a light breeze that made warming up in jackets easy.

Philip was sporting his new clip and we cantered down the centerline to get a freestyle qualifying score at Fourth Level test 3. I realized I'd never shown the test so even though we'd gone out at Price St. George a couple of times we needed to do this for a freestyle to be a reality next year--because I found terrific music!

Happily, P earned 7's on gaits AND on submission. Yeah! Good training should make a horse more beautiful , enhance the gaits.l and my sweet little horse with the straightest shoulder you ever saw was not gifted with great dressage gaits, but he is developing them.

We scored a 63% and since I saw Tamara with the Camera outside the ring I'm anxious to see the pictures she caught. We still....ok, I still flubbed the flying change right in the half-pass zig-zag. More work to done on coordinating my left leg to left rein. Thank goodness I finally got into physical therapy for the chronic issues there from left humerus fracture and vertebra crunching in my jumping days.

Back to work this week. Train, practice, laugh, and do it all again until we get it right for the sake of our horses.

Hope and Pray are Not Aids

2011-11-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

Riding Breanna at First Level

The Confessions of a Passive Rider

I like to ride with softness. I love the feeling of a horse responding to little more than a thought. My horse's are my friends and pets. Lazy is also a word I'd use to describe myself when it comes to working out. Maybe I can get away with energy efficient-- I like to find the minimum effort required. Sometimes that's a very subconscious thing.

Fortunately, I am ambitious and motivated to achieve my goals. Furthermore, I have learned over the years to be honest with myself about what I am really doing or not doing to achieve those goals. There are no shortage of examples of hearing people complain about where they are at, when they are doing very little of anything productive to get to where they say they want to go. That is definitely NOT me.

Okay, so I can breathe some sighs of relief. However, I'm still guilty of something. There are times when I ride that I think I'm riding. I think I applied my aids--in actuality I did apply them. But after that? I relied on two aids that have no place in riding. They have no bearing on the horse. The good ole' hope and pray. I hope the aids work and I pray my horse will finish the rest of the task. But, for the remainder of the movement, I am little more than an adornment on my horse. He might use a different term, but I do very little else to help him.

Over the years, I have dissected the reasons why riders resort to hope and pray, by analyzing what I do and watching others.

First, I think some aspect of this happens when a rider doesn't know what to expect. They are waiting and perhaps not recognizing that not enough is happening, or not the right reactions in the horse. This is an education issue and readily solved by watching really good riders do the same task, reading books and watching videos. If you horse isn't doing THAT, then you need to do more or different to get it to happen.

Second, and this is the one I am most guilty of, the rider avoids doing more in an effort to be soft, light, natural, kind...... there are a host of euphemisms. But, they all equate to passive or ineffective. Get the right job done and then you can do that right job with lightness, softness, whatever you want to call it. If it isn't done right, it can't be called light-- a motto that has become a favorite of mine.

Third, and I do this too. It is simply focus fail. Whether laziness causes it, or distraction, its a lack of the mental and physical strength to keep riding through the movement, through the aid. And I write this, because I found myself doing this yesterday when I was schooling. I was a lucky ducky because my horse is rather generous most of the time, even if he is a pasture potato pony. He was giving me the last lead changes in my tempi's nice and clean in spite of the fact that I found myself suddenly thinking, "oh, we're done." Yes, that is a sure sign that I was NOT mentally engaged in my task. If you find yourself thinking, "oh, shoot, we have a transition at this letter," or, "whoa, corner!" you have been guilty of a focus fail.

Riding with good focus ahead, legs on and a feel of my horse.

Don't worry. None of this is meant to inspire a beat-yourself-up session. Its just a dose of reality we all must face. Hope and pray are not aids that horses understand. Horses yield from pressures. When they don't the pressure was either applied wrong, or not enough of it to motivate a reaction. Riding really is quite simple, but it is not easy.

How many of you have been guilty of riding with hope and pray instead of your seat, legs, and reins? What strategies do you use to keep yourself riding every stride?

I'm Procrastinating

2011-11-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

... and you are my excuse--my avid reader. National Novel Writing Month started last night and I amassed a great total of 2504 words in my first day (which is not yet over if I'd do that instead of this). Given the average daily total of 1667 words necessary to complete 50,000 by the end of the month, that is a decent start. The only problem is I have a paid writing assignment to finish. I don't have much left of it either. I should be finishing that right now too.

But, blogging is fun. Yes, really I enjoy sharing the things that spark my happy face and make me think, "oh, ooh, I need to share that!"

One really fun thing to share is my progress in training Destino towards Working Equitation. He's loving it. I missed out on the October virtual competition, and I'm likely to miss November given the novel writing challenge/fiasco. But, perhaps in December. Eh, it really doesn't matter. The point is, we have goals. Last week our goal was to take the rein-back skills of the prior two weeks and introduce backing through narrow spaces in straight lines. Destino thinks he is so smart now trotting into an alley, waiting with his arched neck and buzzing for the cue to begin backing. Tomorrow, we plan to add in some little arcs.

How to back your horse in a turn:

In order to turn a horse while it is backing, there has to be a little pressure blocking the straight flow of the rein-back. To make the horse's rear head left in a rein-back, squeeze a bit more on the right rein while pushing slightly with the right leg. You will feel the haunches drift as the horse takes the step.

Simple! Be very careful to ask for only small amounts at first, then go back and ask for straight rein backs. When you and your horse are comfortable going either straight or on a curve, you will find that you can apply the same aids when asking for a tight turn at the canter. Using a half-halt or combined hold with the rein and press with the leg on the outside of the horse's body in a turn, you will get working pirouette strides.

A basic skill that leads to a more advanced one.

Time to get backing!

Time for me to get novelling.

The Writer Rider

2011-10-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to interview a hall of fame cutting horse rider and a number of other top trainers too. It was definitely a "cool' opportunity. I'm just glad I was able to hear it knocking.

A couple of years ago I had the urge to write down some of the fantasy stories in my mind (NaNoWriMo style). I've dabbled with writing over the years-- I was after all an A.P.E in high school. Not the hairy, pit scratching kind, but an advanced placement english student. Mr. Duda's boilermakers were a challenge very similar to walking into and facing a jumper round. A clock, a set of seemingly scattered fences, patterns to remember and a whole lot of putting it all together into a cohesive round or in that case essay. Oddly, some of my fondest memories of high school were spent making my fingers ache shuffling through literary works for ideal quotes and rationalizing my juxtapositions. I've gotten off topic...

So, I wrote a few stories, miserably. Then like a person who has bought too much horse, I started looking for help. Help I got (so long as I was willing to listen) and pretty soon I won a short story contest and started cranking out the little expert articles anyone can post on Associated Content or Helium. I connected and networked and in June got to write an article for a regular publication, Horseman's News. Its grown. I write for the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association's, Pacific Coast Journal too. Last week, I contracted with another company to write for a major and growing hunter/jumper publication that is completely digital.

I ride in the mornings and write in the afternoons. Even better, I get to talk to some amazingly talented horsemen and women....and get paid to do it!

Here is a little bit of sage advice from some of the folks I've gotten to chat with.

1. From a cutting horse trainer with over $1.1 million in lifetime earnings: You have to have a knack for picking good horses. If its not the right horse for you, find the right match for that horse. Don't spend too much time on a horse that doesn't suit you.

2. You can't stay at home. Everyone is a champion at home, but if you really want to raise your game go to the biggest and the best events even if its to watch. You will never see where you need to go until you see how far others can take it. - this from an adult amateur riding at a world event for the first time.

3. Watch everyone. Find what you like then go figure out how to make that work for you. This was from a self-taught cutting horse trainer and hall of famer.

4. If you don't go out and aim for the championship there is no way you will win it. But, if you go for it and you don't make it you will still do well. You can say 'I tried'. You might just end up reserve champion and that isn't bad at all - this from a junior rider.

Wise stuff! I can't wait to get more to share.

Dressage At Devon: A Look Inside the Scores | The Chronicle of the Horse

2011-10-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

Dressage At Devon: A Look Inside the Scores | The Chronicle of the Horse

I read this blog post by Catherine Haddad-Staller with great interest. First, she is a rider and trainer whose style I have admired. She clearly has a love and respect for the horse. Her rides are elegant, fluid and demonstrate classical training. Secondly, I've been in her boots. I've ridden great tests only to receive vastly different scores. When I was riding both Ernst August a Hanoverian and Philipe a PRE at 4th and Prix St. George, it was painfully obvious that there were flaws in our system of judging. Without fail the warmblood would score higher.... or rather, the PRE would score lower for equally quality rides and in some cases rides where the Spanish horse should have scored higher. There was discrepancy. At times these discrepancies have been enough to change outcomes, deny qualifying scores, or simply sting with dissappointment.

Judging is a human endeavor and it is not based on an objectively calculable variable like speed in show jumping. But, when scores can be different enough as to fall outside of a normal bell curve, something is amiss. Like she says, riders spend millions of dollars and want a payout. They want to earn the score they feel they have deserved.

Now, this is where I get a little funny crawl under my skin. I'm not about to tell someone how they should spend their money. If you've got it and you want to spend it on something you enjoy then by all means, go for it. Its the commercialization of an endeavor that involves another living creature, the horse that puts that funny twist in my gut. When it comes down to it, any aims to change the judging system of dressage should be first and foremost about protecting the interests of the horses rather than the pocket books of owners, riders, and sponsors.

If the sport involved inanimate objects it wouldn't matter in the least how much money was on the line.

Horses are not inanimate. They feel. They endure and they do amazing things for us. While I'd hope that the vast majority of riders and trainers are in it for the love of the horse, the motivator of money, the sting of lost dollars, and the potential of money gained through success can drive behavior in a negative direction.

Rewarding correct horsemanship should be paramount. I have no doubt this is first in Mrs. Haddad-Staller's view too. After all, she was making the point that if you can raise the degree of difficulty and be correct, then by all means you should be rewarded. Judging standards should be consistently employed. This will help to keep the interests of the horse at the forefront. If riders, trainers, and owners know the horse will be judged consistently with safety nets in place to deal with rogue scores, it will encourage training that adheres to classical standards, training that keeps the horse's welfare at the forefront.

Ultimately, commercialization of the sport will only be positive if the beauty of the horse is not spoiled. Decisions and discussions about how and why to revamp the system of dressage judging should be wary of basing them on the financial concerns of owners, sponsors and riders. It should be concerned only with the quality of horsemanship that benefits the horse.

Climbers and Mountains

2011-10-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

I once heard a saying, "There is no mountain to a climber." But, I'd never considered myself a mountaineer. It sounded like a nice saying for folks who like to hook themselves to ropes precariously pounded into the sides of rock faces or who endure extreme altitudes to conquer the summits of world famous peaks. Everest, the television show has been a favorite of mine to watch, but mostly because its something that while quite fascinating holds no appeal to me personally.

But, I like to explore. Explore very long though and the route you are taking is likely to force you to climb. Uphill portions of a hike might create a bit of burn to the legs, make the heart pound and your lungs stretch, but the operative part of that is "hill."

Most of us have encountered hills. Hills are those little places where you work a bit harder than on the flat, but are not really pushed at all beyond what you are capable of.

Mountains push you to your limits.

I'm lucky. There have been plenty of hills in my life, but I think I'm hard pressed to claim many mountains. When you've never been faced with mountains, there is that part of yourself that wonders, "can I climb? What am I capable of?" By their nature some folks seek out mountains. Others of us, just go about our business and wait for them, still others avoid them at all costs.

I hadn't really reflected on this position until last week when my husband and I finally embarked on our honeymoon. Zion National Park was our clear choice. From the moment we met, this place had come up in conversations, a place we'd both passed through for just a day and had desired to see again. As regular hill hikers in our local community, outdoorsy types who would rather watch a sunrise than the television it was exactly our idea of fun.

However, I will say I was rather ignorant about the true nature of what we had planned. I've lived in the mountains, and I've visited them. To plan an 8 mile all day hike with climbs of 2-3 thousand feet at elevations above a mile is very different from ten miles of mild hills at less than 1000feet. And, without much forethought I found myself climbing.

Regular mountaineers are likely to chuckle at my "climbing." But, we all start somewhere. Riders learn to post the trot before they learn to jump fences. In other words, one person's mountain is another person's hill. I found a "mountain" for myself. I reached points where I wasn't sure I could go on and a couple where I didn't.

The Angel's Landing spur trail. About 1 mile round trip.

We hiked from the canyon floor up the West Rim Trail to Scout's Landing. From there, a right hand fork takes hikers to the peak of Angel's Landing via a narrow and precarious route which was beyond what I felt I had the resolve to handle safely. Perhaps another time? I don't know. Instead we turned left to continue the climb up along the West Rim. It was a gorgeous and quiet hike away from the crowds that flock to the more hyped trails of Zion Canyon. From there we got a great view looking across at The Great White Throne, and down to Angel's Landing and Big Bend. It was not overly narrow, though much of it was on slickrock with sharp cliff face drop offs. The switchbacks here climbed steadily, but not at the rate they do through earlier sections of trail. However, after a couple of miles we found ourselves viewing the great expanse of the canyon and relishing a much needed water and lunch break!

Standing on a section of slick rock jutting out off the west rim of Zion Canyon.

Angel's Landing is the much hyped popular "I did it," hike in Zion, but the East Rim trail to Observation Point is its 'Devil's Advocate.' I felt really confident after our hike along the West Rim, through the infamous Walter's Wiggles. But, on our last day, we decided to try the East Rim. Weeping Rock is a popular and beautiful spot just to the side of the trail. After warming up with this short steep trail, we began the climb towards Hidden Canyon and Observation Point. The Hidden Canyon trail, turns off to the right fairly early on. It climbs a mere 850 feet in less than a mile. After our prior days this seemed like a piece of cake. We tore up this 'hill' and out to Hidden Canyon in no time. When we returned to our fork and headed up towards Observation Point, we were happy to hit a nice flat section after a good steady hard climb. Even better, it lead us into Echo Canyon one of the famous slot canyons. Being early October, the slot was mostly dry and we could find a few boulder stepping stones to get down into a few sections without having to rappel.

But after this short segment of getting to scramble and shimmy over rocks with the abandon of a child, the trail left the canyon going nowhere but up. The grade of this trail seldom changes and though it is never extremely steep, it is rarely less than moderately steep. After the shade of Echo Canyon the sun was glaring particularly off the increasingly white sandstone. The trail was narrower and more technical in spots than the West Rim, and in places as wide and precarious as Angel's Landing according to my husband, but without any chains. I definitely felt my heart in my throat particularly because it was pounding past my aerobic threshold much of the way requiring several pauses to both catch breath and steady the legs.

After a couple of hours of climbing though, we were gifted with this view. Below this peak is Big Bend. To the right, the northernmost reaches of the canyon. South, directly in front is the widening bottom of the canyon.

To look across from one mesa top to another is awe inspiring. Between these two flat sections millions of years of weathering has removed the layers of sediments, carving out one of the most jaw dropping places on the planet. While standing at the base and looking up leaves you with your mouth agape and your eyes wide, standing on the rim looking across the Colorado Plateau an ancient sea bed lifted by tectonic forces and then eroded away is humbling.

Over the course of five days I climbed more intensely than I ever had before. I chose to turn back in spots and to turn upward in others. I felt my heart in my throat and my head question my resolve. I had to choose and push. These were not easy for me. They were hard, though not impossible. It took one step at a time, criss-crossing the cliff faces through switchbacks and over outcroppings with the single job of proceeding. Climbing is taking what is in front of you and finding a way to get over it. Ultimately, I found at the top of the mountain, a mesa-- a new place to rest, replenish, and resolve to look for other mountains in my life.

Find your mountains. Climb them. In the end, they will no longer be mountains because there is no mountain for a climber.

When Oops leads to Aaahhh...

2011-09-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've used the same bit on Philipe for years. Its a 5" Herm Springer KK Ultra Loose Ring. I clean it after I use it and I generally lube up the horse's lips with a bit of Vaseline before a ride. In other words, my bit fits, and I make sure my horse is comfortable wearing it.

So, then why did my horse suddenly grow to pink/white patches just outside the corners of his mouth? He is taking better contact with the bit--we struggle with much of the typical Spanish Horse issues of extending the neck out to the bit, keeping an open throatlatch etc. That has improved significantly as of late. However, he feels anything but heavy in my hands.

Still, about two days after I noticed the white patches, he got pinches. OOoops! I felt horrible, but I still can't figure out what changed to cause it. Either way, I removed the bit from his bridle immediately. I wasn't ready to not ride him as I'm going on a trip this next week. His metabolism (like mine) requires regular daily exercise to keep his figure.

It was time for some halter riding!

Now I wasn't jumping out there and doing anything crazy. After all, I started him in a halter and he has been ridden numerous times in simply a neck rope. We just hadn't done that it a while. As most may know I spent a good few years studying with Pat Parelli and learning to ride "Freestyle" hence the name of my farm Freestyle Farm. Every day begins with riding on a long or completely dropped rein and ends the same with periods in between to test self-carriage and seat connection.

Anyway, we rode in the halter. Its now been a week of riding in the halter. I decided that it was a fun time to work on some of our skills for Working Equitation. (I'm training to begin competition in that arena, but more on that later) We sidepassed over poles, backed through L's and did walk pirouettes all over the place interspersed with half-passes, opening gates and just a whole load of fun stuff.

Then I got the new bit. It has wings! Okay, that sounds like something else, but it really does. Its a Herm Sprenger, the same KK Ultra mouthpiece but little guards on the side to keep the bit from pinching. Thankfully, in that short time the pink spots turned black again and his skin healed in a day. But, something else happened in a week of bridleless riding.... I re-discovered the true meaning of freestyle, letting the horse carry the rider, move freely, boldly and through his whole body.

Yesterday was an "aaaahhhh" ride. My horse felt so good. (He would probably tell you its because I felt so good) Riding is always a partnership deal.

Lesson learned--spend more time on our freestyle riding. Get out of the mouth and out of the way more often. Do more with your seat, less with the reins..... and always, ride to have FUN!

Jumping Lessons

2011-07-31T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've returned to the half-seat. My dressage court is decorated with standards, poles, and Bloks to form small jumps and gymnastics. For the past few rides I've been introducing Breanna to the joys of jumping. Not only have I been wanting to do a bit of jumping, its a perfect addition to her training and eventually, her marketability.

Brea in a big eager trot looking for the next obstacle.

Ears pricked and hock flexed!! She's ready to go.....

Okay.... so its not much of a jump for this big girl! But, she is just getting started.

Here is how structured her first lessons:

1.Ground Rails- We started by simply laying a few poles in the ring where we could ride lines and 20m circles across them focusing on maintaining tempo and balance in trot and canter.

2. Raised Ground Rails- I then lifted the rails up a few inches asking her to maintain the same qualities she did when they were on the ground. These two steps only took a day since we'd done them before.

3. Cavalleti- I'd already worked with Brea over cavalletti regularly so she understood trotting through 4-5 rails lifted off the ground. We refreshed this idea then changed it up.

4. Gymnastic - I set a ground rail and nine feet away set up a crossrail. 9 feet after it another ground rail. It looks like a cavalletti set-up but it encourages a "jump."

5. Bigger Gymnastic- Once Brea trotted in over the first pole, jumped the crossrail, and cantered over the second pole on the other side, I set another pole about 12' away from that and a small vertical a few strides later. She trotted in, jumped the crossrail cantered over the two poles which encouraged a forward stride, helped her reach forward and set her up to pop out over the second jump this time from a canter.

The most important thing is to keep it fun for the horse by not over-facing them. Start small and simple so that both horse and rider feel success. Progress will be easy from there!

My Quote for the Day

2011-07-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I've learned over the years I've spent with horses, it is that the more you want something the more elusive it becomes. When I studying Pat Parelli's methods, he said it was the "direct line" thinking of the predator at work. In response the "indirect" thinking of the prey animal, horse, would instantly set up evasive action, resistance in the face of "forceful" pressure. Sure, I've seen such examples, people so hell-bent on getting a horse IN the trailer, they forget to be sure the horse understands how to lead first.

But, I'm thinking more of our own intrinsic nature to lose sight of what is really important sometimes. Which is another way of looking at the above problem. Its easy to forget that a horse who knows a language can be talked into doing a whole wealth of things. Discussion goes a lot further than demands. Just think of the last time a parent or a boss demanded something of you and the instant stiffening of your back, the set of your jaw that says, "make me," even though you are a responsible person and will do it, the whole tone can set it wrong.

In the course of setting goals, I've demanded things of myself, of my horses and of loved ones. Over time, these things blew up in my face. Eventually, I settled into a nice routine of just being with myself, my horses, my loved ones and being with the movement of my sport. Dressage is fundamentally about movement, as is all of horsemanship. We ride horses because they move in ways we can't. We learn to move with them, shape that movement and move as one unit sometimes towards a goal, sometimes not, but always together.

My goal was always to find that place. I set benchmarks and went after them. I saw dressage shows, moving up levels and the USDF medals program as a reward system that would judge that progress. It took years to train my own horses. I wasn't gifted with the financial means to buy one already trained that I learned to put through its paces. I had to find the raw material and learn as I went creating those horses for myself.

At times I became more and more obsessive towards my goal. Each time, I'd realize that what I really wanted was right there with me all along, my horse. I had my horse and we had our unity- at times more solidly than others. We had fun. Pretty soon, we were there, and ultimately it was rather anti-climactic. I still have further to go. I still have my horses and each progressive day to enjoy knowing them, being with them, perfecting my art of uniting our two minds and bodies into one moving force. Someday, I might get my USDF Gold Medal. I'll get it on my horse that I trained. The one that didn't know how to canter when I bought him for not nearly what most other Grand Prix horses cost when they were three or four- the one that would lay down on you if you dared to try picking up his feet!

Today we rode without a bridle, just his neck rope. We played with some obstacles Working Equitation style. Last week we took a long walk out on the trail. Tomorrow, like most days it will just be me and him in the arena, a few birds chirping and the soft shush of the sand in time with his footfalls to time the melody of our ride. It will be the best time. No one will be there, no competitors, no judges, no spectators. In the end none of them is there anyway. The medals around the neck, the ribbons and the scoresheets hold no value only the willingness of the horse, his friendship, his trust and his joy shared in offering to dance with me.

"My treasures are not medals and honors, not pedigrees and papers locked in small boxes, but the nuzzles and nickers of horse's whose partnership I've earned through hours of play, years of tending, and the desire for nothing more than to know them." ~ Stacie Campuzano July 28, 2011

American Warmblood Society Inspection

2011-07-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

I've been saying for years I was going to take Breanna, my Friesian cross to the AWS inspection. Today, I finally did it. Friend Michele Dodge who breeds lovely Friesian crosses at her Mystic Oak Ranch hosted the inspection. The foals she and others had bred were of a super quality. Breanna was the only mature horse there. Regardless, she showed herself with her typical grace and manners.

On the other hand, I floundered through the new (less than a week old) and rather deep footing in the covered ring until Rachel Wade came to my rescue. Having already run 4 youngsters, she floundered in the deep sand an fell down. Breanna just moved out of her way slowed down and started back up again--typical Brea!

So, long story short my girl is a Blue Preferred status American Warmblood Society registered horse. Yeah! I'd love to keep her, but financial commitments, my new marriage, our desires to start our family have required that I put her up for sale. She's beautiful inside and out, smart, sweet and a joy to ride and train. Take a look and see for yourself. :-)

The Bright Side

2011-07-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

You know the days, the ones where you start off with big goals and a confident step only to find yourself falter without even seeming to notice until its too late and suddenly you feel like you landed on your rear end a long way off of your original target?

I had one of those. It was last Saturday. It was at a horse show. I had a good plan, a strong sense of what I needed to do in order to show my horse at his best in only his second outing at PSG. For weeks, every single pass of three and four tempi's we did at home was clean, straight, perfectly counted and easy. We even had some days of my asking for a couple of "two's" and getting them. Good pony! Philipe was raking in the cookies.

That didn't happen Saturday.

About a month ago, I realized that in my attempts to get my little laid back Spanish horse more in front of my leg, he was once again over tempo. A blinding flash of the obvious, a BFO, hit me. Half-halt! When he gets to the hand, half-halt. Okay, tempo slowed, horse stayed engaged animated and viola piaffe/passage were living in there I found. Who knew? ;-)

I cantered down centerline with a clear vision of the reaction to my leg I wanted, the half-halt I needed, and the resulting self-carriage within the correct tempo that would result. That was about the time I stopped bending my horse. Really, one would think that a Silver Medal means you know how to bend. Now, I'm not saying my horse went around like a motorcycle leaning into turns, but he was not as supple and consequentially over the back as he could have been.

Changes in tempi just didn't happen when I asked, thought, or otherwise. We did random tempi's! LOL

Now, the bright side..... we had 8's a good smattering of them in our trot work. This is new for Philipe. It tells me that the quality of his trot is approaching a level where we can go into a movement with the gaits to get the score when well ridden.

This is the important thing in riding. Find the positive. What went right? Build on that. Chip away at the resistances, the things that aren't quite what you want them to be and then rejoice in every improvement everything positive.The horse only does what he does for you on the idea that it will make you happy. Horses try. They try to do what makes life good, what feels good, what ends in good things like soft aids, releases of pressure, pets, cookies, and bouyant happy riders. Ride the good stuff. Ride the bright side and it will illuminate the dark side, it will infiltrate the shadows.

Got Published?

2011-06-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

I've had to face the fact that its not possible to make a living, or not the living I want to make by training horses and riders. This past year I went back to teaching and am so glad I did. I am a teacher. I'm an equestrian, a horsewoman, a horse lover, but I'm a teacher. It is why I teach riding. But, that doesn't pay the bills. Of course, my teaching job didn't exactly either, particularly since the school was mismanaged and ultimately will be going out of business.

But, part of teaching is explaining. I can explain well with the written word. I enjoy writing. So, I started doing small freelance work for Yahoo! and Helium. Be sure to check out those links! Over time, I started to get paid more for articles. Then, I had the fortune to find out about a possible part-time gig for a west coast publisher. Well, my first article is in magazine print, in Horseman's News. Be sure to check out the June issue. Its on page 64, about the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse, a fabulous charity event featuring my favorite of breeds. It was a great opportunity to interview people associated with the Spanish horse.

At least for the time being, here is another way to join the things I love and enjoy. Who knows where it might lead, but any excuse to talk horses and write about horses is a good thing--even better to get paid for it.

4 Is Not 6 and Details Matter

2011-06-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

May 8th, Ernst August and I cantered down the center line in our second outing at Prix St. George. We earned a modest 61+% with some gross errors on my part in counting.... 6 is NOT 4. Why I went for six strides without a change in the fours is beyond me. I sharpened up my focus for the 3's and got a 2 in there. Well, drat. I wasn't entirely sure we'd meet our 60. It was one of those rides where the things I usually crank out for high scores as easily as breathing came out mediocre, while some of our areas where I need to be more conscientious about the nitty-gritty to get the big score came out big. Ernie has a fabulous walk, but I have to remember to show it off, keep it active for the big marks. We did that. My shoulder-in's which are almost always 8's came off as 6's. Hilda Gurney was the judge and true to Hilda's form, she was honest, fair and critical of the key elements needed. I was very happy to get the comment about being a beautifully seated rider. Equitation pays off. Form equals function. It can't be stressed enough. Moral of the story, even when you make mistakes, if the fundamentals are strong it can carry you through. Next stop on the agenda, clean up the little places where I lose my attention to the tiny stuff that makes the big difference.

Have I mentioned how hard the transition is from Fourth Level to FEI?
Consider it mentioned. The test flows very nicely, but the movements come up quick. Its a long stretch of canter work to keep the horse packaged perfectly for the movements. The judges are far more critical of the correctness of the movements. Corners have to be ridden perfectly to prepare for each new line of changes, each pirouette, or each half-pass. There is no space to coast. But, its worth the trip.

Hopefully, Philipe will get some trips down center line while I don my shadbelly this year. EHV-1 is doing its thing to keep Northern Californian's wary. In the meantime, my summer vacation has started. I'm feeling more rested and enjoying horse time with a relaxed vigor that is hard to find when its crammed in after work hours. If only the weather would dry out and warm-up, we'd be doing perfectly.

But, hey, I'm a USDF Silver Medalist now, or at least the application is in the process through USDF. A lifetime goal to check off my list. Tuesday, I get to see U2. Life is good.

Married!

2011-03-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

The blog has undergone some serious neglect over the past few months. It found out that planning for a wedding no matter that it was a small one, was an extremely time consuming task. However, all my best preparation paid off and our ceremony and reception went off in just the style I wanted. Our guests had terrific fun as did my husband and I on what will undoubtedly be one of the greatest days of our lives.

That said, I have changed my name. I am now Stacie Campuzano, and will be riding down the centerline with my new name. Since this is a blog about my dressage life, I do plan to show this season! Teaching school full-time in between training and giving lessons has put me in the seat of the majority of amateur riders who balance home, work and horse sport. To say I admire what they do and have done for years would be an understatement. I'm learning the art of balancing all these responsibilities, but so far I'm feeling as if things are going well.

The hardest part I'm finding is keeping the horses fit enough. To augment their exercise and keep myself more in shape, we do a lot of handwalking. Now that the time has changed, I can do more riding during the week, but when it was getting dark early, I could still handwalk the horses for a good 20 minutes in addition to their turnout, lunge time, or rides. This week is my spring break, and I'm happy to find that a 45 minute dressage session of upper level work is not overly taxing on the horses. I on the other hand am feeling the drain. I need some added cardio in my work out routine.

Time to get my honey and I back on our bikes and onto the wonderful trails out here-- just one activity to replace all those wedding planning ones. Ah, but life is short. Rest can wait. ;-)

The Strength of a Rider

2010-12-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

Even though horseback riding is a highly physical sport that carries some significant physical risks, it doesn’t require great physical strength. Coordination is far more important for a rider. Control of the core muscles and tone through the power house of the body is critical. However, heading to the gym to pump some iron is not likely to help you become a better rider. If you are grossly out of shape, exercise is required for fitness management and health. But, if you are generally fit enough for recreational activity, targeted cardio training and balance exercises will give you the most gains to increase riding performance.

The fitness a horseback rider needs is mental fitness. Riding takes a lot of focus and concentration, both to control the actions of the rider and the horse. Horses can act up in sometimes frightening ways. A rider who can keep their head, stay cool, and ride through the adversity will go farther than one who clams up or loses the ability to control their physical reactions in the face of stress. Fear creates this stress. Fear of failure, fear of looking ridiculous, fear of what others will think, fear of getting injured, fear of injuring the horse and more can all be root causes of loss of mental control. Frustration over family commitments, work related issues, the driver who cut you off while trailering to the lesson and made you hit your brakes are also sources of mental stress that if not controlled will affect your performance in the saddle. Of course anyone who rides long enough has earned THAT particular t-shirt!

Flexing the mental muscle makes it stronger.

The easiest thing to do is stick with what is familiar and easy. However, when riding and training horses, or learning to ride them, it is critical to ride regularly just outside the comfort zone. Ride with a larger group of people. Don’t ride alone. Ride test patterns with precision. Don’t allow yourself to just meander and do what feels comfortable. Make yourself ride the horse exactly where a test pattern requires. When riding on your own, ride like you are being coached with strict attention to detail.

Look at adverse situations as opportunities for growth. Over the years, I’ve learned that success is a decision. I decide to ride well regardless. I decide to make the best of any situation. After all, does it really matter if another rider cut you off in the warm-up? Even if you are late for a class or a lesson, can you change that fact? No. Get on a make the most of the situation. In riding, the concept is called “Thinking Forward”. It means you can’t fix the last stride, or the last jump. The only thing you can fix is the next stride. Make it a better one. If what you did, did not work, try something else. When receiving help from an instructor do exactly as they tell you immediately so you can feel the results.

Just as importantly as staying focused, is staying clear in the mind. I call this mental core stability. Think of how much learning happens in a classroom where the children are talking constantly to the teacher. Of course they need to ask questions, but at appropriate times. Instead, they should be ingesting the lesson, acting out the practice and letting it sink into the mind. Our brains however, like to “yeah, but”. The mental control of simply allowing your body to be a vessel for knowledge and experiencing learning is a skill that is developed. Make a pact with yourself to save all judgments and questions about an instruction until a walking break, or until the instructor asks, “does that make sense?” or “tell me what you felt there?” or “what did you think of that?”.

At home and at the gym, work on these skills by doing balance exercises where you work to let thoughts drift through your mind. If they enter, imagine them like clouds floating on out again. Work only to feel the exercise. Try to do exercises where you are moving two different body parts in opposing ways while staying balanced. At work, or in the car on the way to work, look at all situations of stress and choose to be unaffected by them. Train yourself to continue to breath. On the weekend, or on vacation, ride rollercoasters!

When you saddle up your horse next time, look for opportunities to push your degree of focus and concentration while riding. Even the best riders in the world spend time on the mental aspect of their sport. Amateur riders who don’t get nearly as much time on the back of the horse, should make it a point to do even more of this. They will find in short time their riding will even more enjoyable for the effort.

I've always loved Jane Savoie's "That Winning Feeling". It is fabulous for learning to master the mental muscles of riding horses.

Reflections after Cavalia

2010-11-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

Last week, Robert took me to see Cavalia.

I had missed it when it came around what was it, 5 years ago now? Time flies! Back in the day I was still beating my head against a brick wall about how to incorporate natural horsemanship principles with balanced riding (aka- dressage). I don't beat my head anymore, but I certainly still do what I do. In the meantime, I've had a number of students come full circle. Its good to see faces I've known for a long time and watch them develop through life and horses together.

The short answer is that there is no one way to be with horses other than what works at the moment WHILE keeping the horse on the path of physical health and mentally/emotionally enjoying his companionship with humans.

I enjoyed Cavalia and enjoyed watching it through the eyes of my fiance who is discovering so much about these wonderful creatures. He had a gleam in his eye the other night as we drove home from the barn after some fun play and told me he couldn't believe how attached he feels to the horses now. He is learning body language, how to use pressure to motivate and the release to reward. He's learning posture, balance, and harmony. Its fun to watch.

Of course, he is at a slight advantage. He gets to play with Augie, my now 20yr arabian gelding who went with me well into Level 4 in the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program. Augie knows the old school 7 games at all three gaits in all four savvies and all 6 directions. Most importantly to me, he does it with feel. I'll be forever grateful to the Parelli organization for what I learned through the inspiration and thought provoked there. Ray Hunt was a tremendous influence on me as well. The man was a gift to the world of horsemanship like so many others.

Watching Cavalia stirred these thoughts. It had been a long time since I'd done serious liberty play with my horses, or focused on teaching things that would be part of a performance routine. Like so many horsemen and women, I've had a few horses who would be grouped as difficult.

I have my very hot young horse, Romeo who is the most stunning animal I've ever had the pleasure of riding. He has incredible movement along with the heart throb P.R.E good looks. But, he is scared of life, paranoid to an extreme and sensitive. I have renewed liberty as an end rather than a means. In other words, I want him to excel at liberty even if it means he is not predominately an under saddle horse. The horse has always told me he loves this and feels most comfortable there. I'm listening.

Philipe and Ernie are fuzz balls right now, enjoying a slower pace to life than they had the past year moving up to Prix St. George. In the meantime, this past weekend, each had terrific a-ha's about piaffe. If the weather will cooperate over the weekend, I just might get some pictures. In the mirror at least, I think we look darn good!

Time For Pilates!

2010-11-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

Lessons are a blast. Last year and over the summer I was able to work consistently with USDF certified instructor and grand prix trainer Rachel Saavedra. In our last lessons, we worked on a few things with my position, the timing of my aids and all with the aim of cleaning up the timing on my changes so the tempis would work.
I finally feel like I'm figuring it out. My left hip is so sore though. I have been neglecting the Pilates. Since I have a dress I'd like to look amazing in come March, there are two solid motivating factors to prioritize my workouts. Typically, I'm a person who would be disgruntled with myself for having slacked, but I'm learning about balancing out all the important things in life. Since I have a few things that are taking a good deal of my focus from simply riding horses all day and every day, some things, like working out have not always been at the forefront.

Health is important however, so I'll be doing some better balancing to keep myself on the right track. It has never been more clear to me what I say regularly to my students, "riding is a sport." Dressage takes considerable coordination, balance, and control of one's tone and musculature. Its not about strength. Riding a horse well, is about a solid core and CONTROL of the core muscles. Time to dive into my Betsy Steiner book again A Gymnastic Riding System Using Mind, Body, and Spirit: Progressive Training for Rider and Horse She does a great job of uniting the horse and rider in all aspects through the training scale complete with wonderful diagrams and exercises to use the Pilates method for enhancing the rider's effectiveness in the saddle.

Because my riding time has been reduced from what it was, I'm having to pick up the slack eslewhere. And, I'm staying on my rider's to make the most of every step. Even if you only get to ride a few days a week, make those rides count. Sit tall every stride, maintain structure and balance-- don't slack and slouch even if you only get to hack for twenty minutes.

If you can't ride, handwalk the horse. Sometimes its too dark to ride so I handwalk the horses for 15 minutes each. After three in a row, I've walked for 45 minutes. That itself is helping me stay trim, and my horses more conditioned.

As winter approaches, the holidays and family steal our time, remember to take time out to stay fit for your horse. A combination of low impact cardio and a program like Pilates that focuses on control, mind/body connection, balance and core strength is a good way to enhance your riding even if the saddle time is limited.
Here are two great sources I've used and recommended over the years to students.

I have a dress

2010-11-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know the primary source of my blog absence, its a man named Robert. He popped the question back in July and we had very casually gone about brainstorming wedding ideas. Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they began to fit together and a picture of our wedding is forming. Last week, I found my dress.

This week, we will pin down our venue.... Our date is largley determined by my spring break and will hopefully be March 26th.

As it goes with a lot of things in my life, I'm going to blog it. Why? So, I have one more thing to keep up with that I probably won't update nearly as often as I'd like to, but because its fun and I want to journal my wedding. My wedding. I'm into repeating that phrase these days. White dresses, a handsome groom, love in the heart and all that does funny things to women and I've found I'm not at all immune to "giddy Bridism."

Here is a whole blog of it for anyone who wants a dose. ;-)

Secrets of Dressage Training

2010-11-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

I sold this article to Yahoo! a couple of days ago and am quite happy that my writing is beginning to make some earnings. It may not be a lot, but it is nice to earn even a small amount for doing something I enjoy--writing, teaching, and especially writing to teach about horses!

Dressage Training Secrets

Amateur Appreciation Day

2010-11-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

In August, I took a teaching job. Along with riding my horses during the week, giving lessons on weekends and evenings, I am teaching a 5th grade classroom from 7:30 in the morning to 4pm in the afternoon. A steady paycheck is nice. Less riding time is not so nice. Last week we had a holiday. I got to ride a lot. By the third day, I was far too sore. Tonight I will re-initiate my pilates floor exercises a few nights a week and compliment it with cardio on the spin bike.

I'll do this while helping maintain a household, spending time with my family, oh, and how could I forget, planning a wedding!With just a few things dividing my time, I can say I have a very healthy respect for amateur riders. They juggle family, work and horses in a delicate balance while striving for personal goals in all areas of their life.
Here is a cheer for the amateur riders out there. As someone who now does not get to ride all day every day and is still attempting to be competitive at Prix St. George, it is a daunting task.

But, life is rich and there is a lot to enjoy. Enjoy it. Laugh at anything you can. Love your family. Ride like their is no tomorrow. It will come and it will be all the better for it.

Paddle to a Better Pirouette

2010-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

When I met my fiance, I made no attempt at all to indoctrinate him into the world of horses. I asked him to go to at least one horse show to see what it is I do, and that was it. He thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, we are fairly compatible people in our interests, so it didn't surprise me that he "got" the gist of what it was about dressage that fascinated me. (He does now understand this is more of an obsession, but fascination was sufficient at the time) He asked to go to another show, and pretty soon he was leading horses around, cleaning stalls and brushing horses.

The front of my kayak while out on Lake Natomas

Meanwhile, I was biking out on the trails and on long road rides. Then, he took me kayaking. I was instantly hooked. Now, this was on the equivalent of an old fat schoolmaster of sorts- read inflatable 30" wide VERY stable and slow craft.

He rides... well something along the lines of a temperamental FEI horse with a bit of a spook and buck. Its a Surfski Epic V12. It's absolutely as cool as it sounds.

17" wide 21' long, fast and wobbly!

But, he is still learning the craft like I am learning the FEI levels. I make mistakes and so does he. However, something happened in the process of paddling. I discovered once again that I have a rather interesting difficulty in turning my body left while looking straight ahead. Okay, I just have a plain old hard time turning left. At first I was paddling with my arms. This was comparable to riding with hands only. Robert showed me how to paddling from my torso. In theory it is great. In practice, I am a mess. I can hardly do it without my head also turning. Boy, oh boy there is very little independence in my body. Funny thing is, that in canter pirouettes left, I find it extremely difficult to keep my shoulders parallel to the horses. I tend to want to sit with my shoulders turned away from the direction we are going.

Last week I spent over an hour out on Folsom Lake paddling slowly and mindfully keeping my eyes focused ahead while talking my body through a rhythmic repeat of the motion. By the end of the hour of little travel I was sore. Interestingly, the next morning I felt loose as a goose. The next day I rode with my torso connected to my legs leaving my arms to do a different job. Both horses gave me significantly better pirouettes.

Robert on the other hand experienced something totally different. You see, about a month ago he said, "Can you teach me to ride?" After some discussion about what was involved we took a trip to the tack store, got him boots and helmet then introduced him to Destino. Five lessons later and he's sitting the trot riding around the ring. He learned how to use his core to pull his seat into the saddle and let the motion of the horse move his hips. While I was learning to use my torso to paddle, he glides on over to show me how he figured a way to get "deeper" in the seat of his kayak using the same muscles he did when riding.

I shouldn't be amazed anymore, but I still am that there is a fundamental posture or body use that gives us balance and control in just about every activity. In martial arts, the basic pose is the same as the classical seat. Balance in a kayak uses the same core muscles and similar biomechanics. We just can't escape being human and learning to balance ourselves not by forceful control with our arms, but inward focus and stability of our core.

Moral of the story- spend time off the horse, doing other activities that require balance and control to better develop those skills. Your horse will thank you.

Dressage Clinic: Activate the Haunches

2010-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

The horse's engine is in his haunches. When we activate the haunches, or get the hind legs to step more quickly the horse will lift the hind legs from the ground before the limb fully extends behind them. This keeps a bit of flexion in the hind leg joints and helps the horse to keep the hind legs up under his center of mass, or more engaged.

In dressage, where are primary aim is to achieve greater degrees of collection, this is a fundamental element that we must remember. Often dressage riders try to collect the horse by shortening the horse from the front with shorter reins and a lot of pulling. Believe me, I've tried it before and it doesn' t work! Instead, the rider should think about how quickly the hind legs cycle underneath and how far they reach under the body of the horse.

To begin to teach your horse to activate the haunches, begin with some walk to trot transitions in the dressage arena. On a 20 meter circle over X ride transitions to the walk at B and E. Allow only three strides to accomplish the transition. Focus on feeling that the horse goes forward into the restraining aids as they come down to walk. Feel that the horse stays uphill in front and "sits" down behind. When proceeding back to trot about 5 strides later, insist on a prompt reaction from the leg. If you need help in getting the horse to move off the leg better, try the dressage clinic exercise in this article. Training Your Horse to Go Forward

When you begin to feel that the horse is anticipating the transition, ride almost to the walk and then immediately depart in a prompt trot. Be careful not to allow the frame to elongate or the rhythm to change. In this way, the horse will take a couple of quicker and more elevated steps with the hind legs. Be sure to establish this control in both directions.

Once the horse is understanding this sequence to activate the haunches, use it as you go into a corner, riding almost walk or walk again if the horse begins to ignore the restraining aids, and then continue on in the activated trot. Also ride for the same feeling in shoulder-in down the rail. Later, the same exercise can be done with walk to canter transitions to activate the haunches in the canter.

Through carefully ridden transitions, the rider can train her horse daily to become more responsive to the aids. Every day we ride the horse even if it is out on the trail, is a dressage clinic or a dressage lesson. There are hundreds of opportunities to establish good basics including the ability to adjust the stride of the horse making the steps not only longer as in extensions, but shorter and quicker for collection.

Another student with a Tevis buckle

2010-07-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

Once again, I made the trek up to Foresthill to watch the rider on this years running of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Ride, also known as the Tevis Cup. In my neck of the woods, endurance is huge. Since I am willing to work with a variety of breeds and non-competitive dressage riders, many endurance riders come to me for help on their seat and suppling their horses to the aids. We follow basic dressage principles and over time, they all get a big difference in how their horses move and carry the rider. The riders themselves also find they are more comfortable in the saddle through improved posture- not to mention more secure!

I'm always in awe of the feat of accomplishment that it is to complete such a grueling ride AND preserve the horse. Sometimes I get the itch to try it myself although that did not happen for me this year. However, I was as thrilled as ever to watch one of my student's come up Bath Rd. to the second of two one-hour holds on course. There at mile 68 just after 8pm, he led his gray horse up to the water troughs and his crew. The horse barely in a sweat from the long climb out of the canyons had a bright happy eye.

I didn't stay up all night, but he finished at 4:45am to earn a Tevis buckle. After a few weeks of rest we'll be back to riding school figures, leg-yields and transitions. In the meantime, his younger horse is in the barn learning the basics of good balance, impulsion generated from the hindquarters and how to do it all with a relaxed happy demeanor.

From my endurance friends I've learned a few things that have come in handy with my dressage horses:

* Soaked beet pulp is a wonderful thing. This water soluble fiber retains a lot of water when soaked. Mixed with a few alfalfa pellets for good taste, I feed it daily. When we travel to shows or on a long haul to southern California the horses get this mush on a rest stop and when they arrive at the show. They love this slop. I love that I can get 5quarts of water in them between two feedings of it.

* Long Slow Distance- or LSD work is the basis of all conditioning. We are always worried about impact on the dressage horses. A few long walks a week does wonders for keeping the horses fit without pounding them in the ground. Add in a few low grade slopes and its even better.

* Footing can be too soft and too cushy. These horses go on hard and I mean hard ground for sometimes thousands of miles through their careers at a big trot. 'Nuff said. A little bit of work on firm ground makes for denser bones.

* Know your horse's normal pulse and respiration for rest and work. Endurance riders can rattle off the numbers of their horses. They know what is normal for rest, light work, and heavy work. They use these numbers to guage fitness as well as when the horse is at risk of becoming fatigued- a state when soft tissue injuries are more likely to occur.

Meanwhile, Back on Earth

2010-07-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

The rest of my horses didn't get the memo about my upgraded status to FEI rider. It seems that from Sunday to Monday they remained essentially horses. Not that I expected anything different, but horses do have a way of keeping things real. There were water troughs to clean out because a certain Friesian cross named Breanna thought standing with her front legs in the water was good summer pasture fun. Augie destroyed yet another fly mask leaving his eyes exposed to sun and bugs for hours at a time necessitating my tending to them with a cool rag.

Philipe and I set to work on the homework from our clinic last week with Rachel Saavedra which somehow feels a long time ago. Video review was in order to affirm my bearings. Our greatest accomplishment in the clinic with trot work was finding a much better swing through his middle. For anyone who has ridden Spanish horses knows, they can move the front and pedal fast behind, but the back can do absolutely nothing the entire time. Steep, and I mean steep leg-yields were in order. Now we are riding with transitions and also on a circle with transitions from collected to medium to high collection all the while focusing on what the middle is doing, that he stays in FRONT of my leg, and I continue to let him pull me through the reins.

For a few moments during the clinic we took this into lateral work down the rail. I was to then think of sitting him down behind with my elbows. WOW! I had felt this before, but only through stumbling upon it. Her phrasing gave it a distinct repeatable command. Now, we have a trot.

In the canter it was much the same idea with some new concepts on my seat. As a former jumping rider, I like to get in that pseudo half-seat/rear end out behind me mode. Again, Rachel gave me some great ways to think about what I was doing and help me put words to what I want to do. I've been able to repeat it. Our other task was in regards to thinking about our pirouette canter and for me the ability to get the hind legs quicker which I also need for the tempis.

The task was to learn to ride 10m circles in highly collected counter canter. Can we say challenging? Oh, but what fun. The only way I can verbalize the feeling right now is to say I felt my horse "full" in all my aids- equally full. By that I mean taking each rein with suppleness, puffed up under my seat and surging equally off of both legs directly centered between them. I felt that for about 3 strides at a time here and there, but I have something to aim for. Stabbing in the dark is a horrible feeling.

Its a busy day with lessons tomorrow. Tevis is on Saturday. We'll be cheering on Langdon and his horse Kid. I'm sure I'll get a bit of Endurance fever again. Maybe someday....