Riding Instructor's Diary

Spring Update and new Aspire blog

2013-05-07T18:40:00.000+01:00

While details of my trials and tribulations are now going into notes for the chapters of my blog-book, there is not much I can blog about on here without somewhat spoiling the final product ;)
I know that some of you have followed my Aspire blog on the business website and I would like to let you know I have moved the blog to new destination: http://aspireequestrian.wordpress.com Please change your links for the new one and I hope you will join me on there. I decided to take the Aspire wordpress blog outside of the main website to make it more interactive, easier to comment on, share and also much easier for me to update regularly.

New Aspire Equestrian info platform :) http://aspireequestrian.wordpress.com/

My plan is to include more of my coaching ideas in the content and hopefully make more amateur/grassroots riders think about this sport as a team sport (rider + horse) and less of a horse only sport...

I have posted a new post there this morning which readers of this blog might like:

SHOW ME HOW YOU WALK AND I'LL TELL YOU HOW YOU RIDE

"Make a little experiment… Set a video camera running and walk towards it and away from it. Then do the same side-ways. The same jogging and the same “skipping” as if you were cantering on your own feet (you might want to be alone if you are worried about your sanity being judged Then grab a cup of tea or coffee and re-watch those clips with detective-like curiosity. Check for the way you use your joints, the way you distribute your weight throughout your body, the way your hips move (or not!) while you walk and jog. Check which leg you start skipping with, which one pushes, which one carries without thinking about it, how level are your shoulders, is your head forwards or on top of your shoulders, do you carry your rib cage to one side…When you walk, do you lead the movement with your upper body or your hips…These are just a few of numerous elements you can analyse.[...]"

For full article see:

http://aspireequestrian.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/show-me-how-you-walk-and-ill-tell-you-how-you-ride/

The Aspire website is also undergoing small changes and will include information on my coaching weekends and virtual coaching programme. I decided to be brave with the coaching weekends and opened it up to pretty much any European location. If there are riders interested further afield I might venture beyond too!

I value all the feedback from any type of rider so if you wanted to drop me a comment with your views on what is important to you in your training I am all ears (or eyes reading!).

Issuu publications might take a moment to load:

I am really enjoying the virtual coaching and now that I have made it as a stand alone programme it's even better to run and organise. The riders have sent me some lovely feedback after finishing their first month and I am looking forward to more video training with them. You can read what they had to say Here and Here.

I hope you are all well and enjoying your horses :)
All the best,
Wiola

Re Blogged from: Rockley Farm: Step in the right direction!

2013-05-03T15:39:00.001+01:00

Rockley Farm: Step in the right direction!: Its definitely a step in the right direction - well I would say that, wouldn't I?! This week's Horse & Hound has a cover story ...

One Year Ago Today...

2013-04-18T23:53:00.000+01:00

Kingsley - put to sleep 18/04/2012. My biggest failure and greatest lesson. R.I.P.

From a Chapter: Late March. Reflections. Norway. Virtual Coaching. Planning.

2013-03-22T18:28:00.000Z

- Have you never thought of getting a proper job? You know, your studies and all... - my grandmother looks at me with her light-blue, watercolour like eyes. Her face small and wrinkled. She isn't being spiteful or dismissive. Tone of her voice is loving, bemused somewhat, suspended between concern and disbelief that someone might indeed seriously consider a future of travelling around and teach horse riding. There is a shy smile on her face and the fact that she speaks quietly tells me she isn't sure if she should ask this question at all.
I leave out the little detail, the fact that I would love to travel even more, teach all over Europe or maybe even beyond, stay at small, shabby stables and big luxurious centres, anywhere where there are grassroots riders wanting to explore and learn.

My grandmother worked in a textiles factory. She spent thirty three years of her life working in conditions that would most probably be considered high-risk nowadays and which certainly did damage her health. Overwhelming noise of machines, fumes, smell of vinegar, hot steam. She worked three shifts, sometimes only having several hours off in between them. She's over eighty now and despite her questions, she believes everybody should do what makes them happy.

Textile Factory, Lodz, 1934

When she asked me about that proper job on this snowy March afternoon, just as I returned from Norway where I had a great time running one of my Aspire Coaching Weekends, I waited for a feeling of defensiveness that I used to get when confronted with other people's views on my chosen way of life. The feeling didn't come though. It doesn't any more.

At 34, it's very clear to me, that life is an extremely short affair. It always seemed that way but as time goes by, the infinity loops back at me. I guess it is possible to derive some pleasure out of living to someone else's design but my genetics forgot to implement such coding.

Teaching riding, as long as not done mechanically, is more than "a proper job". Although dismissed by many, I believe the discovery process we experience whilst training, is enriching and fulfilling. When we take time to understand the training process, ditch contraptions we put horses in, give up on training methods that cause pain to both rider and a horse, then the sessions become a self-discovering journey. Even for very young riders.
If as a trainer, you can help a rider to get closer to that fulfilment, you are doing something worthwhile. And that is all that, in my opinion, really matters. In any job. To do something worthwhile.

In my view, riding & training are like books & arts :) Neither is absolutely necessary to survival but both feed those parts of us that are able to give back to life what's most enjoyable: dreams, senses, emotions, passion, dedication, adventure, freedom.

I start telling my Grandmother about my recent work and I can tell that although she listens, she will never comprehend my take on it.

The weekend was a superb experience, as ever in Norway. I love working with people there, there is a lot of hunger for knowledge, for new ways of learning, for different ways of looking at the same thing.
Below are some images from the weekend:

Train arrives to take me from the airport to Oslo centre. The station is tiny and remote so the funky, modern train that pulls in looks completely surreal and out of place. The top of the train says "Lillehammer" - the name I recall from the 1994 Winter Olympics. It makes me smile :)

Oslo. Electric cars, cheerful colours on buildings and much less snow than in the suburbs.

Simba the cat on my many layers. To those who think it looks cold on the photos - it was not that bad. As they say, there is never a bad weather, just a bad choice of clothing. I was well prepared this time and didn't notice the cold at all. Only the ice like crunching of snow under my soles gave away the -19C that visited at night ;)

Video analysis in a cute little log cabin/wooden mountain cottage.

Sunday morning. On way to the indoor arena for in-hand work with the horses.

Yummy, home made cakes! Delicious :) best served with horsey chats ;)

In-hand work session

Some of the riders in action:

On the above photo, the 4 year old TB youngster, Red, is being babysat by a racing pony, Naomi. This was Red's first time ever in an arena. In Norway, race horses get normal riding horse education as well as race training. Naomi races too with her young rider.

I was shocked to hear today that Red fell over on the track this week and fractured a bone in his knee. He is a lovely horse and although he will never race again, I really hope he makes full recovery and is able to dressage happily.

And finally, Maria (with Fame) who organises my coaching weekends there. She used to write a lovely blog (HERE) but is nowadays rarely seen in the blogosphere. Wonderful host and a great friend.

I received a really generous feedback from the riders and although it feels wonderful it must be said that without those riders' open minded approach and their obvious enthusiasm for their horses, none of those fantastic moments would be possible.

Now back home, I am preparing the notes and virtual coaching plans for those riders who signed up for it at the weekend. After some reflections on how Aspire training has worked in the last 2 years, I decided to transform my usual online training plans into a separate Aspire Equestrian E-Academy: Virtual Coaching Club.

If you would like to receive more information about it, or if you know someone who struggles with transport/access to trainers and would like to experienced motivational, committed coaching, please leave me a comment (add: "not for publishing" in the comment and I won't make the comment public) with your email address and I will send you full pdf.

Next Mobile Coaching Weekends are coming up also in the UK. The first one will be near London, on the 18th and 19th May. Please feel free to share the below poster with anyone who you think might want to join in. If you have any questions, email any time as per details on the poster.

There is another exciting weekend coming in June (1st-2nd June) and you can stay in touch with all Aspire training activities by joining the Aspire Coaching Weekends 2013 on Facebook or email me so I can put you on my mailing list.

*****

- Yes, I probably could get "a proper job", do something good - I say to my Grandmother and for a moment she looks surprised. Or hopeful. I find it hard to guess - but instead of that Gran, I decided to do something amazing...;)
She laughs and I wonder if she truly got it. But I don't ask.

Disclaimer: Please do not be compelled to quit your jobs (unless you really feel you should) to also do something amazing. Keep your jobs that pay you nicely so you can afford the amazing horsey training... ;)

Page From The Diary: Early March

2013-03-08T21:30:00.000Z

I know many of you are still visiting and part of me feels sad to disappoint you with lack of new posts but hopefully, this little update will satisfy some of you :)

Do any of you watch snooker? Have you ever looked at it and thought, hey, if life was like this and I could meet a supremely skilled snooker player aka life advisor, who would hit the right balls for me, I could sip my drink and enjoy the show...I could look at this mess of decisions, actions, things to do, things not to do and all I would see would be a perfectly engineered plan of hits and strokes, angles and light reflections with secrets to tell.
Of course, life is not like snooker. It's more like joining dots. You start from one closest to you and join the next one and the next one and you must believe that at the end, they will create a picture you want.

My little family-work break in Poland is fantastic so even though I am here to work crazy hours, it feels good to have my loved ones so close.
There was a freak of a weather for a few days, with 15C and lovely, warm sunshine until we woke up this morning to the Narnia outside the windows ;)
Right now, I really don't mind at all, after wet winter in Portugal and so much rain in the UK I am enjoying good old Polish four seasons! Winters are usually dry and snowy with no mud, of course it's cold but there is always something for something.

All my warm clothes are in London so I had to raid my mum's house for her ski wardrobe (it's warm and actually more comfortable than most equestrian branded stuff ;) because in a week's time I am off to run Aspire Coaching Weekend in beautiful but freezing Norway.
I am really looking forward to seeing all the riders again and catch up with wonderful Maria!

Not one to stay still, throughout 2012 I have put together a new format for my coaching weekends so can't just go with stress free mind repeating old lines. It's a good stress though, the energizing type.

I think I finally found a format that will last me for a while but of course, I will continue to make it better and better. It consists of what matters to me in training of both riders and horses, it's fun as well as educational and most of all, it's diabolically effective when at its best! ;)

The Polish version of Aspire Equestrian's website is now ready and awaits second and third proofreading. I've done first round today and I hope I will never ever have to do proofreading for a living because it's a damn tiring exercise!
Here are some screen grabs for a sneaky peak if someone wants to have a look: Aspire Polska website preview.

The spring will be busy too. At the moment, my plan is to run 2 coaching weekends in April and May, in Berkshire/Oxfordshire and near London and 2 in Poland.
The industry here is a little different and it's going to be interesting to see the reaction to the type of offer Aspire equestrian is. We are officially on the road from 20th March...

I would like to share something with you. For a few weeks I was in a gridlock. I had so many ideas and they just kept coming but in the same time, I was paralysed. I didn't know why but it was a complete stand still of mind in one way and frantic overdrive in the other.
At first I thought I had lost sight of the goal or a dream that I've had. But I was wrong, It was not the big goal that went missing.
You know how this saying goes that the longest journey is made by the first small step? That was the problem. I could see the goal very clearly but I was not able to make those little steps.

Once I realised this, the problem was gone...and now I have a new version of two famous sayings...

Dream Bigger than you Dare but Act Smaller than Know You Can.

Until next time :) More on this will be in my book this year...

Page From the Diary: Early February

2013-02-06T21:28:00.001Z

My birthday came and went, years pass by and although it's a cliché thing to say, I do feel some shifts and changes in the way I look at things, plan things and think of life in general. I hope they are for the better! You know, more sensible and less impulsive with my decisions ;)

I do miss writing this little blog but hopefully someone will enjoy the now-hidden-from-public-views posts in the future book :)

The Aspire blog has a couple of new guest bloggers whom you might want to meet: Laura Williams from England and Christine Lien from Norway. Laura is an equine behaviourist and human psychologist whilst Christine is a passionate young rider and an owner of a beautiful Friesian gelding which dressage training have proven to be a real quest...

To read the above posts please hover over a link below and give it a nice, firm click :)

http://www.aspire-equestrian.com/blog/

As you can see I also added a post on Psoas Muscles in riders - it's an updated version of the most popular blog post I have ever written on this blog, having had over 6.000 views. The links and videos no longer worked in the initial post so I re-wrote it, found better resources and posted it to Aspire blog. Direct link is here: Deep Hidden Secret of Good Riders

The Polish "branch" of Aspire Equestrian is very slowly taking shape. I decided to only put it up on the website publicly once I have most details organised so it will take a few more weeks before the materials are ready for publishing.

For now, I set up a Facebook page for Aspire Equestrian Polska:

What I can tell you is that Aspire Equestrian structure is now changed and the services will be based on three main programmes:

The Riding Academy will remain largely unchanged from its current form; the other two will come with full descriptions and their unique features in March 2013!

I am also really excited to be invited to run Aspire training weekend in Norway again! Some warm winter clothes and furry hat and I am ready :-D

Until next "Page From the Diary". All the best,

Wiola

Reading Through Own Past...An Experience of a special kind.

2013-01-22T01:16:00.001Z

Seaside. 2009.

Putting together a book from one's own blog-diary is an experience of a kind I haven't anticipated. Some things I wrote make me cringe ;) As the book has "Hindsight" chapters which I am writing in the presence and which look at my actions those 5 & 1/2 years later it is really surprisingly difficult journey. I am always of opinion that whatever big mistakes we make in life we should not regret them as at least it means we were trying to do something. However, when one looks back and sees how easily some things could have been done better and wiser, and with less stress and with a better outcome...well. It's interesting. Someone I met last year sent me a really nice email saying that she envies me the ability to make huge changes in my life. If anyone reads this and also thinks they would like to be able to make changes in their lives but are afraid to go ahead, I have only one advice worded much better in the video below:

The changes I made myself were far from easy and I wouldn't necessarily always say I made them to "follow my dreams". I prefer to think about my decisions not in terms of way to achieve dreams but way of living the life I really want to live... This unfortunately means being in trouble sometimes. Sometimes it means being on top of the world. Initially I thought about closing this blog once I am fully up and running with Aspire blog but I will keep it going for a while to chat about this Blog 2 Book Writing Experience... Has anyone out there tried to convert their Diary Blog into a book? I would love to hear from you!

Redirection...:)

2013-01-03T18:13:00.000Z

Dear All,

As promised, here is a link to where you will be able to follow my further adventures in the horse world alas in a slightly changed form.

Main link: http://www.aspire-equestrian.com/blog/

Latest Update: http://www.aspire-equestrian.com/blog/2013/01/from-aspire-office-from-portugal-to-the-challenging-plans-of-2013-overview/

To read my updates look out for posts with "From Aspire Office" in the title. To make sure you don't miss any you can join me on Aspire's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/aspireequestriancademy or Twitter: www.twitter.com/aspireacademy
I really hope you will stay with me on my journey as there are many exciting, brave (border line mad?), determined and persistent plans for near and far future in the pipeline.

I would like to wish all dreamers and planners to stick to what they want to do and never let others tell you what you can or can't do ;)
All the best and see you on Aspire's Blog!

Wiola xx

Christmas Day in Pictures

2012-12-25T23:19:00.000Z

As we didn't know until last moment where we would live at Christmas time we didn't buy a tree or anything Christmassy for that matter. Santa knows I love Christmas trees and all things Xmas so he brought me this little tree :) As it happens we are still at the cottage so it is Christmas time with Pinta :)

Entrance to Hippikos on 25th December. No vines at this time of year but clear blue sky makes up for it ;)

Dressage yard on the morning of Christmas Day :)

Getting Sapateira ready for our ride

and off we went to wander around the farm to warm up and loosen up before arena work

...a bit of hillwork

little visit to the jumping arena (yes it does rain here too in the winter, it's just then the sun comes ;)

and finally off we went to the dressage arena

Little mare worked beautifully today, it's been my best ride ever on her this morning. She taught me a lot and I couldn't have wished for a better present than this morning with her.

After the ride. Waiting for me to pick out the arena surface from her feet.

Then my gift for her ;) A few minutes of grazing

I hope you all had a great Christmas Day! All the best :)

My project revealed and Santa Wishes to All

2012-12-24T17:26:00.000Z

Christmas Eve is in Poland most important of all Christmas days even if you are not religious or don't give much attention to any celebrations. It's just simply a very traditional, family event, unlike anything else in the year and by this fact alone it has always been very special to me.
There is this old saying that the New Year will be like Christmas Eve, however one interprets this ;)

It seems like the right thing to do then to announce my decision for this blog today - this is the last Christmas Eve for Freelance Instructor's Diary.

It's been a 5 1/2 years of blogging journey which let me meet some wonderful people and made it possible to be involved in some exciting projects.
The time has come to create something new...

First of all though, I would like to thank you all the readers who have been with me all this time. I am not a typical blogger in that I don't get much involved in commenting and discussions. I am more of a reader than a chatter :) However, I appreciate all comments made on my posts and all the messages sent, it's been a pleasure to be part of your adventures with this sport.
The blog will stay alive for a little longer and end once my Aspire website is adjusted to some new services. I hope you will join me on there...

I wish you a loving, cheerful Christmas time and hope you are making brave plans for the next year! I wish you never to be afraid to get off the beaten tracks, never fear making mistakes and never stop travelling towards your goals in life.
Most of all, believe in yourself and what you want to achieve.
Always.
Even if others think you are mad ;)

NEW PROJECT...

The end of this blog is the beginning of another written project which is what I've been working on lately.

Above: "Working cover" for my printed blog-book...

I decided to make this blog into a book for two reasons:

1) I wanted to put my experiences into perspective by adding chapters which I am writing now...they look at my decisions and actions from the hindsight of 5 years...Each part of the book will come with such additional chapter. I guess you could call them "what I wish I knew at the time"...

2) As much as I enjoy online world I am also an old school book lover and there is just nothing like reading a real print publication. I want to be able to keep these memories when my brain can no longer recall the details :) Something tangible like a printed book appeals to this need the most!

In a grand scheme of things mine is just an ordinary life with horses. There are some wonderful biographies published written by olympic riders and great competitors in the sport and this is certainly not going to be one of them.

However, perhaps for other ordinary people who would like to work with horses as riding instructors some of my thoughts will be useful and help realising that it's ok to break the rules and test what you really can or can't do.

Getting the book...

This blog-book will be available to buy via my website (Part 1 about spring time) as a printed book or as an e-book (also for iPad).

If you would like to pre-order the book and receive updates on its creation please feel free to email me at ridinginstructor @ gmail. com.

You can also email me any questions you would like answered in the book.

No pre-payments required :)

At the moment I am aiming to use Blurb to self-publish the book because they have good reputation and quality products. If I come across a different publisher that appears competitive I will reconsider.

More details soon still on here or on the book's Facebook Page I created today: https://www.facebook.com/NeverGiveUpTheBook

I will be back to chat about some New Year's plans/resolutions but in the meantime, once again, all the very best to all of you!

Wiola xx

A Day In Life ...Thoughts After An End of The World Day

2012-12-22T01:36:00.001Z

It's a few minutes past midnight on 22nd of December - a so called End Of The World day didn't quite materialise. The fog around Pico was so thick in the morning that even if the world was ending I wouldn't have noticed. Everything was surrounded by this milky cocoon creating an amazing, magical atmosphere.
I got up very early to work on a project I will soon tell you about and then it was time to meet my friends at 9am at breakfast for sad goodbyes :( My former Aspire rider and her parents were here for the last week and it was great to hear all the stories and catch up on her training, horses and life in the UK.
Then another lovely family was waiting to leave and finish off all the formal arrangements so we sat down for a chat and I really hope to see them again some day. Coming all the way from Zambia, they lead a life very different to what I know. It made for some great conversations at meal times!

The farriers arrived at the yard mid morning and as the mare, Sapateira, I usually ride was having her new Jimmy Choos put on I went to have a look. Nic Barker might be pleased to know that my obsession with horse's feet has never stopped since meeting her.
However, here in Portugal I rarely see/hear of unshod horses. The shoeing itself is elaborate and it takes a long time to do each horse. Otherwise it is similar to any shoeing processes I've watched before.
Once done I put the mare away and went to meet two really nice ladies who arrived for a Hippikos tour. We spent an hour chatting and walking around the Centre; each time you show something to someone is like discovering it all over again :) They loved the place and I have a feeling it won't be long until they are coming here for some serious training fix...

I got on Sapateira about 12.30pm and was curious how she would feel today. I've been riding her on my own for several weeks now minus some days when she is not available, and have noticed the change in our little riding relationship. We are both much more relaxed and I can feel when she is about to get tense much quicker than ever before. She started mouthing the bit consistently and is very accepting of the contact as long as I don't get tense in my lower back and don't lose a steady but soft contact.
Today she started a little tense but then gave me one of the best rides.
Riding her regularly made me realise that perhaps I am ready to be a one horse owner again. For many years, since I sold my horse in Poland in 2005, I lost interest in owning one. I loved getting to know different ones and riding as many as I could. Now I can feel a shift in my attitude and look forward to every morning ride on Sapateira.

Having spoken with Anna H. who is at our stand at The London Olympia it seems that the visitors there love Hippikos :-D It will be interesting to see if there are more bookings from London than Scandinavian shows...Come on UK!

Action at the Hippikos trade stand

Unfortunately, I haven't avoided some dreadful mishaps. Organising an exhibition like this is interesting but stressful as you never know how will the things look like in the end.

Take furniture for example: I looked at tens of different tables, chairs and reception tables to finally settle down for a set but you never know if the stuff is going to be OK when it arrives.

Like the order for a TV which we placed on time but which the guys on the other side decided they haven't received...

This in fact wasn't so bad as the charge for the TV was very high and we had enough good photo banners to fill up the wall space.

We also ran at a problem with delivery of all the materials to the UK as the person who originally agreed to store and receive everything pulled out just a few days before we were due to make orders. Some frantic emails and phone calls later Anna H. came to the rescue and kindly roped in her parents to receive banners from Stockholm and brochures, fliers and Gift Cards from the printers and to drive with everything to London.

All the other problems however, were nothing in comparison to my own personal nightmare of getting the country code in the phone number wrong on the brochures! It's something I always thought would be dreadful to happen and so it did. Murphy's Law!
(If you picked up our brochures please note the code to Portugal is 00351 or +351 and NOT 0051 :-/) Huge apologies for this mistake.

It's the weekend in front of the tradestand team now = the two busiest days ever at Olympia. I am keeping everything crossed for a great success :)

Olympia haven't finished yet and I've been doing some project brochures and promo materials for our next show in Gothenburg as well as making some enquiries about further shows.

One venue really surprised me with a statement that they do not accept prize only sponsorship (i.e. other contribution from the sponsor is also required). It's a huge shame for the riders taking part in my opinion but we shall see what can be done...;)

Right, time to catch some sleep.

Magical Misty Morning :)

The ultimate Christmas Gift for a Horse Mad person...:)

2012-12-16T14:36:00.000Z

The preparations for exhibiting at Olympia International Horse Show are almost completed here in the land of oranges!
A friend of mine, Anna H. (aka Anna Hawkins, you can read her equestrian blog here: http://annahawkinsequestrian.wordpress.com/) who has kindly agreed to coordinate the set up of the stand has now received all the near 5.000 brochures, fliers and other promotional materials and will be trekking with it from Kent to London tomorrow.

If you would like to know how to visit me here and ride some wonderful horses (!) please chat to the girls at Hippikos stand M28:

If you indeed think of coming do have a look at our Special Offer available at Olympia stand...it gives you some very good savings and would be fabulous to meet some of you dear blogging friends! :)

For those of you who are still wondering what to offer to your horse mad friend, loved one, relative we have a Christmas Gift Card...So, if you would like to make someone's Christmas very special this year, do pop to our stand (or message me on wiola . g @ gmail. com):

We have one more very special deal but I will write a separate blog post about it in a moment... :)

Thank you for your support and a quick look at December

2012-12-10T23:30:00.000Z

It's just a quick post to thank you all for messages to my last post. Putting my less positive thoughts into words is not intended to worry anyone or to sound depressing. It's easy to think that once you do in life what you love doing, world becomes a Disneyland. Not so. There are many tough days for variety of reasons and I've always tried to blog as close to reality as possible.
I enjoy my life here in general though and that makes it easier to deal with some difficult moments.

There is one thing I strongly believe in and what this little quote sums up perfectly:

In other words, there will always be a little bit of everything on this blog and definitely not just a recollection of most happy days...

Happiness is quite simple anyway. In fact, as simple as spending the day house cleaning on a wonderfully sunny Sunday the 10th :) I love simple pleasures and beauty in ordinary things.

Like sweeping the balcony in +18C, still in my pj's on a December morning...

Winter in Portugal rocks :)

I will write more soon I promise but there are so many little things to do that I have no time to sit down quietly with my thoughts and blog on!

Thank you once again for "being with me" along the way!

Pensive Thoughts

2012-12-01T22:30:00.000Z

1st December. The Gate to our lovely cottage, home from the 10th of August, almost 4 months ago...

Life is like a book. You live a chapter at a time and learn more about everything you need to know for some conclusion to appear at the end. You can't of course take any sneaky peaks to the end of the chapter or the end of the book and cunningly amend your actions so they take the desired turn. You got to live it page after page if you want to learn anything at all.

In the past I often jumped into deep water without thinking much about the consequences but I can see the difference in making such leaps as green Uni graduate who yearns freedom and adventure and a thirty something woman who's been trying to do something worthwile.

When you've been in control of your life and in the driver's seat for the past 10 years, to find yourself in a position of a child in a foreign country is somewhat daunting. Although I can pick up the sense of many conversations now, my real comprehension of Portuguese is probably on the level of a three year old.
Yesterday, I spent almost two hours at an estate agency where my employer and the agent discussed the nuances of the rental of an apartement we are moving to. For the first time since I arrived in Portugal I thought, what have I done. I quit the business I loved creating and into which I ploughed 5 years of hard graft, I left the country I learnt to like and people I respected and who respected me. And now I'm sitting here like an idiot while others decide on my life because I have no means or possibilities to do so anymore.

All this to help with developing of something I really believe in - a place with advanced horses for ordinary riders...

The helplessness bothers me greatly. Being so dependend on everything is uncomfortable and makes me feel uneasy. It's one thing being a tourist on a holiday in a country you don't speak a language of and another to live in one.

My mum has tried in the past to explain to me that I should worry about finances because money gives freedom. You know, one of those things all parents tell in good faith to their adolescent kids when they move away from home. It never made sense to me. Freedom was my choices, my decisions, horses, friends. Everything but money. I always got by on very little and it never bothered me much. Never had I felt that I was less free for being poor.
Recently, I see the point of the connection my mum tried to make.

I don't regret moving or taking on the job and I fully intend to give it my best but this recent realisation of how I somewhat regressed myself in some areas of my life left me feeling low.

One thing I am empirically learning is that sometimes you think you know yourself but you don't. Theoretically you might know a lot, but only through experience you can confirm that knowledge.
The aspect I miss the most right now is being in control of own life...

If you read this and think "that's exactly why I don't make crazy decisions/why I plan everything so well/ah I knew big changes are regretted most of the time" etc etc STOP.

We should never be afraid of making mistakes, never let something we want to do pass us by because it scares us or fills us with doubts.

On a good note, we finally found a place to move to which is a more permanent location than the cottage we have had so far. It's a lovely apartement in nearby village and I was over the moon we secured it until I found out we can't have a dog there. I've been waiting 10 years to have a dog again and thought we are passed all the stupid UK regulations about renting with dogs but no, same story here. It 's sad and one more time it's a reminder to work towards a place we can call our own.
This aside, I am relieved we can move. Having no car and living in the middle of nowhere is not the best of situations to be in and adds to this 'no control' feeling.

Hey who is this under the covers? :) Pinta (cuddled up under the duvet) who has been living with us part-time for the last 4 months. She plays on the farm during a day and comes in for evenings and sleep overs ;) I will miss immensly having her home :((

I wrote the above thoughts to be true to this blog and to the journey I am making. It's easy to write about happy days and less easy to jot down more pensive thoughts.
Putting into words some of the less positive reflections doesn't mean everything has become negative.
I think that what we miss can motivate us greater than anything else...

Riding in Lessons vs Riding on Your Own

2012-11-27T14:59:00.002Z

When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely - the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

My view of the arena this morning from the back of Sappateira :)

Only this past 10 days I am finally really feeling the benefits of the four months of on-on-on training I have had so far. Although I need the lessons, the amount of pressure I put on myself and as a result on the horse during them, leaves me unable to truly relax and feel...

There is so many horses to school in this refurbishment-guest-less period here that we all just school independently with occasional advice thrown in.

I continue to ride two horses, Sappateira in the morning (dressage) and Van D'efele (jumping/flatwork) in the afternoon.

In lessons I try too hard to do what I am asked to do and maybe because I haven't had many lessons since 2005 up to now, it feels like I need to re-learn to relax and listen to instructions at the same time. It's also different to *know* the horse you ride in lesson environment only and *know* him/her by riding by yourself. I love the state of absolute focus rider can go into when schooling by oneself, it's totally all consuming feeling that is addictive and fascinating. Being able to have a conversation with the horse by senses alone, a conversation where you both listen fully and are being heard up to a whisper and vice versa, is something I've been really struggling to achieve during trainings.

Taking a stroll to the arena to loosen up before schooling
and soak up some sun rays :)

Riding by myself now I can practice all that I got taught but with focus that was impossible for me earlier. I hope this experience will now help me get similar results when we are back to lessons in December.

My morning ride was super, thanks to all the lessons I can now really feel so much more and correct myself and the horse better. Heaps still to improve but I am finally satisfied with the journey!

One thing especially that I am working on now is to always square myself (upper body) to the weaker shoulder of the horse. I've been watching the dressage trainer here a lot as he has a really superb upper body control and noticed how he never "allows" the horse to drop at the withers or lean in simply by sitting well. When riding myself on the other hand I realised I allow my upper body to lose the squareness if a horse leans in. This causes loses of balance and straightness which with both of the horses I ride now is a big factor in how ridable they are. Making corrections to my use of the upper body have already brought a huge difference. It's hard work for me but very rewarding.

There is this amazing video I watched yesterday and listening to the instructions and seeing the results made me work on this fault of mine even more (it's November video of Heather Blitz training Paragon with Mary Wanless. Heather's body control is out of this world):

http://youtu.be/Na2tM4SQTR0

I now understand that the combination of intensive training and individual practice works best for me. Do you also struggle to give your best during lessons and need to "ride through" everything afterwards in your own time with your senses fully on the horse only?

First frosty morning in Hippikos! It was -1C at night in Braga and soooo cold in the house this morning! But oh so beautiful :-D

New venture - to - be :)

2012-11-24T22:34:00.000Z

https://www.facebook.com/Gallop.Magazyn

Couple of weeks ago I received a little parcel from my lovely mum with some Polish equestrian magazines. She's been sending them to me since 2004 when I moved to the UK and we both generally watch the magazines market in Poland so if there is something new worth reading she grabs it for me.
As a result of the latter observation procedures, "Gallop" magazine arrived to Portugal. I started reading it one evening and loved the whole feel of the publication, the interviews, whole content really. It reminded me a little of "Your Horse" magazine to which I wrote for some time (click HERE to see my articles) and I decided to write to them to tell them how enjoyable it was for me to read their mag.
I found the name of the editor, started writing an email and then I suddenly thought, hey I would like to write for them...
So I re-wrote my email still telling them what a great new magazine they created but also asking if they would like to include some life stories of a travelling coach ;) I attached some of my previous published articles but they were all in English so I wasn't sure if they would be interested in those.

They replied the next day inviting me to write for them. I'm excited, for the first time in 10 years I will write something designed to be published in Polish language ;)

Well, I am sending my sample text this week, it's got to be 5.000 words and if they like it, it will be in the January issue of the magazine.

I have a special idea for the articles I would like to write for them so all crossed that they like the sample!

The Mood vs Performance

2012-11-23T23:48:00.000Z

Title: State of Mind
Artis: Kiera Stuart

Do you find that, even before you put your foot in the stirrup, you know what sort of ride you will have? You know how you might perform?
I noticed that for me it's not whether I am in so called bad mood or good mood but the quality of my riding depends mostly on how positive I feel about my own abilities.
If for some reason I don't feel like I can do something well, then it's so very difficult to indeed do it well.
It's odd how it is possible to *know* the session won't go well with such stupid certainty but yet it's not equally easy to undo the negative thoughts.
I loved my afternoon ride today even though I was nowhere near the effects I really wanted. In this state of mind, patience and feel are so easy, even if it's feeling what's not yet good.
But of course, it's not always like this, often I self-doubt myself and ride below my ability.

I am not sure why but sports psychology has always made me think about more common causes of low performance like fear of failure, fear of pain, fear of disappointing someone. Now I am starting to see there are nuances to mood versus performance. Nuances that can be altered and changed if only they can be determined.
A friend posted on Facebook this slide with a quote from Albert Einstein: "If I had an hour to save the world, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and 1 minute finding solutions".

It's the same with my performance. The difficulty lies in defining the "why" - why do I feel like I won't do well today?

This has been on my mind because it seems so incredible how we can know our senses are not at their best and yet we don't know how to put them into always reliable work. Or can we? Can you?

Some say...

2012-11-21T13:00:00.000Z

Some people say that in equestrian sports it's the horse who does all the work. My T-shirt after my morning ride begs to differ ;)

On a more serious note, here are a couple of papers on physical demands of equestrian sports on the rider:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00423243?LI=true

http://www.arkagency-naha.com/naha/pdf/energy_cost.pdf

Developments, planning trade stand at Olympia, training, flat search and Sundays thoughts

2012-11-20T20:52:00.001Z

Experience is not what happens to you - it's how you interpret what happens to you."-

Aldous Huxley

I'm sorry for blogging much less than I used to but in my free time I am working on something that consumes a lot of my Sunday hours. It will be a secret for the moment but I will reveal more as and when possible :)
It's a very unusual time at Hippikos right now as we are having a huge make-over done to the kitchen and some other parts of the Centre so there are no guests here this week.

I am posting the photos daily on Hippikos Facebook Page as work progresses and if you are a make-over fan like me you can follow the picture story on here: Little Picture Story of a Big Kitchen Make Over.

I like these developments, something is always moving forwards and made better.
Outside of the facility, the biggest two events coming up now are Stockholm International Horse Show on 30th November in Sweden and Olympia International Horse Show on 17th December in London. We had enough materials for Stockholm from Oslo and Helsinki but Olympia will have its own batch of promo stuff which I am preparing this week. I feel most nervous about Olympia mostly because, after living in London for almost 10 years, it feels like "home show" and it is very important to me that everything goes well there. We have a superb little team taking care of Stockholm trade stand which I trust they will do a tremendous job. For Olympia, however, things look less promising. Due to very sad and unexpected turn of events, the person who was going to be "our man" in London is no longer able to do so. In this situation, we are having to make a quick decision whether I will fly over myself or whether to keep searching for someone who can represent us and who is already in London. The thinking behind putting trade stand team together is that, ideally, they are our long-term supporters and guests and who genuinely stand by Hippikos brand.
Olympia is a big show from organisational point of view, for someone manning the show this means 7 days involvement and not many people can take a week off work before Christmas.
And so I worry because the success of the trade stand in London is very much my personal goal!

Organising Olympia, as well as other trade stands at Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm, comes with making many big and small decisions, filling in forms, ordering equipment, advertising, designing of the stand etc. Olympia's Exhibitor Manual is 51 pages long with 10 Forms to fill in where all details are important. I feel the pressure! :)

THE TRAINING

I continue ride every week day, one or two hours a day. One of these is always dressage and one jump training. If I ride once then it's jumping focus. Horses are all fresh and playful now working only once a day so it's stick-ability test many a time ;)
My current jumping partner is Van D'Efele, 10 years old Portuguese crossed blood gelding:

Photo Source: www.hippikos.pt

The main focus in my lessons is always on ability to create the right canter from which it is equally easy to "wait" in front of the jump or "go" a little if needed. The key in this adjustability is that the overall motion must always be forward (even when shortening the strides or "waiting" in front of the jump) which is where difficulty lies. You have to have the horse always in front of your leg but never too in front (i.e. never ever "running" or going to the jump without feeling). In the middle of this the horse should always be relaxed, even when it is sufficiently "excited" for the degree of jumping difficulty, he must remain relaxed.
On some days I have had this perfect feeling of harmony when the horse I jump a lot (Quenz'o Blue) is "with me" but he is a big and very powerful horse that sometimes lacks submission. He is also crooked in his body and I am not always riding well enough in the warm up to be able to have his submission and have him in front of my leg and straight at all times. When I warm up well we are doing well in the jumping phase of the training but I am still not getting this consequently. I think part of this is that I am not always using my legs, especially my right leg.

Van D'Efele is smaller (about 16.1hh) and with my 5 foot nothing it's much easier for me to ride him. I've only sat on him a few times, including once in June, so still learning where the buttons are but he is a good jumper. Due to being a little spoilt in the mouth you have to really have soft contact in order for him to be in front of the leg. He is a good teacher for me.

THE LIFE

Vila Verde

Time goes by and we are still searching for a more permanent property to move to. We are in the process of talking with one agency about a flat that would be just great for us so I really hope we can close the deal this month. We need the agency to provide some equipment and sort out a few things as the flat is completely empty.
It would be a nice early Christmas present if all went well. I am not overly bothered about living in a temporary, holiday style let cottage but would love a place to call "mine" for a bit, unpack the suitcases properly and have clothes in the wardrobe instead of spread on a spare bed ;) Little creature comforts you know :)

18th November: Sunday Breakfast outside :)

The quiet and relaxing pace of life here feels both a little alien and good. I am somewhere in between totally loving it and feeling an urge to do more. Although I wouldn't say I have more time to think that I had before, somehow my mind is clearer and less hectic. Perhaps this state will help with appraising many ideas better and short list the good ones.

I miss my Aspire clients, coaching riders on an ongoing basis is something that always was my goal and I am constantly figuring out how to proceed with the Academy.

It might take many Sunday mornings looking over at the mountains to come up with a magic solution but I will find one.

18th November: Sunday relax

One of my favourite desserts here: Pastel de Nata and a small black coffee :)

Come take a walk with me :)

2012-11-10T23:00:00.000Z

This will be a very non-horse related post.
I am not into dreaming about "having things" (in fact, I was recently questioning my sanity and wondered how long can one go on for without seriously thinking about owning something, you know, like a bicycle or a bed or...a house maybe?) but one of the items I would love to have is a good digital camera. Snapping reality is as close as I get to it on day-to-day basis ;)

I would like to take you for a little journey through today with some colours, tastes and views in Braga and surroundings that I snapped today with my phone camera:

Colours is what fascinates me about autumn - the rich contrasts everywhere

History and tradition at every corner

The sky over Braga on late November afternoon

I looked at this fountain and saw what an incredible effect of infinity it creates...a little white whale swimming towards the mountains...mission impossible...

One of many Cafes in Braga - wonderful

Strong, delicious coffee made with honey, chicory and lots of other ingredients I don't remember. Amazing taste.

Bought some eucalyptus honey to treat our throats after all the coughing courtesy of recent illness

Hope you enjoyed this little trip :) Until next time!

Quick Autumnal Word

2012-11-04T00:06:00.003Z

Kyriel, a lovely Selle Français mare whose new photo we were trying to take for the website. She made this task quite difficult ;) If the she stood semi-well like above, the sun went away destroying the light. When the sun cam out she had many businesses to see to and standing well for a photo was not one of them ;)

For the last two weeks I've been fighting with a cold or flu or whatever it is that is making me cough like mad causing sleepless nights and exhaustion. If it doesn't ease off by Monday I think I will break all my rules and visit a doctor :-/
Illness aside all is well. Autumn in this part of Portugal is, so far at least, really mild and on a wet side. It rains heavily at night but sun comes out during the day. It is still rather warm too, 16C today and even now at midnight the air is pleasantly fresh but not sharp.

"Our" orange trees are blooming happily, apparently the oranges will be ready fully in December.

I guess what you all want to know is what are the future plans for us and for Aspire. One thing is very clear to me already - I can't let something that took so much effort to create, to simply go. I miss teaching all my riders, miss my coaching system, planning the progress of the riders long term and following their ups and downs.
Although regular Aspire coaching will be suspended for the year we are away, it will resume at some point for sure. I am thinking about the logistics of new short Aspire coaching services and when I have more time they will come into life :)

Autumn is a perfect thinking time of the year :)

Resting must continue. Damn weak immune system!

Long Overdue October Update

2012-10-20T17:24:00.002+01:00

It's been almost a month since my last post which is probably the longest I've been absent from the blog this year! There is so much I want to do in my free time that writing has suffered as a result.

Death of my grandfather has left me feeling very up and down, perhaps partly because I am away from my family and grieving alone is different than sharing the process with those who knew and loved him.

Random things and fragments of conversations with the guests here remind me of him all the time and I find myself thinking of him a lot.

My granddad was always very proud of both me and my brother and knowing how much he loved nature I wish he could have seen Hippikos and the wonderful views here.

End of the 8am lesson this morning

No matter how many times I look around it is impossible to get tired of the horizon here. Some days the views are clear and sharp, sometimes you can't see anything for the thick white fog that lifts slowly throughout the day teasing with samples of glorious vista now and then.

Banners ready for Helsinki Show

Views 20th October 2012. 8.30am

My recent weeks have been focused on preparations for Hippikos' trade stands at three International Horse Shows: first one was Kingsland Oslo International Horse Show last weekend, this weekend there is Helsinki International Horse Show and in several weeks time there is Stockholm International Horse Show. We are having stands at these shows for the first time as part of the overall strategy of introducing our offer without too much help from agencies.

Our stand at Oslo show. As with all other shows, my job was to choose the photos, put together the banners (designed by www.templatis.com) and coordinate the organisation of the stand, bookings etc

We also booked a stand at the Gothenburgh Horse Show (http://www.gothenburghorseshow.com/) for April 2013 as it will host both Dressage and Show Jumping World Cup Finals. It would be amazing to be able to go too, I am tentatively putting it into next year's travel plans!

The Oslo show went really well with a lot of positive feedback and direct bookings coming in. It's really exciting to be involved in development of Hippikos at this stage. I have many more PR and marketing ideas for the near future :)

I don't know if you heard of Equestrian Social Media Awards (ESMA)? My Aspire Equestrian project was nominated twice, first in 2011 and then in 2012 when it was short listed and came third in Use of Social Media by a Riding School category. For next year, the ESMA team came up with something new - they introduced an opportunity of sponsorship so each category can be supported by a company/individual (more about this here: http://www.equestriansocialmediaawards.com/sponsorship).
When I read this I knew it was a super way for Hippikos to show the support for committed, passionate amateur horse people who communicate their ups and downs to wider audience and share their experiences with like minded riders.
Few emails back and forth and last week we signed a sponsorship agreement agreeing to sponsor Best Use of Social Media by an Amateur Horse Person and offering a free place on our Training Holidays to the winner :)

More on: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=429809933740481&set=a.150855594969251.35760.140143932707084&type=1&theater

If you write a blog, website, Facebook, Twitter check out ESMA's website :) The Awards are worldwide and nominations for 2013 open in December 2012 so not long to go!

My riding training is progressing albeit much slower than I would wish ;) It's not exactly a surprise because I am rarely satisfied with my progress but there is no rush, I am enjoying the process of learning and being able to practice every day. There are moments when many things come together but also days when they don't!
I focus on jumping most of the time with some dressage lessons whenever I can. The latter really helps me with general strength and ability to control each part of the horse better.
The more I ride the more I get to know Quenz who is my jumping partner here. It's a delicate act to have him in front of my leg but soft in hand. I tend to have him with too much power or not enough which results in problems before or after the jump. My distances are much better but I still need to work on better quality of the canter every time before the jump, in between jumps and after the jump. Maximum energy possible but only with relaxation of the horse. Never "run" but always keep the energy with the horse relaxed.
If I put too much energy into Quenz's canter I can't deal with the amount of power he produces and our jumps lack quality.
When I can get him to relax while still retaining the power he is amazing to ride to the jump :)

Flying with Quenz. October 2012.

Dressage lesson on Lusitano stallionTrifolio. October 2012.

In between work and training we are trying to find a more permanent place to live. Our current cottage is available to us until the end of the year but we would love to find a "place of our own" sooner. There was a pretty perfect apartment available for rent in nearby village but unfortunately someone offered to buy it and the owner accepted the offer :( Real shame as it was in a perfect location and a really lovely flat.

What else? I got asked for an interview by the British Groom Association (http://www.britishgrooms.org.uk/home) for their magazine "British Grooms". I've been a member for some years ever since the Association was born so was very happy to send my answers. As I was replying I was thinking of everything that happened in my equestrian working life so far. So many changes and adventures, wonderful people and great horses.

The lovely blue of the pool water - perfect place for my thinking time :) Pinta, my part-time dog patiently waiting for me to get out onto dry land. And my sturdy laptop at work - burning DVDs with video feedback for the guests.

I wonder what else is there to come :) There is a huge decision still in front of me with regards to Aspire Equestrian Riding Academy. I put so much into it that closing it down completely is out of question. There are a couple of options I am thinking through but that's a subject for another post.

Until next time!

In Memory Of My Grandfather

2012-09-23T23:29:00.000+01:00

My dad phoned tonight to pass the sad news. I guess we expect the elderly loved ones to leave us sooner or later and yet it still comes as a shock. My brother and I grew up very close to my grandparents. And now he's gone...

Hurry up

Hurry up to love people, they pass away so fast
Only shoes and silent telephone remains
Only what is trivial lags like a cow
The most important is so beautiful that occurs suddenly
Afterwards natural silence therefore unbearable
Like purity born straightforward from distress
When we think about someone, remaining without them

Don't be sure that you still have time, because certai

nty is vague
It takes away compassion like any joy
It comes simultaneously with pathos and humour
Like two passions still weaker than one
They go away fast like thrush falling silent in July
Like sound a bit awkward or emotionless bow
To see decently they close their eyes
Though greater risk is to be born than to die
We still love too little and always too late

Don't write about it often but once and forever
and you will be like a dolphin gentle and powerful

Hurry up to love people, they pass away so fast
And those who perish, not always return
And we never know talking about love,
Is the first the last, or is the last the first?

Jan Twardowski

RIP Grandad :((((((

When Suzanne Came to Visit!

2012-09-23T13:07:00.000+01:00

You could say that life here happens in weekly intervals. Riders arrive on Sunday afternoon or evening and usually leave on following Saturday unless they stay for two weeks in which case they rest over the weekend and start riding again on Monday.
Such situation is both very refreshing and sad at the same time. It's very easy to get attached to people who share the same passion and with whom you experience many ups and downs of training. By Tuesday it feels as if they all have been here good few weeks and yet by Friday everyone is desperate for some magic extension to their stay.

From Hippikos development point of view this constant change is a chance to make things better and better each time. This constant drive to constantly heighten the standards even though they seem perfect is what made me decide I could work here full time.

Each rider training here will have their own views and their feedback to Hippikos is like a stream to a water-powered grain-mill. I love that and the fact all comments are always considered and analysed. In many ways I gave up my own autonomy as far as work goes and each day it makes me realise how important this striving for excellence is.

I finished the last post saying that I needed to go and welcome Suzanne, Gary and their friends here at Hippikos and now they are all gone already. It was such a pleasure seeing Suzanne ride here and I know she had most fantastic time. Some photo report from their WAY TOO SHORT stay with us:

Video below: Suzanne experiencing piaffe for the first time; riding Trifolio with Dinis helping her to create engagement and energy from the ground.

Getting radio'd up :)

Saying hello to Nodoso

With Nodoso

Taking Trifolio for a walk after the lesson

The fabulous few days passed quickly and now I am looking forward to hear how Suzanne's horse, Thomas, reacted to his "mum's" new feel and skill!
I wish all my riders could come here more often, I miss seeing them progress and learn each week, it's one of the elements of change that we can never avoid: some things will always be lost, some will be gained...

Dressage - all about balance

2012-09-16T17:58:00.000+01:00

Although jumping is definitely my favourite discipline and I am more passionate about it than dressage, I would never be able to chose between the two because working with a horse on its gymnastic abilities is equally absorbing for me.

I ride a few different horses here in my dressage lessons and have different issues with each of them but most of the time the common factor leading to poor or good performance is always balance.

To achieve a good quality movement without balance is impossible and even more so, without balance there is no relaxation, no beauty and no ease of motion.

Here is a short video from my lesson on Sappateira a few days ago courtesy of Catherine - one of the guests this week who kindly videoed me :) It shows the canter work and you can see I am unable to maintain the same quality canter for longer than a few strides. The engagement changes from stride to stride at times and the mare wrongly changes leads in canter as I enter the centre line because I fail to keep her straight.
On Friday I was finally able to keep a straight line and do seven changes across the diagonal line without losing completely control of the balance like I did earlier.

I also finally figured out how to use my thighs for collection without getting tense in my lower back and this makes me much less depended on the half - halts with my hands. I feel I am making a decent change in my way of riding and have glimpses of really great moments but can't keep those consistently.

And here are some more photos from my life here at Hippikos:

Jump training on Radieuse

Doing off-horse exercises for core stability and body awareness with one of the riders from Norway

Watching lessons

In the office

Teaching

More of dressage training soon but now Suzanne and Gary are arriving about 6pm so I must dash. Can't wait to see them and I hope they will love this place as much as I do :)