
Friday, 31 July 2009
Honest Scrap Award

Best way to piaffe

Thursday, 30 July 2009
My Intermediate Teaching exam results arrived today...

- Manage a safe and effective coaching environment
- complete safety checks and manage the safe and effective set-up and taking down of equipment if relevant
- check safety of rider, equipment, tack and arena surface during introduction phase
- use of equipment throughout is safe
- exercises are safe and appropriate for combination(s)
- Deliver Programme Goals using a range of coaching styles and methods
- prepare participants and others for the coaching programme (introduction, warm up and initial assessment and analysis leading to clear focus and SMART goals)
- Deliver the coaching programme (effective communication, rider empowerment, open and questioning based style, clear progression, technically correct, meeting needs of combination)
- Develop participants' performance within the coaching programme (demonstrate improvement of the combination, appropriate use of demonstrations. On-going observation of combination demonstrated through feedback and exercises)
- Conclude the coaching programme (finishing on a positive outcome, cool down, involve rider/s in summary, and progress in session, identifies work for the future)
- Develop personal coaching practice (is able to accurately reflect on the session identify strengths and areas for improvements, can identify action plan to progress personal skills)
- Technical Competence Section
- Rider position for discipline
- Natural aids (appropriate and technically correct use of aids for exercises)
- Use of specialist equipment if required
- Overall outcome of the session
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Time to think

Monday, 27 July 2009
Halt or maybe half-halt?
Main Entry: | rest |
Part of Speech: | noun |
Definition: | inactivity |
Synonyms: | break, breather, breathing space, calm,calmness, cessation, coffee break, comfort,composure, cutoff, downtime, doze, dreaminess,ease, forty winks, halt, holiday, hush, idleness,interlude, intermission, interval, leisure, letup,lull, motionlessness, nap, pause, peace, quiescence, quiet, quietude, recess, recreation, refreshment, relaxation, relief, repose, respite, siesta, silence, sleep, slumber, somnolence, standstill, stay, stillness, stop, time off, tranquillity, vacation |
Antonyms: | action, activity, energy |

Sunday, 26 July 2009
Grab a nice cup of tea, grab some biscuits and sit comfortably - long catch up post ahead ;)

has been a case of being hit by an after effect of the last few weeks of working during days and revising to the exam at nights. Once it was over it was as if someone poked the balloon that kept me afloat. It's a common knowledge, you can't catch up with lost sleep by staying in bed until midday on your day off. What's gone it's gone and it will get you sooner or later.



Saturday, 25 July 2009
2010 Radio Show Episode 48 – Reining Test Event at Kentucky Horse Park
Exclusive radio coverage from Kentucky Cup Reining, the reining test event held this week at the new Kentucky Horse Park Indoor Arena. A number of guests, including Shawn Flarida and Angel Karolyi, joined Samantha and Glenn to make this one enjoyable evening. Listen in...
2010 Radio Show Episode 48 - Reining Test Event at Kentucky Horse Park:
- Thank you to Amy and all the gang at the WEG Office for all their help.
- Team USA rider Tom McCutcheon of Aubrey, TX, won the individual final in Kentucky Cup Reining, the first test event for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Following McCutcheon in the standings was Canada's Lisa Coulter, who finished second with a score of 219.5 on Hollywood Aces. Dell Hendricks of Tioga, TX, scored 218.0 on Starbucks Sidekick, a 9-year-old, Quarter Horse stallion, as did Mexico's Jose Vazquez on Juiced Up Doc, to put the two riders in a tie for third. Read More...
- Para Equestrian riders from this hemisphere have another chance to qualify for next year's World Equestrian Games. The WindReach International Para-Dressage CPEDI 3* event will take place next May, the 28 to 30, and will be an official qualifier.
- Three Day Eventers are also trying to qualify this weekend at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana. The Event at Rebecca Farm is the only HSBC FEI World Cup Qualifier in the United States this year, and will run alongside a one star CIC, a two star CCI without steeplechase, novice through advanced horse trials divisions, and four and five year old future event horse classes. More...
- If you're interested in learning more about Rood and Riddle, the official equine hospital and veterinary partner of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games then we have just the book for you. Buy Equine ER: Stories from a Year in the Life of an Equine Veterinary Hospital.
- See all the pictures of the event below. Thanks to Jamie Link, Lisa Jackson, Shawn Flarida and Angel Karolyi for joining us.
- Please support our sponsors as they make this show possible:
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Wednesday, 22 July 2009
I'm back! My Intermediate Teaching exam Report



- what does a rider need (in terms of qualifying scores) to compete at Novice BE (so the answer is: 3 clear rounds XC at BE100 - old Pre-Novice with no more than 16 penalty points show-jumping (excluding time faults) )
- explain what the term 'above the bit' means and how to improve/work on a horse going that way
- use of a triple barr in a grid (I liked this one;)
- movements required at Elementary level dressage
- how to improve the quality of the horse's canter
- how to introduce lateral work into horse's training
- describe a training programme for a rider preparing for his first BE90 (Intro)
- walking XC courses - risk assessment (types of jumps, ground condition, weather etc)



Monday, 20 July 2009
Time's up

Sunday, 19 July 2009
Old books on Horsemanship! And an Elementary Dressage Test from 1994





Saturday, 18 July 2009
Should have more self-preservation ;)
Friday, 17 July 2009
Soaking up the knowledge


Thursday, 16 July 2009
Good evening, my name is Wiola and...

Wednesday, 15 July 2009
A happy kind of day

You can't buy loyalty, they say
I bought it though, the other day;
You can't buy friendship, tried and true,
But just the same, I bought that too.
I made my bid, and on the spot
Bought love and faith and a whole job lot
Of happiness, so all in all
The purchase price was pretty small
I bought a single trusting heart,
That gave devotion from the start
If you think these things are not for sale,
Buy a brown-eyed puppy with a wagging tail.
Author Unknown
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
2010 Radio Show by SUCCEED Episode 46 - The Largest Shipment of Horses in History
2010 Radio Show by SUCCEED Episode 46 - The Largest Shipment of Horses in History:
- Lot's of news this week and we get an update from Chrissy Joy at the WEG Offices.
- Well, it turned out to quite an Independence Day Celebration for Steffen Peters and Ravel at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen over the weekend. More...
- Although, dressage did somewhat steal the show, the US show jumpers performed at Aachen this same Fourth of July weekend, and held onto their lead in the Top League FEI Meydan Nations Cup by the narrowest of margins.
- The Germans had better luck on their home turf with their eventing team. They filled the top three places individually, and not surprisingly took the team prize too.
- Equestrian Sports New Zealand are on top of the Games, or ahead of the Games, or at least ahead of the rest of the World at the moment. They have already announced a squad likely to be coming to Lexington next year.
- Let's come back stateside now, and it doesn't get much more American than the annual NRHA Derby in Oklahoma. The heat was on, literally. Triple digit temperatures meant that even air conditioned show rings weren't enough for the top tier reiners competing for the USEF Mahajan Trophy and the Open Reining Championship.
- Our spotlight para-equestrian Susan Treabess, also had a good Independence Day weekend, making like Steffen Peters and Ravel and cleaning up! More...
- Thank you to Henry Bullen of Peden Bloodstock International Horse Shipping Agents for joining us explain the preparations they are making to get ready for the 2010 Games.
- What a great sport Jackie Potts was to join us and tell us what transporting horses is like from the grooms point of view.
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Monday, 13 July 2009
You know when you should be doing something but...

Sunday, 12 July 2009
Ok, so decision has been made...and a snippet pre-view of my Project...
Following today's meeting, my Big Little Project has gotten all clear so decision has been made. I am going to invest my time, my current knowledge and passion into this Project. This means lots and lots of teaching and not enough riding. It's my forever dilemma: to teach or to ride? To earn a living or live in the saddle on bread and water?
I had to be brutally honest with myself and if it means I don't have what it takes then so be it. I am not prepared to damage my health by living rough and riding horses nobody wants to ride because they are too dangerous. Part of me admires people who do it and their determination to get to the top of the game but having spent months in hospital in my youth I quite cherish life on my own feet. I have no financial back up to buy and most of all to compete & produce nice young horses (thing I would love to do). Neither do I have my family with me here should I want to try competing on a shoestring. Neither do I have an outstanding talent to be spotted by Mystical Lottery Funding. I am a foreigner so nobody here would ever feel any national pride to do with my hidden Olympic talents ;) Hence, sponsorship highly unlikely!
[What is the (name to be added) EQUESTRIAN ACADEMY ? The Academy is an idea of a freelance riding instructor passionate about the sport, the well being of school horses and riders’ development who wanted to create a very unique training experience for a pleasure rider.
* You may find that an average riding school service of an hour ride-and-go doesn’t suit you and you would want to learn more about horse care and the training of both the horse and a rider as athletes.
* You may be looking for an interesting, fascinating sport to be involved in.
* You may have your own horse but would love to experience a structured, focused coaching.
* OR you may have started thinking about a horse of your own, but are concerned about where to start, the extent of the commitment and whether you are experienced enough to take on such a responsibility.
The Academy is designed to develop the rider as an athlete via varied, professional and exciting Programme. We welcome riders and riders-to-be of ALL levels from 12 yrs old to 62 and upwards, whether you always wanted to ride but never found a good time to have a go, whether you’ve been riding for years, are a once a week rider or are a horse owner already, please do read on.
Joining the Academy is like having a very special Personal Trainer who not only keeps you fit but also makes sure you have plenty of fun along the way and learn the ins and out of a very unique, fascinating sport where you work in harmony with another living creature.
You will have access to an exciting Training Programme (incorporating both sports specific and generic elements) and Training Schedule written especially for you as well as being able to treat the Academy Horse as if it was your own.
Full details to follow, all I can promise is that it's nothing a pleasure rider will find anywhere else in the country...
Once the exam is over and done with I will have, among million of other things, a grand task of writing a business plan for the Project, putting it all in legitimate writing in a form of a contract, setting up another meeting with yard owner to sign off the contract, finding suitable horses to buy to join the team we already have, build a marketing plan for the Project and make it known...
It's all very exciting as well as scary in the same time! I am hoping I can cope with the extent of it and that I am not going for something I can't bite. I *know* I can do this well but in the same time it will be jumping into deep waters! What if it doesn't work? It does. It will. What if it doesn't? You get the picture...
What will be will be. Either way, you will know about it.
“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Something Special for London riders and riders-to-be
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Busy Busy, Summer BBQ and Dental saga continues

Barnfield Riding School filled up the air with the wonderful scent of summer BBQ on Sunday night. I taught until 5.30pm with the last lesson being with with Mr.Z who could not wait to dismount and start the party!
Saturday, 4 July 2009
2010 Radio Show Episode 45 - Spotlight Vaulters: English Vaulting Squad
The ticket prices are announced and we discuss them with Ellen Gregory, PR for the WEG Foundation. Plus, we reveal our choice for the 2010 Radio Show Spotlight Vaulters this week. This is the only discipline where we will be following a team in their quest to qualify and get selected for the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games. Congratulations to the English Vaulting Squad and hear what they had to say. Listen in...
2010 Radio Show Episode 45 - Spotlight Vaulters: English Vaulting Squad:
- The winners of the June Radio Show Giveaway were:
- $300.00 worth of SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Formula went to Cinde Dodson of Orange, VA. Thank you SUCCEED for the donation.
- The winner of the World Equestrian Games Tee Shirt, compliments of the World Equestrian Games Merchandise Store, was Ann Hansen of Trenton, TN.
- The new giveaway for July will start within the week. Check back.
- The big news of the week was that the ticket prices have been set and released! Tickets will go on sale September 25, 2009, exactly one year before the Games arrive in Kentucky.
- Approximately 600,000 tickets will be available with prices starting as low as $25. Ticket sales will be facilitated by the 2010 Games Ticketing Provider, Ticketmaster, Inc. All ticket sales will be completed online at the Games Web site, www.alltechfeigames.com, beginning on September 25, 2009.
- The other big news this week coming out of the Kentucky Horse Park is that there will be no dogs going into the Horse Park next year during the World Equestrian Games. More...
- The US show-jumpers will be defending their lead in the Meydan FEI Nations Cup. After two wins early on, they finished a close second in Rotterdam a couple of weeks ago.
- Horsemania is coming back to Lexington. Those fantastic, decorated, fibreglass horses that popped up all over town in the year 2000 will make a reappearance next year in time for the World Equestrian Games.
- You might find it hard pressed to think what Lexington and the surrounding counties have in common with Napa Valley, but not for long. This year the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a tour of eight distilleries, celebrates it's tenth anniversary, and it's getting ever more popular.
- We are thrilled to announce the Spotlight team we will be following for Vaulting from now through the 2010 Games. We would like to congratulate the English Riding Squad out of England for being our Spotlight team! The English Vaulting Squad was formed in 2000 by a group of committed vaulters and parents who wished to advance up to International level. We had a chance to speak with Gill Barham and a couple of the kids on the team as they were preparing to leave for Achen for a big competition.
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