A little upbeat introduction to 2014 :)

Let me know if you like it :)

Glossary Judging Terms 2008 - an interesting publication

I came across this and thought it was an interesting read! Press full screen view for reading convenience.

Why eventers can't show-jump, training half-steps, napping,shadowing Anna and watching Human Performance in action - week in review

Pic.left: Watching dressage warm up with Barney who after becoming friends with me decided being close by is the way to go!

Where were we?

Tweseldown trip was very interesting. The reason I like to go to various events is because I like to stay on top of the level of riding out there, what do riders have problems with, whether there is any common issue, how does everything runs etc As I barely ever compete myself it's important for me not to stay too much out of the loop. On top of that, being foreign, I still think about competitions I used to take part in and many aspects of events here are very, very different to what I'm used to.
One thing that was particularly striking at Tweseldown was that eventers have a grand issue with the show-jumping phase! I watched quite a few rounds, 30-40 in total and saw maybe 1-2 rounds where horses had a good show-jumping canter. It was an unaffiliated Pre-Novice class so perhaps the level was lower than at a BE event but nevertheless there was quite a few pros competing.
It's good to know there is plenty of scope for improvement in the rider's way of jumping the courses.
The Dressage phase was another interesting part. I watched the riders warm up and very few practiced movements or transitions that came up later in the test. Many just rode around trying not to be mowed down by other riders! It was quite manic and very few looked like they were focusing on the job in hand. Not surprisingly, the transitions seemed to be the weakest link in majority of the tests I watched.
I'm very pleased to report my friend rode a lovely, rhythmic and forwards yet relaxed and supple test on her horse Epperne Z (or Ernie) to score 25.5 for it. Look out for them, they are good!

When you go as a help you can see much more than when you compete and have to focus on yourself. Observing is both good fun and an inexpensive education.
Very few riders walk their horses much once off the lorries. I saw several riders trotting away and into jumping warm-up literally few minutes after they chucked the saddles on. Not too good for all these cold tendons and ligaments is it?
Another good area of teaching - how to organise your time at an event, how to look after the horse before, during and after the event.

The horses. I rode Kingsley today and he felt much nicer and straighter than he was couple of months ago. He is still lacking a lot of suppleness and avoids any bending. Turning on the right rein rocks me to the outside quite significantly. I walked him in the woods in hand as there was nobody to go for a hack with and I thought it might be a bit silly to go solo on a horse that hasn't had the saddle on for almost 2 months. We then walked into the arena where Craig was riding Spider (Just Ironic who is on Badminton waiting list but only 6 places to go! We are keeping everything crossed he goes in!!) and Kingsley was totally fine until Spider started leaving...Kingsley spied that he would be on his own and reacted with napping. He didn't rear but because I know that he might want to I rode him firmly for a couple more rounds on his own. He was fine with that.
Frank was still quite worried about the saddle. He acts almost cold-backed. However, he was much better in the arena, no galloping around at the end of the lunge. He listens now and I can slow him down almost immediately. He still overreacts to most things around him but I was really surprised at how much calmer he was. He was also fine with me leaning over the saddle again. No drama there. I really like him and working with him is quite a challenge.

Day with Anna Ross-Davies. If it was financially possible I would happily just go and spend few days a week just watching the training sessions and anything involved with top horses and riders. It's a fabulous opportunity and I love my days there.
This time Anna wasn't teaching any clients but was focusing on preparing herself and horses for Saumur CDIO where she is selected to ride for the Team GBR.
After 4.30am start to the day I got picked up by Ali who also teaches and rides some horses for Anna. I groomed quickly the two horses that were to be worked at 9 and went to watch Ali riding lovely black mare. A couple of months ago she was a hairy, fluffy, unfit broodmare look-a-like, she is rather sleek now! And moves! Well, I thought it was quite good until Anna came, said a few things and the canter went from bum high to sitting on the hocks.
Then the rest of early morning was all about piaffing in hand with MK and watching very elegant Merrie learning half-steps. I've never seen a horse being taught half-steps in - hand before, fascinating. Simon, who does the in-hand work is quite a magician with the whip!

I was then left with Benji the dog with permission to eavesdrop on James Burtwell's clinic (he is a Coach & List 3 Judge as well as Team Selector for Home Internationals and BD Regional Camp coach) while Anna dashed to the gym. Benji and I leisured in the sun while observing the training sessions. I must say James Burtwell knows how to be positive! He also seemed to have found that happy medium that allows him to praise riders a lot without sounding overly complementary and correct the problems without sounding too harsh. The skill I don't think I have much of...yet...I'm trying ;)
The riders ranged from prelim to medium/adv medium level and yet again there was a lot of emphasis on correct basics but also a lot of freedom to play with more advanced movements despite a gap here and there.
What I really like about Anna's teaching is that the basics come first. I don't think I've seen many lessons when the gaps in rider's position and the correctness in horse's training wouldn't be addressed first and foremost.
Having said that, all the horses on James' clinic improved their way of going and finished on a very good note. He used a serpentine exercise a lot to work on horses' balance, rhythm, bend and flexion and it was interesting to see how many riders/horses started rather badly and rode much better and more balance aware after several goes.
The afternoon started with Anna teaching Eppi who rides for her at home. Then MK, Borris and Anna's riding were scrutinised by Jon Pitts who helps Team GBR with rider's fitness & performance. Jon came to help with improving the canter zig-zag and one tempi changes. There is so many minute details in the training of a GP horse and a GP rider it is mind blowing, in a good way! To semi - quote Anna here, all the weakness that you have as a rider, all the gaps in the basic education might not show at Advanced Medium or PSG level but will hinder you at Grand Prix. Therefore she teaches riders at prelim as if they were going to make the GP level. It seems that once you're there you better have your basics well in place or you can forget about improving your horse at that level.

This is probably why Anna's way of training suits me as I like to be taught the correct way, no gaps, and I like to coach riders this way too. If I go for a lesson I'm not interested in being praised all the time and/or told how good my horse is. Sure, I want my confidence to be built but if I needed a tell-me-sweet-little-lies session I am sure I can get it for free. Not all riders like this of course and many prefer to move up the levels without ironing out the foundation steps.
The solid basics and relying on rider performance tools is the sort of work we want to do with Academy for grassroots riders (scaled down of course!) so watching the training with Jon's input was a fabulous opportunity.
Even more so, he is interested to get involved on rider performance side of the Academy so I just have to figure out how to organise it all!

The day finished with setting up the dressage boards on grass for Anna's lessons for eventers in preparation for Badminton. Wish I could see those. Maybe next time.

Running Training Day tomorrow, then teaching my dear Barnfield gang on Sunday.

Waming Up For Dressage with Anna Ross Davies

Anna Ross Davies gives her thoughts about the warm up in her demonstration on Pegasus MK.

PART 1



PART 2



And a couple of videos of Anna competing. I don't think I will live long enough to ever ride like she does but I guess you've got to aspire the highest you can :)

March 2010 Pegasus MK Grand Prix Freestyle




2009 Regionals Medium Freestyle

My Dressage learning day at Bury farm and Patchetts EC

Thanks to a fantastic on-going opportunity offered to me by Anna Ross Davies I spent yet another superb day at Bury Farm and Patchetts EC observing all sorts of her lessons and training.
Considering my £0 budget for personal training at the moment I can't even start to tell you how grateful I am to be able to learn so much simply by being able to watch, listen and be around people who do Dressage for a living.
What I like about watching the training, both horses' and riders', is that I can think up my own corrections and what I would say myself if it was me teaching/riding and then confront it with what Anna is saying to her riders.
Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I manage to be on the similar track of thoughts. Many a times I am well off the mark though and hearing it immediately corrected works wonders for my understanding of consistency and continuity of the bigger picture of the training process.

My personal interest is very much in rider's performance and I try to log into my head all the position problems riders show during their lessons and how it affects different type of horses.
It seriously feels like a training experience on quality fast-forward when you can note so many different riders on so many different horses in one day.

It was very much a Dressage To Music lessons theme today with riders preparing for Music tests from Novice to Medium. As much as I love Music tests the whole floor plans plus well chosen notes are still a bit of a foggy area for me so it was great watching the work in progress.

The thing I really noticed today was what a difference riding a test a few times over and over again with well incorporated corrections did to horses' way of going. It might be that the riders had more focus on the quality of the movements, it might be that riding certain sequence of movements simply improved the horses' balance and acceptance of the aids but the difference in between first test-ride of the lesson and the last was substantial. Go on - ride those tests at home, the movements are linked together for a reason :) You might be surprised how much better your horse goes as a result of having to think about changing its balance in transitions and correct positioning in arena figures.

I hope I am making some sense here, I am well and truly knackered after 5am start and rather interesting travelling adventures! Can't wait for the next time though!
Running first Training Day of 2010 tomorrow and the rider will certainly work hard! ;)

Tribute to Moorland Totilas....Dressage Humour

Update on Kingsley and trip to British Dressage National Champs in Stoneleigh

Kingsley is currently treated for concussion to his feet; is on 5 day box rest, will be seen by a very good farrier to discuss ways of keeping him comfortable and will be shod all round. Once all this is done he will be re-assessed. It is not to say there is no other problem than concussion but it's very difficult to address further investigation without eliminating obvious issue.

It's been sad few days and I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the trip to the Champs in such a negative mood. Hitting the road in a very good company does put many things in perspective though and I had a lovely time. My friend's talent in cheering me up and several hours of action watching got me back on a much more positive track.

Horses will always be unpredictable so I guess we just have to be patient and plan things as we go. It's easy to become depressed and frustrated when things go wrong and many a time it seems like nothing can be done. However, there is always some solution to a problem and at least for me it's always more difficult to find one when I am seeing only doom and gloom.

I'm looking forwards to seeing little Kingsley tomorrow and I am keeping everything crossed

he comes back sound and happy from his little rest. If not, there are still options to consider.

It should be a nice day as I am running a Training Day for a very nice rider.

Here are some snippets from the warm up arena at Nationals. I admit I find it way more interesting to watch the action behind the scenes and prefer to observe riders in the warm up than riding actual tests!

Hidden Camera ;)) :

Edward Gal & Moorlands Totilas Kür 90.750% European Championship 2009 UK Windsor

Moorlands Totilas at World Dressage Masters 2009

http://horseandcountry.tv/episode/Edward-Gal-and-Moorlands-Totilas-Record-Breaking-WDM-Kur

Old books on Horsemanship! And an Elementary Dressage Test from 1994

While waiting for Suzanne to give me a lift after work I started browsing some old books at the yard and what fun it was to look at those photos!

Journey back in time

These tests are from when the British Horse Society was a governing body of Dressage in the Uk (now this is in the hands of British Dressage)

Tiredness continues and my plan for tonight is to hit the pillows as early as possible and rest my brain cells.

Felt very sleepy today throughout the day but this is usually the effect of stress or an adrenaline expectation seems to have on me! Talking about old times - I remember one National show-jumping show I went to ages ago, it was my last chance to qualify for my licence for higher classes (it was in Poland and I am too tired to explain the Junior points system back then ;) and I spent entire journey in the lorry yawning like mad. Body going into stand by mode? ;)

Dressage Scales Of Training - "It's NOT the pyramid" William Micklem goes to say:

"In the dressage world Herbert Rehbein was considered the professional’s professional – a humble genius. He won the Hamburg Dressage Derby eight times and seven titles in the German Professionals Championships. He was voted 'Trainer of the Year' by the International Trainers Club in 1991 and in '94, and the German Federation conferred on him the title of 'Riding Master'. In 1977 and ‘78 I was lucky enough to spend two short periods at his training stables, Gronwoldhof, when Lucinda Green traveled there for training with, among others, her Badminton winner Be Fair.

DOUBLE DELIGHT

I was delighted to find that one of the retired equine residents at Gronwoldhof was Alwin Schockemöhle’s great Show Jumping World Champion Donald Rex. However I was even more delighted to watch an athletic 4 year working, who was the apple of Herbert’s eye…his name was Pik Bube. It was no surprise that he went on to become world famous, both as a multiple Grand Prix winner and as a Dressage stallion. His success further cemented the reputation of the Hannoverian Stud book, despite the fact that he was half Thoroughbred, as was Reiner Klimke’s greatest dressage horse, the ‘Westphalian’ Ahlerich.

Herbert Rehbein trained with Bubi Gunther, who together with Willie Schulteis and Joseph Neckermann were trained by the Father of modern German dressage Otto Lorke. They in turn trained Harry Boldt, Reiner Klimke and the majority of todays top trainers including Conrad Schumacher and Jean Bemelmans. What a dynasty! What they have collectively achieved means their words have huge significance.

THE NOTES ON A PIANO

Herbert Rehbein didn’t say much to me but his few words were all gems. In particular he said that most people misunderstand the ‘Scales of Training’, even in Germany! His point was that the scales are like the notes on a piano and all six of the scales have to eventually work together for top results and that none of the scales should be worked at individually.

I believe this is actually what Chris Irwin was saying in his last blog regarding the fifth in the scale, Straightness. However I regret that I take issue with Chris and with all the many others who present the scales as a pyramid. It is not presented as such in the manuals of the German National Equestrian Federation….instead it is a linear structure and with good reason. If it was to be presented as a pyramid the base of the pyramid would not be relaxation, as Chris suggests, but the first in the scale which is Rhythm. While at the top of the pyramid it would be the sixth in the scale, Collection. Thankfully we have moved on from the early aims of dressage, which did have collection as the ultimate aim, and resulted in disastrous and often cruel consequences for horses. No, our ultimate aim is to have a happy athlete doing a whole range of exercises within a range of both collected and extended paces."

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE on William Micklem's BLOG: http://www.horseplay.ie/news/riding-resource/william-micklem-its-not-a-pyramid.asp

The Ultimate teacher - the horse??

Exercise to help with correct canter lead

Lateral work with Laura Bechtolsheimer

Videos of the first WorldCup Dressage Qualifier Odense Denmark- Frestyle

Heather Blitz on Body Awarness - why our position on the horse is so important...

I hope Behind The Bit won't mind me pinching her post idea but I think this video is super. I saw Heather Blitz riding when she joined Mary Wanless at her seminar at Hadlow College last year. The difference in the horse she rode (an ordinary RC horse) was amazing and her comments are still with me when I ride.


Heather riding Paragon:

National Dressage Championships 2008

HorseHero filmed some of the riders at National Dressage Champs - well worth watching!
They filmed both warm ups and tests itself. The uploaded videos so far are:
1) Gemma Green and Showtime (plus Gemma's warmup with dressage legend, Jennie Loriston-Clarke, before her test in the Inter 1 Freestyle to Music)
2) Anne-Marie Perry and Aristo (warm up with Emile Faurie)
3) Laura Bechtolsheimer and Andretti (warm up with her father, Dr. Bechtolsheimer).

Click on image below to watch all three videos and check back soon for more.

Olympic dressage rider, Laura Bechtolsheimer, works her young horse

The connecting Half-Halt Video

Reading This Week - "Dressage Today" from USA

Thanks to my dear American friend (virtual hugs to you Candace!!!) who, since April this year, was putting aside issues of "Dressage Today" and have just sent them over to me I've been having a magazine reading delight!! The articles are great and very informative, I almost missed my train station today while reading through one of the stories (Guenter Seidel road to Grand Prix).
While browsing the info on "Dressage Today" I noticed you can subscribe to an online version for just $10 (12 issues I guess?). Now, that's the thought...:)