AHR 2007 First Level video

Mohini HE - First Level Test 1, 1st place, 62% (need to double check that on my score sheet), 2007 AHR Nationals




Not a perfect test by any means. This was the first time showing 1st level with this mare. There are some bobbles in the beginning. And the first lengthening is pathetic. The second lengthening is marginal at best. The strengths are the stretching trot work, the walk work, and the halts. You can see she is a bit fussy in the bridle, and the canter starts out unpure and 4 beat-y. We switched bits not too long after this show and that made a HUGE difference in the bit acceptance. Her previous training as a combined driving horse may have had something to do with the canter...but we were working very nicely through that when I had to stop riding her because I moved up to Alaska.

I have two more videos to post, will try to do one more tomorrow. Also, I've added a list of dressage books that are in my library. This list is incomplete, and just what I remember off the top of my head. I'll try to update and expand it more in the future.

Looking through old videos

Came across some videos that I had stashed away in the recesses of my hard drive. Thought I'd post them to share. I have this one ready:



Farrah was 3 in this video, and had been in training with me for about 2 months. (She was already broke walk/trot before she came into training with me.) She was a bit sucked behind in the beginning, and you'll see I was riding WWWAAYYY too conservatively. After the canter work, we get a bit more spring in our step. She also gets a bit longer in the neck (a good thing).

This was shot at the barn I managed and trained out of in Michigan, Double Bar H Equestrian Center. This was while construction was still underway. You can see there are no gates on the arena, and there is a huge gaping hole in the end. That is where the observation room is now.

**Sorry for the poor quality, it was taken on an old VHS-C camcorder, and then transferred to digital.**

My my my. Wasn't today just a whirlwind?!

Candidate C is ready to move to an indoor. YAAAAYYY! So, we'll start a 30 day trial, and see how things go. Until the end of the 30 day trail, everything will stay anonymous. After things are all settled, we'll do an unveiling if the trial turns out well.

I am still planning to meet Candidate E.

Introducing Candidate E!

So, today brought about the possibility of Candidate E. She is a 4 yo QH mare, started undersaddle, and ready to progress. I will hopefully be getting to meet her and her owner sometime this week.

Also, Candidate C is still a very strong contender as well.

Just realized I haven't updated on Candidate A. The owner and I decided that Candidate A would really benefit from another year of growth before she is started undersaddle. So, she is off the list.

I'll keep you posted! (Yay, because I was starting to feel kinda depressed about this whole process.)

Ready to ride, where's the horse?

Guys, I am seriously going a little bonkers. *laughs* I am SOOOOO ready to get started, but still no horse. =(

I hadn't thought it would be so difficult to find someone who would want free training. *laughs*

I realize the economy is in the pits right now. But think of what you would be getting. For the price of board alone ($500-$600), you can get board AND training. If I were actually charging, I would be charging $450/month. So, this is almost 1/2 price. Plus, show experience on your horse for FREE. This is a really good deal.

Maybe people are skeptical about my reasons behind offering this? Why am I doing this for free? Well. I love the daily progress of working a horse and developing it to its fullest potential. I have a green thoroughbred mare just sitting in a pasture down in Michigan right now. I am very much wishing I could be working that mare right now. But the distance is prohibitive. *grins* So, this is a bit of 'transference therapy' for me. Let my desire to work my OWN horse work for you. *laughs*

I don't know maybe I would have better luck if I did charge? Perhaps this is a perception of 'you get what you pay for'. Hm. I will have to think about this...comments?

Candidate B is out

Well, Candidate B fell through. Seems that horse will be moving to Fairbanks!

I did meet Candidates C and D (both appies) earlier this week, though. The issue there is, as with so many other candidates, the indoor arena. So...we shall see.

I am just ITCHING to get started, and I seem to be hitting setback after setback. *sighs* I know I just need to continue to be patient and explore the options. But this warmer weather is really kicking me into high gear.

My teachers

So, I thought I would take a moment to talk about the people who have taught me so much over the years.

In 1994, my mother took me to see the "World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions" in Anchorage. This was my very first introduction to dressage. (http://www.lipizzaner.com)

My first up close and personal introduction to the concept of dressage was by Rachel James in about 1995. Rachel and I were in 4H together. She had a little arabian gelding, Quana Parker. Rachel lent me a great book that started me down the path towards dressage.

In 1996, I headed to Germany for a year. I lived with a family that bred Hanovarians. We lived just outside of Verden, where they hold the Hanovarian Elite Auctions. I rode at the Hanovarian Riding School (Hannoversche Reit- und Fahrschule - www.hannoveraner.com/101.html). My instructor there was Herr Weist. I tested and earned my German Small Bronze Medal while I was there.

Upon returning to Alaska after a year spent in Germany, I decided to find a working student position with a Grand Prix dressage trainer. I found a position with Mari Zdunic in Hartland, Michigan. (www.shineabit.com) Here I got the chance to ride the Grand Prix movements on well trained Grand Prix horses, working with green and young horses, and really get into the PSYCHOLOGY of the horse. While working with Mari, I also had the pleasure of working with AnnMarie Kierkegaard, Dorothy Mueller, and Lois Heyderdahl. It is funny to note that the current head rider for the "World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions" learned to ride from Mari!


Mari with Frenesi (thoroughbred) after winning the Silver Medal at the Olympic Sports Festival in 1981.


My next instructor was Tracy Rowe-McEwan. (www.rowestables.com) Tracy's parents competed at the upper levels of dressage at the same time as Mari and her mentor, Chuck Grant. Small world! So Tracy had a similar approach to the horse, adhering to classical principles, believing that the well being of the horse comes first. I worked with Tracy with my big Oldenburg mare, Moose, and also with my Hanovarian/TB mare, Abba. I continued sporadic lessons with Tracy until I left Michigan in December of 2007.

I also brought in Paula Kierkegaard for clinics. In yet another display of how small the world is, Paula is AnnMarie Kierkegaard's daugher-in-law! I 'met' Paula on the UDBB (www.ultimatedressge.com), where she is known as 'galopp'. She helped me to really focus on how my equitation impacts the horse. We worked a lot on improving my seat (as did Tracy!).

I have had the privilege to audit clinics with Walter Zettl, Karl Mikolka, Paul Belasik, and Michael Poulin.

I have been lucky enough to take a handful of lessons from Fritz Fleischmann (German Bereiter and former Head Trainer for German Dressage Gold Medalist Hubertus Schmidt) and Chrissa Frith-Hoffmann (Grand Prix rider and trainer, who holds the United States Dressage Federations Bronze, Silver and Gold medals - www.cfh-dressage.com)

Met Candidate 'B' yesterday

Oh, my goodness. Candidate B is a cool horse. I think he might be the one. I have not heard from Candidate C in a bit, so that may no longer be an option...

Candidate B is an older QH gelding. He is broke to ride, but is very out of shape. He has a lot of personality, and I liked that about him. I also liked his owner, I think she and I would get along well. The meshing of personalities (equine and human) is very important in this whole thing. It's no fun to be dealing with people or horses you don't really enjoy spending time with!

I believe that by next week, I will be starting a 30 day trial with Candidate B. If that happens, I will post pictures here!

Met an APP candidate today!

I met a very sweet little 3 year old arab mare today. We will call her 'candidate A'. I had the opportunity to do a little ground work and lunging. She was such a good girl! I enjoyed her disposition quite a bit. She is still growing, and a little croup high right now. She's in a little bit of a gawky stage, which I'm sure she'll outgrow within the next few months. She has not been started undersaddle yet, so she is a blank slate, just waiting for the right information.

Couple different things that are nice about Candidate A: 1) There is no retraining here. It would be the opportunity to just start correctly from the get go. 2) I know the people who own the barn she is boarded at, and already have a relationship with them. 3) Her owners have other horses they ride, so she would not be shared while I am working with her. (Kind of a major PLUS.)

Drawbacks of Candidate A: 1) She is young. I don't start horses before they are 3, so she meets that criteria. But the first year is pretty light work. 2) Because of her age, I wouldn't expect to do much past Intro Level this summer. As I recall, there were not many Intro classes offered at the Alaska dressage shows.

So, as of right now, Candidate A is still a prime candidate. I was supposed to meet Candidate B today, but was not able to find the barn! *laughs* So, hopefully I'll be able to meet Candidate B within the next week.

Now that the weather has warmed up, it is so much easier to work out the details of the entire APP situation. As of right now, I have 3-4 potential candidates. I will meet each of them, and hope to make a decision soon. I am itching to get started, I feel like I'm already so far behind!!

If you have a horse you think might benefit from my APP, please feel free to email me. I am still considering candidates that meet the requirements. You can email me at: dressagefun at mtaonline dot net.

So, why do I need an indoor arena?

A lot of people have asked me why I need to have the potential APP boarded at a facility with an indoor. Is it because I am some sort of Snobby Dressage Queen? Is it because I lived in the lower 48 for too long and can't handle the lovely Alaskan winter temps? Is it because I only want to deal with people who have enough money to pay board?

Nope.

It is because I am a footing nazi. I think good footing is really REALLY important for dressage work.

First, let's talk about the physical issues that bad footing can cause.

• Working on footing that is too hard can cause joint related lameness issues.


• Working in footing that is too deep can cause tendon and ligament lameness issues.


• Working in footing that is inconstant can cause soft tissue damage and torn muscles.

Now, let's talk about the training issues that bad footing can cause:

• Footing that is too hard may cause a horse to move tentatively. In dressage, we want the horse to move freely forward.


• Footing that is too deep may cause the horse to 'wallow'. He can't push off from the ground, he is sucked back down. This 'steals' the horse's suspension and can negatively impact the impulsion.


• Working in footing that is inconsistent can lead to a horse that is not 100% focused on the rider. The horse has to THINK about where his feet are going, has to plan to protect himself from the footing he is working in.

Bottom line: FOOTING IS IMPORTANT. Footing is NOT something I am willing to negotiate on. Bad footing is bad for the horse. Period.

My Inspiration

Thought I would share some photos that I look to for inspiration.


This is Alexandra Korelova riding the Orlov Trotter stallion, Balagur. I really love this pair. Balagur is not the typical horse you would expect to see performing on the International dressage scene. I think that is one of the things I like best about them. *grins*



This is Philippe Karl, an incredible master of classical horsemanship and dressage. This picture demonstrating the piaffe is as near to perfect as it gets...



This is Herr Egon von Neindorff also demonstrating the piaffe.



Melissa Simms. She was a long time student of Herr Egon von Neindorff. The similiarities in her riding and Herr von Neindorff are easily seen from these photos.



This is Marianne Grossweiler riding Stephan. She rode for the Swiss team in the Olympics in 1964 and 1968. Boy, competitive dressage has changed a lot over the years....



This is Arthur Kottas, formerly of the Spanish Riding School. Here he is demonstrating schooling the levade.



Ah, now to Dr. Reiner Klimke. This picture is from the 1976 Olympics, where he and Mehmed were on the Gold Medal Dressage Team for Germany. Dr. Klimke also rode on the Olympics for Germany in 1964 (Gold on Dux), 1968 (Gold on Dux), 1984 (Gold on Alherich), 1988 (Gold on Alherich). {{Edit: After looking closer at this picture, I realized that Mehmed is in a snaffle, so I'm pretty sure this isn't from actual competition at the Olympics. Maybe warm up?! But as far as I know, it has never been allowed by FEI rules to show Grand Prix in a snaffle...}}

HAFLINGERS!!!

So, I have a 'thing' for ponies. And I apparently have a thing for blonde ponies! When I was in Michigan, I worked with a couple of Haflinger breeders and really enjoyed training and showing their horses. Here are pictures!



This was my lineup at my first class at the American Haflinger Nationals in 2006. I am riding APF Noble Rose (owned by New Horizons Haflingers of Lainsgburg, MI). We are the last ones in the line-up. This was for Intro Level Dressage Suitability, and we got 3rd place.



A bit blurry, but you can see Miss Rosie working hard! This was actually warmup for the Dressage Suitability class in 2006 at Nationals again.



Miss Rosie chilling between classes. Isn't she a sweetie?! I really loved working her, she was so much fun. She is now producing INCREDIBLE foals for her owner. You can check them out here: www.newhorizonshaflingers.com



This is Antonio Rose of Lilac Farms. He is out of Rosie, the mare above. I started him undersaddle and showed him Intro level at the 2007 American Haflinger Nationals. This is from the Intro Dressage Suitability class, and he was 2nd place!



This is Mohini HE, owned at the time by Our Haflinger Horses of Tiffin, OH. Spoils from Haflinger Nationals in 2007. We were American Hafgliner Nationals First Level Reserve Champions. She is a very powerful mare, with a wonderful work ethic.



Mohini again. This picture was taken from the show where I met Mohini. This was the third time I had ridden her, and we got 3rd place in this class!

In the meantime...

Well, until I get to enter some information about my actual Alaska Project Pony (APP), I figured I would post some pictures of horses I have known, ridden, trained, and/or shown.

The first picture is of Shadow, a horse that was owned by my mother and recently sold to her new home up here. I worked with her last summer and had a lot of fun with her.







This is Fleet's Skybar Spirit. He is a paint gelding that I started undersaddle and later showed in dressage for his owners, Don and Vonda Hamilton of Laingsburg, MI. We were Open Training Level Champions at the show right after this picture was taken!



Here is Spirit again, showing off his great balance, even at training level. He is a great horse, and shows a lot of talent for dressage work. He was always one of my favorite horses to work with because he was eager to please, smart, and had a lot of personality.





This is Vida Loca, an Oldenburg mare owned by Uma Julz Sporthorses of Bath, MI. I started Vida undersaddle when she was 7. She had been a broodmare up until then. She is a very talented mare and was probably the easier horse I ever started. She was very solid training level after just 60 days undersaddle, and was even started over fences then. She certainly is a big mare! *laughs*



This was my Oldenburg mare, Wonder Woman (aka Moose). I bought Moose as an unbroke 4 year old and started her undersaddle. This picture was taken at a schooling show when she was working Training level. She was working a solid 2nd level when I sold her to her current owner, Iron Horse Farm. She is now a wonderful broodmare there and is producing fantastic foals!



And here is my Doo man! I bought Doo from a lady in Wasilla when he was just under 2 years old. He was the first horse I started undersaddle. In 2004, we were GLASS-ED 2nd Level Open Reserve High Point and High Percentage Champions. He is 14 hands, and probably has some draft horse in there somewhere. He is still down in Michigan, and I miss him SOOO much!

3...2...1...LAUNCH!

The purpose of this blog will be to track the progress of my Alaska Project Pony. Said equine may or may not actually be a pony. *laughs* But they're all ponies to me. And in my world, that is a compliment. *laughs*

I have been looking for my project pony since October. I have had a lot of interest, have met some really wonderful people and learned about a lot of horses in the Mat-Su Valley that have a lot of potential. So far, none of the candidates have worked out. I have faith that the right situation is out there, though. So, I keep pushing on.

At this point, I have a very strong candidate in the wings. If it works out, I'll let everyone know the details!

Once I find the project pony, I intend to update this blog on a weekly basis with the progress we make. I would like to share this experience with anyone who is interested in the process.