Charlie went home to his owner on Sunday after spending a weeks flat work schooling with me. I had this text from his owner this morning which made me smile
"Trot is bigger, more swingy and rhythmical. And appears to have some kind of valegro massive trot to canter transitions :) :) and he does all sorts of funky stuff now when I ask for leg yield or shoulder in!"
I really enjoyed schooling him too so everyone is happy. :)
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Hectic Week
Had a busy week full of riding and coaching and at last Sunshine!
I have a lovely horse in for schooling this week, Arleys Champagne Charlie, he's really trainable, his owner has gone for a weeks skiing. I have been training him in some of the more advanced lateral movements including half pass, shoulder in and renvers which will improve his suppleness and give him higher marks. He is by Bazaars Exclusive one of the UKs top Event sires, Charlie is being aimed at BE100 with an upgrade to Novice later in 2014.
I have also been busy entering events, several have been postponed or cancelled due to all this rain. It's been hard deciding where to enter and where to use my ballot stickers. Must be even worse a headache to be an organiser worrying whether to run or postpone or to cancel.
A very young rider I coach finished 11th in the 1 metre JAS final this week and also won Jump Training last week, she is about to begin her first season BE so this is a very exciting start to her BE career. I must make sure I am not in her section!!!!
As many XC courses are closed 3 1/2 year old Rif Raf and I have been escorting event riders round Castlemorton Common showing them how you don't need a XC course to teach a horse to event. It's amazing how puddles and ponds become water jumps, lumps and bumps become steps and banks, dips are water filled ditches and
gorse bushes in all shapes and sizes become skinnies, angles and corners.
I have trained horses to advanced level using these natural features, they also learn how to balance on sloping terrain, in mud and on wet grass all essential skills for a superstar event horse.
Photo kindly taken by my 10 year old niece Maisie, she's in the mirror if u look closely!
(it took some getting, to start with we had a lot of photos of an empty school, Maisie got very excited when she got one of his head and then as you can see a miracle happened. The saying never work with children and animals is oh so true)
I have a lovely horse in for schooling this week, Arleys Champagne Charlie, he's really trainable, his owner has gone for a weeks skiing. I have been training him in some of the more advanced lateral movements including half pass, shoulder in and renvers which will improve his suppleness and give him higher marks. He is by Bazaars Exclusive one of the UKs top Event sires, Charlie is being aimed at BE100 with an upgrade to Novice later in 2014.
I have also been busy entering events, several have been postponed or cancelled due to all this rain. It's been hard deciding where to enter and where to use my ballot stickers. Must be even worse a headache to be an organiser worrying whether to run or postpone or to cancel.
A very young rider I coach finished 11th in the 1 metre JAS final this week and also won Jump Training last week, she is about to begin her first season BE so this is a very exciting start to her BE career. I must make sure I am not in her section!!!!
As many XC courses are closed 3 1/2 year old Rif Raf and I have been escorting event riders round Castlemorton Common showing them how you don't need a XC course to teach a horse to event. It's amazing how puddles and ponds become water jumps, lumps and bumps become steps and banks, dips are water filled ditches and
I have trained horses to advanced level using these natural features, they also learn how to balance on sloping terrain, in mud and on wet grass all essential skills for a superstar event horse.
Photo kindly taken by my 10 year old niece Maisie, she's in the mirror if u look closely!
(it took some getting, to start with we had a lot of photos of an empty school, Maisie got very excited when she got one of his head and then as you can see a miracle happened. The saying never work with children and animals is oh so true)
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Top Gun Wins a Novice
Hartpury Take It 2 The Top finished in 3rd place in the 1.20 Intermediate, a rail down but a leading dressage test of 27.
The sun shone all day, the sky was a beautiful blue with white fluffy clouds, feels like spring is on its way, I must have a good imagination as I am sure I can almost hear the BE cross country commentary.........
Saturday, 8 February 2014
Success for Hartpury Top Gun at JAS Hartpury
I entered Hartpury Take It 2 The Top for the Novice and the Open classes. The weather was so fowl (or rather suitable for ducks!) that I put Hartpury Top Gun on the lorry a) to prevent his brother kicking the lorry b) so I could ride him in the indoor school in between Monty's rounds.
When we arrived I thought I would ask if we are allowed to swap horses and they were really accommodating and said yes. So I unexpectedly rode Hartpury Top Gun in the 1.10 Novice. He jumped a fabulous double clear in a quick time, the time was tight and as there were very few clears he even got a round of applause. We had the 2nd best style mark, very pleasing as I have been working hard on my position and core stability this winter. There were around 50 starters and Top Gun finished 5th in his first ever BE novice....sort of!!!
It meant Monty jumped just one class the 1.20 open, his round got messy when he locked onto the back of fence 7 as we approached fence 3, I panicked saw a long one, he didn't and chipped in taking the top rail out. He was however good on my lines and very bold, a quick accurate XC put him in 11th.
When we arrived I thought I would ask if we are allowed to swap horses and they were really accommodating and said yes. So I unexpectedly rode Hartpury Top Gun in the 1.10 Novice. He jumped a fabulous double clear in a quick time, the time was tight and as there were very few clears he even got a round of applause. We had the 2nd best style mark, very pleasing as I have been working hard on my position and core stability this winter. There were around 50 starters and Top Gun finished 5th in his first ever BE novice....sort of!!!
It meant Monty jumped just one class the 1.20 open, his round got messy when he locked onto the back of fence 7 as we approached fence 3, I panicked saw a long one, he didn't and chipped in taking the top rail out. He was however good on my lines and very bold, a quick accurate XC put him in 11th.
Monday, 3 February 2014
Tracie Robinson and J P Sheffield Kick On and Brush Up Clinic
I jumped at the chance to have a lesson with Tracie Robinson GB Olympic dressage coach to the British Eventing team. The clinic was at Crown Farm and the sun shone all day.
Tracie was fab, she worked on getting us to have a better contact and therefore connection. This was a brilliant session for Monty who only ever takes the contact when there is a jump involved. By the end of the session Tracie had given me the most amazing contact and the best collected canter I have ever sat on and I didn't want to stop!
The session with John Paul Sheffield was supposed to be grids but instead it was canter pole work which was disappointing. Monty has never done proper grid work as I don't have room in my school at home. JP commented our canters were all a bit short and asked us to open them up, I was gutted as we had only just found that canter in our lesson with Tracie. JP used the exercise where you canter between 2 poles varying the stride. The distance was 19 yards. I use this exercise a lot at home already and consequently Monty can canter down 19 yards on 3,4,5,6 or even 7 strides and so this exercise was a little boring for us. The next exercise was also one I do at home, where u change the poles to jumps and jump the first and then halt within 2 strides.
We finished with two 100 cm fences on the 19 yard distance and then round to a small parallel on the opposite long side.
The session reminded me that I haven't yet done this canter pole exercise with my 4 year old Rif Raf so when I got home I set it all up for her. She found it really easy, she's amazing for her age, she could do 19 yards on 4,5 or 6 strides.
Tracie was fab, she worked on getting us to have a better contact and therefore connection. This was a brilliant session for Monty who only ever takes the contact when there is a jump involved. By the end of the session Tracie had given me the most amazing contact and the best collected canter I have ever sat on and I didn't want to stop!
The session with John Paul Sheffield was supposed to be grids but instead it was canter pole work which was disappointing. Monty has never done proper grid work as I don't have room in my school at home. JP commented our canters were all a bit short and asked us to open them up, I was gutted as we had only just found that canter in our lesson with Tracie. JP used the exercise where you canter between 2 poles varying the stride. The distance was 19 yards. I use this exercise a lot at home already and consequently Monty can canter down 19 yards on 3,4,5,6 or even 7 strides and so this exercise was a little boring for us. The next exercise was also one I do at home, where u change the poles to jumps and jump the first and then halt within 2 strides.
We finished with two 100 cm fences on the 19 yard distance and then round to a small parallel on the opposite long side.
The session reminded me that I haven't yet done this canter pole exercise with my 4 year old Rif Raf so when I got home I set it all up for her. She found it really easy, she's amazing for her age, she could do 19 yards on 4,5 or 6 strides.
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