Cindi Rose Wylie

USDF FEI Trainers Symposium

2012-01-30T23:09:00.003-05:00

Christoph Hess....what more can I say. I've never met a kinder more patient man, with such an incredible knowledge of classical principles. The Trainers Symposium was the first two days of my week long intensive educational experience with Christoph. It really set the tone for me to up my standards. He is so clear in his expectations. The basics must be perfect. He is not the type of trainer who will do the 'tricks' just to please the rider. But rather will spend the time perfecting stretching and throughness, until the tricks happen almost by themselves. With only one hand on the reins never-the-less.

While I don't think the blow by blow of each and every rider would be interesting and is probably posted all over the internet already, I will post several quotes from Christoph. But as far as the riders go, I will say my friend Sharon McCusker was LOVELY. She is very deserving of the kudos she got!

Anyway...the quotes...If there's something unclear, feel free to email me!!! But in the meantime....enjoy!!!

The key point of good riding is that the horse is 100 per cent in front of the leg.

Christoph frequently tells us to use the whip at the shoulder. It gets the horse up off the shoulder, and also helps him pay better attention to the inner leg. Having used this technique on now more than a few of my young ones (and not so young ones) I will say I've found it very helpful when properly applied!

The walk is an important mirror for good riding.

Christoph used a long rein stretching between the half pass left and right with great success.

The circle is the most important movement to train. The corner is a quarter of a circle, and trains the proper bend and shape. (Am darned glad Karl M pounded this into my head!)

It is important to have control of the tempo and the line.

Slowing down the tempo doesn't mean allowing the horse to be lazy. Slowing down the tempo means more time to swing through the body!

Ultimate the horse relaxes to a long rein, and then the rider can ride easily with one hand, patting him with the other.

Control the tempo with your body. (Not your reins!)

Acceptance of the inside leg means obedience.

The horse must be able to listen to the leg even without the spur. Riding too much off the spur makes the horse slow.

When the horse is in front of the leg, he is happier, straighter, and moves better.

The horse must learn to move forward by himself.

The horse is not as sensitive at the shoulder when you use the whip there, which is why he sometimes accepts it better than the hind leg.

If you use the whip at the hind leg, you must use it at the precise moment that it comes off the ground. (Again, thank you Karl for drilling this fact into me!!!)

Half seat allows the horse to find his own balance.

If you ride with too much forward energy all the time, the horse eventually loses balance and falls too much on the forehand.

Riding with one hand helps evaluate if the horse is trained the right way, so that you can start training the upper level movements.

You need collection for proper shoulder in and half pass. It's a gymnastic process, not trick riding!

We have to sometimes ask the horse difficult questions to see what he's ready for, but at the same time be careful not to ask to much.

You need a trot with good impulsion to half pass. You need more power, cadence, and uphill tendency as well.

Christoph frequently spoke about "swinging" your driving aids in the direction of the hands. It's a cool way too think about it in my eyes.

You must have your forward work under control before loosening the back with lateral work. The quality of the gaits must come first!

When the horse is running, it's best to slow him down with lateral work. (Eh Shorty?) You should NOT stop or slow a horse with your reins!

Contact is not only the part between the hand and the bit. It's the whole picture. From the front...to the back.

Dressage is gymnastic to help develop the paces.

NEVER blame the horse. The problem is the rider. (Cindi's editorial..... BIG SIGH!!!!)

To be a true horseman, you must know how to sit. To sit, you must be supple and balanced.

Pirouette is not about riding the circle. It's about riding the collection. (On the circle.)

Riders who sit in the saddle that are stiff ride without tension, and ride without feeling.

Energy is required for a steady connection.

The larger the strides, the more steady the contact.

Christoph was very adamant on "RESULT ORIENTED RIDING". I.e....ride with a purpose!

If the rider overuses the inside rein the horse will fall out of balance.

Christoph says he's only concerned with the horse being behind the vertical if the horse is out of balance.

When the ears are backwards the horse is not thinking positive (or forward).

99 percent of the problems between horse and rider are communication problems. The horse doesn't get it. (Ohhhh I never said that LOL!)

You have to RIDE the horse backwards with forwards energy.

If the horse double taps in passage, use the collected trot, add cadence, suspension, and elasticity. But don't confirm training the passage with double steps.

And finally....from day one.....DRESSAGE IS A JOY TO WATCH!!!!

Yeah it's alot. But there's a lot more.....

Stay tuned :-D

Training Philosophy

2011-12-30T08:27:00.002-05:00

Wow... 4995 reads on my little blog! That may not be a lot to some, but to me it's really touching that people actually look at this stuff. Hopefully it's been helpful to some and maybe even a little entertaining at times ;-)

So in an attempt to break the 5000 mark by New Years, here's something that's been on my mind.

Day in day out. Training is what I do. And when I'm not on the horse training it, I'm teaching, and thinking about how to help the rider better train the horse. And when I'm not doing either of those, I'm probably obsessing about one of my rides today, what I could have done better, where I should go next, or just enjoying how happy one great ride can make me feel.

In thinking about it, I think about the obstacles as well. Many can recognize that feeling when attempting an exercise for the first time or even the fifth, that "wow...this horse isn't ever going to get it......". You go home frustrated, and worry. Is he sound? Does he have some type of mental or physical deficiency? Am I doing it wrong? Does my saddle fit? I think I might need to go bitless....or the newest supplement...do you think the fat is high enough in his grain? Or maybe the trainer has to ride him through this....barefoot shoeing?....ACK!!!!

I can't tell you how many times I've been there, sitting in a pool of doubt. Wondering what "I'm" doing wrong, or I'm missing, or what's wrong with my precious horse. Recently I've been helping a friend go through a step like this too with his ones. A month ago, the horse would melt down at only two. It was frustrating for my friend, and I totally commiserate remembering going through the same frustrations once with Kriter. Today he got six beautiful straight and calm ones :-))) It just took the right exercises, a little more strength on the horses part, and a little better timing on the riders part. I fully expect any day now they'll be banging out 15. But it's a process for sure. And the prerequisite is patience.

Side note; Ruby on the other hand does everything right the first time of course. At least he thinks so! But we won't go there today. Bugger....

So the one thing I can share with you from my experience is that when having one of those days where you're trying something new, like a turn on the haunches, and your horse insists on swinging his haunches out rather than stepping around the circle, don't go juicing up the electromagnetic blanket, scheduling a nuke scan, and calling the psychic. Don't focus on the failure but what actually happened with respect to your horses basics. Step away from the emotions, analyze the situation in black and white, and think about which exercises that might help the horse develop better strength and understanding over the coming days to perform the movement you're looking for. Yep it's all about patience and time. And remember, these obstacles aren't failures, they're just another step in the development of what's hopefully a long and successful career for you and your partner.

On that note, best wishes for a happy, healthy, and successful year ahead, with many wonderful rides!

And thank you for reading me!

Cindi

Gladstone Day 2

2011-09-11T22:32:00.001-04:00

Fortunately the rains let up. There was much flooding in the area, but Gladstone escaped with just mud. We actually saw blue skies, and Brian O'Connor joked about canceling the show due to the shadows caused by the sun.

A wild looking river near the farm....swollen and angry from all the rains....

With the sun came the bees though. I don't think there was a person there who wasn't dodging them. People got stung. One or our friends even got bit on the inside of his cheek...We wore long sleeves and sweated. Heaven forbid you had sugar in your coffee. And apples were especially appealing...

Christine, Erin's mom, with her "bee hat" on so she could watch Erin's warmup without getting bit!

I do apologize to the Junior, Young, and Pony riders as those were usually the times we were either training or not on the property. But am happy that they also had their moments to shine at this very special event.

The Grand Prix Special went as expected I think. Ravel and Steffen and Calecto V and Tina again performed head and shoulders above the rest with better and more powerful performances than before. The footing was better, and you could see both riders "go for it" as they knew they had their rides under their belts.

Then the long awaited PSG. It was a long day for us, as we started our training session early, and we wanted to see Steffen on Weltino's Magic, a Westfalen who was purchased from Munster Handorf, where we have also purchased many wonderful young horses. We were not disappointed. The top three horses, Weltino, Paragon, and Grandioso, clearly were in a class above the rest. Two other young upcomings who were worth watching were Warsteiner with Heather Mason and Big Tyme with Marisa Festerling. Marisa was having a great go at it, until unfortunate mistakes started to happen in all the last movements. But the power of this horse was complimented by a beautifully quiet rider. They are truly a pair to watch! The top three were definite "ins" for the Pan Ams, but who the fourth and fifth horses were still left a big question mark.

I do know there was some 'murmur' among spectators. It did not appear to any of them that Caesar patted or even acknowledged any of the efforts of Grandioso. It did upset a few....

I did get to do some shopping. And found some very new gloves with "bling". My only sadness was the fact that the fancy new helmet that I tried to order apparently does not come in my size.

Oh well. Life will go on :-)

Tomorrow is Erin's time to shine. Best get up early, as I want to be in tip top coaching form!

Gladstone thoughts - the jog and day 1!

2011-09-10T21:58:00.001-04:00

I feel very fortunate to have been asked to coach one of our riders in the Brentina Cup National Championships this year, Erin Shea. Erin is truly a hard working and talented individual, who I look forward to seeing great things from in the future. She is supported by Sue McKeown, who has given her her lovely Grand Prix Horse Marshall to ride and train.

The weather was hardly cooperative for the jog. During the absolutely delish post jog wine and cheese party, there was much discussion among the competitors about the remants of a hurricane due to arrive that night. The footing, despite being packed quite hard, was already quite saturated and somewhat slick. Volunteers were called out in the rain from the party to help move the arena for the morning, so that the corners would be as fresh as possible. We all got rather damp.

One team wondered why on earth we couldn't 'cover the field', like they would do in many other professional sports? Volunteers were chiming in that they would call college football teams, or go to Wal-Mart, or do just about anything possible to try and keep the footing from getting overly wet. This IS the National Championships. These ARE the best horses in the country! Why on earth not?

But the "footing experts" simply went about there way. A couple of competitors were barked at in a rather surly manner, or so they felt. I'm not sure the footing experts truly appreciated our efforts or goodwill in any way, surely none of us appreciated the rain....

While in most instances, having first draw, especially first draw of the entire show, would have been deemed unfortunate. In this instance however, we knew the footing had been packed extremely hard, and while later in the draw things would break down to a slickery mush, the footing would be the best it would be. While Marshall still backed off a bit from the hard pounding of the extremely packed footing, combined with the slickery-ness of the top mush, the pair still put in a respectable ride, pulling fourth in a very competitive class. We were all very proud of Erin and Marty the rain couldn't take that away!

The Grand Prix was next. It poured during some rides. Steffen and Ravel made it almost looked easy, nearing the 80 per cent mark. Having seen the pair at the World Cup, perhaps some of their usual brilliance wasn't there, but Steffen was right in not asking for it in those conditions. The top two pairs in the Grand Prix, Steffen and Ravel and Calecto V and Tina, clearly stood out as "Top Class" among the rest despite the conditions.

The PSG however was canceled despite the fact that the skies had cleared. Who knows what would have happened if indeed we had protected the riding surfaces over night? Why must dressage remain in the dark ages....while I agree that we must maintain some semblance of respect to the traditions on which our sport is based in our rules, I am not sure that we must risk our top horses by sloshing them through mushy conditions, when we have other options available to us....

Opportunity knocking

2011-04-26T20:34:00.002-04:00

While coaching my most lovely assistant, Sue, while she was riding my most lovely young mare "Romanze" today (did I say most lovely?), I had one of those "aha" moments in my teaching that very perfectly described in one word a concept that seems hard for some people to grasp....

OPPORTUNITY...

Many times, when I watch people ride, they simply go around and round. They do the exact same trot, stride after stride. Same tempo. Same size. Same bend. Same connection. They ride figures, but it appears to be more of a pattern than an exercise. They themselves appear mesmerized with the rhythm of the stride. There's no variation, there's no progress, there's none of the "intimate conversation" that I love to watch between a horse and a rider. You could almost set your clock by their riding.

It's predictable. It's the same. In a sense, it's boring.

Regardless, Sue and Roro are pretty mesmerizing to watch. Roro's huge motor and big elastic gaits, and Sue's beautifully quiet soft manner, I could watch it all day! But there it was...

OPPORTUNITY.....

Here's the deal....we can all ride shapes and patterns. Most of us can do a transition where we want it to happen. We can even make the horse work in a reasonably attractive outline. But the real training and progress only happens during those momentary opportunities, when we "hear" the horse saying he's ready for the next step, and seize the moment. It's a pity when they're missed...

To look for them, try asking "questions" by making the horse trot bigger or smaller for a few strides. Ask him if he's supple by working position left or right for a bit. Offer him both reins and see how he stretches. Ride in some way just a hair out of the comfort zone. Try to create moments where you can nicely ask for things to be just a little bit better....and give the horse the opportunity to respond. Risk those occasions where it might get a little less than pretty for the other times that you might be very nicely surprised!

Yeah. Opportunities. Look for them, and use them, and then watch how your training progresses!

USEF Young Horse Training at Riveredge with Scott Hassler

2011-04-17T09:36:00.005-04:00

Sunrise at Riveredge

On my arrival at Riveredge, the location of the USEF Young Horse training session with Scott Hassler, I felt like a kid their first time at Disney. The widest rubber paved aisles I've ever seen, big beautiful stalls with dutch doors opening outward. Acres and acres of green fields. A state of the art under water treadmill in the therapy room. And so on and so on. My jaw was dropping every time I turned around. The indoor resembled the interior of the most beautiful ark, with polished wood and the most perfect mirrors you ever saw. A lovely observation area at the end of the arena, as well as another behind it being constructed, complete with balcony.

So for three days I had the opportunity to watch Scott teaching both his students and the other young horse trainers in this most lovely setting. I watched his wife, Susanne, ride beautiful stallion after beautiful stallion. She is such a lovely rider, as were all Scott's students! I met my babies granddaddy, "Harmony's Rousseau", and watched Susanne put him through his stunning paces. It was all so very interesting and educational. The highlight for me however was definitely my time with Ruby.

Scott has a very clear and systematic approach that was easy to follow and understand. Availability (something my students hear about frequently as well) is key. Much focus was given to acceptance of the aids. Once my horse was more through and relaxed in his back, the opportunity for some lovely collection arose, and Scott saw it and was right on it! Ruby showed Scott his breath taking big boy trot. He recognized Ruby's special talent for collection, calling my wonderful little guy a "Special gift". Everything we had been currently working on, Scott helped me take it a step further, and sent me away with a very clear picture of his program for the upcoming months, focusing on developing Ruby's strength and responses for better throughness, collection and expression. It was so incredibly helpful to have someone of his caliber give me feedback and focus. I can't wait to see where it goes over the upcoming months!

Thank you so much to the folks at Riveredge and the USEF for this wonderful opportunity for Ruby and myself! Look forward to visiting you all again!

America, the Smorgasboard of Dressage

2011-04-04T10:47:00.005-04:00

Dinner with Christoph was enlightening as you can imagine. We spoke of all sorts of things, and spoke lots of "horse" of course! I don't remember how it came up, but Christoph explained to me how very few if any Europeans would have taken on the task of training Shorty to the Grand Prix. To me it's a great compliment to think that I had somehow with my crystal ball seen that Shorty was capable. And then the next chuckle was followed by, "Americans will ride anything."

Why yes...yes we will ;-) Lendon Grey's Seldom Seen came up as one of his examples. That's when I knew what a compliment it was.

Later in reflecting on the evolution of American Dressage, almost thirty years ago, second level was a big deal that trainers rode, and you were a God if you could ride a flying change. A warmblood was a mystical creature of magical powers who could prance and dance and 'flip their toes'. And a Grand Prix horse was a legend, no matter what size, breed, age....

Back then we rode Morgan's, QH's, TB's, Arabians, Appaloosa's, grade horses, whatever horse suited our eye, our budget, and wasnt going to toss us into next year. Draft crosses came into "vogue" as America's answer to the European Warmblood, with some breeders totally ignoring the fact that while Warmbloods are truly a mix of hotter and colder blooded horses, the true warmblood programs have taken hundreds of years to evolve. It's a great thought, but it would take longer than our life times to evolve.

So yes Christoph, we DO ride anything, but that's how we were raised. We didn't have dressage ponies as kids. Who ever heard such a thing? And the riding schools were mostly made up of race horse and western rejects. We had reformed hunters, or growly old school ponies that often came from the back of the knackers truck for $500. Young Rider Grand Prix you say? We'd drool for weeks after watching an Old Rider PSG!!!

It's such interesting times in my eyes right now, as we are seeing the first generations who had honest schoolmasters, and grew up on warmbloods rather than red-eyed foaming at the mouth OTTB's....Not that everyone is that lucky, but they are out there. They are the first generation to get a truly "Back to front" education because they're horses were bred and trained for it, rather than being educated by one of the early American dressage trainer's, who generally was found in fringed chaps with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and was either a cross-over from Western or hunters, and spoke of "head sets" and "roll-backs". The lessons were almost always on a horse that you had to hang on to for deal life, lest you wound up with it dragging you down the aisle, or hanging you from the rafters.

Just think.....this is the first generation of dressage riders in this country that will not only understand the meaning of Durchlässigkeit, but also how to pronounce it....

Yes, it will be truly interesting to watch the future of Dressage and how it continues to grow here in the States, but in the meantime dearest Christoph, we WILL continue to ride anything!

Talkin' the Talk and Walkin' the Walk, Christoph day 2

2011-04-04T08:08:00.006-04:00

There is just a certain ease to Christoph. His kind words, patience, and true compassion for the animals shone through moment after moment. But despite his wonderful demeanor, he still pushed us all to be as perfect with our basics as we could, that our positions MUST be correct, that the horse MUST accept both the forward driving aids, and the inner leg aid, and all horses must be able to stretch their strides and their bodies during all their work. All riders learned to rely on their inside reins less, by riding one handed on horses as young as five. It's an eye opening experience for sure, but when he had me performing all my schooling for the grand prix, the pirouette, the piaffe, the passage, the half pass, and the flying changes not only with one hand but also with stretching, it was nothing short of amazing. In all the Symposia, in all the clinics, and all the lessons, I have never ever seen anyone or anything come close to what Christoph taught us this weekend.

Almost every rider verbalized that after such hard work outs the first day, none of our horses felt stiff or tired. They all came out of their first lessons warm and sweaty. I came out warm and sweaty too. I have to say I was a bit tired the next day, but both Shorty and Ruby came out with smiles on their faces and feeling looser and swingier than ever! Just goes to show you that dressage done right is good for the horse!

Some of the things he brought to light frequently and on day two:

- A good shoulder in at the trot is essential as preparation for the flying change.

- You must prepare the movement by sitting perfectly.

- Don't control problems with your hand. Control problems with your inside leg.

- The movements collect the horse, not the hand!

- Better to ride a 10 meter circle in balance than an 8 meter one out of balance.

- Don't try to rush things with your hands.

- We want motivated partners, not just partners who do their job.

- Our goal with the young horse is to make him active and give him a good forward downward tendency at the end of the lesson

- Please don't ride the movements, focus on the training scale!

Yeah, it goes on and on. Almost every time he opened his mouth, he came out with something even cooler and more inspirational. We all had lightbulb moments, and all went away feeling not only worthy, but inspired. To be knowledgeable is one thing. But Christoph takes education to a higher level, by helping his students not only understand the how's and the why's behind the exercises, but is also very capable of helping them ride the exercises correctly and showing clear improvement by the end of every lesson, hour after hour, with a smiling face that showed nothing less than patience and true passion for dressage. He can walk the walk AND talk the talk. This is the hallmark of a true Master in my eyes.

Thank you Christoph. You have raised the bar for me yet again in many ways. Looking forward to next time...

Christoph Hess at Rosebrook, day 1!

2011-03-29T21:58:00.002-04:00

What an inspiring day of good dressage and wonderful training. Christoph, as happened in our first meeting at the NEDA Symposium two years back, was nothing short of inspirational. I took individual notes on each and every horse, as well as a few great photos, but am so tired after the long day we had, you're going to have to wait a couple for me to get to.

But the basic gist of the day:

Too many of us ride with too strong of an inside rein, which restricts the horse. Inside leg to the outside rein. MUCH stretching, even and especially between collected work. Shorty was stretching between piaffe's and pirouette's. Stretching through the transitions. In short, the horse MUST reach for the bridle.

Some horses now are almost too big movers. They will make great small tour horses, but are difficult to collect. In my words, horses must be handy, as well as expressive.

Using the whip on the shoulder as opposed to the hind leg. It actually quickened Ruby greatly, even behind. I got to find my jumping bat tomorrow!

A correct position is essential.

Be brave with your hands and your legs. (IE don't be afraid to GIVE your reins AND ride forward!) I don't think there was one of us who didn't walk away thinking how we've been riding too conservatively.

And a quiet mouth is a reflection of good training.

Sorry if this is short and quick. It is truly the day in a nut shell. I'm tired, but so proud of my boys and how they responded to the exercises. Things do take time, and I think we spent it well :-)

Wired

2011-03-26T07:30:00.004-04:00

My mad rocket-scientist father frequently speaks about the patterns in the universe. Sometimes during my days teaching and riding, I can see these patterns. Yesterdays pattern was on the often misunderstood internal wiring of a horse.

Horses are genetically predisposed to be part of a herd. This wiring is survival to them. It doesn't matter if the "herd" in question is comprised of his neighbors in the field, or the simplest "herd of two" that a horse and rider form. But whatever that herd size is, they are most certainly wired to 'get along' with other herd members. This wiring for survival also includes two strong instincts in the horse, flee or fight. Things that can trigger these instincts (outside of mountain lion that seems to reside just outside the back door of any indoor) are things like fear, pain and confusion.

In working recently with a wonderful older mare with a difficult history and a bad reputation, I was thrilled to show her owner her latest progress. Confusion and fear had worked to put this mare into a constant state of high alert making her mistrustful and stiff. With much patience and compassion for her confusion, I ultimately got her to trust my aids. When her "mother" came to watch yesterday, she was supple and through and happy. She's actually quite brave in truly scary situations, and by the expression on her face, she now likes her job!

Then later in the day, another horse who had recently become spooky. Yet when we discovered a poor saddle fit, he became quite calm and happy again! And then teaching another lesson, where the riders conflicting aid had confused the horse, so he would react badly to her forward 'commands', kicking out and even threatening to rear. When she finally understood that her method for putting the horse on the bit was restricting him too much, and used a bit of lateral suppling to get him more through, the horse all but smiled, took a deep sigh, and swung along happily.

Yep, there are patterns even in our relationships with our horses. Watch for them, and then learn lessons from them.

Over and over. Horses will always be horses. Humbling at times, but born with truly generous hearts who want so much to find the security of being part of a herd. Even if the herd is only you and your horse.

Necessary Evils

2011-03-22T19:26:00.002-04:00

Horse shopping is definitely fun. The process of buying however, especially when someone else's money is involved. What's even worse is when someone has already bought the horse, and you're the person who has to point out the mistake....

I bought a horse once, only to find out a year later that the issues I was dealing with, and the reason the horse was such a good deal was a very large very big tendon injury. To replace him, I had a 'friend' try to sell me another horse, who I had fallen in love with, only to find out a couple thousand later that he wouldn't vet.

That particular frustration spurned my trip to Germany, to the Westfalen Auction at Munster Handorf, where I met people like Frederik and Gabby who helped me find my dream horses. And Romanze....the 'surprise'. I guess ever cloud has it's silver lining....Sometimes you just have to search long enough to find it...

Mistakes, tomato sauce, and the learning curve....

2011-01-16T08:31:00.007-05:00

Another snowy day off. Tomato sauce is a great snowy day activity. It usually leads to Lasagna. I might not be the greatest of cooks, but I make one heck of a lasagna....

Sometimes when you make sauce, you make "mistakes". Other than burning the danged stuff, mistakes in sauce aren't fatal. I think for this reason alone, I can do both things well. I can be a little off, and go back and fix it. The important thing is seeing the mistake, acknowledging it, correcting it, and learning from the process.

So what does this have to do with training young horses?

I see so many riders afraid of making "a mistake". But from a trainers perspective, and even that of a mom, dog owner, or wanna-be chef, I look forward to the mistakes as learning opportunities. I point them out not to belittle, but rather to educate. For example think of the rider who's afraid of pulling too hard on the reins. With contact, you are constantly going back to your sense of feel. With a good sauce, you're always going back to your sense of taste! Unfortunately the analogy isn't quite perfect, because with cooking you can only add more. If you make too many mistakes you might wind up with one very very large pot of sauce.....We're luckier with the contact analogy as we can walk a teetering balance between too much and too little, and go back and forth until we find true elasticity. If you're not getting the desired result, never be afraid to experiment with a little more or less. The horse will tell you if you've taken too much. The important thing is to learn from whatever mistake you make whether it be sauce or contact and move on. No regrets. No looking back!

From the training perspective I look forward to the little "mistakes" my horses make as learning opportunities for them as well. He needs to drop behind my leg on occasion in order to learn to stay consistently more in front. Or the corrections via my half halt to help him stay more balanced up hill. Or if he should spook, it's an opportunity to teach him to stand quietly and listen and trust me. I think I actually like mistakes. Without them, I think my job would be pretty dull.

It even stands true from a child rearing perspective. I once had a woman drag me by the ear and tell me that I should never ever point out the mistake in judgment her daughter made because she did not want her to ever regret a decision she made that almost cost her horse her soundness. I found this a bit shocking, and later sad. The point was not to regret the mistake, but to learn from it. I am so fully aware of some of the newer and sometimes shocking theories in child rearing. And while I so totally agree that we must cherish and nurture our children to help grow a healthy ego, they also must learn respect and how to embrace their mistakes, lest humility become a thing of the past.....

Having raised to great and well adjusted kids, as well as countless equines, dogs, and other assorted animals, I got to say...I make one danged good tomato sauce...yes...I do!

TTT

2010-12-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

There are just some things in training that come back to haunt you from time to time. Like the lesson with Karl on timing. Yesterday it was a phrase notes from a lecture that Anders Lindgren did for the New England Dressage Association. The phrase was "TTT" which stood for Things Take Time.

I was riding a young horse. A super young horse with a fabulous brain. We joke that he's the body builder from the commercial saying "I pick things up I put them down". He just wants to do his job. Forget the fluff. Anyway, the only one thing I've been missing in this horses repertoire is suppleness. It just wouldn't happen! Weeks went buy....now months....And then yesterday....there is was! Oh how I could kick myself for even thinking maybe it wasn't going to happen! I think I had completely resigned myself to riding a brick wall for the rest of my days! This poor little man was so very talented, and he could go around in third level type collecting, but literally holding himself together. And yesterday he finally just let go, and took a breath ;-)

It was freaking beautiful!!!

But cooling out the "reflecting" started. Flashback to my first rides on Shorty. Stretch was laid up because of his immune system issues. Shorty was my second ride. He was six I think. I cried to Mike, that I couldn't ride something that felt like a surfboard. Now today, I can't even bring myself to sell him, because not only would I miss every thing about him, his heart, his eye, his personality, but those miraculous feelings he gives you that you're sitting on a very powerful puff of wind.

And then I thought of his evolution of his collection. And the bumps along the road where I thought he had become as good as he could be. He is a master of it! But every plateau I resigned him to being a "six/seven" horse. But today, it's becoming even better! No miracles. No magic. But time, and the progressive exercises defined by good dressage.

Yeah Shorty. TTT. You're stuck with me. And we're going to keep getting better and better together. xoxox

Timing is everything

2010-12-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

Today I hopped on the German Pony stallion, Pernod, for his owner. He's a cool little guy with a big guy mentality. He's been working third level, and starting to school early pirouette and piaffe exercises, and offering some good steps at both. Today he came out and was fairly energetic, so I decided to use that energy and warm up with some easy half steps. He did them quite well, and then we went about our way.

Later the owner asked me if I always warmed him up in the half steps, and I said no. That generally I warmed him up at the rising trot, sometimes at the canter. It really depended on Pernod. Today he came out, and the energy in his walk told me I could just quicken the hind legs into some half steps, and there he was.

Yeah, if you're careful, and you listen, your horse tells you when he's ready for something new. Take those opportunities when they arise. It's so much easier than trying to create something that's just not in his heart at that moment!

Technology and dressage

2010-11-12T08:15:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning, and as is my usual routine, checked my "crackberry", as Steve calls it. I read an email from a friend, who made a remark about "what did we ever do without them?"

I thought for a minute. She's absolutely right. I cannot even imagine what it was like back in the "good old days", when my trainer at the time would spend HOURS every night on her phone, talking to her various students. No email. No internet. Not even a teenie little text message......

While there's days that I've been now finding that I sadly have to shut my phone off, and hope the world doesn't stop spinning without me, I still appreciate greatly this little modern gadget, that allows me to go home, save my voice, and spend time with my loved ones, rather than yakking the night away on the phone trying to play catch up....

How did they ever survive?

;-)

The IDA...a twist on showing

2010-11-12T08:05:00.000-05:00

On all my spare time...not that there's much of it these days....I do get to judge a bit. Mostly in the 'off' season when the IDA shows are running, and I do really enjoy judging those shows.

The IDA is the Intercollegiate Dressage Association, which is a college level dressage competition offered by various schools who sponsor teams. It's really an interesting competition from all perspectives. Riders do NOT bring their own horses though, like in a traditional team. The "host" college provides the horses. Each "team" is comprised of riders from four different levels, Intro, Lower Training, Upper Training, and First Level.

The 'show' horses are paraded out first thing in the morning, with a narrative regarding each horse and their personality as they demonstrate their gaits to the visiting teams. Their horses are chosen by random drawing, so that the rider is generally completely unfamiliar with the horse they will be on. The riders are then allowed a 10 minute warm up prior to riding their test. I will generally see a horse go three, maybe four times (maybe?) in a level. I have to say it is very interesting some times to watch how each horse reacts to a variety of riders! Some of the riders do an incredibly good job too. It's a GREAT opportunity for these kids to learn to ride all sizes and shapes of horse...something that many adults never have the chance to experience!

It's really too bad that we can't apply this program to our Adult dressage shows. Oh what fun that would be to watch!

NEDA Symposium with Steffen and Shannon Peters

2010-10-31T14:28:00.001-04:00

Just got back from riding Edelrubin, my 2006 Westfalen we purchased in March from the Munster-Handorf Elite auction, at the NEDA Fall Symposium with Steffen and Shannon Peters. It was a lovely weekend with nice but sometimes chilly weather. The farm at UMASS is one of my favorites to participate in programs at. Jerry Schurink has been the director of riding there for years, and really does a super job, providing us with great stabling, wonderful footing, and a lovely facility.

It was an interesting weekend with a variety of horses from Training level to Grand Prix that Steffen and Shannon worked with. There were some solid horses, as well as a few with some interesting issues. Steffen rode several beautifully, even some that were particularly difficult. Ruby and I had a wonderful session where Steffen was quite complimentary of both the manner in which I worked my young horse, the training that had been put into him, and Ruby himself. (Who can't love the handsome little bugger?) He was very impressed with Ruby's connection and work ethic at his young four years old. He emphasized the need for me to get an easier response to my leg aid at all three gaits.

Watching the rest of the horses working, Shannon really focused on improving some of the riders various positional issues. Sitting up taller, turning the belly button towards the inner ear to keep the rider properly aligned with the horse, softer hands, etc. Steffen was a bit more about the effect of the aids, making sure each rider didn't support too much with the aids, and getting each horse to take on some of the responsibility in staying responsive and in front of the leg. With one of the Grand Prix horses, his thought was, "You don't need a better piaffe....you just need a more reliable one!" But with him it was clearly about getting the reaction to the aids as quickly and easily as possible.

Even with the most difficult situations, Steffen was able to take things well in hand, and make the best of a horse that didn't always want to cooperate. But even in those situations, it was about getting the horses reaction. One one big FEI horse who was running through the half halts - it was impressive to watch him correct the lack of the reaction to the half halt by using the whip instead of the hand. And it worked.

Lots of good stuff to think about, but little Ruby and I are going to stay focusing on his basics for now, and start preparing for the five year old test next year. I think the best tip of the weekend came from my old friend Jeanne MacDonald, who helped me with my walk. It's funny how the most learning comes from places when you don't expect it!

But I think the best part of the weekend was the hanging with old friends and making a few new ones! (Yes even I am not so old that I know everyone yet.) Jen Wilson-Horr and Suzanne Markham and I wound up with our own little private stabling area. We got to meet Allison Brock, who's stallion Roosevelt is not only absolutely beautiful but quite the personality as well! Martyna Echilczuk and Tycho were also a wonderful pair to watch. Martyna moved here from Poland. She trained with Tycho in Holland for a bit, and is now breeding Dutch horses up in New Hampshire.

The banquet was a blast, with a new format that include some very wild dancing on the dance floor! Larry Poulin can shake that funky groove thing for sure. The party ended WAY too early. But it does feel good to be home.

But next year....we're getting Paul on the dance floor....if we have to carry him out there!

Young horse thoughts...

2010-10-06T21:59:00.000-04:00

I was watching this video tonight of a four year old. It was a well built athletic horse, with three good gaits. The horse should nice transitions, and a little bit of shoulder in and leg yield and shoulder in that were nicely started. I've started my four year olds on a bit of lateral work as well. The boys, who are a little more mature and further along in their training than miss Romanze, have also started a little counter canter and an occasional flying change, that they both do quietly. I wouldn't say we train it, but once in a while throw it in just because. But we're talking small amounts, and very occasional.

So when the video of this lovely young horse played on, and showed the horse performing half passes in both directions, across the full diagonal, and maybe a little sharper angle than that, I had to stop and say......whoa.

I realize with the demands of the young horse tests, we must keep our horses progressing quickly up the levels. And it honestly takes a youngster with good basic conformation and gaits to meet the demands of these tests, and there are many good young horses who just aren't ready for them. Romanze is one, despite her spectacular movement. But she's a big horse who's growing slowly, and I'd really like to keep her sound for a long long time.

As a trainer, you have to recognize those times when it's ok not to keep pushing forward. Those times when you need not muscle your horse through the next level of riding, and when to let him gain strength and confidence in what he can do. Too hard too fast is a recipe for a very short career in my eyes.....

Devon wrap up

2010-10-04T09:15:00.001-04:00

After the jog, life just flew by. An old friend from my winters in Florida, Mike Barisone helped me in the warm ups. Audi was the best he's ever been in the GP. He was electric, he was up, but he held it together. One small mistake in the ones, but he did all his pi and pa work with out a hitch! I was THRILLED! Once again there was that murmur that the judges were hard on Audi because of his size, but honestly, I don't care. To me it's about the ride. And we all know what Shorty thinks of the award ceremonies.....

Freestyle night was fun! Cheers from the audience when we came in really made me smile. Shorty was hotter than hot, but like Mike said, I can ride it! Unfortunately things started getting crazier, and it pushed Audi to his limit. He did stay with me though, despite some minor glitches, but the last centerline, something again caught his eye and....oh well. It was still fun! I hope the woman who fell down the stairs as we were leaving is ok! That looked like it hurt :-(

In retrospect, the 6 minutes your in the ring there is a blast. But Devon seems to be changing. There were major safety concerns this year. Too many riders fell off and get hurt. Horses were falling down a very slippery slope getting back into the stabling. After I felt one horse slip a bit, we opted for the parking lot, as both my boys are traffic safe, but then got yelled at for it. By Saturday they had a sign that we had to dismount going up and down the slope, but there was no way I was mounting a four year old in either driveway or the warmup!!!! The dog at the in gate who went ballistic after the lady fell caused Audi to almost take out the bit checker. They took away our evening training time in the Dixon, and limited our time there to 6.30 - 7.30 AM, and overlapped the 45 minutes they allowed us for lunging this year so that we couldn't do both if we needed. (My poor four year old could have used a little non-rider time seeing as there's no place to graze and only concrete to handwalk on...) And people were handwalking in the middle of the warmup! They also took down the divider fencing by the weekend, and spectators just kept marching right through the middle. One old man walked right in front of my four year old as we were cantering! YIKES! I realize that much of this show is about the spectators, but sincerely hope the Committee at the show will think about making the place a little more horse/rider friendly! Yeah, I'll be writing a letter and going a report form for sure. In the meantime, you'll see us at the other New England CDI's, NJ and Saugerties. They've got ample warm up, great footing, grass to graze on, and safe stabling!

Let the rains begin!

2010-09-30T21:37:00.000-04:00

The weather forecast was never promising....today, we had the jog, and Ruby had a young horse ride at 545 in the Oval. I got up early with Sue, thinking the rain would be lightest then. It wasn't. Devon is a pretty quiet spot when there's a tropical storm running through it, so it was pretty easy to get a quick breakfast!

Despite the updates though on the heavy rains, they started predicting thunder and lightening in the afternoon. I had to make the executive decision to ride in the heavy rains. Funny thing, the forecast was wrong. The rains lightened for a bit and we actually got to take our rain coats off for a bit! Shorty worked SUPER well. We did only a light school. His pi and pa were super nice. I focused on making sure he was always available in front of my leg, and soft in my hand. It was a dream. Ruby went for a long handwalk and took in the sights.

We were early in the jog. Good thing. Shorty was up up up. But we've learned how to work together, and no matter how tense he gets, he's learned to stay with me. But as the afternoon went on, the rain got harder and heavier.

The rain and wind got so bad that they canceled the young horse classes. I was pretty happy about that as I had already made the decision not to risk my young man in the elements. So we took the braids out, and let the boys have dinner.

Made a brief stop at the competitors party, and decided to head out for a nice dinner with friends. Interesting restaurant. Boast that all their plates have no more than 475 calories. It was....hmmmm....

The rain was really heavy when we got out. The electricity was out in the barn too. We did night check by car phone light, and smooched the ponies good night. Hopefully the rain will let up by morning, and we can get some real riding done!

It's that Devon time of year!

2010-09-29T22:54:00.000-04:00

What a gorgeous day we had. We arrived yesterday with the "three amigos", Audi, Jen's horse Jeffery, and Ruby. We settled in, had a quiet dinner, and crashed.

Today we got up to school the boys before the rush. They were all super, even young Ruby, who I schooled while mares and foals were being trotted in hand. Audi was perhaps the most on edge. He knows what's coming. He's been here before. The air at Devon gets him "up". But his two's and one's were big and spot on, and his p and p work were big and even. I couldn't ask for better.

I got text all day long from all my friends at the WEG. Rumors of Totilas being sold flew rapidly but since squelched. Para-equestrian, Mary Jordan, has been emailing daily since her arrival. It was a long hard trip for her and her lovely mare Paxton Abbey, but she earned that spot, and knows it's going to be a blast! She's worked so hard to get there, with a smile on her face. She spent her first few days being "pit crew" for the Australian Endurance riders. But now her focus is on her and Pax getting ready for their gig next week. Pax is a great horse. Tomorrow they are going to ride through the test for practice. It's killing me not to be there, but I know riding Shorty under the lights again is also important!

There is a little trouble on the horizon in the weather forecast. We stuffed the tack stall full of all our gear, literally. Apparently a tropical storm is on it's way up. I guess it wouldn't be Devon without just a few puddles....

Will let you know how we fare. Am leaving my ruby red slippers next to the bed, just in case!

And the winner is...

2010-09-23T18:55:00.000-04:00

Sharon wound up winning the Freestyle as well! I didn't get to see her ride as I was warming up, but she did her Led Zeppelin freestyle, and the judges must have liked it! Shorty was wired for sound. He was beyond up. But I did my zig and zag around the outside of the ring, and then a few transitions. I waved my hand, and we were in the ring.

Riding my mighty little man is always a question. And I 'dumbed down' the freestyle by taking the piaffe pirouettes out and making my broken lines of ones two singles instead. But it was an executive decision designed to just keep the peace. And it worked...

Our rides are always about the partnership, and I try so hard to not push shorty past what he can handle physically as well as mentally. And that's not to say that there are times he goes over the edge before I even know we got there, but that's the privilege of riding such a hot tamale.

I think the best part of the weekend was the drive by trying to shake Axel's hand and pose for the award picture. Shorty just doesn't like to stand still. He wants to do his job, and do it well. And while we can stand and chat all day long at home, when you put him in the competition ring, he knows......

I guess now I know how Anky feels :-X

The Festival day 2 and 3, and a little training theory to boot

2010-09-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

Sharon McCusker won the GP CDI yesterday. I couldn't be more thrilled for her! The boys were Reserve Champion and Third place in the NEDA Sweepstakes. The weather cleared, and today was just beautiful and sunny. I sat up at the competitors party watching the freestyles and talking with a Judge/rider friend, who I really enjoy listening too.

We watched the GP special. It was fun sharing thoughts with her about the ride. We spoke about our horses, our clients, our friends in Germany. Daniela Legriffon (I hope I spelled it right), and the lovely black stallion, Abrikos, won the Special. Abrikos was a little spooky and scooty looking today, but she made the best of it, and had some very nice moments as well.

Watching another competitor, our chatter turned to training stuff. And we some how got on the topic about following your program, and how to incorporate new stuff into it. Some people just bounce from clinic to clinic. But there's no program. One gal was telling us how she went to a clinic a week before the show, and completely tried to change her program then! I made a similar change in Shorty's program, but that was back in November. And it took him until February until he was happy with it! And even now he's getting better in his new program, but a week?

I think it's always so important to remember in dressage training, that it's not just about the communication between the horse and rider, but it's about the development of the horses strength and muscles as well. And depending on the horses natural ability and conformation, sometimes it's a little longer than we'd like. But you have to stick with your program for a while to reap the benefits, and changing things around the week before a show might not be the best idea!

So the rooms packed and ready to roll tomorrow. Shorty trained just super today. I'm hoping to pull it together for a nice finish. And should it not be the stellar ride I'm truly hoping for...there's always Devon!

Cool breezes and young horses - the competition begins!

2010-09-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

It was more than a bit nippy this morning. Not really sure about riding four year olds was something I wanted to do in the cool morning air, but that was the schedule so....

I think I learn something every ride. Sometimes it's a good lesson, and sometimes it's a humbling one. Joey's first ride was not my best effort, and was definitely a humbling one. As always he was there, but I just didn't ride it well. Knowing how badly I screwed up , I stumbled back to the barn and prepared for round two. I only warmed up briefly, but patted him and told him how good he was twice as much. He's such a big sweet boy who tries so hard. I knew I needed to relax in order to be a better partner for him, and not try so hard to knock it out of the park. So off we went for the Sweepstakes ride. Less riding errors and a more relaxed horse gave us a nice 72. That's more like it!

Ruby went in next for his Championship. I remember thinking to myself, if you just relax and let him do his job, you got it. He warmed up beautifully. With Joey, it's about his confidence in you. With Ruby, the rides about partnership. If Ruby doesn't think you see him as an equal partner, he just won't do it for you. So we went in, and I "let go". The ride was our most wonderful ride to date, much steadier and softer to the bridle, and he came in third in the Training Level Championships! His second round he was a little cranky. But I was ok, and remember to try to "fix it" less. He wound up third to Joey in the sweepstakes.

Hey, we seem to be on a roll with this 'relaxed and less controlling riding' thing. Can we do this in Shorty's GP?

Shorty's class was probably the biggest GP Championship class I've seen! I was fully prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. A cool breeze and light rain moved in. Shorty's always been a mudder though, and weather doesn't phase him much. Shorty's ride is always about keeping him mentally relaxed enough for a nice connection that let's me half halt as I need.

We did our brief stretching routine, and he felt really good. The warm up started maybe a little behind my leg, but I've learned that when he gets tight, his medium gaits get him back into my hand, and a little shoulder fore helps him connect again. We headed into the ring, and Shorty saw the judges boxes, and started to get wired and bug-eyed. I reminded myself I promised to try to ride my test the way I rode Joey and Ruby earlier. That I had to relax more, and let the horse do his job. Breathe girl breath!

So I let go, and Shorty did one of the nicest rides I've ever felt. He was willing, and adjustable, and hardly ever tried to root like he sometimes does. (the pony in him speaking!) He showed his biggest passage, and even had some nice willing piaffe moments.

Even before I found out our placing, I was so very happy that Shorty and I had found a new level to our partnership, where he could have an 'edge', but would also stay submissive and nice. He trusted me in a tough spot!

Off to bed to rest up for day two, but what started as not the best day turned out to be a smiling one in so many ways. It really wasn't the ribbons that made me smile, but the lesson I've learned today about my partnership with my boys, and sometimes it's not about strength that makes a truly great ride, but about relaxing, and letting your horse do his job!

The NEDA Fall Festival Day 1 - Where's Joey?

2010-09-15T16:41:00.000-04:00

We were fortunate enough to be able to get here yesterday and set up and relax. It also let me work all the horses this morning when it was quiet, and breath a little in the afternoon. (We did sneak in a little shopping as well!) I will dare say it is one of the most beautiful days I've seen here at the Festival. Not a raindrop in sight....shhhhhhh....maybe a little more of a cool breeze than the four year olds needed, or Shorty for that matter who has been dropping jaws with his hugest passage, but having survived a few of the NEDA Fall annual hurricane's digging trenches and pulling trailers out with tractors, I am so not complaining!. There's is a wild rumor that their planning to send TWO dogs running through Shorty's GP Test this year, as one didn't present much of a challenge last year. Steve is also enjoying himself, acting as stable manager for the show.

It's funny how each of the NEDA Festivals has a slightly different flavor. Last year there were so many big names looking to get the edge on qualifying for the WEG. The stabling area was a very serious place. But this year the selections are over, and the air is more low key and relaxed for sure. Joey even got so relaxed out here he decided maybe he'd sit in my lap. God bless the big guy......

And tomorrow all the fun begins with Championships and finishes with the jog. Yeah it's going to be a long day. But a nice dinner and a good night's sleep and team Rosebrook will be ready to rock and roll! Have a super evening!

A little DQ Humor shared!

2010-09-06T13:28:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd share. This one cracks me up!

PS. I only answer to Princess!

ENJOY!

DressageQueenVideo

Better than chocolate!

2010-08-15T10:07:00.000-04:00

We all know those days, where our arms feel like they're falling off from shoveling mountains of snow, or we go home bathed in sweat from working in the barn in 95 degrees with 100% humidity, or suffered bitterly frozen toes from standing in the ring teaching for countless hours in the bitter cold. The horse business is certainly never easy, and some days are much harder than others, but today was definitely one of those days where it was just all worth while!

Stockade Polo club show grounds is BEAUTIFUL! The management does a wonderful job and tries very hard to make sure every competitor is happy. Great footing. Lots of room to take horses for a quiet hack, or grazing. So peaceful and relaxing. I think it could rapidly become a favorite show for me for sure.

While I don't want to bore anyone with the blow by blow, Joey nailed his class with a whopping 78.9, the highest score the show has ever seen! He even scored a 10 on a canter circle. Then my students did lovely rides, and surpassing the personal goals they set beautifully. The absolutely gorgeous weather here added to the smile on everyone's face. It was simply heaven.

The day finished the an delicious barbecue that was put on by the show, and hanging out with my old friends Jerry and Becky Schurink, as well as my clients and wondergrooms - Beth and Sue.

Yep, that's what it's all about. Great riding, good friends, good food, and beautiful weather,it all makes days like today just better than chocolate!

A day off???

2010-08-02T21:36:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure when I had my last real day offy, but I needed it today. During show season that seems to happen!

So the morning was spent catching up on bookkeeping and bills, filing the accident reports for the 83 year old jerk that rear-ended me last week, and trying to write a reasonable 'essay' for my Steffen Peters symposium applications. I'd like to just apply with Audi, but know his chances, so figure we'll throw in Ruby for a back up. I'd throw in Joey too, but I'd rather ride Rubes. He loves a crowd!

This afternoon I was able to get back to my Monday ritual of heading to the local farm stand at Tendercrop Farm. They have great produce, as well as organic farm raised meats. Not that I like eating meat at all. I'll nibble to be polite....But Steve's a steak and potatoes kinda guy! I almost got some of their 'raw' dog food, except thankfully I remembered what ground poultry does to Tucker Wylie's digestion. I did try cooking summer squash for the first time. Once again my cooking skills, or lack there of, were demonstrated. Who knew you were supposed to peel the danged things first....

And tonight was spent on the couch with Steve, watching food network with Tucker Wylie in my lap and Tori Wylie at my feet. Down to the barn for night check. I love night check. Audi will look at me, and then turn the other way. Joey will look for hugs. Chyy will want her nose stroked. Ruby wants his forehead scratched. And Roro wants you to stroke her face while she twists her tongue.....Even though I didn't ride today, there is something about the unconditional love of an animal, without which, my day just wouldn't be complete.....

Horseshopping...

2010-07-31T12:08:00.000-04:00

Of on another horse shopping trip. Yippeee skippeeeee....I love my clients, and would do anything to help them be successful in their riding goals, but I think one of the most frustrating things for me to do professionally is to try and help clients horse shop. We've all heard the regular stories about traveling long distances to find misrepresented, unsuitable, or lame horses, or spending a couple thousand dollars to find a horse doesn't pass the vet when the seller knew full well what they didn't disclose. Or sometimes a client buys a horse where certain things weren't disclosed, and it doesn't work out....

I guess it boils down to, they're all for sale for a reason....

Keep your fingers crossed.....again!

goin home...Markel Young Horse wrap...

2010-07-25T16:52:00.000-04:00

At the airport with Phyllis, Steve, and Sue. such a great time we had, I hate to leave it behind. Had a wonderful time not only riding my two wonderful young horses in such a prestigious competition, but also hanging with old friends and meeting new ones.

Selten did win the 6 year olds, I believe it was an 8.4. Makenzi had a very expressive ride but lost the boys attention a few times. When you think of it. She hasn't had her partnership with Schroeder much longer than I've partnered with my guys. I think she's done a super job getting it together with him so quickly!

The facility and management were super, and working my horses while Scott watched and offered input was very helpful. I can only say thank you to the USEF and its sponsors for providing us with this wonderful opportunity and sincerely hope that the program continues to grow.

Looking forward already to next year. I got plans!!!

lunch!

2010-07-25T13:27:00.000-04:00

We packed up the boys and watched developing horse classes. There were some great rides on some lovely young psg horses. Shawna Harding won the test as well as the overall Developing Horse Championship aboard Rigo. She had a ride with lovely energy. Kassie Barteau was second on an expressive young man.

Waiting for the six year old rides now. Won't be able to stay for the end, but will be here long enough to help Makenzi and Shroeder and cheer them on.

Night Nanny to the rescue

2010-07-25T11:27:00.000-04:00

We're packed to head home. We're watching the developing horse class, and will hand out for Makenzi's ride. For once its a lovely day, and its not hot and sticky!

We get to the barn to see a large chunk of tree chopped up at the end of the barn. It fell on the tent around 9 or 10 last night! One of the stalls where it fell was bent inward, a support pole broke, and there are now holes in the roof. Thankfully all the horses were unharmed, and management was able to relocate all the horses quickly and efficiently.

Thank heavens, Missy the Night Nanny was there watching over the barn! I wish more shows would have someone like her hng around for just in case!

where'd the day go?

2010-07-25T09:39:00.000-04:00

What a blur...the four year old class finally started. Joey was second to go...again. I was so proud of the way he marched up through the crowded alley way and walked around the ring on the buckle. Loud speakers and clapping didn't even bother him today. He's growing up so fast!

He had a really good ride, maybe a small slip here and there in the wet footing. But seamless transitions and a nice energy and so very willing throughout.

The scores were a bit of a surprise. But I was ok with it. I will say I had a good laugh when I checked in on Facebook and saw the line posted..."Cindi was robbed". I heard from a few people, but honestly its ok. Joey made it there at the top of the heap, he tried hard, and he gave me all he had. He has a heart as big as the world...

Ruby, who was so good yesterday, was in a mood today. Scott helped me threw it enough to get an ok test in, but sometimes with horses you just have to say its not my day. I think the mosquitoes and the lightening storms aggravated him enough that he would have fought with a rock. But watching the ride, I can see the strength developing. His trot now has cadence and shwung. So many people stop to comment on him, and Scott is right, his future is huge.

So Willy's two Cali horses wound up at the top of the heap. I heard that one of them really blew up big too. While other people and competitors were concerned with the inconsistency in the judging, I'm just really proud of the boys. In three short months we've formed great foundations that will continue to grow as they progress up the levels to the Grand Prix ring.

Caroline Roffman brought home the win again in the five year olds. A beautiful young pair with a huge future. They are simply amazing to watch!

smiling brightly!

2010-07-24T09:45:00.000-04:00

If there's an award for show management that went above and beyond...I think Lloyd's crew gets it. We awoke to the storms that dropped 7 inches of rain overnight. Sue got to the stalls to find both they and the tack stall had flooded a bit. If that didn't make me feel like I was back home in New England!

But management kicked right in. Kenny came and assured Steve he'd make it all right with a big smile, and said, we just want people happy. They stripped bedding out of our stalls for us, brought us ample extra bedding, and trenched the tack stall. They packed dirt up against the sides of the barn to try and keep more water from getting in.

So the shows now delayed an hour. Riders are starting to warm up in prep for a 9 o'clock start. We'll just keep our fingers crossed that the worst of the weather is over!

Thank you Lloyd and your lamplight time. For keeping the smiles bright this dreary morning!

What part of New England is Chicago in?

2010-07-24T07:48:00.000-04:00

Well the weather has been a tad tricky...

Yesterday after her ride being interrupted, Makenzi was back on twenty minutes later. Unfortunately poor Shroeder, who had looked super in his first warm up, was now tired. He seemed to get a second wind toward the last half of the ride, but at that point it was too later to impress the judges with his lovely expression. She still wound up in ninth with a respectable ride. Selten and Elizabeth Ball won the ride. That horse is just remarkable with his power and presence.

Last night was there was a sponsors appreciation party. Kristi Wysocki came up to me to say the Para team was auctioning "teams" made up of young horses, and Joey and I were on team Keen! (She also told me I better have FUN today!) So, we are now the proud owner of team Keen, and hoping we can bring down the house! The food at the party was phenomenal. A huge table filled with marinated and fresh vegetables, cheeses, meats, and a hot buffet with greek food. During the party however a huge electrical storm blew in. We ran for the car, and headed up for a nice dinner and good laughs at Odyssey with our new friends Melissa, Jess, Ron, Lisa, Helen, Linda, and the Majestic crowd. The owner treated us all to a glass of Ouzo for dessert. Opa!

This morning is looking rather ominous again. There's been huge electrical stuff going on outside. Sue's with the horses now, and there is a bit of flooding. At least I brought my rain gear!

tsunami chicago style

2010-07-23T11:33:00.000-04:00

Our friend Rick Hickerson texted his wife a bit ago predicting a tsunami...which ordinarily would really concern me, but seeing as we're in Chicago....

However a brief heavy rain did move in, and the show has been put on a thirty minute hold due to violnet storms in the area. I guess I made the right choice getting the boys out early to train with Scott again. (Ruby wa4 the most supple yet, and Joey was the most relaxed he's been since we got here.). They don't show again until the Championship Saturday.

But poor Makenzi was on deck for the six year olds with Shroeder and was sent back down to the barn..warm-upus interruptus...starting up again in the six year olds shortly, more later!

Rain rain go away, but meeting friends along the way!

2010-07-23T08:10:00.000-04:00

Kathy's husband just facebooked that there's a line of thunderstorms right over Lamplight. I'm hoping my forecast is right, and there's a break from 9-11 for Makenzi's ride!

Frederik from the Westfalen Auction has asked for more pictures for his catalog. He also wants one with my two horses, Steve, Sir Velo, Melissa, and myself. Anyone who knows me well knows I HATE Having still shots taken, and really the only time you can be sure to get a photo of me with my knowledge without me sticking my tongue out is when I'm on a horse.

It's funny sometimes what a small horse world it is, and how everything you do in this world winds up with you meeting new people and friends along the way that you share something in common with. We all love horses for sure and sometimes that's enough of a common interest. We've now met our new friend Melissa because of a common love for our Westfalen horses. Melissa and Steve and I have all bought our horses from the Munster Handorf Auction, and have all enjoyed the friendship and support of the people who run that auction. More coincidences, Melissa had almost bought Joey previously to our purchasing him. And Frederik apparently was the rider that originally broke George William's Rocher!

Off to the show now, got to go train in the rain!

Blame it on the breeches...

2010-07-22T18:17:00.000-04:00

As I left this morning I caught myself thinking whether a smudge in one's mascara would be a good thing or bad thing. I enjoyed a wonderful fresh strawberry crepe as I looked over my test. The weather report wasn't the best, but so far so good. My new white breeches were all shiny clean. Does it have to rain?

I headed up to watch the under-13 Dressage Seat class going on. It was really interesting to watch. All the kids looked great to me! At the end of the class, judges Axel Steiner and Natalie Lamping gave each of the kids some personal feedback. But now it's time to head down and get all ready!

Joey was the second ride in the class. Scott was there to help give us feed back in the warm up. I did ask some pointed questions and he again gave great answers that were very helpful. I am so very happy to have had this opportunity to get his input. Joey was definitely "up", with all the excitement and vendors, and dogs. He LOVES dogs apparently :-X

Unfortunately the atmosphere in the main arena got Joey even more up. Especially after the judge cleared the microphone. But the good news is as tight as it made him, Joey's learning to stay with me and trust me, and almost relieved that things like that happen to allow Joey and I form a better working partnership. The good old "flee" instinct is being overcome with a bit more trust every day. I was so very proud of him just for getting through with no bobbles.

As we got back to the barn, the heavens opened up. Lovely! I suspect Ruby's a mudder, but I just don't feel like having to find that out today. Fortunately the rains let up, and off we went back up the hill. Ruby is such a good boy. He tromps right by all the tents on the buckle, right into the warm up. We follow George Williams, who is looking absolutely lovely on my friend Melissa's Sir Velo, another handsome young man purchased at the Munster Handorf Auction! I see George head into the ring, so I figure maybe it's time to do a little warm up?

Ruby was really good. Maybe a bit strong at times, but I think he's still learning to use his back more correctly. But the judges were unfortunately not as happy as I was. The consolation was that I did have people try to buy him right out from underneath me as I headed back to the barn....so it couldn't have been that bad!

Joey finished the day at sixth, right behind Sir Velo. Willy Arts won the test on a beautiful big gray. Wish I had seen the ride as I heard it was quite good!

In the afternoon we watched the five year old rides. Caroline Roffman won it on a springy flashy chestnut. There was beautiful energy and suppleness throughout. My old friend Karen Monks-Reilly came in second behind her on the very powerful Aesthete. It was interesting to sit and watch the progression of the training from the four- to five-year-old year. I can't wait to cheer my friend Makenzi on in the six year old's tomorrow, on my friend Kathy Hickerson's Hanoverian stallion, Shroeder.

So while we didn't blow anyone's socks off, I'm very pleased with my two young men, but now my superstitious side is whispering in my ear, that I should never ever wear the new breeches again!

Jog Day at the Markel Young Horse Championships!

2010-07-21T19:52:00.001-04:00

Both boys had a great but very busy day today. The morning started with Young Horse Training sessions with USEF Young Horse Coach, Scott Hassler, where all the Young Horse riders were invited to come train under Scott's watchful eye. Scott was very complimentary of both my young men. He wanted to watch our 'normal routines', and then would chime in when he felt he had something important to add. With Joey we worked to get him more up in his neck, and perhaps a little more balanced. He said that with Ruby we needed to work more on lateral suppleness. He finished the session telling me what a huge future Ruby has in front of him! Yay Rubes!

Other riders were also very positive about Scott's help. He stood out there tirelessly in a very hot sun helping rider after rider with a smile on his face! He encouraged us all, and showed true passion and enthusiasm for his job.

Sue and I went back and bathed the scrubbed the boys clean and whitened their socks in preparation for their first ever jog at three. I will say having been to some hair raising jogs in my life, and I was a little tentative to be hanging out with a group of four year olds, but everyone was really well behaved! Ruby jogged first, and decided to show off a little flipping his tail in the air. Joey went next and while he was nervous with all the commotion, he stayed right with me and listened.

I tell you these boys make me prouder and prouder.

We're back at the hotel after a great dinner with Kathy, Makenzi, Amanda, and our new friend Linda, eating delicious caramel lollipops brought to us by fellow Westphalian owner, Melissa Mulcahey. It's been a great couple of days, putting faces to names, and reconnecting with old friends. But now I guess it's time to study my test!

Arrival!

2010-07-19T13:38:00.000-04:00

The boys settled right into their stalls, and watched us set up their fans, etc.

After lunch, Ruby decided a nap was in order. Of course til Joey spooked and woke him up. That troublemaker!

Flight delays

2010-07-18T13:28:00.000-04:00

You know things are bad when the flight mechanic comes running back to the plane with a manual under his arm....You know things go from bad to worse, when they work to 'fix' the plane on a 90 degree Boston day, and leave you sitting on the plane without AC for a good 45 minutes. Did I mention I had perfect hair when I left the farm?

So when the power went out, I knew we were sunk.

Before the flight officer could tell us that they were unsure when the plane would leave, if at all, and that we might be stuck in Boston overnight, Steve was on the phone with United....The boys were already well on their way, and while I knew Mark would take good care of them, the angst was definitely rising!

I have to say, I did start to relive those days I spent fretting the boys stranded at the Frankfurt airport, and surrounding barns, waiting for the volcano to let up enough so planes could fly again!

But eventually we all made it, and all is good in the world.

I will say, I don't think I will ever let the boys travel without me again!

Heading to The Markel National Young Horse Championships

2010-07-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

Saturday, I had some super "last rides" on the boys before taking off tomorrow. I'm so very proud of both of them for everything they've done. Almost all packed, with just a few odds and ends to sort... thank heavens for Sue and Darrell! But I'm sure not going to sleep til I see them safely in Chicago on Monday morning... and then the fun begins!

Now we are on the way to the Markel National Young Horse Championships in Chicago!

Shipping thanks to Fairway Horse Transport, owned by Mark Choper. My boarders and I use him for all our commercial shipping. I knew him back when he was manager of a large TB Breeding farm. He's an old friend and a very experienced shipper. We rented the whole rig so that they could just drive straight through, but a couple of friends who also have horses going to Championships have asked to come with us, so it's all good.

The boys both have nice big box stalls with water buckets and hay. He'll keep a good eye on them. They're already pretty experienced travellers themselves. But even so....I'm still not going to sleep until I see them in the morning!

Joey has promised to text when he gets there...

About Cindi

2010-07-09T13:35:00.000-04:00

Cindi Rose Wylie Heads into Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships with Two Horses at the Top of the List

Written by Lynndee Kemmet fo DressageDaily.com

Friday, 09 July 2010 00:00

Cindi Rose Wylie and Folcano

Like the volcano that held them hostage in Europe, Cindi Rose Wylie’s latest mounts, Folcano and Edlerubin, have made an explosive impression in Young Dressage Horse competition since arriving in the U.S. Both have qualified to compete in the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships later this month at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. Folcano is currently the number one four-year-old horse in the U.S. with an overall score of 8.67.

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