His Novel began at the European Championships

The International Dream Program group with Carl Hester 

Competition stated today at the 2015 European Championships, and after watching and discussions with our chaperones, Charlotte Bredahl and Annie Moris, we met up with Carl Hester at what he would name the, "fountain of youth". 

Carl was quite funny and more than enthusiastic to speak with us. Here's a little of what he had to say regarding…

His Program

Coming from an eventing background helped Carl decide how to set up a program to work his horses. By now most of us have heard of his two days of work, one day of hacking followed by two more work days, another hack, and then a day of rest. But hearing it from Carl himself was different than reading about it, because there is a method to his program.

The second day the horses work, there is a large improvement on what was worked on the first day and he feels it is a system that works well with the horse's mental process. Then during the "hack" day, the horse has a chance to rest the muscles and think about something else.

But hacks aren't just for fun. The horses go on hacks all over to get them exposed to the world outside the arena. Going down the road and in busy places are a part of training for competition, so when have to deal with the activity and unexpectedness that a horse show they are better prepared.

Affording Horses

Carl is a firm believer that there is no better way to learn to ride then by training your own horses. "Feeling and timing are hard to teach," but it's special when a rider has those qualities and can do more than push buttons on a trained horse. His biggest advise to us as aspiring professionals and riders: Don't wait for someone to buy you a horse. Buy what you can afford and train it. Then you can sell it and get a better one if need be… But, who knows, you could have yourself a great partner! If you wait around for a sponsor, you could miss out on what could be great and on learning from the ultimate teacher, your horse.

Charlotte and Valegro

After much talk about the partnership, it was obvious he was proud to have made the pair happen. He smiled and said, "There is no point in being selfish!" He laughed and told us that once it was decided Charlotte would be his rider and Valegro was at the top level, he had put together a great team for the British. "I was one, Charlotte was two, and it happened that Laura made three! We had ourselves a great team!"

Riding tests

Everyone has their own approach to test riding, but Carl's is pretty simple. He simply will visualize the movement at its best while riding. His advise was to think about one movement at a time and by not hurrying through it, make it the best it can be.

Another tip: Ride the short sides! Show the judge that you can soften and give the reins for a stride and improve the general impression of the ride. Ride the corners well, and show the judge your horse's gaits. These things seem small, but the short sides can show the judge how effective you are in between movements and the harmony between you and your horse.   

Carl paused while we were thoughtfully taking notes, looked at Charlotte, and laughed. "Send me a copy of my new novel when it comes out!" Grinning, we all nodded. These are highlights from our chat, but from all his wonderful knowledge, we really could write a novel!

Side Note…
After falling off this morning, Carl left us to go buy a new helmet for the competition tomorrow. Read about some of the events of the day here:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/michael-eilberg-performs-and-carl-hester-falls-off-aachen-european-championships-505575?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

And So It Begins… 2015 European Championships, Aachen, Germany

Jennifer Foulon, Sadie Lahey, Kyra Kyrklund, Annie Morris, Sarah Cohen, myself, and Charlotte Bredahl

Thanks to the Dressage Foundation and all who support it, US Youth Coach Charlotte Bredahl, chaperone and trainer Annie Morris, myself and the other 3 participants arrived in Aachen, Germany for the start of the 2015 European Championships. 

We hit the ground running by heading to the show and watching the riders warm up horses after the jog. Being able to observe different styles of riding and approaches allowed for us to discuss what we saw as a group, the main point of discussion was the presence of harmony as horse and rider worked as one, something that as a judge, Charlotte finds to be paramount to dressage.

The group was able to speak with superstar Kyra Kyrklund, ask questions, and get a sense for how she works with the horses. Here are some topics we discussed: 

Topic: What kind of schedule do you prefer for the horses? 

Every horse is different and you need to experiment to see what works. The horse dictates what kind of schedule he needs. Some need more work than others. But, the most important part is good riding. 

Topic: Young horses 

The young horse program sets up good goals for the horses, but again, she stressed that the horse dictate those goals. some horses need more time, some horses need to take a break from training… It all depends, and you won't know until you begin work with an individual horse! If something is easy for the horse I can use it to help the training process as a tool. If you present information correctly, the horses are quick learners. We have to be responsible teachers in making sure they are learning when appropriate, in a way that is good for them. 

Topic: What kind or type of horse do you like? 

 *Laughing* "I like a good horse!" 

Kyra explained breeding is important to know and understand so you have an idea of what you are working with, but that you can't judge a horse solely on his breeding. They are all unique. 

Topic: Getting to the top of the sport

The best thing to do according to Kyra…

Work hard, get good instruction, and watch good riding. If you have to muck out stalls, then so be it, but to be an elitist in this sport you need to be emerged in it. 

Another tip: Mentally ride. Practice what you do on the horse in your brain off the horse. Making the connections in your brain actually is found to improve your ability, and it will better prepare you for when you are riding. "Be a passionate idiot!", and try to make yourself as good as possible. 

Notes From the Courtney King-Dye Horsemanship Clinic

Instructors during the week, Scott Hassler and Lendon Gray. 

Lendon Gray's Dressage4kids has opened doors for youth riders, of all levels, and is promoting and enhancing dressage in the US like never before. I am forever grateful to her for that and so thankful to everyone wo took a part in organizing and who volunteered for the 2015 Courtney King-Dye Horsemanship Clinic that took place in Maryland this past week. The owners of Riveredge Farm, the clinicians, the guest speakers.. all who were more than generous with their time and so insightful, thank you. And, to Donna Stockton, who owns the beautiful Adagio who I was able to ride in the clinic, words cannot express my gratitude. Here are some of my notes from the week of training and lectures. 

From Scott Hassler: 

1. Coach your horse to produce results. When the going gets tough there may be some resistance, and he needs your help as the rider to get through it. Help him become the athlete he wants to be! Correcting your horse is necessary… As Scott pointed out, without guidance many of us would've been in a juvenile prison!

2. "Our aids are our conversations with our horse. How much pressure is the tone of our voice, and our goal is to have a nice tone." 

3. Be creative with your riding. Use turns to create energy and suppleness. Use your corners to prepare and collect your horse.

4. Ride in short, useful sets to keep your work positive and keep your horse fresh. 

5. Think forward! When a horse comes back he should want to go forward. 

6. "The quickest way to access the horse's body is through the mind."

7. Develop exercises to improve weaknesses and to help your horse progressively improve. 

8. Develop strategies when riding to motivate your horse to improve mental and physical state and build confidence. 

9.Understand resistance in your horse and develop gymnastic exercises to break through it. 

10. Ride proactive, not reactive. Use half halts as reminders to maintain your conversation to be proactive in your riding. This way you don't have to be reactive. 

From Courtney King-Dye: 

Courtney teaching rider Nicole Nowak 

1. When riding a new horse, test the responses from leg and hand. 

2. Use the dressage tests to help you. Don't skip things along the way!

3. Nervousness comes from feeling unprepared. 

4. It is a waste when people don't ride corners. 

5. Bend your horse! Use leg yield, half pass, leg yield exercises to improve bend in the neck and body. 

From Susanne Hassler: 

1. Good riding starts with good intentions. 

2. The rider's posture is the rider's responsibility. 

3. Equitation needs to be functional. Actively look to improve your riding. The way you sit affects your horse. 

International Dream Program

June 1 I summited an application to the Dressage Foundation hoping that I would be one of four chosen to travel to Europe to observe great riding, training, and competition, and this week I heard back… I was picked! All I can say is, thank you to the Dressage Foundation for selecting me to go on the International Dream European Tour!

The opportunities I have had in the equine industry never seize to amazing me, and I have found that if there is something you want to do, you might as well give it a shot. If you don't make it, at least you know you tried, and if you do… Well, it feels pretty amazing!

Thank you again to the Dressage Foundation and to everyone who supports me. :)
http://www.dressagefoundation.org/newsroom/newsroom.html/article/2015/06/23/tdf-chooses-four-young-riders-for-international-dream-european-tour

Adagio's First PSG

I am lucky to have had the opportunity to grow up with and train a German Riding Pony who has taught me many, many things. His owner has always been more than supportive, and the two of us have loved watching as the pony has grown up, finally settled into his own.

So, it was a proud moment today as I piloted him through his first PSG test. Of course, silly mistakes happened, but none that cannot be fixed. And for a pony who has struggled learning flying changes, he did a great line of fours! There is nothing more rewarding than teaching horses and having them feel proud of themselves. I feel so thankful to have this little guy in my life!

Florida Dream Tour

Thanks to Dressage4Kids I was able to attend the Florida Dream Tour hosted by the Dressage Foundation. The day was based off and supported the International Dream Program, which sends ambitious young riders to Europe to observe elite dressage training facilities. However, the Dream Tour had no restrictions on who could participate, allowing dressage enthusiasts of all ages to take part, and the participants visited 4 stables of professionals working in the Wellington area.

Stillpoint Farm owed by Tuny Page, Four Winds Farm owned by John and Leslie Malone, Yeguada de Ymas owned by Javier Bacariza and Cristina Daguillencourt, and Roundabout Stables owned by Patricia Stempel were all on the agenda for the day. Watching these professionals at work was informative, demonstrated amazing riding, and, as an up-and-coming rider, I was extremely grateful to spend the day observing. Watching great riding is crucial to achieving great riding. It provides riders a visual of excellence and promotes a high standard.

And with this high standard of riding came a common thread; the importance of a variety in work and special attention to each horses needs. While each instructor and rider had a slightly different approach to the horses, their goals were nearly the same- to produce supple, attentive, and relaxed athletes preforming at their best. Here is an overview of what each stable had to offer.

  

Stillpoint Farm

At Stillpoint international competitors Tuny Page, Christilot Boylen, Lara Griffith, Laura Bechtolsheimer-Tomlinson demonstrated while Dr. Bechtolsheimer taught.

For many of the horses at Stillpoint, it was a light day of work. Tuny Page used the day to focus on transitions between gaits and within the gates, making the horse responsive, on the aids, and working through the body. When she would work the horse in collected work, she would take care to allow the horse to stretch after. This relaxed the muscles and gave the horse a reward, especially after very collected canter work, which she equated to people doing crunches or an abdominal workout.

Christilot Boylen, a 7 time Olympian for Canada, had much wisdom to share. She was quick to explain her motto that practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect, a lesson she applies riding each day.

           

While doing a light school on her Grand Prix horse, Christilot demonstrated the importance of riding with 2 legs and 2 reins in a basic exercise of leg-yield head to wall. She explained how the exercise quickly shows what the rider is doing and how it affects the horses body and alignment and continued to explain its usefulness in training. Along side that, Christilot stressed that horses must be supple 2 ways; laterally (side to side) and longitudinally (over their back), and that as riders we must be able to check the horse’s balance by giving the rein and seeing if they can balance themselves.

Lara, who has worked with the Bechtolshiemers since 2010, rode with Dr. Bechtolshiemer in a lesson. To warm her large horse up, she allowed the horse to stretch, then worked the shoulder in, renver, and traver in the trot, and throughout the lesson rode many transitions. Watching her work with Dr. B allowed auditors to see the communication between rider and trainer. When the horse was over eager practicing the canter zig-zag, she made the horse wait and explained the excitement from the horse to Dr. B. Working with the Grand Prix horse, she rode lovely and well-executed trot piaffe trot transitions, which helped engage him more, and would frequently ask him to sit very collected for a few strides then ride out in trot and canter.

Laura Bechtolsheimer was riding a large mare that Dr. Bechtolsheimer explained, like many horses, benefited from warming up in the canter. He explained that “the horse dictates the pace of training”, and that it was important to have an individualized plan for working each horse. He also explained that the horses get out

2 times a day horses, once to hack, go on aqua tredmill ect, and once to work. This allowed the horses to have variety and improve their fitness.

Dr. B worked with the riders then explained to us auditors something that I find to be very true about training horses; being a trainer is like being a kindergarten teacher. You have to be patient and often think, “how can I make it easier for the horse to understand”.

Four Winds Farm

Next we traveled to Four Winds Farm were Michael Klimke, and Suzanne Hassler rode, and Scott Hassler, retiring young horse coach spoke. This team of instructors was refreshing to watch, as they all believe in the same principles of training, which became apparent watching them work.

While Michael and Suzanne rode, Scott spoke about the fundamentals of dressage and working with horses while relating it back to the horses working.

For him and his team, focusing on the individual horse was first and foremost, along with always striving to improve horsemanship. Scott sees himself as the horses’ coach and he strives to read the horse, find his strengths and weaknesses, and create a program that works for the individual. Building confidence and understanding with the animal, he said, is key to training, and working in highly concentrated work for short set, he believes, it one of the most effective ways to train because it keeps the horses’ bodies and minds fresh and ready to work. When riding, it is important to “listen to the horse and prepare it” for the movements ahead, he said.

Another key component Scott stressed was establishing relaxation in the horse before adding power to the work. This ensured that the horse says happy, confident, and working without tension. And along with relaxation, he stressed a variety in work and using the horses’ highlights to improve the weaknesses, such as allowing a horse who enjoys extended trot to perform this ‘highlight’ to build confidence for a movement that may be more difficult, such as a half pass.

Yeguada de Ymas

At Yeguada de Ymas, Juan Matute Sr instructed his son Juan and an additional rider as they worked with the horses. Juan Sr explained how the benefits of in-hand work to warm the horse up, rather than getting on the horse right from the start.

Both riders worked their horses in hand, schooling piaffe, passage, shoulder in and rever to loosen the horses for the ride. It was explained that this is a great way to teach horses to carry weight behind. By using the voice, the reins, and a whip lightly on top of the croup, the riders worked with the horses to prepare them for the ride.

Juan Sr also demonstrated himself working with the horses in-hand. “I always offer my hand to the horse,” he explained. He allows the horse to smell him and say hello when approaching them, and explained that he never wears sunglasses, so that he can look into the horses’ eyes. “Tricks are not hard to teach, the mind is,” and because of this, Juan stressed the importance of working with “no drama” to keep the horses relaxed and in tune while working.

Watching horses have this type of warm up was unique, but it was explained that not all horses benefit from stretching in the warm up as it causes some to become croup high and makes it a challenge for the horse to collect later. However not all horses we saw were warmed up in such a manner. A young 5 year old was presented and warmed up under saddle. This horse’s warm up was ridden very forward, with some 2 point in the canter.

Just as the other stables had stressed the importance of variety, Juan Sr. explained that they often took the horses out of the arena and took time to hack out.

Roundabout Stables

At he last stop of the day, Shelly Francis rode a lovely Grand Prix horse. She was amazing to watch because her horse was extremely in tune with her and very sensitive. The lightest touch of the leg produced a reaction, something she explained was very important for her to teach the horses.

Warming the horse up, she began in the walk for a good ten minutes, using lateral work to loosen the horse’s body and get it on the aids. She would often ride half passes, taking a few strides to push the haunches over extra or change the bend to a leg yield to work on suppling the horse.

In her ride, she worked many elements of the Grand Prix test, preparing for the Nation’s Cup that week. Shelly demonstrated beautiful transitions within each gate, proving the adjustability of her horse, all while maintaining relaxation and suppleness. She rode many trot-passage-trot transitions, all while testing the reactiveness of the horse. As many of the riders of the day, she allowed her horse to stretch after highly collected work, and showed clear relaxation in her ride.

Thank you again to Dressage4kids for the opportunity to participate in such an inspiring event, and thank you to the Dressage Foundation for the great day! It was a phenomenal learning experience and very inspirational!

Just a Drop in the Bucket

Traveling to Florida certainly did not go as expected, and what could go wrong did go wrong. But I look back and I do not regret the experience. Because when I look back, I was able to watch some great riding and training, and get a good feel for how Wellington works. And, the most valuable part of the trip came from watching top riders work and feeling confident about what I know to be correct about training and working with horses.

Going to Wellington, I wanted and expected to do many things. I wanted to compete in the CDI’s and I wanted to have a chance to be one of the young riders chosen to go to Europe. I wanted to take lessons with some of the best, most respected trainers. But it turned out that instead of being a part of the horse shows and taking lessons, I was one watching from the sidelines. And sure, I wanted so badly to be a part of it all, but there is something so valuable about watching the top riders in our sport warm horses up then go compete. There is also so much to value in listening to top trainers from all around the world warm up top riders and listening to the trainers while their riders enter the show ring. And maybe if I were competing I would have been wrapped up in that and would have missed the opportunity to watch great riding and instruction.

The experience reminded me that horses teach us that things do not always go as planned. And that is okay. I certainly did not plan for my horse to throw his back out keeping me from competition and lessons. I did not plan to use money I saved and received to pay for the vet, acupuncture, magna wave, or massages. I did not plan to spend a great deal of time stretching him and icing his back. But at the end of the day, my horse is more than a horse, he is my friend and a part of my family, and he deserves the same love and respect that any person does. He tries his heart out everyday and brings a smile to my face and the faces of everyone he encounters. If he knew that was what he was there for, he would have been disappointed that he missed a chance to show off everything he has worked for.

At the end of the day, the fact that he could not compete is just a drop in the bucket. We both have much to look forward to in the future, and I truly was fortunate to have gone to Florida and to have been supported by friends, family, and many from the sport. Thanks to everyone who made the trip possible and allowed me to learn a great deal about the unexpected!