Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Allie Schooling First Level Test Two
Here is Delphi's stablemate Allie (a teen-aged Hanoverian schoolmaster managed by Centerline Training) schooling the end of First Level Test Two. Nice work, team Allie.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Capriole
Click the photo for a larger view of Bailey as a four year old performing her warm-up-arena-clearing capriole. Note her owner/rider sitting like a Dressage Queen taking a hack in the park. NICE.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A Spastic Madame Defarge no more
After two minutes of watching me ride 'round on Delphi, Jeff Moore said I looked like a "spastic Madame Defarge." (She's the knitting villain in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.) I'm glad to report that since receiving the benefits of Jeff's clinic, I am now happily allowing my horse to self reward (I still need to make it an extra obvious reward) and thereby accomplishing several strides in relaxation! We've even achieved a relaxed shoulder in at walk. Progress!
Keeping armpit muscles engaged, shoulders wide, and core stable; waiting for Delphi to give:
When she gives, I can then encourage her to self reward by uberstreichen:
Uberstreichen at canter:
Delphi relaxes her jaw, and I reward with uberstreichen:
"She is positively scurrying!" Note the improved suspension in the canter stride:
Note the elbows down, shoulders wide and low, and stable core:
Keeping armpit muscles engaged, shoulders wide, and core stable; waiting for Delphi to give:
When she gives, I can then encourage her to self reward by uberstreichen:
Uberstreichen at canter:
Delphi relaxes her jaw, and I reward with uberstreichen:
"She is positively scurrying!" Note the improved suspension in the canter stride:
What a feeling! Thank you Jeff!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Jeff Moore Clinic February 20, 2010
The morning lesson encompassed the following ideas:
Three important areas for the rider to be aware of are
1) Core. Think of your core as a corset that wraps around your middle.
2) Scapular stabilizers. Engage the scapular stabilizers by thinking of your shoulders going out very wide and back.
3) Pectoral muscles (in front) and lat muscles (in back) form the "armpit" muscles. Push your elbows down to access the armpit muscles.
The forearm should go in a straight line to the bit; the upper arm should be vertical. Keeping your elbows down and bent keeps your forearm in a straight line and your hands up to a straight line to the bit.
At the walk you must have roundness and oscillation.
There should be NO MOVEMENT OF THE WRIST while riding. The wrist should be in a "frozen" line to the bit.
The shoulders should be wide and low and armpits pushing the elbows down. Keep your upper arm vertical. Think "wide shoulders sloping down" or "shoulders wide and low" with armpits pushing your elbows so strongly down that your elbows don't swing and your elbows could make furrows in the dirt.
Never shorten the reins more than 1 inch at a time.
Your wrist should remain flat, or push your bottom wrist bone down so the leading part of your hand is the knuckle of your ring finger.
When the upper back goes slack, that is a clear indication there is no body perception on the rider's part.
When giving the reins (uberstreichen): it is a quick, sudden give to a loop in the rein AND simultaneously get your shoulders wider, lower, and your armpits deeper. Giving the rein takes MORE work, not less. KEEP your armpit tone and upper back tone when giving the rein (uberstreichen). Carry your own arm even when giving the rein, and push down with your elbow.
Horses cannot pull on the reins- only we can. To prevent pulling the reins, keep the shoulders lower and your armpits lower as you give the uberstreichen. By "armpits down" Jeff means "keep tone in your armpits (your pecs and lats)."
If Delphi pops up and goes bracey on the reins, I should push my elbows down harder, wait for her to give, then reward and release by giving the rein in a quick uberstreichen.
In the afternoon lesson we learned the following:
If you are still and stable with your arms and hands the horse can self reward. That means if the horse relaxes it can take the pressure off. Do this by keeping your elbows down and your armpit muscles engaged constantly until there is give on the horse's part, then make uberstreichen to allow the horse to self reward. Encourage the horse to experiment, then set up situations where they will discover they can make their lives easier. Mistakes will happen, and that's okay. Mistakes can be: you don't give, or you don't give soon enough, or you give but the rein does not go completely slack; these are all mistakes. A DISASTER would be letting your armpit muscles lose tone, losing your shoulder spread, or losing tone in you core; all disasters that are NOT ok.
Get all of the above (armpits, shoulders wide, down and back, and engaged core) very well organized. You can then approach tricks and movements as a way to test whether all of these can still be done within the tricks and movements.
When Delphi pops up with her head and neck, I should respond with armpits and shoulders down, not back. A hard down, not a gentle stretch but a grunter- very aggressive- to avoid the tendency to pull and be pulled; it will disengage the tendency to pull on one another.
Pretty soon constant grunt and effort becomes less effort.
When the armpits, scapular stabilizers, and core are in the correct position it is normal to adjust the reins by shortening or lengthening them while riding. The reins do not necessarily stay at a fixed length for the entire ride. Shortening the reins (no more than one inch at a time) can establish true flexion or counter flexion by a slight shortening of either rein.
At the canter:
Be very ready to give a quick reward of the rein.
The canter is a non-reciprocating asymmetrical gait. The two legs come forward together causing a rocking action. The pivot point for the hindleg changes from the hip joint (in trot) to the lumbosacral joint in canter. Delphi lacks some of that: causing a "quity" canter, worsened still by a rider (that would be me) that is "humping and pushing" and thereby pulling some of the rocking motion out of the canter, making it feel like the horse is always hanging back.
At the canter, the rider's dynamic should be back and forth (not up and down), with the two points of stability for the canter being 1) stirrups and 2) thorax (or breastbone, or collar bone, or skewer through your shoulders) which does not lean or wobble back and forth or rotate.
Avoid shoving forward or "driving" with the seat. Keep your thorax stable relative to the horse (or pommel). From the bottom of your shoulder blades you arch and reach back and your seat goes far back in the saddle and then you go passive to come forward, NEVER PUSH FORWARD. Your pubic bone does not go past your breastbone. Use an active, arching reach back then passively come forward; then before the canter stride ends you actively reach back to help keep the horse on the haunches rather than on the forehand.
The aid for canter: stabilize yourself (use no leg in an ideal world) and the outside seat bone goes back and across to the inside and turn your sagital plane out a little bit.
In canter the knee has to slither back with the seat and get your bottom out behind you, but NO driving seat. If you must "drive" do so by kicking with one leg only, tap with the whip, or cluck.
My crotch should reach so far back that it reaches the top of the cantel. When I did this the canter had more bound and more roundness. For awhile I need to be very exaggerated about reaching back with my seat in canter.
Never let your hands break the line from elbow to bit. If you must ere, ere on the side of the hands being too high.
Unlock the thighs and knees and cluck, whip, or kick with one leg rather than driving with the seat. Reach back with the seat to the cantel. Start the reach back early in the stride proactively, while the coming forward of the pelvis is passive. Reach back with your seat sooner in the canter stride, and the shoulders should not fall behind the pelvis. Keep your breastbone out over the pommel; the canter then gets a little more amplitude: scope, range, and reach.
Even when you think you're softly going with the canter, you must stop your seat from driving forward and start the next active reach back BEFORE your seat drives the horse down on the forehand. Exaggerate the reach back and forbid the driving seat in canter.
Shoulder in:
Should start out as a leg yield tail to the wall. At walk, start with leg yield tail to the wall, then get the neck perfectly aligned between the two reins and keep your elbows down until she makes the same experiment of relaxing. Practice the shoulder in at the walk first. When you can do many strides at the walk on a loose rein, try it at the trot.
Move the horse at the leg yield on a diagonal across the ring as well as down the long side; when the horse is in very good self carriage-- round, arched, and the uberstreichen is working-- then you try the trot after the horse is in light self carriage and round.
Three important areas for the rider to be aware of are
1) Core. Think of your core as a corset that wraps around your middle.
2) Scapular stabilizers. Engage the scapular stabilizers by thinking of your shoulders going out very wide and back.
3) Pectoral muscles (in front) and lat muscles (in back) form the "armpit" muscles. Push your elbows down to access the armpit muscles.
The forearm should go in a straight line to the bit; the upper arm should be vertical. Keeping your elbows down and bent keeps your forearm in a straight line and your hands up to a straight line to the bit.
At the walk you must have roundness and oscillation.
There should be NO MOVEMENT OF THE WRIST while riding. The wrist should be in a "frozen" line to the bit.
The shoulders should be wide and low and armpits pushing the elbows down. Keep your upper arm vertical. Think "wide shoulders sloping down" or "shoulders wide and low" with armpits pushing your elbows so strongly down that your elbows don't swing and your elbows could make furrows in the dirt.
Never shorten the reins more than 1 inch at a time.
Your wrist should remain flat, or push your bottom wrist bone down so the leading part of your hand is the knuckle of your ring finger.
When the upper back goes slack, that is a clear indication there is no body perception on the rider's part.
When giving the reins (uberstreichen): it is a quick, sudden give to a loop in the rein AND simultaneously get your shoulders wider, lower, and your armpits deeper. Giving the rein takes MORE work, not less. KEEP your armpit tone and upper back tone when giving the rein (uberstreichen). Carry your own arm even when giving the rein, and push down with your elbow.
Horses cannot pull on the reins- only we can. To prevent pulling the reins, keep the shoulders lower and your armpits lower as you give the uberstreichen. By "armpits down" Jeff means "keep tone in your armpits (your pecs and lats)."
If Delphi pops up and goes bracey on the reins, I should push my elbows down harder, wait for her to give, then reward and release by giving the rein in a quick uberstreichen.
In the afternoon lesson we learned the following:
If you are still and stable with your arms and hands the horse can self reward. That means if the horse relaxes it can take the pressure off. Do this by keeping your elbows down and your armpit muscles engaged constantly until there is give on the horse's part, then make uberstreichen to allow the horse to self reward. Encourage the horse to experiment, then set up situations where they will discover they can make their lives easier. Mistakes will happen, and that's okay. Mistakes can be: you don't give, or you don't give soon enough, or you give but the rein does not go completely slack; these are all mistakes. A DISASTER would be letting your armpit muscles lose tone, losing your shoulder spread, or losing tone in you core; all disasters that are NOT ok.
Get all of the above (armpits, shoulders wide, down and back, and engaged core) very well organized. You can then approach tricks and movements as a way to test whether all of these can still be done within the tricks and movements.
When Delphi pops up with her head and neck, I should respond with armpits and shoulders down, not back. A hard down, not a gentle stretch but a grunter- very aggressive- to avoid the tendency to pull and be pulled; it will disengage the tendency to pull on one another.
Pretty soon constant grunt and effort becomes less effort.
When the armpits, scapular stabilizers, and core are in the correct position it is normal to adjust the reins by shortening or lengthening them while riding. The reins do not necessarily stay at a fixed length for the entire ride. Shortening the reins (no more than one inch at a time) can establish true flexion or counter flexion by a slight shortening of either rein.
At the canter:
Be very ready to give a quick reward of the rein.
The canter is a non-reciprocating asymmetrical gait. The two legs come forward together causing a rocking action. The pivot point for the hindleg changes from the hip joint (in trot) to the lumbosacral joint in canter. Delphi lacks some of that: causing a "quity" canter, worsened still by a rider (that would be me) that is "humping and pushing" and thereby pulling some of the rocking motion out of the canter, making it feel like the horse is always hanging back.
At the canter, the rider's dynamic should be back and forth (not up and down), with the two points of stability for the canter being 1) stirrups and 2) thorax (or breastbone, or collar bone, or skewer through your shoulders) which does not lean or wobble back and forth or rotate.
Avoid shoving forward or "driving" with the seat. Keep your thorax stable relative to the horse (or pommel). From the bottom of your shoulder blades you arch and reach back and your seat goes far back in the saddle and then you go passive to come forward, NEVER PUSH FORWARD. Your pubic bone does not go past your breastbone. Use an active, arching reach back then passively come forward; then before the canter stride ends you actively reach back to help keep the horse on the haunches rather than on the forehand.
The aid for canter: stabilize yourself (use no leg in an ideal world) and the outside seat bone goes back and across to the inside and turn your sagital plane out a little bit.
In canter the knee has to slither back with the seat and get your bottom out behind you, but NO driving seat. If you must "drive" do so by kicking with one leg only, tap with the whip, or cluck.
My crotch should reach so far back that it reaches the top of the cantel. When I did this the canter had more bound and more roundness. For awhile I need to be very exaggerated about reaching back with my seat in canter.
Never let your hands break the line from elbow to bit. If you must ere, ere on the side of the hands being too high.
Unlock the thighs and knees and cluck, whip, or kick with one leg rather than driving with the seat. Reach back with the seat to the cantel. Start the reach back early in the stride proactively, while the coming forward of the pelvis is passive. Reach back with your seat sooner in the canter stride, and the shoulders should not fall behind the pelvis. Keep your breastbone out over the pommel; the canter then gets a little more amplitude: scope, range, and reach.
Even when you think you're softly going with the canter, you must stop your seat from driving forward and start the next active reach back BEFORE your seat drives the horse down on the forehand. Exaggerate the reach back and forbid the driving seat in canter.
Shoulder in:
Should start out as a leg yield tail to the wall. At walk, start with leg yield tail to the wall, then get the neck perfectly aligned between the two reins and keep your elbows down until she makes the same experiment of relaxing. Practice the shoulder in at the walk first. When you can do many strides at the walk on a loose rein, try it at the trot.
Move the horse at the leg yield on a diagonal across the ring as well as down the long side; when the horse is in very good self carriage-- round, arched, and the uberstreichen is working-- then you try the trot after the horse is in light self carriage and round.
The One Rein Stop Re-visited
My barn buddy, Allie's Auntie M, sent me this article on the one rein stop and asked my opinion. Since this is a topic near and dear to me, and has saved me plenty grief, I'll reply here.
Generally, I mostly agree with the article. The one rein stop could be re-named the "one-stride-super-leg-yield-away-from-the-rider's-inside-leg-and-disengaging-the-horse's-hindquarter" but the other is easier to say. The article states: "The rider must know what he is doing, he must know why he is doing it, and he must have prepared the horse with solid training." To which I would reply "well, duh." But yes, I trained Delphi to the one rein stop; in fact early on when Karen Brown gave us our very first lesson, we spent a bulk of lesson time "schooling" the one rein stop- Delphi wasn't being disobedient, we were just "installing" (as Karen put it) emergency brakes on her since she had a history of bolting. But any horse that has even rudimentary training in leg yielding (almost every horse that's been broken in does) can be disengaged-and a disaster avoided- by the one rein stop if the horse tries to buck, jump, bolt or whatever, even without prior "official" schooling of the one rein stop. (This very act saved my tail recently at BFF while schooling an ~18 hand ex-jumper in collected canter when he decided to jump an imaginary six foot oxer and bolt to the gate!) Believe me though, if I'm on a horse that I feel is thinking bolt or buck jump, I'll do several one rein stop schoolings just to show the horse what it is and establish it if needed in an emergency. However, if a horse has a reliable leg yield, he will then have a reliable one rein stop.
For the students of Centerline Training, I suggest schooling the one rein stop a few minutes with Karen guiding you. For everyone else the end-all-be-all final say on the one rein stop goes to John O'Leary of Horseproblems Australia. See his one rein stop article here.
Generally, I mostly agree with the article. The one rein stop could be re-named the "one-stride-super-leg-yield-away-from-the-rider's-inside-leg-and-disengaging-the-horse's-hindquarter" but the other is easier to say. The article states: "The rider must know what he is doing, he must know why he is doing it, and he must have prepared the horse with solid training." To which I would reply "well, duh." But yes, I trained Delphi to the one rein stop; in fact early on when Karen Brown gave us our very first lesson, we spent a bulk of lesson time "schooling" the one rein stop- Delphi wasn't being disobedient, we were just "installing" (as Karen put it) emergency brakes on her since she had a history of bolting. But any horse that has even rudimentary training in leg yielding (almost every horse that's been broken in does) can be disengaged-and a disaster avoided- by the one rein stop if the horse tries to buck, jump, bolt or whatever, even without prior "official" schooling of the one rein stop. (This very act saved my tail recently at BFF while schooling an ~18 hand ex-jumper in collected canter when he decided to jump an imaginary six foot oxer and bolt to the gate!) Believe me though, if I'm on a horse that I feel is thinking bolt or buck jump, I'll do several one rein stop schoolings just to show the horse what it is and establish it if needed in an emergency. However, if a horse has a reliable leg yield, he will then have a reliable one rein stop.
For the students of Centerline Training, I suggest schooling the one rein stop a few minutes with Karen guiding you. For everyone else the end-all-be-all final say on the one rein stop goes to John O'Leary of Horseproblems Australia. See his one rein stop article here.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Texas Traditions Fun Rides
"Every horse has a hidden ranch horse inside, just waiting to come out!" So goes the Texas Traditions slogan for the trail ride competitions in which horse and rider teams compete in skill tasks for practical situations found both on the trail and in the arena.
See the Texas Traditions Fun Rides website to sign up to ride and more details on how you can win fabulous prizes while improving balance and developing prompt response to the aids, all in the pastoral setting of the beautiful 7IL Ranch.
See the Texas Traditions Fun Rides website to sign up to ride and more details on how you can win fabulous prizes while improving balance and developing prompt response to the aids, all in the pastoral setting of the beautiful 7IL Ranch.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
More Helmet Matters
(Courtney King update as of March 10 from Lendon Gray is: "Another day with 'no bad news is good news.' Courtney had an MRI and it shows no damage beyond what they already knew from the cat scan the day after the injury. We all breathed a little sigh of relief at this news.")
Ever since I got my friend's call and good advice to wear my helmet, I've been doing some pretty deep thinking concerning helmet use and our sport in general, along with some further research.
The CDC says that an estimated 30 million Americans ride horses each year, and that 92,763 ER visits were made in the US for injuries related to horseback riding. The greatest number of injuries occurred in the 25-44 year age group; injury rates were highest for 5-24 year olds, especially for females.
The CDC sums it up thusly: No horse is a safe horse; some are safer than others but the horse is a potentially lethal animal. Prevention of accidents and injuries is dependent upon using knowledge previously attained from studying horse activities. Because of the potential of severe of head injury, horseback riders should wear a properly secured hard shell helmet lined with expanded polystyrene or similar material. Helmet use has been endorsed by several medical and trade organizations, and national performance standards for helmets are available. To reduce injuries, riders should wear properly fitting heeled boots and nonskid gloves, avoid loose fitting clothing, regularly maintain and inspect equipment, replace worn parts, and use appropriately sized stirrups. Safety practices of riders may improve when they are trained by experienced instructors who emphasize safe riding techniques, and who themselves wear helmets while riding. In addition, riding safety may improve for riders who use appropriate techniques to stop, start, and turn a horse and to perform a rapid (emergency) dismount.
The One Rein Stop and Ceil's Emergency Dismount come to mind!
How often should helmets be replaced?
You should replace your helmet anytime you’re in an accident, whether the impact is severe or minor. Even if you don’t see any damage, the inside material of the helmet where impact occurred could have been compromised. In addition, experts recommend replacing your helmet every five years or sooner. Time takes its toll on the material properties of a helmet mainly because of small dings and bumps as well as the effects of temperature variations that occur over time, expanding and compressing the materials over and over again. Another reason to regularly exchange your helmet is the ongoing improvement in helmet technology, which sometimes is not obvious to the public. So although there is a range of issues that might make an earlier replacement necessary, 5 years is the maximum time Troxel recommends waiting before replacing a helmet. See the Troxel site for more safety info.
Ever since I got my friend's call and good advice to wear my helmet, I've been doing some pretty deep thinking concerning helmet use and our sport in general, along with some further research.
The CDC says that an estimated 30 million Americans ride horses each year, and that 92,763 ER visits were made in the US for injuries related to horseback riding. The greatest number of injuries occurred in the 25-44 year age group; injury rates were highest for 5-24 year olds, especially for females.
The CDC sums it up thusly: No horse is a safe horse; some are safer than others but the horse is a potentially lethal animal. Prevention of accidents and injuries is dependent upon using knowledge previously attained from studying horse activities. Because of the potential of severe of head injury, horseback riders should wear a properly secured hard shell helmet lined with expanded polystyrene or similar material. Helmet use has been endorsed by several medical and trade organizations, and national performance standards for helmets are available. To reduce injuries, riders should wear properly fitting heeled boots and nonskid gloves, avoid loose fitting clothing, regularly maintain and inspect equipment, replace worn parts, and use appropriately sized stirrups. Safety practices of riders may improve when they are trained by experienced instructors who emphasize safe riding techniques, and who themselves wear helmets while riding. In addition, riding safety may improve for riders who use appropriate techniques to stop, start, and turn a horse and to perform a rapid (emergency) dismount.
The One Rein Stop and Ceil's Emergency Dismount come to mind!
How often should helmets be replaced?
You should replace your helmet anytime you’re in an accident, whether the impact is severe or minor. Even if you don’t see any damage, the inside material of the helmet where impact occurred could have been compromised. In addition, experts recommend replacing your helmet every five years or sooner. Time takes its toll on the material properties of a helmet mainly because of small dings and bumps as well as the effects of temperature variations that occur over time, expanding and compressing the materials over and over again. Another reason to regularly exchange your helmet is the ongoing improvement in helmet technology, which sometimes is not obvious to the public. So although there is a range of issues that might make an earlier replacement necessary, 5 years is the maximum time Troxel recommends waiting before replacing a helmet. See the Troxel site for more safety info.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Courtney Update
Courtney King remains in a coma but in stable condition as of Monday morning March 8. See a letter from her husband Jason Dye on her website Courtney King Dressage.
On behalf of Courtney, a tearful and emotional Lendon Gray accepted the $25,000 grant that Courtney won from Carol Lavel yesterday at the Palm Beach Derby. You can read more on Robert Dover's site, Dressage Daily, or check Lendon Gray's facebook page.
Meanwhile, keep wearing your helmet.
On behalf of Courtney, a tearful and emotional Lendon Gray accepted the $25,000 grant that Courtney won from Carol Lavel yesterday at the Palm Beach Derby. You can read more on Robert Dover's site, Dressage Daily, or check Lendon Gray's facebook page.
Meanwhile, keep wearing your helmet.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
More Sad News
I was sad to read this in my inbox this morning:
Dressage mare Blue Hors Matine, whose dressage freestyle at the 2006 WEG in Aachen became an internet video sensation, was euthanized January 25 after breaking a leg in a paddock accident, Blue Horse Stud Director Esben Moller said in a statement. The 13 year old Dutch mare was ridden by Andreas Helgstrand of Denmark. She retired from competition in 2009 following unsuccessful recuperation from a tendon injury at the Las Vegas World Cup in 2007. The YouTube video of her 2006 WEG freestyle has received nearly 10 million views.
Matine is one of my favorites. It's sad to feel our relationships with those we love can be so tenuous. Time spent with our loved ones-equine, canine, human- seems all the more precious.
See updates on Courtney King Dye on Robert Dover's website.
Dressage mare Blue Hors Matine, whose dressage freestyle at the 2006 WEG in Aachen became an internet video sensation, was euthanized January 25 after breaking a leg in a paddock accident, Blue Horse Stud Director Esben Moller said in a statement. The 13 year old Dutch mare was ridden by Andreas Helgstrand of Denmark. She retired from competition in 2009 following unsuccessful recuperation from a tendon injury at the Las Vegas World Cup in 2007. The YouTube video of her 2006 WEG freestyle has received nearly 10 million views.
Matine is one of my favorites. It's sad to feel our relationships with those we love can be so tenuous. Time spent with our loved ones-equine, canine, human- seems all the more precious.
See updates on Courtney King Dye on Robert Dover's website.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wear Your Helmet
Delphi was standing in cross-ties being groomed when I got the call that Courtney King Dye had been hurt in a horse accident. My barn buddy and fellow equestrian called to tell me the news, but more than that, as my friend she urged me to wear my helmet every time I ride. Yes, I wear my helmet when I ride a new horse, or when I'm riding a green horse, or when jumping, or when away at unfamiliar surroundings. But I confess I have gotten into a complaisance with my own mare that I know and trust, and have been in the habit of wearing only a ball cap (for sun protection of all things). When my good friend heard the news about Courtney's skull fracture, she said she thought about me and wanted to insist, cajole, urge, beg or otherwise encourage me to wear my helmet consistently.
Point taken. I put my helmet on even as I was hanging up my phone, and wore it today on my trustworthy mare during our routine riding lesson. Ever after, I will continue to put my helmet on as part of my uniform; just as I wouldn't dream of riding without boots, breeches, and gloves, my helmet will now always be de rigueur.
Thank you, Ceil, again, for your sage and timely advice. With the rest of our dressage community, I am praying for a complete and strong recovery for Courtney.
In light of this accident, Grand Prix dressage rider Heather Blitz has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of helmet use for riders of all disciplines. Read more on Blitz's website.
Point taken. I put my helmet on even as I was hanging up my phone, and wore it today on my trustworthy mare during our routine riding lesson. Ever after, I will continue to put my helmet on as part of my uniform; just as I wouldn't dream of riding without boots, breeches, and gloves, my helmet will now always be de rigueur.
Thank you, Ceil, again, for your sage and timely advice. With the rest of our dressage community, I am praying for a complete and strong recovery for Courtney.
In light of this accident, Grand Prix dressage rider Heather Blitz has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of helmet use for riders of all disciplines. Read more on Blitz's website.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Barn On The Bayou
We met this turtle on the trail ride that was Delphi's reward for schooling flying changes: the first one she changed late behind, and the second one she cantered-halted-cantered in new lead (with NO trot steps, but no walk steps either-- abrupt!) but was obedient and very good effort on her part.
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