In the Shower

My barn buddy Ceil suggested I occasionally take off the USDF bronze medal Rijkens earned in 2013, such as when showering.  What I've discovered is: I can't.  Ok I don't literally wear it in the shower, but I might as well.

I'm so proud of my good boy Rijkens for all his accomplishments, and grateful to him and our team for allowing me to ride my dream.

Some highlights from 2013:

Spring at Windy Knoll Rijkens gets our initial third level score requirement:

  

We earn our final third level score and achieve our bronze medal at the HDS labor day show:

 

Rijkens earns in the 69+%, making my fourth level debut at the fall Belle Terre schooling show:

 Fall 2013 Rijkens moves to Twinwood to start training with Andrea Attard and Jan Ebeling:

 

 Achievement certificate for Rijkens' third level work in 2013 from the HDS:

 Rijkens and Delphinia have their photo in the winter 2013 USDF Yearbook:

   

Rijkens' wall of fame including his 2013 blue (and the one red from his bronze medal ride!) ribbons, glass trophies, certificates from the USDF and HDS and his USDF bronze medal and lapel pin:

 

What's next?  I'm currently working on a fourth level freestyle for Rijkens.  In order to be eligible, I have to submit a score of 60% or higher at either fourth level test three or Prix St Georges.  Since I am aiming for my silver medal I've set my sight on showing PSG to both qualify for freestyle and earn the second half of my silver medal scores.  His FEI work with Andrea is continuing well and we plan to move him up to Intermediate later this year as he's ready.  

HDS Winter 1 and 2 highlights

A big weekend for Rijkens, and a testament to his increasing fitness level, Rijkens turned in three quality tests over the weekend: fourth level and Prix St George the first day and fourth level again the second day.

Andrea Attard showing Prix St Georges received a championship qualifying score.

 

Rijkens won both his fourth level classes with me in the mid 60's.

Above photos credit: Moonfyre photography

Back home with the weekend's swag:

Bookmarks

The following are a list of links to which I want to have easy access in the near future:

HDS Anne Gribbons/Christine Traurig symposium flyer and demo rider/auditor application: /http://houstondressagesociety.org/education/clinics-events/

Guidlines for the Evaluation of Pirouettes, the Contact and Mouth issues: www.fei.org/system/files/FEI%20Guidelines%20for%20the%20evaluation%20of%20pirouettes%20%20contact%20and%20mouth%20problems_01july2011.pdf

Useful dressage documents from the FEI: https://next.fei.org/fei/disc/dressage/useful-docs

FEI tests, including PSG, Intermediate and FEI four year old test: https://next.fei.org/fei/your-role/organisers/dressage/tests

Windwood freestyle design: http://www.woodwindstudios.com/customfreestyles.html
and
MusiKur ready-to-ride freestyles: http://www.musikur.com/home.html

Success!

Rijkens won both his fourth level classes with me, and with Andrea he earned a championship qualifying score at Prix St Georges. 

Judges' comments included:

• "Nice horse - quite capable.  He's nice!"  From Dolly Hannon
• "Quality correct; fairly  polished."  From Debbie Rodriguez
• "Capable elegant horse."  From Dolly Hannon

Certainly we have our homework cut out for us, and we're enjoying the journey!

Video of Rijkens winning at fourth level:

Thomas Walker clinic lesson

To improve canter, think about riding slight shoulder fore position.  Shoulder in and haunches in at canter are also good suppling exercises.  Think about activating Rijkens' hindquarter to establish more engagement by keeping the hindlegs quick but not necessarily quickening the tempo.

For canter pirouette, keep the rider's outside leg long.  Collect into a school canter as you come into the pirouette and start the first couple strides on a very small circle, then in the last part of the pirouette come out larger and come out of school canter into a bigger normal collected canter.  The size of the circle the hindlegs are describing stays the same, but the horse begins to come out a bit bigger into regular collected canter instead of maintaining the pirouette canter past the end of the pirouette.

In the 2009 PSG test canter half pass, aim for before X in the left half pass, then the flying change at X, then aim for before M in the right half pass, then the flying change at M.  That way you give yourself room for the flying change at X and at M.

The voltes at B and E are 8 meters, 2 full meters away from the centerline at X.  So Thomas, who's about 6'4", could easily lay down with his feet at X and his head extending toward B and my circle at B would not trample him by 2 inches.  It's a small circle!

In the walk pirouettes, give yourself plenty of room past G between G and M for the pirouette, (same between G and H).  No need to hug G before the pirouette.

Riding right into the corner in both trot and canter work allows you to use the corner to prepare and re-balance the horse.  In the medium and extended work, ride right into the corner and generate energy before the letter so that you already have some power going onto the diagonal. 

 Thomas Walker schooling another student's horse in an earlier photo

David Blake Clinic

To straighten the horse in walk, ride the quarterlines in shoulder fore position.  Guard against the horse swinging his haunches right by almost always riding a bit shoulder fore.

In canter work, reward the horse by coming out of collected work into medium canter.  The horse begins to look forward to cantering medium out of collected work so you build up a pattern of always having more horse in collected work, rather than having to struggle to maintain the collected work.  Then during a test you can say (for example in a canter pirouette) "Now we will go medium canter" and then "No just kidding stay collected" and you still have a lot of horse there to access.

For engaged flying changes, supple the horse in the collected canter then let go of him just prior to the change.  Use your seat by your strong position and even swinging into him (think shake out your shoulders) to supple the horse with the saddle.

An exercise to supple the canter: from shoulder fore position in canter, think of riding even a slight renvers fore on the quarterline, but with small amount of angle.  Amazingly Rijkens can maintain this exercise with a huge amount of angle!  But less angle is sufficient and easier for the horse.

In the extended trot, David asked Andrea to let the reins go, even flop, a bit.  This had a freeing effect on Rijkens' shoulders while the rider continues the engagement with her strong position.

  
Rijkens saddling for his clinic lesson with David Blake.