Pas de Deux Plus Two

A cute sixpack from our Pas de Deux lesson: Prissy, Rachel, Wizard, Carrie, Delphi, and Nephyn. It takes a village. Photo by Karen Brown.

"How many horses did you ride today?"

...my barn buddy Marlene asked of me. "Only three" I replied.

It's official: I have left a career in ophthalmology to embrace my destiny of riding full time. The first few lesson horses I've been riding are as varied as they are awesome: a powerful if compact Haflinger that teaches me the meaning of correct tempo, two noble Quarterhorse schoolmasters that are as eager to do upper level dressage movements as a southern gentleman is to hold the door for a lady, a pretty Arabian mare that teaches me I can ride one tempis, a Rhinelander mare that has earned several riders their bronze and silver medals and who considers the third and fourth level movements I'm learning as the easy stuff, and of course the challenging but rewarding world of the Trakehner.

While I may not take three riding lessons every day, it will be more common than not. I am excited and humbled at the opportunity afforded to immerse myself in the teachings and daily enterprises of my remarkable trainer-cum-mentor Karen Brown.

Mare on Fire

As Karen put it, we "cleaned up" this weekend at the Windy Knoll Summer Dressage I and II show.

Best of all, I earned my initial second level qualifying score, putting us halfway to our USDF bronze medal. Delphi and I were on the USDF Adult Amateur Team "Stranger's Danger" and won first place for the team gold medal. Delphi earned two firsts under Karen and me respectively, which earned us the blue ribbons and two lovely crystal wine glasses.

Karen's ride-- which was awesome-- earned her the Reserve Champion for Second Level Open and a gift certificate to Charlotte's Saddlery! All in all, a fun weekend!

Trakehner trot:

Nephyn served as show Director:

Taking a break from the heat:

Swag, swag, and more swag:

Delphi earned two blue ribbons, two wine glasses, a red ribbon, and the USDF Adult Team Competition Gold Medal (Delphi was real impressed, can you tell?):Karen earned Reserve Champion Second Level Open, a gift certificate from Charlotte's, a blue ribbon, and a crystal wine glass:

Karen rode Delphi to the absolute razor's edge and pulled the utmost out of Delphi. After being inspired by Karen's ride and with additional coaching from Karen, our scores improved the second day.
Some score sheet highlights:

In my second level test three:

• medium trot = "expressive" 7
• both shoulder ins = "good bend, needs activity" 7 and "angle varies a bit" 7
  
• up trans to collected canter from shortened stride in walk = "prompt" 7
• simple change (canter-walk-canter) = "smooth, could stay better connected" 7
• 10 meter canter circle, then simple change = "smooth but needs to improve connection" 7 and 7 respectively
• GAITS (freedom and regularity) = 7
  

In my second level test one:

• halt, rein back = 8
• rider's position and seat = 7

The judge's comments were, from Maryal Barnett: "Attractive horse with lots of potential. Needs better connection back to front."

From Creeky Routson: "Attractive horse." [At least they didn't say "Nice tail!"] "Improved suppleness in connection will help consistency."

Maryal Barnett said of Delphi "Seems like a very honest horse." [HA! Delphi's got her snowed.] "Work on getting a more through topline."

Update: click for Delphi's results on the ATA page.

From the Equestrian Training Center PFERD24 in Germany, Totilas has sired a black filly and a chestnut colt. That filly is a wowza! (And I'm partial to girls!) Her "mommy" is a recip mare and the dam of both foals is an Oldenburg.

Totilas' sire is Trakehner while his dam is a Dutch mare so neither he nor his offspring can officially be registered as Trakehner since the Trakehner breed has a closed stud book (open only to purebred Trakehners or mares of pure Thoroughbred or Arabian bloodlines after inspection by the Trakehner association). But we all know he's a Trakehner on the inside-- only have to watch him move!

From PFERD24:

Foals by Totilas out of state premium mare Solotänzerin by Sandro Hit/Canaster

"Our black filly by Totilas out of state premium mare Solotänzerin by Sandro Hit / Canaster was born on March 20, 2011. The foal was carried by the recipient mare Atesse. Mare and foal are alive and well.

On May 15, 2011, Solotänzerin became a mother herself, giving birth to a healthy and superb moving colt by Totilas. The modern and willingly working mare Solotänzerin is full sister to the exceptional mare "Silberaster OLD" whom we purchased at the Oldenburg Elite Auction in 2007. "Silberaster OLD" won the Federal Championships in 2006 and 2007 and in 2008 the bronze medal at the World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses in Verden."

Improving Canter

Our lesson today revealed how to get a very good canter depart: it all has to do with the walk from which you depart. In walk, supple the horse 'til she is completely loose and giving then activate the hindquarters with a leg aid reinforced by a brush with the whip so that she steps well under herself with the hindquarters. From this walk, we can proceed into a beautiful canter depart- continuing to supple the canter as well.

Karen had me "canter up a hill" for as long as I could, by doing suppling exercises and activating the inside hind at canter. We then schooled medium canter with the focus, again, on keeping Delphi supple. The key is in the give-- I must not allow her to bear into my hand but rather keep her round and light. We got some fairly good medium canter and Delphi's canter is definitely improving.

Delphi "cantering up a hill" in the longlines

Of spurs and self carriage

My spurs are now part of my uniform while riding Delphi. In our lesson this week we are still working on flexion and counter-flexion at canter. When I make a deliberate GIVE (breathe, two, three, four) after a flexion, it allows Delphi to do one of two things: 1) completely fall apart onto the forehand (which means she wasn't in a good place to begin with) or 2) travel through in self carriage. Either way I must ALLOW Delphi to find her own self carriage or reveal inadequacies that can then be addressed in the next cycle of flexion-and-soften. With spurs on I do find it easier to nudge up the occasional little extra energy and when I want the spurs, they're there.
I'm currently using these stainless steel rollerball spurs with Delphi.

Harmony, Elegance, Refinement DEFINED

Love the commentary, and of course I love the Trakehner Biotop and Dr. Klimpke (note Dr. Klimpke is warming up for a major show in a snaffle!):

The Premium

Delphi is quite knattily doing her tricks and movements; her shoulder in is reliable, the change of bend to renver is getting good, and she could travel around in haunches in all day. She obediently steps away from the leg for lateral movement and she can change the bend from leg yield to half pass and back again. A nudge of the inside seatbone sends her off into an obedient canter, or just as obedient counter canter, either straight lines or bending. She can canter around in counter canter with as many simple changes as you please.

That's all well and good but not worth a darn if she's going around hollow with her snout up in the air or even flat and only tenuously on the bit. Today during our lesson Karen insisted we get round and through, especially in the canter where Delphi can be tenuous about being on the bit. We finally had to resort to relatively quick bends and counter bends; to do this one must keep the elbows down and change the bend from the rider's shoulders (that must be back!) rather than the hands alone.

More elegantly, one can do shoulder in, activate the inside hind, any lateral work, or shoulder in around a circle. The premium must be on keeping Delphi round-- deep even-- so that we push past her mediocrity zone into staying reliably through.

For the love of Pete, SIT BACK!

Refinement

In order to be a more elegant rider, one must allow the horse the element of self carriage, alignment, and lightness.

I learned an example of this in my lesson with Karen Brown this morning (where it was raining cats and dogs-- glory be!). When straightening the horse after renver (as in second level test three) allow with the inside (of the bend for renver which in this example is toward the outside of the arena) rein, then wait with what will now be the new inside rein, so that the horse's shoulders come back in alignment and the horse is then prepared to make a good bend through the corner. (As an aside, it not only makes since to finesse this movement for the sake of harmonious riding but also for the sake of one's score as it is shown twice each with a coefficient of two in this particular test.)

It's less about busy-ness on the rider's part and more about waiting for the horse and allowing the horse.

Windy Knoll Summer Shows I and II

Mailed our entry today for the two summer shows July 23-24 at Windy Knoll Farm.