Big News!

As your August 2010 issue of Dressage Today arrives in your mailbox, you might notice an addition to the list of editors. After a lot of careful planning, I have decided to accept the position of Senior Editor at the magazine. The entire staff has been extremely supportive of my decision to keep my training business active and I have been successfully working my students and horses in the afternoon/evening/weekend hours.

I am very proud to have helped put out the August issue and will be working on upcoming content for the magazine and online aspects... and yes, I will still be keeping my blog going!

In the meantime, training has been going better than ever. Now that I can focus on my own horse's show season, I am putting together the entries (I have a lesson with Linda Zang tomorrow, so I am going to hold on to my first show entry and see what she says before I send it off). I have several students taking a break during this summer heat, now that they have qualified for year-end championships in the fall. All the training horses are doing well, with Training moving up to First and First moving up to Second.... and so on. The baby is actually cantering and he is getting strong enough in the contact that I am starting to feel like we are working dressage.

All in all, the summer couldn't be better (or more busy!). This weekend I am off to assist/coach the PVDA Junior/Young Rider teams at the Region 1 Youth Team Championships. I LOVE this kind of event and cannot wait to see what everyone has chosen for stall decorations. Next Wednesday I leave for the D2 of the "L" Program in Utah! After that, shows pick back up--I have 2 shows to compete at and 2 schooling shows to judge.

Now that I am settled in at Dressage Today, September feels like it is just around the corner. Before I know it, I will have both Championships, my "L" Program Final Exam and the USDF Instructor's Certification Testing. Lots of prep for all three and then I can rest at Thanksgiving.

I better stop this blog post and get working!!!

Communication

The line of communication between a student and instructor is, in my humble opinion, the most important aspect of the relationship. I believe that a student's progress in a lesson is directly related to their ability to communicate with their instructor and vice versa. On the instructor's end, the ability to recognize how their knowledge is needed and clearly convey that information is what makes them a good teacher. On the students end, the ability to express their goals and speak up when they are feeling something (understanding, confusion, frustration, etc.) allows the pair to communicate with each other.

(on a side note, this concept of communication is also essential between horse and rider)

I have been a student and I have been a trainer.

I have been the one to hide things from my trainer, because I was afraid she would get mad at me or upset.

I have also been the trainer that has been on the other end, getting lied to (yes, failing to tell someone something on purpose is also lying!).

In my experience, most of the issues that have come between students and instructors have been related to poor communication on one end. Good horse trainers are not always good instructors, so explaining the way to ride through something will not always work for you. Remember that instructors do not fit every personality and you may not work well with someone that others find helpful.

When you do find a good instructor, that is capable of communication, don't spoil it on your end. Lying to your instructor about something, because you are afraid they will be mad at you, is not productive. It is your instructor's job to gather and process information for your benefit. If they do not have all of the facts, they cannot help you correctly. For example, if you gave your horse 10 days off because you wanted to take a last minute road trip, your horse will be the one suffering when you are afraid to speak up and say that maybe you shouldn't be working so much canter after he has been off for more than a week.

Maybe the situation is related to your instructor. Again, communication is the best answer. When you are annoyed with your instructor about something, not saying something will not only cause bigger problems. It will breed resentment in you, to the point where you will just get sick of it and maybe leave. Your trainer, meanwhile, might not have any idea that something was wrong. You are secretly furious and she is just going about her day, assuming you are happy.

Avoiding discussions when there is an issue with your instructor does not prevent hurt feelings. Sure, you might save your instructor from feeling angry at you, but you will do something even worse: You will make them feel like you don't feel comfortable talking with them. That you don't feel like you can communicate.

What I hear all the time from fellow instructors, after their clients have been hiding something is, "I wish they had said something sooner." The instructor feels like a failure, because instead of their students coming to them with a problem, they were the problem and their student felt they could not come to them for help.

In one case, a person I knew was so afraid of "hurting her instructor's feelings" that she simply took the horse from the barn on a weekend that the trainer was on vacation. The trainer returned to an empty stall, some flowers and a Dear John note that explained that she had decided to take the horse back.

I later found out why she decided to leave: "I loved working with my trainer, but she never gave lessons in the late evenings, she always left right after my lesson at 3pm."

"She was going home for dinner, so she could come back and teach me and any make-up lessons until 9:45pm," a fellow student replied.

The former student was so embarrassed by this and her sudden exit from the barn, that she was too ashamed to call her former trainer. The former trainer, to this day, talks about what a wonderful student she was and asks about her frequently.

In this case and others, you just have to take a leap of faith and trust that more communication will only help.

Horse abuse

Some of you have seen a video being passed around the internet that depicts "abuses" to a horse during a training session. In response, many people are outraged at the trainer and what he did to the horse for 2+ hours during the public clinic. They do not understand how he could have thought that was ok.

If things played out as they appear on the video (this is the age of video editing and it I believed everything I saw on the internet...), I would also like to ask another question. Did anyone that was there try to stop it?

Let me jump to a situation I was actually involved in, since I don't want to deal in hypothetical situations based on incomplete facts.

During my D1 session of the L Program, we were sitting ringside and judging tests. During the tests, I noticed a commotion out of the corner of my eye and started to see that a rider in the far warm-up was hitting her horse with a dressage whip. The commotion was her raising her arm above her shoulder, so she could "wind up" for the repeated smacks she was giving her horse.

During a quick break in the tests, I went up to tell our Faculty and she later checked in to make sure that someone had said something. It turns out that she had been aggressive in the test and received a very strong warning from the judge.

I still wonder why no one had gone up to her in the warm-up and stopped her or said something.

How many times do we all talk about the abusive rider and what horrible things we saw someone doing? I would like to believe that the number of times we all said something matches that first number.

In my opinion, the only thing worse than horse abuse is a group of people standing around watching it and doing nothing. Throughout history, the greatest atrocities have often been the result of horrible people doing something while others turned a blind eye.

For the sake of the horses, it is our responsibility to do something about the abuses we see. I leave on this news clip, that makes me proud of the FEI:

The FEI and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) have both initiated charges under their respective rules against Michael Morrissey (USA), following an incident in class 101 at the Wellington CSI 2* held on 27 February 2010. The FEI will also be investigating the role of the Ground Jury in this incident.

Short-term and long-term role models

Everyone always talks about short- and long-term goals. Short-term goals cover the daily grind of "to do's", so that you can achieve the long-term goals of your dreams.

I also believe that there are also short- and long-term role models.

We all have long-term "dream" goals and role models - The almost-untouchable dreams and people that motivate us to go to college, settle down, work full-time, lose sleep, sign up for the gym and/or move to a strange country.... how many people have idolize Ghandi, Edward Gal & Totilas, Martha Stewart and Michael Phelps?

However, we also have short-term "to do list" goals and role models that get us to our dreams.

In my opinion, the long-term role models and goals are easy for people to come up with - Wanting to ride like Steffen Peters and go to the Olympics, being a good wife and mother like your own mom, etc...

Getting there is the harder part!

Not only is it hard to determine the path that gets you to your dreams, but it is also hard to stick with it. Similarly, finding the right influences in your life that keep you motivated EVERY day to achieve your short-term goals is what separates the future role models from the rest.

My short-term role models get me up every morning - no matter how cold and dark it is outside. They help ride my horse at 9 p.m. - even if I have been showing other horses all day and am still wearing my white breeches.

Sometimes a silly movie on t.v. is my role model - watching someone put in a lifetime of work to achieve their dreams in just 90 minutes can remind you of how short-term goals can pay off.

Last week, the professional eaters at the hot dog eating contest

reminded me that everything we eat can affect our goals and kept me from having 18 slices of pie at the bbq that afternoon.

Once I saw a silly poster that read: "It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others." I promptly added that poster to my file cabinet of short-term role models, so the next time I thought about doing something stupid I could picture my face on that poster.

Who (or what)ever your short-term role models are, remember that they c

an be even more important to your long-term goals.

Who are your short-term role models?

"Schooling the piaffe and other forms of levitation" by my non-equestrian boyfriend

I am almost laughing too hard to write this, but I have to pass this conversation along to some people who will *ahem* understand:

As I was watching a YouTube video of a horse collecting into piaffe, my boyfriend looks over my shoulder.

"Can your horse levitate like that?" he asks, in reference to the piaffe.
"That is called piaffe and no, he can't do that yet," I reply.

As I start to type what he is saying on Facebook, he tells me: "That isn't how you spell piaffe!"
"Yes, it is," I reply.
"No, it isn't," he tells me. "I have made Rice Piaffe before and it is spelled p-i-a-f."
"You mean Rice Pilaf?" I say, trying not to laugh.
*Pause*
"The video was stuck, so it looked like the horse was moving funny. It wasn't a good video," he replies in defense.

Shortly after posting this on Facebook, I get a message from Jaclyn:
My husband usually says "wow he looked great, he was really throwing his legs", when he watches me ride. Then adds a few shoulder-in comments which make even less sense.

Editor's (boyfriend's) Note: After reading this, he would like to let everyone know he is not ok with this post. Noted. He would like everyone to also know that he encourages my writing, as long as he is not included in the story. Noted.

Video and tips from Linda Zang clinic

I had another great lesson with Linda Zang at Dominion Dressage and thought I would include a video of the trot work. I am not sure if you can hear the audio, so here is a breakdown of what she talked about:

1. Never be afraid to continue in rising trot. Remember that you can do all of your upper level movements in rising trot when you train, even if you practice/show them in sitting trot. The rising trot encourages them to get an even looser back and more swing in their body.

2. Shoulder-in, Renvers, Travers... all great exercises to encourage the horse to reach into the bridle and use themselves. Linda encouraged me to ride them together like a series of movements in yoga or workout class: Shoulder-in to renvers, around the short side, 10-meter circle to shoulder-in to 10-meter circle to a few steps of lengthening, etc.... Think of how the one movement helps the horse, but also consider how doing them together can benefit the horse even more.

3. Always check that you are riding your horse's outside shoulder. Sometimes, we get used to thinking that we need more bend/flexion than we do. Connect your outside aids, ride the horse a bit straighter than you think you need and check with a trained eye on the ground that you are having enough bend/flexion, but not too much.

Here is a quick video. Enjoy!

Ode to the amateur

I was listening to NPR this morning and heard a wonderful piece on public school education. The person speaking argued that some people are capable of learning in the worst public school environments, because they adapt to the bad situation by forming study groups and teaching themselves.

He expanded his idea of adapting and succeeding to some of the best soccer players in the world. These players grew up playing soccer in less than ideal conditions: dirt lots, jumping form team to team to work their way up and then playing at the top under the watchful eye of the world.

This idea of adapting to a less-than-ideal situation reminds me a lot of the adult amateurs I teach. Their number one priority in life is not riding their dressage horse. They have jobs, kids, spouses, pets.... Dressage fits in around the more important things in life and, quite frankly, I think it is a miracle that they are able to get out to the barn every day to keep themselves ready for the show season.

As a professional, I understand that there are certain pressures of having to ride the horses, do well at shows, maintain your cool at every corner. However, as a horse owner myself I understand how hard it can be to get motivated to ride after a long day of work. I don't care if you are riding the next Totilas, everyone has days where they think to themselves "I am paying to do this?!?"

So, to the Amateurs out there in the world (and busy Juniors who fit riding in between piano lessons, karate, homework and trying to keep up with the social scene):
Stand up and take a bow. Next time you see yourself in a class with professionals, don't be intimidated and discouraged. Hold your head high and be proud of the fact that you are riding alongside the best in our sport. You worked your butt off to get there and you deserve it!

Winding down or wound up?!?!

For no reason I can think of, I had my first nightmare about the L Program the other night. The D2 isn't until the end of July, it has been weeks since my D1 and I thought it went well. So, who knows why I had this dream...

(On a coincidental side note, as I type this my little chihuahua seems to be having his own nightmare and is barking from under the covers)

Anyway, back to my nightmare...

I was sitting in the judges box with a member of my L Program Faculty. I will keep her name anonymous, mostly because I would be embarrassed to run into her knowing that she might have heard about this dream. However, I have no bad feelings about her - I think she just represents the Program to me.

So we are sitting in the Judge's Box and every time I say a score for a movement out loud she says the total opposite. I give a 9 and she gives a 3. Then, she asks me to explain my score but I haven't been watching the ride, I have been facing her and telling her numbers. Meanwhile, it turns out I am riding the test we are watching and I get even more nervous hearing that she is giving me such bad scores. All I am thinking is: How am I supposed to stare at you, give a score, ride the test, not get nervous and ignore that I seem to be failing? (Think: The time in the dressage test when you overhear the Judge score your previous movement with something like a 4, but you need to focus on getting an 8 on the next movement and forget that she seems to hate your ride).

I remember waking up, thinking that I should be doing more to prepare and was relieved to realize that I am actually sitting at Morven Park this weekend. So, hopefully my weekend will help prevent me from failing the Final Exam.

Someone once said that if you are worried you don't know it all and need to prepare more, you are probably not in the group of people that is going to end up failing because they didn't prepare enough. Keep your fingers crossed!

Now... I wonder what it means if your dog is having nightmares while you blog about the L Program?!?!

the view from the judge's box

Wet weather for scribing... The view pulling in should have been a sign of things to come today!

Nervous to scribe?!?!

I am headed over to Morven Park tomorrow, to scribe for Dale Lappert and earn some more hours for my E Session :) I have to say, I am sort of nervous. Scratch that. I am excited. There is something very official about the whole thing, since I need to bring a form and get it signed - like I am in the 3rd grade. Something about having a "scary" judge at a "scary" horse show sign a form for me, seems.... well, scary.

On a side note, I just got my new Palm Pixi and plan on blogging FROM THE SHOW!!! Move over Ashton Kutcher, there is a new media pig on the internet! I will be social networking like it is my job tomorrow.

Scratch that. I will be scribing like it is my job. I will be social networking in the 2 minutes I have for lunch.

Wish everyone competing good luck. They need it more than I do.