When the time is right ... when both of us are prepared...

And no, this is not about the effects of a little blue pill. Rather, the ecstasy that comes from a different source. I am referring to the holy grail of upper level riding, the so sought after but elusive high a lot of riders never reach: True collection.

Well, today was our day! We were ready, prepared... and then in the canter we hit our stride: I could feel Saumur's body really rounding underneath me, he lowered his haunches, carried more weight on his hindquarters and lightened the front: FABULOUS! It really is such an awesome feeling,  all of a sudden we move as one.

OK, people, it's not a replacement for 'you-know-what' -- but nevertheless, I could have smoked a cigarette afterwards :-) !

Of course, we had worked on collection before, and we usually reach a decent degree. Good enough to get through our Third Level tests. But today it truly felt 'right on'. It took a lot of hard work, many lessons and plenty of sweat; and the clinic with Jan certainly has helped us to finally get 'over the edge'.

So what's with the little blue pill? It only took a couple of Grand Prix trainers, the USDF president, and an Olympian to get us there!

When things just click when it counts - with lasting effects

While most of the country is out chasing Black Friday deals, I am watching horse videos. More precisely, the video of our ride with Jan Ebeling last week. I am so thrilled with Saumur,  he stayed focused and "on" the whole time. Actually, we both were "on" and things just clicked. That doesn't always happen, so it is definitely worth savouring.

Judy had talked with Jan about us beforehand, so Jan had a good idea of where we currently are with our training. He put a lot of focus on transitions, not changing gaits, rather transitions within the gaits. For example, from collected canter to several steps medium canter and back to collected canter. Saumur was required to go forward on his own, and I got reminders "light with the hands".

We worked a lot on the collected canter, with Jan pointing out that I should prepare for the walk - but just don't walk. I was working hard on getting Saumur more collected by having him on my seat and my abs engaged. At one point when Jan is persistently asking for "more!" I can be heard mumbling "oh, man". OK, probably now exactly what one should say to an Olympian, but it sure was hard work. So much so, that just watching the video now makes my abs contract.

Wonder if just watching the video everyday would make my core automatically more solid?

Gearing up to ride with a member of the 2012 Olympic team - and killing multiple birds with one stone

Sooner that planned – Judy offered me a spot in the upcoming clinic with Jan Ebeling next Saturday. I hesitated for about a 30 sec. before accepting. It took me that long because a) Saumur is not in full work mode yet, b) neither am I, c) What if…??

What if… is right. Last night Saumur thought he had to protect us from the mounting block. Luckily he got over it quickly. I really am handling his spooks much better. Key is to keep his head low. Ah well, that's nothing new, just have to remember it!

 

The clinic setting will be good practice for dealing with my ‘performance anxiety’ (“oh no, spectators!”). Also, Karen said she can use the video for the freestyle design, so we are killing two birds with one stone (actually three, counting the practice in front of spectators).  Nothing like multi-tasking!

Moving into 'dressage college' - and not baptizing the floor just yet

The boys are settled in their ‘college dorm’. Amazing how much stuff there was to take! I felt like we were moving the entire household. But luckily we found a spot for everything in Judy’s track room. I like the area where their stalls are, it’s bright and sunny (that is, if the sun actually shines, which won’t happen today).

On Saturday we had great lessons. Remy surprised both Judy and me by being just the attentive student. JP is always rooting for Remy, so he was gloating. Saumur was very good, too. I have to stop marveling on how well he deals with the indoor arena, and focus on our work. While warming up I overheard Judy telling another student “hips before the shoulders”. As my shoulders are still (uh, yes) a problem, I repeated “hips before shoulders” in my mind while riding Saumur. It sure worked!

When I have two lessons back to back JP is grooming and also observing my lessons. It is really interesting and helpful to get his feedback. He relates what Judy is saying (that I can’t hear when I am on the other side of the arena) and also what he notices. For example, he pointed out that I don’t seem to take the advice of “talk to him” (talking to the horse, i.e. to slow down, or for encouragement) too well. JP also noted that overall my position is getting better – yay!!

Sunday I reciprocated for the grooming and went on a trailride with JP. Although – it was a different kind of trailride: JP was riding Chambord, and Teddy and I were keeping up with them. Turns out, Teddy and I can easily outwalk Chambord! Quite a work out, though, and Teddy was clearly tired on the way home. His short legs had a lot of moving to do. After that warm up I drove to Judy’s and worked Remy. What a good boy: In the high winds some part of the roof came lose,  producing a lot of sudden and sharp noises. Remy did not take this as an excuse the act up, for which I praised him lavishly. I really didn’t want to ‘baptize’ the floor of the indoor arena just yet!

One step closer to our freestyle - and "everybody uses him"

It was great watching part of the freestyle clinic Karen Robinson held last weekend. I also had a chance to talk with Karen and –here we go- made a down payment on our freestyle! This time it is SERIOUS.

Karen’s handouts for auditors and riders contained great information, and here are some of the key points I am going by:

-        Who is it for? Judges, audience, and the rider – and for me the rider should be on top of the list. If I don’t have fun, then why do it? I am stretching my comfort zone quite a bit with this, as Karen notes:  “If you have no desire to entertain an audience, you probably don’t ride freestyles”. Hmm, I don’t really see myself as an entertainer per se, but Saumur sure loves an audience. So I guess as long as one of us is the ‘ham’ we are fine.

-        Music? Oooh, that’s NOT easy. You have to listen to the music so many times, and it should bring a smile to your face, so in my case, that limits it right there. Nix the big band, lounge, elevator, brass… Original music that the audience is not familiar with or tunes that will get them clapping?

-        Give the audience goosebumps or make them laugh?

-        Finding a theme. A theme?

-        Does the music make us look like dancers or bouncers?

-        And the list goes on …

But first things first: a video for Karen showing all required movements. Important is to focus on the “Schokoladen Seite” (“chocolate side” or good side) of horse and rider. Also, there are so many ways to show strengths and divert a bit from weaknesses. As an example Karen pointed out that if the horse doesn’t have a great walk, doing the walk on curved lines (that would be us). But then we can compensate with some “killer-canter”.

Back to music and theme choices – I had to bid a sad ‘Goodbye and Godspeed’ to James Bond because “Forget that, everybody uses him!”.

Moving day is coming up - and plans for the winter

Good news is that we are not pounded by the East Coast Storm – not so good news: The weather here is pretty miserable: 28F, snow, ice, extremely high winds. Luckily we still have power! That can change any moment, so JP made sure our generator is ready to go if needed. My heart goes out to the people (and animals!) on the East Coast, it is just brutal there. We were talking just this morning on how we could possibly evacuate the 11 (!) of us if needed. Wow – good thing we are not close to water, mud slides, or forest fires!

I had been dragging out the moving day for the boys, mainly because I just love having them at home. Realistically, though, there is nothing I can do with them and they are getting pretty bored. Our outdoor arena is way too soggy, and with these high winds every one of them would be flying higher than a kite on the longe line anyway. So, they stand around and eat hay. The dogs and cats won’t even lift their heads when I go out to feed at 5 a.m. Too cold and dark!

Our lessons with Judy are going really well. Both JP and I love her approach, and most importantly, we all are progressing in a positive way. Saumur is happy and relaxed as can be, I have a hard time believing that yes, we can work in the big arena with all the windows, and NOT be worried! Remy, the feisty one, is improving his manners. And it looks like JP and Chambord will soon eclipse us J. So, the moving date has been set for Saumur and Remy: November 10 it is. Chambord and Teddy will stay home, with JP trailering Chambord for twice weekly lessons. And then over the winter one of my boys will get a week vacation at home while Chambord comes to Judy’s. Juggling so we won’t break the bank!

In the big scheme of things it’s a good thing that my second week at George’s didn’t work out (see note about the bank above). At first I was pretty disappointed (George switched barns and there is no room for ‘temporary’ students at the new place right now), but it also means I can focus on working with Judy. In addition, I will see Karen Robinson, the freestyle designer, on Friday to get started with Saumur’s freestyle.

Unfortunately the freestyle clinic was full, but it shouldn’t be a problem to work with Karen remotely. Judy will also work on her freestyle, so we can have fun with this. I am thinking “James Bond” for music. It fits because Saumur is quite the Ladies’ Man and also a tormented soul (as is Bond in Skyfall). And, minor detail: Thinking of Daniel Craig will certainly help me re-focus my show nerves J

Fence celebration (baptism?) - and a freestyle on my bucket list

Our new fences look spectacular, if I may say so. A little piece of Kentucky in Michigan. To celebrate the completion of the project we invited friends and neighbors to a "Fence Celebration Get-Together". We had full house and a great time. Thanks to Josef, the wonderful German baker, we were able to introduce our American friends to seasonal German food: Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Cake) and Zwetschgenkuchen (Plum Cake), in addition to 'free-flowing' French wine and German beer. Luckily, we didn't have to beg anybody to eat the unfamiliar foods!

The weather was true Michigan: The heavens opened and we had heavy rain all day. Looking for the bright side, somebody remarked "Now your fences are even baptized!"  In that case: Great!

Now that the fences are completed - off to the next project. I contacted Karen Robinson, the freestyle designer, telling her I have a freestyle on my bucket list! After many starts and no completion I decided it's now or never. The MDA freestyle clinic in November is full, I am on a waitlist. Even without the clinic we can get it done by working remotely, getting started once we move to Judy's for the winter. So, now my head is already spinning with music ideas. Of course, what I think might fit is purely on an emotional level, and has nothing to do with beats per minute. James Bond came to mind...