In April, Mentor, a Friesian gelding owned by Laura Beeman, came to stay with me in Davis. Mentor is a 4th/PSG level horse trained by Hilda Gurney, and I had a blast riding him for the week. It was a wonderful opportunity and he and I had a blast together. Mentor is the sweetest horse and everyone at the barn instantly fell in love with him. Sitting his trot was difficult, but by the end of the week I had definitely made some progress. Though riding him was a reminder of how far I am from being the rider I want to be, it was yet another event that reminded me of how much I want to excel in this lovely sport.
During the Winter quarter at UC Davis, I participated in dressage lessons and rode on the UC Davis IDA dressage team. We held one show where I got a 64.8 in 1st level test 4, and got a second place. I'm very pleased, and got some nice comments from the judge like "well prepared", "rythmic circle", "well ridden", and "fluid." On the team we use "catch riding" for shows where we simply draw a name and that is the horse we ride, so this was all done on a horse I'd never ridden before that morning- quite exciting! During my lessons, I rode horses belonging to Leah Peasley. She has three full siblings, and below is a pic of me riding each of them: from left to right, Denali, Ally, and Drakkara. Drakkara is offered for sale, read more about her on my sales page.
Over the weekend of January 7th and 8th 2006, I was able to audit 2 days of the Rudolf Rostek Clinic, organized by the Western States Lipizzan Association. Rudi is from the elite Spanish Riding School, where he performs weekly in Vienna when riding at the school. Rudi began riding there 15 years ago, and came to the United States solely for this clinic. Rudi was an excellent clinician, and it was wonderful to watch the riders learn from him. He was patient, kind, and encouraging with comments from a classical and correct point of view. Hopefully he will be returning this summer, as I would love to ride in his next clinic with both Krosby and Star. Unfortunately this clinic was held during the first week that I started at UC Davis, so I was unable to ride. Bummer!
During the weekend of September 10-11 I attended a clinic with Ana Glimour at FLEC. On Saturday I rode Star and Krosby, and then on Sunday I rode Star and Savannah came for the ride. Ana, aside from just being an extremely nice person, was very fun to ride for!
The atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable, a perfect setting for my first outing with Star. We had some troubles on the first day, but the second day proved to be a much better ride and Ana was quite happy with our progress. I also learned that she and I have indeed developed a bond- as we rounded a corner of the court a sprinkler unexpectedly turned on, spooking us both, to which she simply responded with a quick "stop and stare." I was quite certain I was headed towards the sand!
Krosby was his usual gentlemanly self, and Ana really seemed to think he was a fun horse. She thinks that I should work towards showing him at second level for the 2006 show season, as he has the lateral work. We may not be the cream of the crop, but we've certainly got enough heart and determination between the two of us to at least "enter at A" and have a go at it! The clinic made for quite a fun weekend and has definitely inspired me to work harder. Thanks Ana!
Since last spring, I have been working at Secret Ravine Lipizzans for Lori Green. I work with Tango, Enya, Luna and Gracie. Pictured below are Tango, Luna, and Luna on trail. Working with the Lipizzans is an extremely rewarding and challenging job! They are truly a special breed and I enjoy developing an individual bond with each of the horses. Gracie in particular has really come into her own- going from a shy girl to demanding my attention by calling out and pouting if she isn't worked with first! She has just been started under saddle and is taking it all in so well, relaxed and happy to have a job.
Luna is unlike any horse I've worked with. She embodies the word "opinionated" and is spunky, brave, and an exceptional mover. Her future in the dressage court has "success" written all over it, and she is also learning to be a dependable trail horse. Luna's most recent adventure? Squishing me in the wash rack to ensure that I get just as wet as her- no bad intentions here, she simply wanted to share the experience with me. It's never boring at Lori's!
Tango is Lipizzan gelding who reminds me a lot of my own horse Krosby. He is a very fun dressage horse, even if he is incredibly hard to sit! Lori's horses are all excellent representations of the breed, and I fully recommend her sales and breeding program. Her stallion, Gracen, is a kind soul with the biggest personality you'll ever meet. Visit her site at http://www.srlipizzan.com/
In early July, I flew down to Keenridge in Moorpark, CA to lesson with Hilda Gurney. I met Hilda at this years Horse Expo through Laura Beeman, a long time friend who is a student of Hilda's. I took two lessons while I was there for 3 days, and it was an extremely enjoyable experience. There are always horses working in the dressage court, running in the roundpen, and standing in the wash racks and cross ties. The place moves like clock work, and keeping up is essential. I was able to watch so many talented riders take their lessons, seeing them literally improve by the minute. Hilda is direct and blunt, yet willing to give compliments for hard work and success- a combination I really respected.
My first lesson was on Contessa, a grey mare, and we made some progress. I had trouble getting her to leg yield gracefully, and questioned if I was even ready for a Training level test on her! I was consistently reminded to sit back and not shove my heels down so far- the downside of being a hunter rider first!
On my second lesson I was allowed to ride Sullivan, a chestnut 3rd-4th level gelding. If I could have imagined a way to pack him in my bags and take him home when I left, they would have had a missing horse at Keenridge! He was a sweetheart and a hard worker, yet didn't give it away too easily either. I really understood the importance of hand placement in the half pass, something I hadn't concentrated on before. Though I don't need it for shows yet, it's something I practice at home now, and the change was immediate when I tried it on Krosby and Star.
It was a great trip and I hope to go back in the near future. I learned so much from watching Hilda teach her students, taking lessons, and watching her ride as well. Special thanks to Laura for arranging this trip, and special congratulations on earning her USDF Bronze medal with her Friesian gelding Mentor!
I participated in this year's Horse Expo held at Cal Expo in June 2005, and it was a wonderful experience! I took Savannah as an example for the breeding program of Cross W Sporthorses, owned by Bill and Nicole Wiere, and she was the youngest member of the Baroque breed demo's each day! I also rode Bob, a 3 year old Friesian Arabian cross, in daily demonstrations for the Arabian breed demo, representing the new age sporthorse. It was my first time ever riding Bob, and also my first ride on a Friesian Arabian cross. He was extremely sensible, and just a joy to ride- uphill, forward, yet still easy to sit! Now, I am really looking forward to the day when I get to ride Savvy!
