Quadrille on the 26th!
I have moved the first date of the Quadrille Group to the 26th of May due to the poor weather for this weekend. If your interested in joining us please let me know, the more the merrier!
Theory Night with Ralf
Theory Night will cover how well maintained teeth and feet as well as correct fitting equipment will have a positive influence on training. Ralf will share his ideas on these topics and also give an overview of the steps of training. As always questions and feedback are highly encouraged. This will be a potluck at Simone’s house. We will get started at 6:30 pm on Friday, May 4th. Please bring a dish to share.
The cost to audit the theory session is only $10.
Directions to Simone’s House from Hwy 83:
Turn east onto Palmer Divide Avenue and follow for about 1 mile until you get to Lockridge (should be 4th road on your right - you will have passed the main entrance to Wissler Ranch). Turn right onto Lockridge = south. Follow for about 1 mile and then turn right onto Twisted Pine Dr. We are the second house on the right side. Entrance is marked by the American and Bavarian (blue-white) flags. Address: 19525 Twisted Pine Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80908, home phone: 719-540-2000
Baby Cam Up Again this Year
Kris Garrett over at Grand Prix Andalusians has put up a video cam in her mare’s foaling stall again this year click the link below to watch the live feed and maybe see the birth! She is due any day now.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/grand-prix-andalusians
Welcome to Teme’s Grand Finale, aka: Baby Grand, he was born this morning at about 5am! Better late than never.
Quadrille Group Forming for FUN!
Tired of riding alone?
Want to have some fun with a group of horse people?
I am in the process of forming a quadrille group. We’ll meet twice a month. This group is for fun and to learn how to ride patterns as a team instead of individually. It’s a completely different thing to ride in a group and I have found it to be very rewarding - in addition to being a lot of fun! You’ll have a chance to learn the patterns, how to work in larger teams, even see examples of small and large quadrille groups in action!
The first two meetings will be mini clinics. The first half will be on the ground to learn the patterns; and the second half will be mounted to allow the horses to get used to each other. Drinks and snacks will be provided. The fee is just $30 per session - that includes trailer-in fees, arena fees, and any related services or supplies that we’ll need as we all progress together.
We’ll be meeting at Tuscany Hill just south of Franktown on May 12th at 10am. I think the first meeting will be between 2-3 hours, so please make sure to give yourself enough time.
Either English or western tack is fine, and even if you can’t bring your horse the first time please still join us for the first half to learn the patterns and rules. I do have a couple of extra horses if someone needs a mount, but please contact me to reserve one. If you’re planning on attending, please let me know so we can be sure to have enough drinks and snacks for all participants.
I hope to see you all there!
Directions to Tuscany Hill are :
Take Highway 83 south through the stop light in Franktown - (Highway 83 is the south end of Parker Rd). About a mile south of the light in Franktown take a left onto Russellville Rd. Go three miles and take a left on Tomichi Dr. Follow Tomichi about three miles to Summit and take a right. At the top of the hill you will see the sign for Tuscany Hill on the left - go left and follow the road up to the large indoor.
Great Article About my Instructor Ralf
Dont forget Ralf will be here for clinics the beginning of May, if your not riding at least try to come audit some of the days.
Collection
The idea of collection is very simple. It is the ability of the horse to shift his weight from his fore legs to his hind legs.
Inside leg to outside rein
So this is a very common thing that you would hear in just about every dressage lesson. But what does this really mean and what is going on for the horse when you are trying to use inside leg to outside rein?
Most of the time when you hear this the horse is on a circle. So when you use your inside leg to stimulate your horse to move more under himself, centrifugal force on the circle as the horse then pushes more forward also pushes some of his weight and balance into your outside rein. It is at this moment that you should half halt gently your outside rein to help the horse shift his balance back onto his inside shoulder so that the inside hind leg is carrying more of the weight. This then keeps the horse on the circle line instead of falling out like a spiral.
So when you hear inside leg to outside rein what you want to feel is the horse’s balance moving into your outside rein after you put on your inside leg. You should then be able to use your outside rein to shift the balance back to the inside shoulder making the inside hind leg of the horse carry more weight.
Dressage Definitions
Recently I have had many people that didn’t really understand some of the basic dressage terms that are used during lessons. So I am going to start posting a few each week to help clarify the ideas and the feel that you should be getting from the horse.
Manolo Clinic Canceled
The Manolo Mendez clinic has been postponed/canceled. As I get more updates on possible new dates for a clinic with him I will post them.
Tug of War
Tug of War: Classical Versus Modern Dressage: Why Classical Training Works and How Incorrect Riding Negatively Affects Horses’ Health, Written by Dr. Gerd Heuschmann.
The name of this book really says it all, it is a wonderful read. It gives a very good overview of the bio-mechanics of the horse and how riding affects the horse overall. I highly recommend that everyone read this book.
Explanations of the functional anatomy of the horse, including detailed diagrams of muscles and ligaments used to develop the horse according to classical principles. Heuschmann explains in detail which muscles and ligaments are used when the horse is in different positions/elevations of the head and neck and thus which are detrimental to development of the horse and should be avoided.
Happy Reading!