Well, it feels pretty good to have the first two Grand Prix tests under my belt. The weekend started with torrential rains. It was so much fun unpacking at the show and trudging through the mud. Ha!Ha! Tami Creeser was kind enough to help me at the show...her ulterior motive was to watch and learn, we are gearing up for her first show. Anyway, Nicolai was relaxed in the ring on Friday when I worked him at the show despite some pretty rambunctious horses. On Saturday, it was muggy, but not raining. I had planned to do about 40 minutes of warm-up, and schooled a little of all the moves. I It is always tough to figure out how much warm up is just enough and not too much. Well, we obviously did a little too much, because I didn't have a whole lot of horse left. I knew I was screwed when on the first extended trot he wanted to canter...I never got a trot until the end of the diagonal. He dropped his back a lot, and then I would get him back, but it was a struggle. We managed to make it through the test without going off course, but it was pretty rough. I had done sections of the test before, but had not put the whole thing together until this test, so I was actually pretty happy that I remembered it all. He was so glad to go down centerline at the end. We passaged to X and got a beautiful halt...unfortunately, it was supposed to be piaffe, which he reluctantly did and then he couldn't believe we had more passage to do. Miraculously we got a 54%. Not great, but was higher than the second rider, so we actually got a blue ribbon.
I decided I needed more horse for Sunday's ride. So we went for a 10 minute walk on a long rein on the polo field, before going to the warm-up. Then 20 min of trot, canter warm-up, trying to incorporate a lot of things, but not really schooling the movements, and then more walk. He felt pretty good as we started the test. I was able to keep him through, and he was so much more submissive. We had some bobbles, but otherwise, it flowed, and I was able to ride, think, and plan for the next moves. I had tears in my eyes as we left the ring. I was't sure we would ever make it down center line at GP. This was not the tension-filled horse that I showed in the past. I now have a willing partner who is supple and relaxed. We have come a long way, and that was what the tears were for. So even though the score was a 57, it was a personal triumph! Thanks to my friends who were there to cheer me on!
Now we need to work on strength and stamina, and continue to work on timing and transitions. It is a work in progress!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The long rode to Grand Prix with Nicolai
JJ Tate was here Monday and Tuesday for another clinic. She was last here in January and I was so excited for her to see how wonderfully Nicolai is doing. It has been a long road to this point. About 18 months ago I took Nicolai to Florida and he had a bout of laminitis and terrible back spasms from the trip down. It has been a long road of rehab and gradually building his strength up. He has always been such a nervous and internal horse who has had a number of health issues since I bought him...ulcers, metabolic syndrome, and apparently bouts of laminitis prior to my purchasing him, and now Cushings. But because of his stoic nature, I think many of these went unrecognized and his pain probably contributed to his tension and sullenness. While in Florida we consulted with a PUrina nutritionist, and placed him on Purina Low Starch, started weighing his hay and soaking it in water to decrease the sugar, and feeding him four times a day to even out his insulin levels. Unfortunately, he had a flare after getting vaccinated, but Dr. Lockamy jumped right on it and got it under control quickly...but we only had 10 days until we hauled him to Maryland. I had to have surgery and would be out of commission for 4-6 weeks, so I decided to take Nic to Maryland for JJ to continue working him. We put him on Robaxin and made the trip over three days. He did beautifully.
His major issues under saddle were that he didn't want to bend to the right and accept the left rein, pull through all the transitions, hollow the back, and his trot was short and choppy...okay, why did I buy this horse? He was kind and I knew that he could do all the Grand Prix work for 8's. This is definitely the horse that has taught me to ride, and to train a horse.
In Florida Nic went back to training level, 20 meter circles, lot's of slow steady trot work, suppling at the walk, me learning "passive resistance" technique and the timing of when to give and reward him when he gives and relaxes. It was very frustrating, but JJ was confident that we could retrain him; she said her real forte was retraining the FEI horse. She was right! Last summer I went back and forth to Maryland to ride him, and work with JJ and then back to TExas and would work Valentino. I would fly in and get to Hassler's at 2 and have a lesson at 3, spend two nights with lessons, and then have a lesson the fourth day at 7 a.m. and qick shower and off to airport to fly back to TExas. In August I brought him home. Again using Robaxin and a long 3 day drive.
It has been such a slow process with lots of tears and not knowing if I would ever get him down center line at Grand Prix. I was alwasy encouraged that when JJ did come for a clinic we had continued to show progress, while working at home on our own.
Well, now I can say that I have a whole new horse thanks to JJ! I can actually now have a 10-15 minute normal warm-up with walk, a steady, regular rhythm rising trot, and then canter circles with changes through serpentines. (When I first got Nicolai, my friend Maxine watched him and said "Wow, he has like a hundred different trots!" not a good thing). He is getting stronger in the self carriage, and really seems pleased with himself and the work. The trot work and passage/piaffe are really good, and the canter work is now really coming. I am so pleased to now have the tools and the understanding to get him soft within the work. He still wants to take over occassionally, but is so much better. I know we are still not quite there: I am working hard to maintain my core when I ride particularly within the movements when I am concentrating so hard, and I finally feel how close my calf has to be all the time. I also have to thank my pilates instructor, Cassandra Thompson who has really helped me with my shoulder issues and hip flexibility, and overall core strength. Nic and I will make our Grand Prix debut next weekend. I am looking at it as a work in progress. Of course there is a lot we still can improve, but as musical freestyle choreographer, Karen Robertson, said, "just get her done". I am so thrilled with how much progress we are making now and how quickly, so I can only imagine how much stronger and prepared we will be for the fall shows, so I think it is good to get the first one out of the way now.
Thanks, JJ.
Thank, Jerry, for being supportive and understanding of my passion.
His major issues under saddle were that he didn't want to bend to the right and accept the left rein, pull through all the transitions, hollow the back, and his trot was short and choppy...okay, why did I buy this horse? He was kind and I knew that he could do all the Grand Prix work for 8's. This is definitely the horse that has taught me to ride, and to train a horse.
In Florida Nic went back to training level, 20 meter circles, lot's of slow steady trot work, suppling at the walk, me learning "passive resistance" technique and the timing of when to give and reward him when he gives and relaxes. It was very frustrating, but JJ was confident that we could retrain him; she said her real forte was retraining the FEI horse. She was right! Last summer I went back and forth to Maryland to ride him, and work with JJ and then back to TExas and would work Valentino. I would fly in and get to Hassler's at 2 and have a lesson at 3, spend two nights with lessons, and then have a lesson the fourth day at 7 a.m. and qick shower and off to airport to fly back to TExas. In August I brought him home. Again using Robaxin and a long 3 day drive.
It has been such a slow process with lots of tears and not knowing if I would ever get him down center line at Grand Prix. I was alwasy encouraged that when JJ did come for a clinic we had continued to show progress, while working at home on our own.
Well, now I can say that I have a whole new horse thanks to JJ! I can actually now have a 10-15 minute normal warm-up with walk, a steady, regular rhythm rising trot, and then canter circles with changes through serpentines. (When I first got Nicolai, my friend Maxine watched him and said "Wow, he has like a hundred different trots!" not a good thing). He is getting stronger in the self carriage, and really seems pleased with himself and the work. The trot work and passage/piaffe are really good, and the canter work is now really coming. I am so pleased to now have the tools and the understanding to get him soft within the work. He still wants to take over occassionally, but is so much better. I know we are still not quite there: I am working hard to maintain my core when I ride particularly within the movements when I am concentrating so hard, and I finally feel how close my calf has to be all the time. I also have to thank my pilates instructor, Cassandra Thompson who has really helped me with my shoulder issues and hip flexibility, and overall core strength. Nic and I will make our Grand Prix debut next weekend. I am looking at it as a work in progress. Of course there is a lot we still can improve, but as musical freestyle choreographer, Karen Robertson, said, "just get her done". I am so thrilled with how much progress we are making now and how quickly, so I can only imagine how much stronger and prepared we will be for the fall shows, so I think it is good to get the first one out of the way now.
Thanks, JJ.
Thank, Jerry, for being supportive and understanding of my passion.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)