And Hyde!
 
Canadian Olympic equestrian Selena O’Hanlon was available to teach clinics while her broken ankle healed.  She answered my inquiry right away, as did the group of ladies who were riding at Silver Tree Stables, and we whipped up a wonderful Friday clinic with individual dressage lessons and a group jumping lesson on September 18.

I saw on social media that FEI 3* judge and Grand Prix dressage rider Joanne Bouwhuis was returning to Sudbury to teach a clinic, where I had first met her back in 2009.  Joanne has been an important mentor in my riding and judging progress.  I had only seen her occasionally since we moved to Pembroke in 2013, but we kept in touch.  Since she was already judging in Ottawa, we welcomed her for a packed day of dressage on October 3.  She’d never seen Ludi go before and called us right out to address the flying changes.  He made a few croup-high, clean changes, and she prescribed a few tips for me to work on.

Late in the summer I’d emailed Olympic dressage medalist Gina Smith to see about returning to the magical Franklands Farm to train with Ludi, but her barn was full and I had to wait!  We tucked into a sole empty stall for 5 days right after Joanne’s clinic, and it was amazing to hear Gina pick right up where Joanne had left off.  Ludi came out working hard every day, and Gina was pleased with his development since she last saw him November ’19. “His canter looks much better, more jump, good for you!”.  Feedback like that is worth a gold bar to someone who mostly trains alone.  I looked back in my emails, and I had first messaged her with my riding goals back in 2009.  Gina was just as welcoming then as she is now. 

While John’s fall hunting plans occupied our truck, I watched the Oct 18-19 clinic with Grand Prix show jumper Hyde Moffatt at Noble Touch Equestrian Centre fill up.  Another truck came available, and a spot came open a week before in the 3’3”-3’6” group.  Ludi showed all he’d learned over these many months of training at home since the last clinic with Hyde in December ‘19, and I heard it again “His canter is so much BETTER!  Is this the same horse?  Whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up!”  We warmed up Saturday over poles, counting strides, just like I practice at home.

I took many notes and the Common Themes of Good Riding knitted everything together:
 
Selena is wonderful at giving vivid descriptions: “Like you’re driving a chariot of 2 horses, control the left horse and the right horse.  Reins like 2 bamboo sticks with string inside, you’re holding the string.  Ride 75% of the horse out in front of the V of your thighs.  Push your hipbones to the ears to go forward.  To use the leg properly, use your glute to push your femur forward and your leg down and on, and to keep the seatbone from going backwards (this also shifts the riders navel to the other side, like Eddo would describe).  Like a hot air balloon turn up the flame and fill the sail.  Create with the first 4 strides after a transition, don’t backwash the energy.  Make more hoofprints in the sand while collecting.  Arms like rolling pins on the mane in walk and canter to follow the horse’s motion.  The canter always improves the trot.  Carry your hands like pushing a shopping cart.  Try riding with reins in one hand.  Speed up one side of your body to get the horse upright.  Think of the withers up and in front of you like a shark fin.   The engine and the lightness of the forehand are from the tail to the breastplate so don’t try to create roundness from the hand.  Energy like a laser beaming out from the ring in the breastplate.  If the head is too low it blocks the laser. Ride like the horse is in a tunnel and doesn’t hit the walls.  The Circle of Energy is like a hamster in a tube.  If you’re ruining your position in a movement, get out of it.  Relieve the pressure.” 
 
Joanne is comfortable when you’re schooling in your uncomfortable zone!  I described her as ‘calm and relentless’ to one of our guests.  Her lessons are intense, focused workouts, but outside the ring she is engaging and can chat about absolutely anything, from alternative energy to the latest novels.  She has a thorough knowledge of all the dressage levels and will check your tack.  “Connect to the bridle with 2 legs.  Don’t come off the seat.  Push with both seatbones towards the ears.  Ride like on train tracks.  Go for the same tempo, bigger steps.  Half-halt towards the outside hand.  Outside aids like a mattress, not rigid.  We ride dressage to preserve the horse’s front end so they have longevity.”
 
It’s easy to transition from Joanne to Gina: “2 legs to 2 reins (like Selena's chariot).  Put your leg in the hollow of his side and bring the hind leg under.  Gather up those hind legs.  Sit back and keep the poll up to keep the croup down.  He still has to carry when it’s time to push and push when it’s time to carry.  Don’t let him push his neck up at you in the transitions.  Keep him deeper and access both sides when that happens.  Separate your legs, hips and seatbones.  Refresh your aids in a movement, and get out of it if your position suffers.  Relieve the pressure by stretching the horse and look for them to take a deep breath in relaxation.”
 
Jumper training with Hyde is absolutely complementary:  the rider must initiate everything with the leg.  You must send them to the bridle before closing your fingers.  He even described how the rider must ‘lift’ their core before applying the leg, which tied in to lessons with Eddo.  Practice going forward in longer strides with the same tempo in warm-up (Like Joanne).  Most of the issues on course come from over-use of the riders hand, which causes the hind legs to shut down and the horse to lose straightness.  He encouraged ‘hands to the inside’ of turns, never pulling.  Shorten the reins.  Create a tunnel of aids and keep the horse moving straight through (Like Selena’s hamster tube).  Less is more when it comes to signalling the horse.  Receive the energy from the inside hind leg into an elastic outside hand (Like Joanne’s mattress).  Improving the quality of the canter will improve the jump.  The rider creates elastic potential in the back of the horse.
 
This summer, my physical therapist asked me “Are YOU getting everything you need right now?”  I thought about it for a second, and said “You know, it seems like I get what I need at just the right time”.   Blessed with material abundance and freedom of choice as a woman in Canada, contentment and gratitude come easily.  Reach out to good people for help and wonderful things can happen!  Also, give your good horses extra attention and a break when they try their big hearts out for you!

On August 30 I was invited to judge the English Horse Show at Winterfell Stables in Cobden.  The remnants of some faraway tropical storm dumped the rest of its rain on us for the whole day. If this event was for beginners to get their feet wet at showing, then Nature has a sense of humour!  I was amazed at all the friends and family who endured to cheer on the riders, and admired those who kept smiling and trying!

I thought about my own showing history; my first experiences were at the Lansdowne Fairgrounds.  I remember hot days, sunburn and few ribbons!  When I was back around Brockville a few weeks ago, we took a drive past that stable where I'd spent as much time as I could.  The barn was rebuilt many years ago, but I immediately recognized the big oak tree overhanging the mailbox at the end of the driveway, and pointed to the field where the jumps were....I remembered one lesson where the school horse i was riding, Major, would not jump the painted metal barrels and refused over and over, while the other girls were already finished and playing in the pool, and I cried out of fear and frustration!  I like to think I have evolved since then.

Over 20 years separates these two photos: Major and I at the Lansdowne Fair, and the wonderful DiMaggio who refused to wilt in the torrential rain at the Barrie Agriplex, competing at Gold Fourth Level dressage.  But there's more than time and weather that differentiates these images.  When I was a beginner, I did what I was told, for better or worse.  Riders are trying to learn the language of horsemanship so that they can create a performance.  When you're learning, the instructor leads you through.  At some point, the rider has to become independent, at least in order to demonstrate their understanding, and to turn their own thoughts into the horses expression.  That's what showing means to me.  Independence takes courage.  There are never perfect conditions or instant gratification, not with horses or with the other most important things in life!

My book order came in!  There was no 2020 clinic with Jen Hamilton, so I got my hands on the next best thing: her latest book.  I really enjoy reading Jim Wofford's essays, and so his book Modern Gymnastics was easy to add to my cart.

If you know what '9-18-21-22' is, let's be friends.  Here's what it looks like: 

 Jen calls it 'The Cookbook Gymnastic' because it's a good basic structure to teach horses and riders how to jump.  The horse can trot in, so the rider doesn't have to use their 'eye' to find a distance and can settle into their jumping position early.  The horse will find the correct takeoff spots and comfortably jump each effort, gaining confidence.  We all take a turn!  Ali on Ehren, Gabe on Ender, me on Ludi:

Even young First goes through this exercise, when it's built much lower and easier for him.

We took Ludi for a lesson with Jeff McKessock at Westar Farm on August 9 and got some much-needed practice jumping courses.  On course, your technique must be solid enough that you stop thinking about it and keep moving forward to the next obstacle.  Jeff broke my jumping position down:  Stand straight up in the stirrups, turn your toes out and keep your lower leg on.  Now sit in the saddle and don't change your lower leg.  Don't use the reins for balance.  Give it a try!

Once he figured out how to jump down the bank, thanks to Jeff, Ludi attacked the course.  I realized we'd need to look at putting cleated shoes on him and probably upgrading his bit to a stronger type if we'd like to keep up this training, but it was very fun and we're planning our next visit!

These are some more of my notes:

​​Horsemanship: the horse must be calm in order to learn the training.  The rider can 'make it happen' with loud aids, but if the horse reacts in fear, it is not learning.  Every horse has vast potential. Don't drill the horse and give frequent breaks to reinforce the training.


Biomechanics: be aware of your core and alignment.  Your horse will notice small changes and respond.  Give him the space you want him to move into.


Mindfulness: emotional management is key to good training.  Practice the technique and observe the outcome without judgement.  The horse will respond to the rider's intensity.


Equitation: hands up and together, let the horse find his neck rather than manufacturing a frame.  Rest the knees, straighten the torso, look up.


Discipline: Eddo himself is a lesson in discipline.  Having survived a stroke 7 years ago that profoundly affects his mobility, he stays on his feet all day and gives every rider equal intense focus.

It's been a busier year for teaching, and I've heard other coaches say the same thing.  Is it because of the pandemic?  I don't know!

Young First by Fabriano finished his second month of training and I handed the reins to his owner for the first time to go on a little hack.  Good boy!

June's been a busy one!  We welcomed a new boarder, received a few ship in lessons to practice jumping, went on some long trail rides near Calabogie, had my first dressage lesson since November on Ludi, and I started my 17th horse under saddle: a young gelding boarded here named First, by Fabriano.

​I always have a plan for teaching, but the plan is made well in advance for jumping lessons since the course is set when the participants arrive.  Here's a handful of templates that work well in my ring:

I have a Very Important Notebook at home that contains all my clinic notes.  Many top rider and coach tips are scrawled within it.  I skim through it to pick out exercises to work on, and one line stood out:  The inside leg is the first aid, the second is the outside rein.  The jumping lessons I conducted focused on turning the horse not by pulling on the inside rein, the way beginners learn like steering a bicycle, but by applying the inside leg like a post for the horse to curve around, and bringing both hands to the inside, like neck reining, to give in the direction that you want to go in.  Tighter turns on course expose incorrect technique when the horse fishtails, loses energy and/or balance, and at worst, shuts down when he feels he has nowhere to go.  Young First goes around the ring after his first month of training using these concepts and even Ludi, now 11, learned in our recent lesson with Oz Lazzuri how to go more deeply into the corners of the dressage ring through the same application of aids, so that I maximize the space of the ring and gain more time to prepare for the next movement.  This concept isn't even just for English riding, as Horsemanship Trainer Josh Nichol explains in this video:

"If you think about it, you're already too late" says Ingrid Klimke from my notebook.  And in his classic Riding And Jumping, show jumping gold medalist William Steinkraus says this:

"Concentrate on technique at home, so that your mind will be free to concentrate on your performance as a whole in the show ring.  In other words, develop a technique that will continue to function reliably even when you're not watching it.  Not a very easy recipe for success - heaven knows, the ingredients take long enough to prepare - but still, I don't know of a better one."

This is a brief clip of Ludi's training yesterday.  I see (and hear!) both the flaws I am responsible for, and the progress we are making.  I see proof that some order can indeed come from chaos!

A day or two of spring runoff made interesting patterns in the sand ring.  It was something to appreciate, and then have to fix!

There isn't much instant gratification in dressage.  Building and training an athletic horse, and keeping their good spirit intact, takes hours of riding and weeks (and weeks) of training before the effects are confirmed.  John's been great to occasionally video our schooling, and the plan is to knit the highlights together some day.  There's some ugly, there's some genius, and there's lots of weakness as we take a few minutes to teeter on the edge of Ludi's capability.  He keeps improving, and my fascination with the wonderful life sport of dressage grows.

It’s a good time to reflect.  The horses of my past often walk through my thoughts.

This was Robin:

In 2004 John and I relocated to Timmins from Brockville and searched for a farm.  We found a 40 acre parcel just out of town with a sweet little 8 stall barn.  We owned Andy and Quinn, but I had also found some young, unstarted paint/draft crosses near Westport.  We made an offer on a couple of them, and just like that more dreams came true, and my workload doubled!  2-year old Clydesdale cross gelding Fred and Belgian cross filly Robin came north.  Our first couple of years were spent working so hard on the property:  fencing and making the riding ring.  

​When Fred & Robin turned four I started them under saddle and realized how much I had to learn when it came to starting horses from scratch!  Not much fizzed on Robin, and she kept her sweet and fun nature as I trained her.  We rode in some pretty busy rings, and while she was wide-eyed at times, she kept us both safe and I treasure our ribbons together.  She won us a green pail at the New Liskeard Fall Fair that I still keep in the horse trailer.  When I started teaching lessons at home, Robin was one of my most popular horses. Seven years later she moved to her new home near Barrie.  The following year, in 2012, I met up with her and her new owner at the Cornerstone Dressage Show at the Barrie Agriplex.  Tracy told me "She's very sweet and we love her and she has been a great addition to our family." When I found her in the show stalls, I put my hand through the bars and said her name.  She paused, blinked and nuzzled my hand.  My heart swelled in the moment, and I walked away.  

Near Valentine's Day I popped in to the library with zero leads on new books to read.  They had a table set up of books that were simply red in colour.  I browsed briefly and stuffed a couple under my arm to check out:  The Beauty of Discomfort - How What we Avoid is What We Need by Amanda Lang & What We Ache For by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.  A couple of weeks later I was standing in line at the drugstore and saw a single book out of place next to the magazines and gum:  The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi.  It is hard to believe in the randomness of these finds, now that I've read them.

You might ask "What does any of that have to do with horses?", and if you were interviewing me to help you with your horse training and riding, I'd say this:

The beauty of discomfort is that you'll find your ability to grow within it.  The only way to get better at something is to feel that soreness and see it as a beacon to the next level.  See the potential in a bit of struggle.  Don't ruminate, feel appreciation for what you have now and approach change with enthusiasm because that's what successful people do.  Accept the challenge.  These concepts are supported by science and they build on themselves.  We ache to do what we love and find meaning in it for ourselves.  Since there are no equestrian events in the foreseeable future, ask yourself now: Why do you ride in the first place?  What do you love about it?  What don't you love?  What do you feel while you're riding?  Why do you show?  What do you think is holding you back from meeting your goals?  Perhaps you see obstacles in front of you like time, facility or the physical ability of yourself or your horse, but could those just be excuses that you build like protective frames around your weaknesses?  Are you refusing to even try so that you stay comfortable in your protective, predictable framework?  That might be an unpopular opinion, but I think it's a fascinating idea, and I have the courage to be disliked for it.

I'd never heard of Eckhart Tolle until after my father died and I found a copy of The Power of Now in my Dad's office.  Someone Dad worked with gave it to him with a note "Hope this book aids in your search for the meditative state".  I'll never know the context of the gift.  It took me many months to finish reading it, to accept that I could let go of so many things, and that a clear, quiet mind is a much more content place than the racing analysis of every event.  Mr. Tolle posted recently regarding the pandemic, and when I heard him refer to 'Comfort Zones', another common theme drove the good messages home.
​

Our treasured old horses Andy and Belle were laid to rest on January 25, at 28 and 29 years old.  I cannot thank our veterinarian Dr. Tony Ruyter enough for answering the call so quickly when it was clear that Andy was in terrible pain from an acute colic.  My decision to let them go together had been made in order to spare them from the slow decline of aging alone, standing withdrawn and separate from the much younger herd.  The reality of the day is still a shock, and I feel the sticky black tar of depression trying to cling to my body, even though I am grateful that my dear friends were not uncomfortable for long.

They helped me advance my career as an equestrian.  Andy made me look good in my coaching evaluation and exam, and achieved the scores I needed at Third Level dressage in order to become a judge.  He suffered my ego with all the travelling and it comforts me that I had many years to see him in retirement, under no pressure.  Belle came to me in rough shape at 18 years old and when it was clear that ring work stressed her out for whatever reason, she always tried her best and was excellent with my students, never anything but polite and gentle, and a wonderful horse to trail ride with. I have many happy memories of teaching with her on the longe line, and of riding alongside her in the sunshine.

I had Andy for 21 years....from before I had anything else, and he became one of my oldest friends.  I had Belle for 11 years.  I remember the first time I met each of them, and in both cases it seemed like the only way forward was for us to be together.  I put my hands on Belle in those last moments and felt her calming spell enter me.  I thought "What will I do without you?", and a voice answered "You will do it yourself.  Now, you know how."