Anna Beal

2009 Region 7 Gifted Scholarship Recipient, for training in 2010

Photo Courtesy of Locke Photography

I am the Region 7 recipient of The Dressage Foundation Carol Lavell Gifted Schorarship for Adult Amateurs. I selected to work with Willy Arts in Hanford, California.  Wednesday, August 11 was the date of my departure to DG Bar Ranch in Hanford for The Dressage Foundation Grant.  I selected to take my 7-year-old Dutch mare, Willa, to work with Willy Arts.  My good friend Kim Belka and her 3-year-old UB 40 gelding were our traveling companions.  Capote was going to DG Bar to prepare for the KWPN NA Keuring in September. We arrived safely in Hanford Wednesday afternoon after a 4 1/2 hour trailer ride.  Both horses were in good shape and I was ready to start riding.   The weather was hot, in the 90’s.  Thankfully they have a covered arena and it provided protection from the sun. 

The first lesson we worked on basics.   The goal was to create self carriage and collection by engaging the hind legs. Willa was very nervous at first.  Her walk was short and the trot very tense. Willy immediately started us on transitions.  This helped Willa focus on her work.  Trot/halt, Trot/walk, Trot/half halts were introduced to gain her attention and confidence.  We then did some leg yielding exercises to help with the engagement.  First a standard leg yield from the centerline, then leg yield to the quarter line, straighten and ask for medium trot.  The leg yield made Willa use her inside hind leg for the push to the medium trot.  If she did not respond to the first request, then she was tapped with the whip.  Willy wanted her to be light to the aids.

Thursday Willy reinforced the lesson from the previous day.  Willa went to work quickly and was much more responsive.  He emphasized the horse must move forward from the hind leg, not from the rider holding the horse in a frame.  Willa’s gaits improved tremendously as she was able to move forward with freedom and self carriage. My lesson was early in the morning which allowed Kim and I the rest of the day to watch other horses being schooled.  The benefits of being at DG Bar Ranch is they are a working farm.  We had the opportunity to watch the 3- and 4-year-olds being prepared for the under saddle classes at the KPWN NA Keuring.  The same principals (basics) Willa and I were working on were also stressed in the training of the young horses.  We also had an opportunity to watch several horses that competed at the FEI Young Horse Championships.   The same training philosophy was utilized with all the horses, regardless of their age or level of training.  We ended the day watching the foals being turned out.

Friday, the weather was getting hotter.  From the low 90’s to the low 100’s we were feeling the heat.  We started with the basics.  Lots of transitions. First at the walk, then the trot.  The canter is the easiest gait for Willa .  Willy used the canter to get her forward and engaged.  We did a 20 meter circle around Willy.  First making the canter forward with a good jump.  Then transitions from canter to trot.  Willy then had me slow the canter by using my body. He wanted me to sit taller and deeper into the saddle to achieve this affect.  He stressed that collection was not to be done by holding the horse and shortening the neck.  The collected canter was developed using this method.  The horse was allowed to make a mistake by breaking to the trot.  Then she was reminded that she needed to stay in the canter.  Through this exercise we achieved a collected canter that was light and expressive.  We then worked on some shoulder-ins.  We did transitions from collected trot to medium trot while in the shoulder-in, always keeping her forward and the hind leg engaged.  After our lesson we had the opportunity to watch the Prix-St. George stallion Devon Heir, and the Grand Prix stallion Idocus being schooled.  The same basic principles were used in the schooling of these upper level horses.  It was educational to see the training of the young horses up to FEI level horses, and how important the basics are at all levels of training.

Saturday, another hot day, as we continued our lessons.  Willa is better each day.  It amazing she still has plenty of energy and has a great attitude towards the work.  We introduced the trot half pass today and continued to work on her collected canter.  We had the opportunity to watch other lessons today. Willy continues to stress the basic principals with all the riders.  Willy schooled a young jumper that morning.  Although the mare was not a dressage horse, Willy still has the horse forward and engaging the hind leg.  It was fun to watch her jump.  I used to show jumpers and I still enjoy watching them perform.

Sunday, our last day.  We started a little later in the morning.  Willa was tired but still ready to work.  She warmed up with the basic transitions, leg yields, and shoulder-ins.  We then progressed to trot half-passes.  First a shoulder-in on the diagonal, then adding the haunches as we progressed. Then we schooled actual half –passes.  Willa was able to hold the collection and do reasonable half-passes.  We then had a little fun and played with the flying changes.  We did counter canter on the long side of the arena with a leg yield to the change.  Willa was very accommodating. She did not get excited or resistive throughout the exercise.  She really tried her best to understand what we wanted.  

The time at DG Bar Ranch was a great experience.  I really came to appreciate my mare Willa.  She gave a 110% everyday.  She worked hard and was receptive to the new training methods.  The improvement in the quality of her gaits was an unexpected delight.  I plan to adapt and use these training methods on all my horses.

I am very appreciative for the grant from The Dressage Foundation.  It was a great learning experience.   It was an opportunity that allowed me to fully concentrate on my riding. I had a lot of fun watching different types of horses and riders being schooled.  I realize basics are the foundation of our sport.

Many thanks to Willy Arts and the DeGroot family for their hospitality and allowing us to spend our days at DG Bar Ranch. 

Anna Beal