Beverly Reid

Essay

My name is Beverly Reid from Bethel Ct.  I am an older adult amateur riding 2nd level and training with Catherine McWilliams from Brewster NY. Nadine is a 14 year old Dutch Warm Blood mare I have owned for 8 years.  I have chosen to ride with Tom Noone of Free Gait Farm in Chester NY.   I have done clinics several times a year with Tom over the past 6 years, and he has seen our progress from Training level to the present.

The plan Tom and I came up with was to work on my leg, seat & hand connection as well as to improve Nadine’s lateral suppleness and collection.  I never expected my week to be filled with so many educational opportunities, observations and lessons.  

I arrived at Free Gait Farm in the afternoon on Sunday June 21st.  I got Nadine settled into her stall and my gear into the tack room.  Rachel Butler, Tom’s assistant told me, Judith Shoemaker, would be there in the morning to work on Tom’s horses.  Judith is a vet who works with chiropractic, acupuncture and alternative medicine. We planned to start at 8:00 in the morning.

Monday: The plan for the day was for me to watch Judith work with each of Tom’s horses, and I would ride in the afternoon. What I observed was basic maintenance and correction in areas where Tom felt each horse was having difficulty or over compensating. Judith explained everything she did, her hands moved like a magic wand as she touched the horses body.  Although a lot went over my head, I was able to grasp how she was getting the muscles to work and support the horse’s core, and to work in harmony with other parts of the horse’s body.  She emphasized the fact that she can get the horse in balance to perform, but the rider has to be fit enough to help the horse carry through. 

Now it was my turn.  Tom watched as I warmed up Nadine as well as how I warm up.  Because I spend my week working on computers & spreadsheets, wearing high heels all day long, it takes me a while to get my shoulders, legs, and back working freely.    Once I am warmed up, then I can start to work.  The lateral work is my downfall at this point.  I sort of know what I am doing, but I get tense when I start to “think” about the movement.  By this time, I am leaning forward, hands moving, legs go off and on, and I look like a pretzel and Nadine has no idea what I’m  telling her. We work in shoulder in first. My angle was too big and I lost the entire bend. Tom had me working on half halts three or four strides before the corners to establish the correct bend though each corner.   By using the corner to help set up the bend, a change in my leg and hand positioning, along with more active half halts (I tend to hold on instead of letting go), I was able to get the beginning of a correct shoulder in. This was at a walk and I was mimicking Tom who was walking on the ground showing me what he wanted me to do.  I set my shoulder to match his; I set my weight to match his.  Then I tried it at the trot.  It was so much better. Next we did some canter work. Keeping Nadine straight is hard.  I have a tendency to lean forward; hands go up and my elbows lock.  By slightly changing my position, my shoulders relax, hands come down and my elbows start to function.  Back to the trot work: haunches in.  Again a slight change in my shoulder, hand & leg position I finally got the idea.  My timing is off as far as which rein needs which half halt at what time, but that will come.  Keeping equal weight on both seat bones, looking up not down & not try so hard.

Tomorrow we will start about 8:00 watching Tom work his horses.  Our plan for Nadine is for me to ride her and we will repeat what we did today, then Tom will get on and do the exercises so I can watch and learn.

Tuesday:  This morning I got to watch Tom work his horses. I watch how he gets them to stretch over their backs to loosen their topline.  I can see the connection between seat,  leg, and hand to create flexion and bend.  Some needed more stretch; others could start to get more collected.

 I warmed Nadine up in a long and low frame so I could get her to stretch over her back. I was a little stiff.  Even thought I did my own stretching exercises, I had to get my back working.  Nadine is wonderful.  She lets me move my body all around, stretch onto her neck, stretch as far back as I can, pull my knees up so I can get my seat bones into the saddle (all seat and position exercises Cathy has taught me). Back to the posting trot again in the long and low frame, this time I am able to have contact.  My back feels better so I do a slow sitting trot without my stirrups, my back is becoming more engaged so I do an easy canter.  My back is working and Tom comes in to work with me.  I wanted to start from where we left off, but wrong.  We started from the basics and worked up until Nadine is listening to my leg, half halts, and being responsive.  As Nadine gave me an “opportunity” to do something I learned to take it, whether it was a canter depart, or shoulder in.  I also learned about primary problems. My tendency is to keep going with what I am doing and getting no where fast instead of stopping to fix the primary problem, then continue; stop, fix the primary problem then continue until there are no problems in the basics.
 Today the primary problem was impulsion. I would start the shoulder in go 5 strides and Nadine would lose impulsion. So stop the shoulder in and recreate impulsion. Get the response.  Once I got the impulsion, the shoulder in came easier.  Keeping the outside hand down to control the outside shoulder, keeping the inside hand down as well so I can see the inside eye lash.  This is not easy as I want to keep my hands up as if I am riding saddle seat.  What I was finding was as I released my shoulders, looked up and tried to sit tall and let gravity take over, I was able bend her around my inside leg.  Cool! I also had a horse that grew taller, more active and so enjoying herself.


Wednesday:  “Ride for tomorrow.”  Tom has been saying this all week to me.  As I see him ride his horses, I think I am beginning to see what he means. Every day he has started back at stretching, but then he has been able to turn it up a notch and pretty soon he is at the same place where he ended the day before ready to ask for more. The horses are responding to his aids, transitions within gaits are there, he is able to ask for more collection.  If the opportunity arises you have to take the chance and go for it.  You may fail, but at least you tried.  In order to succeed you have to take the chance. As a rider who started at the age of 50, I am afraid of failure so I don’t take the chance. I don’t want to be an embarrassment.

My lesson today started off with long and low.  Nadine actually gave me the feeling of stretching down over her top line to the bit. For some unknown reason, I didn’t seem so stiff today.  Perhaps it is the fact that I am not in corporate mode, hunched over my computer, spreadsheets, and trying to get several things done at once. 

Once I had Nadine on my outside rein and aids, the shoulder in came easier in both directions.  I didn’t have the huge angle without the bend, but I had the bend and she was flowing on 3 tracks.  The primary problem of yesterday: impulsion was not there today.  Today the primary problem was is the half halts.  After several exercises of forward and back, walk trot, walk halt, she started to react to the half halts.  Then we worked on the haunches in. They were not coming through because I was losing the left bend.  My left leg was not at the girth, but behind.   Now the primary problem was activating my left leg.  Working on some small circles and activating her inside hind leg, actually got my left leg at the girth so I could use it effectively.  Tried the haunches in again and it worked.  When I lost it, did a small circle activated the leg again, then tried the haunches in.  It was getting better. (Circles are a wonderful tool!)

I was able an active walk; the opportunity was there to try turn on the haunches.  Lateral and longitude exercise seem to be my biggest problems, but the stars were all aligned so I went for it.  The front end did what it was supposed to, but the hind end stuck.  Outside hand was pulling back, blocking her movement.  I tried again by breaking it down into small segments. Turning 90 degrees then go forward.  But there was no forward. Primary problem: stop what I’m doing and fix it then tried it again.  We did 90 degrees, forward several times in both directions. Then we tried the 180 degree turn. I mentally broke it down to 90 forward, 90 forward and had a better turn.  With all of this we called it a day. 

Thursday: Riding is like being an architect. It has to do with building blocks.  You need to do A until A is secure, then you need to do B , then recheck A, B, then go on to C, etc.  By building on each piece the horse become more responsive, straighter, more in balance.  The frame changes as the hind legs become more engaged.  The expression on the horse becomes relaxed and more animated, so proud of themselves.  I have been lucky to be able to watch Tom teach his students. The student and horse combinations were so in tune with each other it was like watching dancers float across the arena. Tom’s instructions were so clear and so precise it created opportunities and they were taken with ease.

Cathy was able to come to see my lesson today.  I am nervous because I want to show her all I have learned and my tendency to try too hard so I won’t fail and embarrass Cathy or Tom.  I’m falling apart and things aren’t working for me: “Ride for tomorrow” pops into my head and I start back at A, then I added B, repeated A, then B again. I think I am finally getting it.  This is wonderful.  We repeat what we have been doing and add in medium trot. Again with a few changes to my position, it came easier and Nadine wanted to show off.  Tomorrow is my last day Shelly Welsh of Glenmere Farm is going to video my ride so I could see all that I have accomplished (and then some).

Friday:  Nadine is snoozing.  Let’s say she had made herself quite at home at Free Gait.  I organized all my stuff so when Cathy comes to get me I’ll be ready.   It’s been great to see how Tom works his horses.  I love the horses’ expressions as they work, sometimes they are thinking very hard, sometimes they are so proud of themselves that they float through every exercise Tom asks for.  The love and respect between Tom and his horses is a very special. I am so luck to have seen this and hope that someday Nadine and I will find it.

Shelly and Simon Welsh have the camera all set up.  Cathy has arrived and I start my last lesson.  Where has this week gone?  I start with A, then B and so on as I have all week.  Working on straightness, and the bend I found it was not so hard to get the shoulder in.   It’s the same with the haunches in. The turn on the haunches was better if I did less.  In doing the mediums, if I changed the flexion before I execute them it was easier to sit and when I finished the line, I was on the correct bend.
 
My riding has grown by leaps and bounds this week. All of the goals Tom set out for me were met along with others. This experience has given me the confidence to continue as well as to fail. Nadine and I have developed mutual respect and this week has strengthened that foundation.   I found out a great deal about myself this week. I have a tendency to let things fall apart quickly and am too slow to recover.  I have let myself get too lazy about the figures; it is a 10 meter circle not 12.  It is at H or S not somewhere in between.  Riding accurate figures, she stays in balance because I have her on my aids and straight.  I am taking a great deal home with me: in riding, in barn management, in sharing the love of horses.  Tom, Rachel, Shelly and Simon have bent over backwards to make my week the best it could be.  I am sad to leave. 

I want to thank the Dressage Foundation for giving me this opportunity.  I learned a great deal this week about riding and being a team player with Nadine and without your support; it never would have been possible.

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