Catherine Chamberlain and Verdicci

2011 Recipients of a grant from the Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund

Clinic with Shannon Peters - March 2011
I was awarded a grant from The Dressage Foundation's Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund to participate in a two-day clinic taught by accomplished FEI dressage rider and trainer Shannon Peters.  The clinic took place at Round Mountain Ranch in Carefree, Arizona on March 26th and 27th.  I want to give a huge thank you to The Dressage Foundation and to Renee Isler for awarding me this grant and allowing me to gain such an amazing experience. 

The biggest help I received from Shannon was her constructive criticism of my riding position.  She clearly explained and demonstrated every small change that needed to take place in my body position and also defined the biomechanics of why the change needed to occur.  She pointed out that, as a rider with a longer waist, I needed to make certain that I always concentrated on using my abdominal muscles to pull my seat underneath me in order to be affective.  If I allowed my position to tilt forward slightly with my seat out behind me, then it was much easier for my horse to get behind the aids.  She also taught me how to really bend my elbows and keep a stronger shoulder and bicep to allow a soft forearm and hand for the horse’s mouth.  In addition, Shannon explained the difference of using the back of my thigh to pull my lower leg back instead of just bending my knee, which causes my leg to come too far forward.  

Once we spent the first day working on my use and affect of the aids and my body position, the second day we included some work on the movements from the Prix St. George and FEI Young Rider tests.  Shannon clarified for me how to bend the horse in the body instead of only bending the horse in the head and neck.  Immediately our half-passes, haunches-in, and other lateral work became much softer and easier for my horse and I.  We also worked on the three and four tempi changes and how the preparation was essential to having a good line of changes every single time.  Finally we finished up with a few medium and extended trots and concentrated on the power coming fluently from the hind legs to a soft connection in the bridle. 

Because of this clinic, I would like to learn more about rider and horse biomechanics and apply it to my training.  It was incredible just how big of a difference there was once Shannon made those small changes to my position and I would love to find out more about how we as riders really affect the horse.  I would also like to spend some more time working on the basics and focusing on the training scale with my horse.  In addition, I would love to have the great opportunity to train with Shannon again and I am hoping to be able to train with both Shannon and Steffen Peters for a couple of weeks this summer.  I want to share everything I have learned in the clinic with other Dressage riders and help them to understand their riding strengths and weaknesses as well.

Thank you again for the grant and the amazing opportunity!  I really feel the feedback I received from Shannon Peters will take me to the next step in my riding abilities.  I would really love to give back to The Dressage Foundation and am currently organizing a clinic to benefit the organization this fall.  Thank you!


Clinic with Günter Seidel - September 2011
In early September, I was able to participate in a two-day clinic with Günter Seidel, thanks to a generous training grant from the Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund out of The Dressage Foundation.  I rode my horse Verdicci, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding that I have owned and trained for the past four years, in this clinic.  Verdicci, or Chance as we call him around the barn, has been schooling the Intermediate levels with a touch of Grand Prix here and there.  This year we have shown in the FEI Young Rider division, making it to the 2011 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships in Lexington, Kentucky in July.  I plan to do so again this next year with the hopes of making it to the Championships once again, so my main focus right now is to improve the quality and correctness of the Prix St. George movements while continuing to school the highest levels.

The first day started out great!  I got there a little bit early so Chance could relax and I could watch some of the other riders in their lessons.  Right away I could tell that I liked Günter’s style of coaching.  He was very patient with both horse and rider, but was still able to push them to get the best out of the team.  He always strived to keep the horse happy and willing to work.  Günter also made certain that the rider was being tactful in their approach with the horse and that they were always striving to do the best job possible.

Soon it was my time to ride, so I tacked up and we got right to work.  Günter watched my warm up a little bit and made a few suggestions here and there.  He said not to worry about making the horse round in the warm-up, but to let them take their time and stretch out their muscles.  Then we had a little walk break and picked up the collected trot once Chance seemed ready.  Chance always has a nice, cadenced trot with much suspension, but sometimes he gets a bit behind my aids and a tad stuck in the bridle.  So, Günter had me work on a little bit of lateral work in the beginning to get him bending and supple throughout the body.  We did some shoulder-in and half-pass with a few medium trots in between to wake him up.  Then, we worked on walk-trot transitions to get Chance reacting sharper off the aids.  Günter had me settle into a nice trot, ask for the walk, and once I got one or two steps push him right back into the trot again.  It took Chance a few tries to catch up with me, but soon he got it and we moved onto the canter work.

At first we did some transitions within the canter, moving forward into extended canter, coming back into pirouette canter, then into collected canter, etc.  Next, we did some nice half-passes and Günter reminded me to keep the jump and bend throughout the whole movement.  He also emphasized how important the preparation is.  He said to come straight onto the centerline, quarterline, etc. and then develop the bend you want and start the half-pass, or else it is easy for the horse to fall out with the shoulders or to lose their balance in the turn.  Next, we did a few lines of tempi changes and Günter was happy with Chance's obedience to the aids as well as his straightness and length of stride.  He asked me to do three one tempis on the quarterline to test his quickness to the leg aid.  At home Chance and I have worked on these a couple of times, but not much so I hoped we would get them right.  Chance was great, but at first I had to remind my legs to stop asking for the changes after only three!  Günter told me to only ask for the minimum number at first so you can end without any mistakes. 
Finally, we finished with some quarter pirouettes in a box shape and then let Chance stretch in the trot and end for the day.  He was such a good boy and I was very happy with him!  Soon, I was out the next day for our second and final ride of the clinic.

The second day I rode him in the double bridle instead of the snaffle bridle.  Sometimes Chance doesn't seek the contact quite as much with the extra bit in his mouth, but that day he felt fine as Günter reminded me to always keep a soft and playful connection with the bits, never hindering the horse's motion or stopping the circulation of energy, especially in the collected work.  We started with the same swinging trot in the warm-up, but today we focused more on the canter work.  Günter really worked with me on the pirouettes and told me to stay a little bit more organized and thoughtful in my preparation and riding of the actual movement.  The pirouettes have been the hardest thing for me in the Prix St. George tests, but he said not to worry, that it just takes time to gain the proper feeling and tactfulness required for such a complex movement.  He told me to try to slow down the movement and take my time, which seemed to help as I didn't rush through it quite so much and Chance didn't lose his balance in the turn.  We did a few lines of nice changes, worked on the collected canter with transitions within and between the canter and walk, and then we came down to the trot work.  Today we played a bit more with changing the tempo and the degree of collection in his trot.  Once again the goal was to keep Chance quicker off the aids and lighter in the bridle.  Chance felt great at the end and it was so nice and enjoyable to be in such harmony with him.  Overall it was a fantastic weekend and I loved both of my lessons!  Chance is such a great horse and I am really looking forward to a great year together! 

THANK YOU to Renee Isler and The Dressage Foundation for the generous training grant!!!  Your dedication to the entire dressage community is outstanding and I am so grateful.

Go back to the Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund page.