Christy Sanantonio and Grenadier

2010 Region 9 Gifted Scholarship Recipient, to train in 2011

Photo by Heather Blitz

This past January, I had the unique opportunity to train for a week in sunny Wellington, Florida, that was made possible by Carol Lavell and The Dressage Foundation selecting me as the 2011 Region 9 recipient of the Gifted Scholarship.  Grenadier, my 11 year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, who I have owned since he was only 3 months old, and I had been on the brink of entering the FEI levels and needed the proper guidance to get there. My goals during the week of training included my improving my biomechanics, effect of the aids, and overall rideability that is essential for the upper levels.

When making my selection with whom to train with, I could think of no better trainer and rider combination than Heather Blitz. She is an international Grand Prix rider who had been based in Europe for the past few years and now resides in Wellington, Florida.  She is also a popular and successful clinician with her ‘Mind Your Riding’ Tour which focuses on the effect of the rider’s body and aids on the horse at all levels and teaches a clear system of training that is easy to understand for riders of all levels.  Heather’s tours are held in Europe and throughout the United States. She has had the good fortune to be able to combine natural talent and competitive drive with the learning of biomechanical skills, and is one of the first in a new generation of dressage riders. Her sessions include easy-to-understand theories about riding, focusing on rider biomechanics and effectiveness of the aids.

Heather has been recently shining brightly in the spotlight with her phenomenal mount Paragon, an 8-year old Danish Warmblood gelding that has proven to be one of the greatest horses of our generation. Consistently putting up scores in the mid-70s in the Intermediaire I and Prix St. Georges, this pair stands out above the competition (and 18 hands high, might I add). They will no doubt be a serious contender for the London 2012 Olympic Team.

At 4 a.m. on a chilly Wednesday morning, Grenadier and I departed Louisiana and began the 13-hour journey down to Wellington. Because of my job, I never had the opportunity to season in the fantasy horse land people raved about, known to many as “Wellie World”. As the miles passed, I began to mentally prepare for my training with Heather and knew this was by far going to be the adventure of a lifetime. By sunset that evening, we arrived at Heather’s cozy training facility. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted and immediately felt right at home.

For the next 5 days, I was floating on Cloud 9. Each morning, I would begin my day by watching Heather ride Paragon. Their workouts together were in perfect harmony and seemed effortless, with the powerful Paragon looking as though he was light as a feather and more graceful than any ballerina you’ve ever seen. It is definitely a sight to behold as every time I watched this pair in action, it took my breath away.

After my daily inspiration for the day after watching Heather ride, it was time for my lesson. I had ridden in clinics with Heather before, so she was familiar with my riding and my horse, Grenadier. Our first lesson together began with a rideability check: could Grenadier stop and go, and follow my aids when going left and right? This concept may sound elementary, but is a fundamental that Heather insists is a solution to many common training issues.  My tempi changes had not been of consistent quality prior to my training with Heather in Florida, and instead of immediately working on the changes, we focused on rideability. Once this groundwork was established and the lines of communication between Grenadier and I were clear, we began to tackle other issues that needed attention, such as my biomechanics as a rider. Heather is one of the few clinicians in the world that addresses this concept at all and to the intricate degree that she explains it. Contrary to popular belief, the successful rider is not just merely sitting pretty on the horse, but rather is an athlete that is utilizing her core muscles and strength in a way that many riders cannot access. Heather encouraged me to really ‘bear down’ (making a firm wall with your abdominal and back muscles and pushing your guts against that) in order to keep my center of gravity low in addition to closing the angle of my hip (especially in canter) and keeping more pressure through my thighs on the saddle. There was such a difference in the feeling through Grenadier’s back and his balance (or his ‘medicine ball’ as Heather describes it) once I made these two small, but significant, changes in myself. Heather was quite pleased with our progress for the first lesson as I could hardly wait what was in store for us for the next four days of my training.

Day two of my training began very similar to my first lesson, beginning with a rideabilty check with Grenadier, who was much more attentive and eager to learn than the previous day. Since he was in a much better place, Heather worked with us in collected canter, then into quarter pirouettes and eventually full pirouettes, which have not always been our strongest point. She instructed me to keep even weight in my reins and to slightly open my inside hand to allow Grenadier to follow my rein around throughout the duration of the pirouette and to keep my seat bones even and quiet. Once we had gained confidence through the quarter and half pirouettes, we attempted a full canter pirouette. Keeping my contact steady and allowing a slight bend to the inside with my rein open allowed Grenadier to keep his ‘medicine ball’ back, utilize his hind end, and properly complete the movement. Although more of Grenadier’s strength needs to be developed to make the pirouettes rock solid, both Heather and I were excited to see the potential.

For the remaining three days, we built on progress from the previous days’ training by adding in work with piaffe. Grenadier had always been good in piaffe, but had never been successful with passage. That was until the fifth and final day of my training with Heather.  From piaffe, she asked me to think of all of my forces moving forward while asking Grenadier to step forward and move into the contact. I had never felt passage before in my life until that moment when I saw in the mirror my horse move in a way I had never seen him move before: he had just taken his very first steps of passage! As this result was desired but not very expected, Heather and I were ecstatic with the effort. We attempted passage from piaffe again and got three resulting passage steps. Grenadier was showered with praise and after our lesson, Heather joined me on a gorgeous hack through the 50 miles of trails around Wellington. It was certainly a monumental day in our training that will not soon be forgotten.

It had just seemed like I had just arrived when my training with Heather was over. (Time flies when you are having fun!) During my long trek home, I reflected on my amazing lessons with Heather. I found it very beneficial at the end of each day to journal about all that I learned that day during my lessons, from her magnificent rides on Paragon, or by watching her teach other students. She is such an amazing riding educator and as I traveled home, I had never felt more encouraged or inspired about my riding in my life. I desire to one day spend the season in Wellington to experience that amazing horse fantasy land once again. Grenadier and I are looking forward to a fun and successful show season this year. I am so grateful to Heather Blitz for her time and energies to train me and also to Carol Lavell and The Dressage Foundation for selecting me as a recipient of this scholarship and continues to recognize adult amateurs in our brilliant sport of Dressage.