Jana Nelson

Threefold Opportunities

    My goals for this training opportunity were threefold: I wanted to learn to sit my 8 year old Holsteiner’s trot, confirm his changes, and then some vague, unspecified idea of someone being able to bump me up past 2nd level into what I think of as “real dressage”. I was in for a surprise. As a somewhat self-taught amateur (although not without some very good instruction from various clinicians through the years and my best friend, who, herself, is a self-taught professional), I must confess I never have had a clear idea of what it takes to make it to the upper levels of dressage since there are no FEI riders or horses in the immediate area where I live.

    So, Austin and I have struggled through 2nd level (the third time I have been here, never before able to have escaped) and were schooling 3rd. I had actually been able to teach him his changes though they needed some work but I still could not reasonably sit his trot. I was pretty sure it was all me because I have always been fairly stiff in my back and hips. I was so excited to learn that I had received the Gifted Grant and would finally be able to pin down the theory with concentrated work over five days and perhaps unlock my body as well. We had discovered that Ally Rogers was in Memphis, which is only three and a half hours away, and my friend and local trainer, Patty Hale, had had her to our barn for clinics twice in the last several months. I was impressed with both the way she rides and her training methods which are kind, yet rigorously correct, to both horse and rider. That suited me down to the ground.
The other major benefit of this particular trip was that I would be staying with a longtime, childhood friend of mine who also happens to be a yoga instructor. Each day, either before I went to the barn or after I returned in the evening, I had a wonderful time of stretching and strengthening my body in preparation for (or recovering from) the rigors of dressage training with my horse. I recommend some sort of cross-training with dressage as it takes a high degree of fitness required for correct work.

    The first thing I learned was that Austin was not using his back well and that, until he did, I would not be able to sit his trot much less do “real dressage”. The work the first day was me trying to learn the feel of him moving at the trot with enough impulsion and engagement behind to drive his back up under me. To accomplish that, I had also to learn to half-halt and balance him to his hindquarters to keep his shoulders up while maintaining an elastic connection and to feel where he was crooked so I could teach him straightness. He tends to stiffen his right jaw – I tend to let go the right rein. He tends to push his ribs out to the right – I tend to over bend him left. This took up most of the first day’s ride and a lot to think about. Did I have to run back to the barn, throw my horse in his stall and rush off to work? Not hardly. We got to cool down while meandering over grassy hills and I pondered what I had learned – going over what we had done while it was fresh in my mind. I spent the rest of the day at the barn watching lessons or watching Ally ride. I was seeing theory in practice.

    The second day I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure I had a handle on everything from the previous day. We worked on canter and getting him to jump from behind but still keeping his shoulders up and that right jaw supple. It was the same thing as the day before except at both canter and trot. Again, I struggled with the timing of my aids: catching the stiffness of the right jaw, containing the right ribs, tapping him with the whip to keep the jump and at the same time (last but not least) not over bending left. Again, after our ride, we walked at length around the beautiful property and I went over what we did. Again I watched riders and horses schooled and started putting pieces together. I was excited about the next day.
We were able to continue with what I had learned and work through the feel of everything we had worked on the previous 2 days. If this had been a 2 day clinic, I would have been in big trouble! The 5 day format of the Grant is an exceptional thing for people like me who have so much to learn.

    On the fourth day, I had a real treat before my lesson with Austin. I was allowed to ride a resident Prix St. George horse that was similar to Austin but was nicely trained enough that when I corrected his right jaw or asked him to straighten or jump through, I got an immediate correct response from him. That was helpful to me to learn the feel of what I need from Austin.

    I sure hated to see the last day. I still could not sit Austin’s new trot but I could feel that his back was working better and I was learning to feel a little “sit” from him on his downward transitions which would translate into a more supple back as I continued to work him in the coming weeks. How grateful I am that was not allowed to shut down his trot into a sit-able version. Instead, he is learning a good trot in which his back can come up and eventually he will give me a place to sit. Goal #1 – not what I expected but better.

    As for his changes, we did not address them. Again, the goal here was a good quality gait. His canter became much better as I learned to balance him while inspiring his hindquarters. Again, I was very happy with the work and considered that Goal #2 had been exceeded. Indeed, my much sought after desire for “real” dressage that was Goal #3 has finally been made clear. The “secret” is good gaits in a horse that will work actively, happily, and gymnastically! How often have I read and heard that but I had never felt the gaits of anything past my own basic and somewhat squelched version of the collection of 2nd level! Boy, you really need a lot more than that. The “tricks” can only come when you have the gaits and suppleness to support them. It was a great experience and I am happy and so thankful to everyone involved in making it happen.

Back