The Gifted Fund

Sandi Piazza

USDF Region 3

Total Immersion!

I'm an amateur's amateur ... a single woman with one income from a full-time job working for a state university. For 25 years I've spent my days in the basement of the Plant and Animal Sciences Building at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., where the job I currently do and love is to be Clemson's webmaster. My office doesn't have a window so there are days when I don't even know if the sun is shining outside. Then I leave the office each afternoon at 4:30 and drive 30 miles to another world at the lovely farm where my horses spend their days.

I've never wanted a farm of my own and certainly never wanted to make my living as a rider or trainer. I have too many friends who do and I know how difficult a life it can be. But I have always longed to have the means to spend some concentrated time being around horses and working intensively on my sport. When I heard about The Dressage Foundation's Gifted Fund grants, I couldn't wait to apply and then sat around on pins and needles waiting to see if I would be chosen. I hoped that I would for once have the time and money to totally immerse myself in the wonderful world of horses and dressage. Boy did I ever get what I asked for ... and then some ... and I had the time of my life doing it!

Right now, I have the great good fortune to have two wonderful horses to ride and train. Nikko, my chestnut Trakehner mare is at the same time a pet and a powerhouse and was showing First Level and schooling solid Second Level. The other, a lovely Hanoverian mare named Pandeia (Panda or P) is owned by dear friend Suzie Reed who owns the farm where Nikko and Panda live. P has only really been in work for a little over a year and has just started showing First Level.

When I applied for the grant I'd hoped that both Nikko and Panda could go with me but unfortunately that wasn't to be. Nikko developed breathing problems and is just now starting back to work, so Panda, like it or not, got all the attention! Nikko avoided the concentrated work at the time, but is now about to reap the benefits of all that learning!

I also have a wonderful trainer, Laura Wharton, who's been my friend and the source of my dressage knowledge and training for over 20 years. Every chance I get I escape to Lancaster Oaks, Laura and her folks' farm in Woodstock, Ga. Until TDF came along, the longest I've ever been able to stay there was a long weekend. I can't tell you how much I looked forward to March 14 when Panda and I headed down I-85 to Laura's to begin our grand adventure.

Day 1: We're on our way!

Suzie's farm is 30 miles northeast of Clemson and Laura's is 130 miles southwest, a 3 hour haul away. I wanted every possible minute I could get so Suzie volunteered to bring Panda to Clemson and swap my car for my truck and trailer at lunchtime on Friday and we were off. We made great time and P settled in quickly upon arrival. Laura and I were both eager to get started so lesson #1 began as soon as I could get tacked up.

My biggest goal for the week was to go home with my horse truly straight, on my aids, working consistently and correctly over her back and "using" herself. Just the "basics," however boring they might be (didn't want much, did I?!). I had no clue how interesting getting there was going to be.

That first night we worked mostly on straightness and engagement at the canter. Panda needed to be willing to shift her weight back and carry/use her hind legs more ... especially the left hind with which she tends to be quite lazy. An exercise which we used was to walk a 10 meter circle in haunches-in and when she was soft and round, quietly ask for a canter depart, staying in haunches-in. The object was to put her just enough "off balance," mentally as much as physically, to have her then shift her weight back by herself. Obviously, this is strictly a training exercise and not the way we ultimately want to do canter departs, but I was amazed just how quickly she started to carry herself and then keep the balance when we straightened out!

Day 2: Training switches into high gear

There was so much going on today I almost forgot it was my birthday! The first thing on our agenda was my lesson on Panda. Exercise number one was shoulder-in to renver and back at the trot, again getting her to engage and carry and soften and forcing me to think about my aids and making sure they were even. I now know why they added that movement at Second Level!

At the canter I was not able to consistently put her on my outside aids and keep her there while shifting her balance back. To help, Laura put us on the lunge, but using an outside rein like a long line instead of the usual inside rein. The rein was fastened to the bit on the outside and run along her outside and around her butt and back to Laura who was standing in the middle. The object was for Laura to be able to help with my outside leg keeping her positioned while I got the feel of what was required. My legs have always been somewhat ineffective at times ... a throwback to my hunter jumper days I'm afraid ... and this really helped.

We were a bit worried at first for fear that it would make Panda claustrophobic. She handled it better than we expected ... no panic, no real resistance, and it really got her to engage and carry. Occasionally she would swap leads behind but Laura said from her vantage point that bodes well for her flying changes! Both the shoulder-in and renver at trot and the haunches-in at canter exercises really worked to put her more solidly on the outside rein and allowed her to let go of the right rein ... her favorite security blanket!

When we were done with Panda I got to ride Junior (Favian), Laura's breeding stallion/lesson horse/PSG & I1 show horse who is an absolute blast to ride. I've ridden Junior many times before, but this time, coming right off our work with Panda, I was instantly aware that there was "horse" evenly under both my legs. This really showed me how much P avoids her left side. We worked first on medium and extended trot transitions and the SI/RV exercise to see how I was/should be sitting on P. The canter pirouettes reminded me to really to sit up, keep the inside leg forward, and turn with the outside aids, almost thinking neck rein to keep the contact and bring the forehand over. We finished with tempe changes to 3's. I still need LOTS of work on the timing and I need to remember to maintain a collected canter and not let him run through/after the changes and to keep MY butt in the saddle!

Day 3: Today EVERYBODY had to work!

Today Laura's horses came first -- Darrien (more about him later), Tannenhauser (Timmy), her current PSG/I1 horse and Portrat (Cary), her Grand Prix horse. Cary is extremely talented but with a mind of his own. Today he came out in a great mood and ready to work, giving her spectacular piaffe and passage throughout the whole session. My job was to help with piaffe, asking him from the ground to lift his front legs better. The arrival of Laura's boyfriend and a friend meant I got to cool Cary out and do his barn hills. Poor thing was terrorized by a squirrel behind the wash rack!

We finally got to Panda in the afternoon. She came out a little quick but settled down. We did some more work on the shoulder-in/renver exercise and worked on half-pass as well. Then we went through all the walk work for the First and Second Level tests. Walk has been a problem with P so spending time on the movements and the transitions will help make her more confident and comfortable, and less anxious and anticipatory. Then it was back to the canter ... this time using two long lines. The effect is sort of like the second set of controls in a driver's ed car ... there for the instructor to use for example as an assist, and in case of emergency. I'd do the work but Laura was instantly there with the lines as a supplement or a reminder. This was a REALLY effective tool for me.

Panda was really good and showed no sign of panic from that much control (think two "riders" at once!) and she really started getting the hang of sitting back and staying soft and solidly on both reins. My challenge is to be able to keep my legs in the same/correct place at the canter (especially my inside leg). When it slips out of position she swaps leads which is VERY good incentive to do it right.

Off the lines, we worked on the counter canter loops which she hates. They really get her worried and I HAVE to keep her straighter to keep the balance and hold the lead. She actually did quite well.

Day 4: Mother Nature imposes a day off but ...

What else would you do when it rains but go tack-shopping?!?

Day 5: Temper ... Temper ...

Miss P definitely has a mind of her own and thinks that she should go out the minute anyone else does ... a bit of a problem in a barn that does turn-out in 3 shifts ... not to mention that she was to be first up after we finished doing the morning shift in the barn. When left in this morning she pitched a major temper tantrum and managed to spin out of her left rear shoe.

Luckily, Laura's farrier was due at 9:00. David was also lucky for a number of other reasons. My long-time (20 years) farrier had a major accident in January and was no longer able to shoe. We all know that a good farrier is priceless and I'd been worried about finding a good replacement. I knew that Panda already was moving differently and not for the better. We asked David to take a good look and see what he could do. First up was to roll her front toes (something I'd been trying without success to get my new farrier to do. His attitude was that if she wasn't forging she didn't need it instead of understanding that it would improve her way of going). That IMMEDIATELY made an improvement, so much so that you could hear the difference in her footfalls as she walked down the hall and her usually-tight shoulders were visibly looser. He also pointed out that her left front was starting to toe out so he removed that shoe and reset it slightly wide on the inside to help fix it. I rode her right after he left and I could feel the improvement under saddle too.

She worked really well, especially in light of her earlier tantrum (she's been known to hold a grudge). Her trot work was really good and without the assistance of the long lines (time to do away with the training wheels!) she stayed round and on the left rein and off the right (as appropriate) most of the time. She really started to balance and we were even able to do the haunches-in exercise while staying on the aids. Then Laura had us do some half-pass at the canter. Panda really doesn't completely understand where her legs were supposed to go but she tried and her balance remained so good that before I knew it Laura told me to half-pass from the centerline to the long side and ask for a change! It took a couple of tries for us to get the hang of it. (I needed to half-halt, hold the new outside rein, slide the new outside leg back, and ask with a bit of spur) The first one she sort of ran through but the second one was much better and she stayed more quiet and rounder.

After P, I got to ride Darrien. He's a 17.1 hand 5-year-old Trakehner gelding who's showing Third and Fourth Levels, plus the FEI 6-Year-Old classes this year. Darrien's a blast to ride although, since I'm only 5'2", I wonder if he even knows I'm up there at times. He's SO big and a HUGE mover and his saddle's a bit too wide for me so I tend to have problems sitting his trot. We did most of the trot work posting. His canter is wonderful ... incredibly balanced and uphill ... so I did a few changes on him. He's new to them too, so they are huge and somewhat exuberant. Doing changes on him (instead of on the FEI horses) where I have to think about my aids will be really helpful for working on them with Panda. I was just warming Darrien up for Laura while she rode Timmy, so we swapped horses and I did barn hills on Tim.

Day 6: Reality Check Time

Horses are the best thing on the planet for bringing us down a notch or two when we start thinking we're getting good at this stuff! Today was NOT a great Panda day for me. I was having trouble sitting the canter correctly and could not seem to get her to let go of the right rein, soften, and go over her back. We did some OK trot work but the canter just wasn't there so

Laura got on her (not a regular occurrence ... we both prefer that I be able to learn to work through our problems but sometimes we need a checkpoint). Laura initially had a lot of the same problems I'd been having but finally managed to get her solidly on the left rein (the true root of the problem). Once she did, they were able to do 4-6 good changes! Apparently those are not going to be a problem as long as I can get the connection and keep her from dropping her withers and avoiding the left rein. I need to take and hold the left rein and push her into it. The key is getting her off her right shoulder and connected to the left hind leg. Easy ... right?!?

Day 7: Back in the groove again

A MUCH better day! I was much more able to ride P into that left rein and keep her there. Laura said that "right now" I need to have a lot more horse in my hands .. to "hold" her more ... than I eventually will need to. I MUST keep my hands down, especially when she inverts, keep my inside leg down and a bit forward and steady and keep the outside leg properly back at the canter.

We worked on medium trot and it turns out that it's really there! Right now she's a little quick but really comes off the ground and forward. I couldn't feel it from the saddle. I need to stay a little light in my seat to let her back come up and stay there and to ride her a little lower and rounder for now without letting her escape and run. It takes more hand and leg than I thought it would. We rode through First 4 (our first attempt) and she can do it, especially with a more specific warm-up. Then we rode through Second 1! She had trouble with the counter-canter and the three-loop serpentine was more than she could handle right now. We looked at the other Second Level tests and decided that for now Second 2 and 4 suit her best. We even decided that Third 1 isn't that far out of range. Amazing!

After lunch we got Darrien and Cary out and went riding around in the front pasture looking for Timmy's lost shoe ... two 6-figure dressage horses slogging around in the mud ... SUCH fun! After not finding it we went into the arena. While Laura worked Darrien, I worked on stretching Cary over his topline. He's a lot like P in that you really have to take a hold on him to ride him deeply at first. I was having real problems keeping him in the canter until I got him properly over his back (amazing how that works!). Once that had been accomplished I worked on medium and extended trot (WOW!), canter pirouettes (I've got to sit up and control the turning), changes (I finally got the hang of the timing of the half-halt before the change) and some trot and canter half-pass.

Then the fun began ... it was time for the "P's" -- piaffe and passage! Laura was on the ground to aid if necessary but she says she only did about 15% of the time!! There is SUCH a fine line between too much hand/leg and not enough. For passage, legs are forward and light and lift with the seat. For the transition to piaffe, slide the legs back with very light hands. Then transition back to passage with legs slightly forward but hold with a "lightish" elastic hand to prevent too much forward movement. WHOOPEE !!!!!!!!!

Day 8: Training interrupted ... off to the rescue

We got waylaid this morning by a call from a former student of Laura's who had purchased one of the youngsters Laura had bred. She was facing some major medical problems and could no longer keep Squeeky so we went to bring her home to Lancaster Oaks. When we got back, I got on Cary and Laura on Darrien to do hills. Conditioning work is very important for dressage horses and Laura's all do hills at least once a week.

We finally got to Panda that afternoon where we started out back on the long lines again. I still need to keep my inside leg down and forward and keep the outside connection. Then, off the lines, we worked on shoulder-in to haunches-in and shoulder-in to renver to work on my being able to put and keep her on the aids and to place her where I wanted her. Those developed into half-pass work including half-pass zigzag.

Then we switched back to work on the medium trot. I MUST keep an elastic contact and keep my hands down but balance her up to keep her from getting too flat. I actually got a few steps where the rhythm slowed as she lengthened! We talked about the need to use circles for help with transitions (especially medium to collected canter to walk) and to not be too aggressive with her but just keep the contact and keep working calmly and quietly till she gives in. The contact, especially on the left rein, is getting easier but the second she gets crooked, she gets a "pogo-stick" canter. I need to remember to keep the outside rein against her neck and keep both hands toward the inside (without using an indirect rein), keep my outside leg back and on and my inside leg more forward and in with my toe almost turned in right now to keep it in place until it becomes second nature to keep it there. This is to get her to weight the hind leg and not just flip off of it.

Day 9: A LONG day but no riding!

After riding P on Friday I had to leave Atlanta to drive3 hours to Auburn, AL for the IHSA Region Championships (I am the IHSA Zone 5 Region 2 President) so she had the day off.

Day 10: Sometimes a day off is NOT a good thing

P came out in "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" mode today and never really got over it. She was furious with us because we were making her work and making her go to the left rein and left hind leg. Finally at the end of the session I got a good canter to the right, solidly but softly in both reins. I MUST hold the left rein and not give it away while not taking too much on the right rein. We rode through First 2 and 3. The lengthenings are coming but I can't sit them yet. She needs strength before the elasticity will come in her back and she'll let me sit.

Next I rode Junior again. We did a lot of work on getting him over his back and then worked on lateral work at the trot and then canter pirouettes. I have to remember to start him into the pirouette and then just sit there. Don't block with the inside rein and lightly neck rein with the outside rein. When I do he does wonderful on-the-spot pirouettes.

Today was Sunday and was supposed to be our last day, but because I didn't want to end on a sour note with P, I decided to stay over one more day. What a decision that turned out to be! We had major excitement that night. At 3:40 a.m. the baby buzzer went off and we raced to the barn to help Leggs (Junior's full sister) foal her first baby! Laura got there first with me right behind. I got there just as the nose and feet were starting to come out. We had to give her some help by pulling ... Laura on the legs and me holding the head. Gracie was born at 3:45 a.m., and was on her feet within an hour! We helped some but mostly acted as bounce-boards to keep her off the walls. Exhausted but excited we finally went to bed at 5:30 a.m.

Day 11: A good end to a fabulous experience

Totally separate from having gotten to help with Gracie's birth, staying over turned out to be a great idea. Panda worked really well. We did trot and canter half-pass both ways and worked on canter on the circle with some haunches-in to supple. I need to half-halt on the outside rein to keep her from falling to the right and force the issue with a bit of spur if necessary to get her to give and bend to the right for shoulder-in and haunches-in. I also need to lift her with my legs in the canter to get more jump and engagement. This is now possible, as she is straighter and more balanced.

Then I rode Junior again and had a great day with him too. We worked mostly on lateral work in trot and canter and canter pirouettes. I have to be very careful not to block with the inside rein and to keep the rhythm with the outside leg. I had problems today with the changes. My brain wouldn't tell my new inside hand to soften and give, so I kept blocking the change and getting them late behind. By the end of the day, I was so totally exhausted that I took a nap before loading up and heading home!

I can't thank The Dressage Foundation enough for giving me the opportunity to experience this week of total immersion in my sport! I went home having made SUCH progress and with so much to keep working on. There was so much to look forward to I couldn't wait. Unfortunately it turned out there were several big bumps in the road ahead. In early June Panda pulled a muscle and was out for a while. Then I slipped and fell at the barn and broke my arm and dislocated my wrist, putting me out of the saddle for several months. However, all I experienced and all I learned is still there just waiting for the OK from the doctors to get back to work ... and I'm saving my pennies so I can spend another week next Spring!