Cecilia Cox (Region 9)
2015 Gifted Recipient
Cecilia Cox on Winnie Too with Whit Watkins
I was very surprised when I returned home from the USDF 2015 Nationals to find out I had been chosen for TDF Carol Lavell Gifted Memorial Grant for Adult Amateurs. This was a dream come true. I contacted my coach, Whit Watkins, to let her know so we could plan when I could spend a week working with her. We decided on the second week in June, two days after my daughter Amanda graduated from high school.
I began my journey to Moody, TX on a Thursday morning after my usual safety check. As I reached the halfway point of my trip, I hit a rough patch of road, or so I thought. That rough patch seemed to go on forever, so I knew something was wrong with my truck. I let Whit know what was going on just in case I needed her to come get us. I made it to her place, unloaded Winnie, and took my truck to the dealership. They diagnosed the problem as my rear tire separating. Whew! It could have been so much worse.
As soon as I got back, it was time for our first lesson. We worked on riding better corners, getting Winnie’s back legs quicker, and LOTS of transitions. Day two was a continuation of day one. We worked on making our leg yields and half passes steeper so I could become more adept at controlling Winnie’s shoulders. Another project was getting more lift in the canter and really making sure she was straight before asking for the flying change while we were playing with canter zigzags. After that, we started working on the choreography for our 4th Level freestyle.
Day 3, we started making some real progress. We focused on keeping the activity when collecting. Whit also helped me with my body positioning in the lead changes, walk pirouettes, and piaffe. We concluded the session working on the completion of the freestyle choreography.
Our fourth day was more fun and educational. Whit again worked on my body position. I needed to lift my sternum and lengthen/stretch my entire body. This helped Winnie to move underneath me better, and she was then able to be more responsive to my aids. It’s amazing how much having correct body position influences the horse. This was really fun! We also completed the freestyle choreography.
Day 5 had a dramatic start. At 3 am, an awesome thunderstorm blew in. The light show was impressive, and so much rain fell that the arena was flooded. Well, my mare needed a day off after all, so we walked up and down the driveway, stretching and loosening her, while I worked on myself.
The arena had almost dried in its entirety by the afternoon of day 6. One corner was still a bit wet, so it was a perfect time to review all the exercises we had worked on during the week.
Our final day was a review of everything we had worked on. We were able to run through a rough draft of a fun freestyle, and we were able to get it on video.
I learned so much during this week with Winnie and Whit. I videoed each lesson, and reviewed them each night taking notes. I found this extremely helpful in retaining what I had learned each day. I realize after having almost seven intensive training days with Whit, that I will need to do this again in the future. I feel like I/we made a tremendous amount of progress in a short period of time. I want to thank TDF, Carol Lavell, Whit Watkins, and my wonderful, supportive husband, Mark, and my daughters Eirin and Amanda for this wonderful opportunity. I am inspired to work even harder to become a better rider.
