Joanna Simonton (Region 3)

2015 Gifted Recipient

I had several goals for my week with Greta Wrigley. Some goals were very basic, and others were more involved. Because of time constraints with my job, dealing with a family member's medical issues, having to retire my equine partner that I had gotten 3/4 of my Silver Medal with, and financial constraints, I had not been able to work with an instructor for the past five years. This lack of consistency had caused some bad habits in my riding. To complicate matters, after I sent in my application for the Gifted Fund Scholarship, I dislocated and broke my shoulder which put me behind in my goals, as I was unable to ride for two months and spent another month riding the quietest horse I had to make sure my shoulder had the range of motion and strength to handle riding. Then I had to restart my partner for this journey, Andiamo or Andy, a rescue thoroughbred that I had picked up a few years before. 

I had my original goals. First to get back working consistently with a trainer to help me fix the bad habits I have fallen into and improve my position and effectiveness in the saddle. Also not having a trainer's eye on the ground I know my angles for lateral work were off and needed corrected. Second, since I hadn't had my upper level partner for several years, I knew my timing for lead changes and more advanced maneuvers was off. Third, I needed to get advice on saddle fit to help my horse be more comfortable and happier in his job. After my fall, I also needed to rebuild strength and endurance so I could help Andy reach his potential.

I had successfully trained and shown Andy through First Level and had started him in more advanced collection work and lateral work, which seemed to go well at first. Unfortunately, over time he seemed to get stiff in his back and to the left. I was afraid that I was compensating with my left shoulder that I had injured in the fall and with my left hip which I had had issues with for years. I was also concerned that the saddle I had been using might be pinching him, making him compensate to avoid discomfort.

What I didn't realize was that in pushing collection and canter walk and walk canter transitions, I had lost forward, lost canter trot transitions, and gotten him "bottled up" and tight in his back.  He had lost the "swing" and push from behind. So we went back to the basics...moving more forward, canter-trot, trot-canter transitions, long and low. We asked him to move off my left leg. As the week progressed, we added shoulder in and half pass while still working on forward.   We concentrated on using the outside aids, quieting my hands, and proper angles in lateral work.

Towards the end of the week, we worked on exercises to prepare for the canter pirouettes. Andy and I had started out well with some of this work at home, but had gotten to where I was overturning them, losing bend, and getting "levadey." Andy was trying to come around too fast almost like a spin, losing the canter. Greta had me ride down the long side forward go into a super collected canter, make a 5-6 meter half circle in super collected canter then ride forward. It improved the bend, stopped the "stalling out" at the end, and will help him gain the strength he will need to eventually perform the canter pirouette.

Also Greta had Linda Roberts who specializes in equitation come in to help correct my position. She worked on me to relax my shoulders, lengthen my leg and relax my thighs, and lower and soften my hands. All of this improved my seat, allowing me to apply aids more effectively and have an overall more elegant appearance.

As well as working on my own horse, Greta put me on three of her advanced horses through the course of the week. I got to work on learning the proper cues and getting the idea of what the upper level maneuvers such as piaffe, passage, pirouettes should feel like from horses that knew what they were doing. I even worked on the timing for the changes. The opportunity to ride such well-schooled and talented horses gave me a glimpse of what I could achieve in the future if I continue to work hard under the proper tutelage. Not to mention the strength and endurance I began to build in riding three horses a day!

Also through the week, Greta allowed me to try several saddles for fit from her well stocked arsenal of saddlery. Between checking fit, observing Andy's attitude about each one and working on my position in each saddle, I began to understand what I needed to look for in order to make him more comfortable and happier in his work, and in turn more cooperative. At the end of the week, armed with that knowledge and a paper template of my horse's back and with the help of Heather Stalker's shopping prowess, I was able to find a used saddle that fit my horse and enhanced my position.

I feel that my week was very productive. I was able to get advice for better fitting equipment for my horse’s comfort and to improve my position. I became more aware of bad habits I had gotten into and began the process of correcting them, improved my strength and endurance for riding, and improved the suppleness of my equine partner. My horse is more forward, better connected back to front, more supple vertically and laterally, and seems more content in his work. I was reminded that no matter which level you ride, don't forget the basics. 

I am so appreciative for the opportunity that the Gifted Scholarship has afforded me. Between life events and financial constraints, I felt that my riding and training which always centered me and been so important to me had been derailed. The week I spent at Greta Wrigley Training helped me get back on track and helped me start moving forward again.