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Sharon Hess - 2016 Gifted Recipient (Region 1)

TDF’s Carol Lavell Gifted Grant Week of Training with Andrea Velas at Five Gates Farm in Spring Groove, PA

I pulled out of the barn at 10:30 with 4 hours of turnpike ahead of me with plenty of time to contemplate my week of training. I can’t help but think, how lucky am I! The air is cool; the leaves are turning and six days of nothing but riding ahead. I hope to work on changes and pirouettes, but really, the overall quality of his gaits.  I’m starting to memorize this drive, the four tunnels, the Amish farm I like, the sheep are in their winter pasture…. I’ve been driving up for an overnight stay about every 2 – 3 weeks since I came to Andrea two years ago with late changes.

As a little background, Kalboy is an 11-year-old 16.3hh Oldenburg that I’ve had since he was three.  He has a kind, social, laid-back personality but he can be lazy and behind the leg if I let him so I am always testing the forward. He is now showing Fourth Level, schooling PSG. I tend to be weak in my core and arms - I had (my third) shoulder surgery in June. I never realized how physical the upper levels are and I’m not even there yet!  My fear has been a judge’s comments of “rider is breathing harder than the horse.” So, after finishing shoulder rehab, I started working out and running trying to keep up with Kalboy’s level of strength and fitness. Andrea Velas is a classically trained 5-star rider with Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals and Bars. She is a marathon runner, triathlete (SHE DID AN IRON MAN!), classical pianist, gourmet cook and probably the hardest working person I ever met. She recently moved to Five Gates Farm near Gettysburg, PA, a beautiful setting in an interesting historic area.

Sunday: Remember the outside rein! This was my first ride with Andrea in over a month. She had started us in the double bridle about two months ago and we have both been getting used to it. Initially I liked the feel of him in the double but I’ve been thinking that I might be blocking him – especially in the lateral work. I had been worried about too much curb at home and was trying to keep it too loose.   Andrea adjusted the length of the curb and he seems much happier. I’m still working for that last bit of compression with him. His head is on the vertical but he needs to step under and round his back just a bit more. When he isn’t giving me a place to sit, I know he’s not through but a few more half halts and he’s there. Today we warmed up by lunging in side reins. He needs to be in a forward trot and canter on the lunge – always a little more than he’s willing to offer. After some trot work warm up, we went to ‘canter on the spot’ to medium canter. Today he didn’t feel like he was in the outside rein. Because of my weaker upper body strength, I had to do some circles, steadying my outside hand against the saddle and half halting on the inside to get him to come through and fill up the outside rein. We did some collected canter to working pirouette on a circle. When she had me finish with collected canter in a straight line, he tried to break. It took us several tries to maintain it. We then went to a few changes - most were clean today – even got 6 3’s down the long side!!! (Amazing!) His changes are generally clean now if the canter quality is good and when he waits for my timing.

Monday: I rode a long and low warm up first, always keeping him forward, round and active behind. I can’t let him get his head too far forward and stretched out with his neck flat. We went through all the basics today; shoulder in, haunches in, shoulder in to renver, half pass, change direction... We worked on my hand position again in the half pass. The steady outside rein we worked on the day before has improved the half pass in both canter and trot. It fixed his tendency to lead with the haunches but he could still use a little more bend. It also improved our corners – another struggle for me as he likes to sneak just a bit more rein there.   

Tuesday: Counting flying changes. This is hard for me – he’s got it, (as proven by the line of two’s I have watched him do with Andrea riding) but I don’t. We warmed up with lunging then went to some in-hand work. Andrea had started half steps awhile back to get the hind legs under him better. I don’t practice it at home but he remembers it. Now it’s time for me to take the in-hand line, walking slowly backwards, clucking and tapping. I’m always amazed when I see him do it! Surcingle off and on to trot halts. Every time I really focus on the outside rein, Andrea reacts with good! After he is halting crisply with hind legs under and the nose is not creeping forward, we go to the canter. Canter on the spot to medium canter and I’m still having trouble keeping his head steady as he moves off in medium canter. I go back to feeling the steady outside rein, elbow at my side, half halt the inside and focus on positive tension in my core until I feel his back come up; he’s jumping and staying up and round. Just a few single changes first across the diagonal. My tendency is always to push him too fast – I know I need energy and I want to make him run but the real answer is collection. “Ride the hind leg!”  When I get him in a good jumping collected canter the changes are big and clean. He’s a horse that has never gotten excited about this work and I thought I wouldn’t have as much difficulty as I do. I need to keep more positive tension in my core and upper body. Those 4’s are hard but we’re finally getting a good line of them and now we start the 3’s and it all falls apart again! We keep pushing on – I need to get tighter in the core.

Homework: counting 3’s and 4’s. Ugh, it is my kryptonite. Use the wall to help with straightness.

Wednesday: We warmed up long and low and went to trot halts first. His tendency has always been to dive down in front. A few taps as he’s coming into it helps to keep him up in front as brings the hind leg under. After the shoulder in, haunches in and half pass both ways, we went to the PSG trot work. We worked a lot on the size and quality of the 8-meter circle. I must carefully finish the circle before starting the half pass so haunches are not leading. Hmmm, the outside rein is instrumental again!

Homework: set up cones to make sure the circle is 8 meter.

Thursday: Half pass and zigzag.  We warmed up with lunging and half steps again. Half steps will not be my homework; Andrea is keeping a close watch on this yet. We only do a little bit and the surcingle is off. Trot halts to sharpen him up off the leg and right to canter, which works well for him. I was getting him too slow and short in the canter on the spot. He needs more energy and jump. It’s always easier for me if Andrea counts the rhythm. (I think he hears her and steps up to it!) We began changes along the wall – trying to get 4 or 6 in. I need to keep myself tighter in the core and keep him up and straight. Most were clean but if the canter quality diminishes….  On to the canter half passes, still working on that steady outside rein. Left, which is usually his harder direction, was amazingly good today. We practiced the PSG pattern making sure to straighten after the half pass before the change. We finished with Andrea asking for a few half steps with me sitting on him. I never thought he had it in him!

Homework: Practice an “eighth line” pattern that will fit in my home arena. From centerline, half pass to eighth line (halfway to the quarter line), straighten and forward 1-2 strides, change, half pass several strides past centerline, straighten 1-2 strides and change…

Friday: Pirouette practice. I rode early today so I can get on the road before the change in weather comes through. I have to cross Chestnut Ridge between Somerset and Donegal and weather and road condition there can be very different from the rest of my drive. Today he came out tired. This was a long week for him, even though we spent much quality time doing his favorite pastime - hand grazing. He had turnout all week but I think the only thing he likes better than hand grazing is if I pull the grass for him! After a long and low warm up, we worked on a new pirouette exercise. Practiced the PSG trot pattern then finished with walk pirouettes. Better circle size and quality and good half pass. I’m feeling the shoulders better as he comes around in the walk pirouette and trying to quicken him up as he tends to get sticky. 

Homework: on left lead, start down the long wall, at P start across the diagonal in haunches-in, bring him around in a small working pirouette, back to P in haunches-in, counter canter and change at A.

It was 38 degrees when I left Spring Grove and 26 degrees and light snow on the ridge. Yikes! I had plenty of time to contemplate our training and homework. During the week at Five Gates Farm, I spent much time watching Andrea ride and teach. She is such a disciplined trainer; riding, training and teaching all day long - every day - from Training Level to Grand Prix. I feel especially lucky to watch her training Maya, who is schooling all the Grand Prix movements. We’ve all watched many finished Grand Prix horses but it’s enlightening to watch her school these movements on a horse that is not confirmed.  I also took two school horse lessons this week. Two completely different horses. One was really forward with a great work ethic – the complete opposite of my horse! I worked on my seat and position and walk and canter pirouettes. This helped me feel the horse come around better with the shoulder where my horse can get sticky. When I have trouble learning something new, Andrea always has a school horse that can do it so I can feel the correct movement.  It helps me immeasurably as I try to recreate that same feeling in my horse. I believe I improved my riding and position and the quality of his gaits which improved the changes and pirouettes. All in all, these six days of training were immensely helpful. We made progress and had fun! A student from Michigan was at the farm for the beginning of the week and another from New Jersey came for a few days at the end of the week. Andrea made two fabulous dinners for us. It was such a fun evening, sharing a gourmet dinner in her beautiful 1740’s farm house with new friends and lots of horse talk! Andrea always gives me homework to practice until I see her next. I love that she always checks me – it validates the work I’ve done and helps me appreciate the progression. You know, I don’t think I thought about work once the entire week!!