Idaho Event Riders visits

I was working in the arena, trimming the hedge when the phone rang. A local Makawao Gallery had a visitor who wanted directions to "Maui Dressage Academy". In a few minutes Bruce and Patty arrived who are from southern Idaho. He has a T-shirt regarding a big event ride in Kalespell Montana at Rebecca Farms. The horses were all out. Rupert galloping in the arena. A beautiful sunny day. It is fun meeting horse enthusiasts from around the world. He rides a 4 yo Irish Sport Horse after retiring his TB partner who just turned 17. He teaches as well in a large indoor arena where multiple disciplines ride together. The farm is just a mere 900 acres. Very nice! "You don't need a indoor here" we all laugh.

John Lassetter Dressage Clinic May 20-22

John has been coming to Maui twice a year since 1999? How blessed we are! World class dressage instruction on your own horse. When you live in the middle of the Pacific. In the most remote location in the world ( really Hawaii is the farthest of any island from a major land mass) that is a big thing. He travels half way around to
world to get here. The first time he arrived it poured and poured and he kept right on teaching. His boots were full of water! One time his luggage did not arrive. Bummer! Not to mention the long flights here, transfers....
I love John's lessons! He shows you where you need to go. His lessons are perfect for riders who do not get much help because when you learn the exercises and the increasing complexity.. if you set up the cones... it provides a great gauge for your progression. You have learned a good warm up routine which you can vary. You learn many different methods of introducing different exercises.
I have amazing rides with him, wish I could do the same on a daily basis.

Oahu Dressage Show

Aloha State Dressage Society's show was set in beautiful Waimanalo. The venue was changed to a block down the street at the last minute due to weather issues. It was overcast, cooler and fortunately the rain stayed away. It was funny to see everyone in their sweat shirts and hoods on saying they were so cold. I was hot as I had just come from 3,000 foot Waimea on the Big Island where it was cold at 58 degrees.
A smaller show than normal it was great to see so many 2nd, 3rd and 4th level rides. Good going! I co-judged with Dolly Hannon which was great to compair my scores and see I was right there within 2-5 points. This was the first time I had judged the new tests. I like the new changes. Dolly had judged on Maui the prior weekend which I had missed due to working on the Big Island. She has great comments and I know the riders appreciated the input.

Lesson

Had a great lesson from Gwen yesterday. You have to realise I am able to get 3 lessons twice a year from John Lassetter and then I am fortunate to have a few more inbetween the bi-annual Lassetter lessons. So to have a lesson was a gift. Everyone needs eyes on the ground.
Make sure the trot work in well forward. Shorten your reins. Keep your heel down and use your calf. Look up.
For 4th level what do you need? Collection and straightness. Yes, but to be successful what else? Suppleness.
Whats the best way to get suppleness? Shoulder-in ie. lateral work
Stair Step Exercise of shoulder-in to half pass. First at walk and then at trot. It is a good supplying and strengthening exercise for the horse and a good supplying exercise for the rider. The rider has to change from shoulder-in seat position to half-pass seat position. Be aware your shoulders to not block the horse when changing from SI to HP. Your shoulders follow the horses shoulders. The seat changes from weight on outside to weight on inside.
Now for the half pass. In the corner do a few steps SI and then focus on X and ride to X in HP. Gwen stood on X. "Look where you want to go, your looking at me and will run me over. I want you to go in front of me. Challenge yourself, slow down if you have to. More bend, shorter reins. Yes, now she is crossing." You can set out a cone at X and ride in front of it.
Canter work: We started cantering to the right. she was anticipating and pushing against my right leg being quite crooked. I'm not sure of my seat ins crooked or what but she has been doing this when she gets excited and I can not get her straight. "Go in shoulder-in or shoulder-for position." That way she has to step under and use her right hind. She was still pushing her R hind inside. "More bend right and suppleness as she is bracing against you, make her a little deeper to use the back." As soon as she was just a hair deeper she started to be more supple and straight. No longer pushing against the riders right leg, allowing a shoulder for position. When she does this you can never push her HQ over.
Medium trot: Yes, ask for more. Do short diagonals. That was the difference between a 5 and 8. Yes your concerned about the past R stifle injury but you need to strengthen it. Short periods. I don't practice mediums and extensions on Safarie often.
Counter-canter on the 20m circle. Don't use the outside rein, soften it.
She changed because you let you leg drop. That was a huge flying change which you can never punish her for. Start refining your flying change aids. Just let your leg drop. Keep the rest of your body passive. The second change was not as good because you gave the aids and your hands came up a bit. Good that was clean. Make sure the canter is forward, don't slow her down prior to the change.
Canter right: K-B and change in the middle. Then B-H and change in the middle. I felt my body was in the wrong position when on the second canter phase changing L to right and she was a little late behind. It a good exercise as you have to be balanced and you have to turn and then change. Also you are doing a second change in just a few strides, so organization and concentration.

On Safarie I practice his Passage and Piaffe daily as he needs strengthening and improvement. I do not practice the mediums/extensions in trot all the time nor the canter pirouettes.

First Dressage show of the season

We have had our share of rain since December. Just schedule a dressage show and it will rain. Fortunately the rain came the weekend before! Clearview Riding Academy was the venue with Judge Paula Lacy "S". This was the first time anyone had shown the new tests and everyone did pretty well. Here's a link to Annette and Rio's training level tests.
Next show March 19 at the Haku Baldwin Horse center - yours truly "r" judging.
Followed by April 2nd at the Haku Baldwin Horse Center with Dolly Hannon "S"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PVWoVwa2sQ

Happy Valentines Day

Maui has had much rain since the first of the year. We are awaiting our first dressage show of the season on February 19th. Having a dressage show means: get ready for the rain! Everyone is enjoying riding the new USEF tests. I was going to ride 4th level but Kalae is still tender after her trim 3 weeks ago. Next time!

Arena atmosphere

I used to ride around the stand of Christmas berry trees in the front pasture. It was grass and some uneven land but we made do. No diagonal lines or serpentines possible. One time Tera started bucking and my stirrups disappeared. I found them days later high in the tree tops. Around 10 years ago a contractor said he could build it for $7,000. During construction the stand of Christmas berry trees was removed. The south short end had a bank which had to be excivated. There were some major miscalculations. I wanted a base of compacted crusher waste at a minimum of 4 inches deep. The contractor brought in 4 inches of crusher waste and compacted it to 2 inches thick. Noooo... In the end the arena was more than double the quoted price but well worth it. The rail posts were milled from Ulupalakua eucalyptus. We added a observation deck above the short end which is pretty cool(literally) and a nice picnic area. Oh and hand raking is really hard so you need a tractor.( cha ching) Then you need a drag. (cha ching).I needed a windbreak and sprinkler system. For every foot of hedge height you get 10 feet of wind protection. The false olive hedge on the road is 12-13 feet tall. The plumbagia hedge of beautiful blue flowers down the long side is 7 feet tall. It took a good 4 years of watering constantly to keep the sand from being blown away. I rarely need to water to keep the sand in now, just occasionally during gale winds. Over the years I have needed truck loads of sand. Today the Koa tree shades almost half the arena in the afternoon making for enjoyable riding.