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Sunday, March 1, 2015

Some reflections at the start of March

So March is here. Finally. Frigid February can just be filed away and forgotten, I think. It was brutal but we have survived for the most part.

Now that we've talked about the weather that's behind us, you might be wondering what has me inside the house typing away - well, you guessed it - it's some more bad weather! Ah well, this too shall pass! It will be warm and I'll complain about the bugs soon enough!

A balmy 12*
In a spurt of "why not!" a few weeks ago, I got the itch to do some local schooling shows and get some mileage in the new tests (see below for links). So I had the privilege of showing Daylily WF (aka Stella) yesterday for Mom. Big thanks to the awesome crew up at Straight Forward Dressage for putting on such an organized and friendly competition! Stella was a rockstar and it will be fun to have her in the show string this year! She got a 65 in First Level 2 and 64 in First Level 3 with some green horse bobbles. She is also a real credit to her trainer (Mom) and her ancestors - a responsible and obedient show horse from the moment she stepped off the trailer! Proven genetics at work - lots of good upper level horses with a strong desire to do what is asked of them! What a treat it is to bring another one of our horses out and have them settle in and do their job with no drama! Love the WF horses!

That also brings up another important detail - there are new USDF/USEF tests! You can find them HERE and the FEI test are HERE. You can also download the app and have them on your phone, so they are handy when you are in the ring training too.

My training tips of the week:

1. Have a sense of humor in all your rides. The horses are just as tired of the weather as you are! ;)
2. Laughter makes everything better. When in doubt - giggle!
3. It is a great time of year to practice riding figures and exercises out of the tests. Even if it is just at the walk! Ride the patterns and get comfortable with the order of the movements.

~Happy Riding!~




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