27
Feb
Feb
Category Archives: Team Riders
2017 ended in a whirl of Christmas shopping, end of year parties and of course plenty of saddle time.
On the last Friday of Novemeber we competed once again in the Equimind online dressage competition. We completed in both the elementary and medium tests. This was particularly exciting as it was the first month that Equimind has run the medium classes. We managed to score 69.8% in the elementary test and 61.2% in the medium. We also got some really great feedback on these tests. The judge commented on Nonie’s ‘lovely cadence’ but that she needed to show more displacement in the lateral work. We were once again visited by Dani Keogh. We had two fantastic lessons where we worked on improving the wrap in the halfpass in both canter and trot.
05
Jun
Jun
This month has been somewhat on the quite side horse wise, between rain which has cancelled the first competitions of the season and clinics and me travelling away for work and a conference. However there have been some exciting developments.
2017 has started with a huge bang for Stormy and I! We were back out competing in early January, competing in the Interschool dressage qualifying classes in an attempt to qualify for Nationals in September.
Christmas has been and gone and while summer is officially over the heat and humidity that leaves the air feeling like soup even into the late hours of the afternoon has continued to linger. Whilst summer was quiet on the competition front, Nonie and I have, for the most part continued to ride and train. with the relentless heat our ride times have become somewhat shorter and less frequent and have been postponed to the last moment of rideable light. My Wilson Equestrian super stick breeches have had a workout over the last three months and have held up really well.
Things have been super busy with work and competitions. I started two new jobs early September, they are both my dream jobs, working casual positions with one riding beautiful home bred performance horses and the other at a race horse spelling, breeding, pre training and re training property in Berry. Learning about the breeding program and being involved with the foal work is something I have never done and love learning about. I am also lucky enough to be riding the gorgeous pre trainers and the re trainers.
On the 29th of October, I received a letter telling me that my recent application for Equestrian SA’s Youth Development Dressage Scholarship had been successful, and that Stormy and I were one of the 10 state-wide finalists to receive a weekend of coaching with well-known Victorian based dressage coach and rider Dirk Dijkstra. I was so incredibly surprised by this, as I had applied knowing we were so unlikely to get in, hoping that it may just get my name out there a little bit.
We had 2 weeks to prepare, and very early on Saturday the 12th of November we set off to McLaren Vale. The weekend was being held at the beautiful McLaren Vale Equestrian Park. The stables were AMAZING, and the indoor arena was incredible to ride on! We had two lessons with Dirk, an individual on Saturday and a group lesson on Sunday.
Stormy absolutely worked the house down in both of his lessons, I was so so happy with how he took in the atmosphere, working in a new indoor with a number of people all sitting in a scary grandstand like he had done it all before. Of course Storm was the only Standardbred there, however he didn’t let this phase him, and he showed everyone what he is made of! In our first lesson we continued to work on flexion and bend, and he thoroughly enjoyed a long canter! I had an interview on Sunday morning with Dirk and the co-selector Jan Gilligan, before we had another lesson. In our second lesson we got the chance to show everyone more of what he is capable of. We were given the opportunity to leg yield, shoulder in and work on his trot extensions. Storm felt fantastic in his leg yields, allowing us the opportunity to start a little bit of half pass. His shoulder ins are coming along in leaps and bounds, however it is incredibly difficult without my leg when we are on the right rein. We have continued to work on these things at home and with Megan, and he just gets better and better.
The winner of the scholarship is announced at the ESA awards night early next year (good excuse to buy a dress and get my hair done!), however Storm and I are just so incredibly thankful to have been given this opportunity! Storm and I made many new friends, and had a fantastic weekend together. If Storm continues to train like he did at the scholarship weekend the sky is the limit (funny saying I am writing this whilst on a plane to Equitana!).
We are competing at a dressage competition at Mt Crawford next weekend (26th of November), and then have three more hack shows, the last being on December 11. Hopefully we will have success at these competitions, theoretically we should do ok, but it is forever changing!
It has been said on more than one occasion that I can be stubborn at times. Case and point, my need to go to a dressage competition after having been virtually confined to the couch with a mystery virus for the previous two days.
In comparison to August, September has been blissfully quiet.