Esmee and her parents arrived first thing this morning at the hotel. It was great to see some familiar faces and I am very excited to be sharing this experience with such a great teammate! Our families have spent some time together in the past at the North American Young Rider Championships and we make a pretty good "family show team"!
We arrived at Horsely Park a couple of hours early just to get our bearings and wander the show facilities. It is not nearly as huge as I anticipated, but the venue is gorgeous. Unlike our big venues at home, there is no concrete and everything is so lush and green! Grass, trees, and red soil. Very horse friendly atmosphere. The indoor arena itself is a little scary but nothing too fancy so it shouldn't cause much alarm with the horses.
Esmee's horse arrived at 1:00 PM and she jumped on him straight away. He is a cute little palamino guy (he was considered too small for me). Esmee seemed to do quite well on him and by tomorrow I think she will have the trot considerably bigger and quicker. She was doing tempi changes on him without a problem and they seemed to match each other well. It is a big change for her though from her 17hh guy at home, so she has a big adjustment. I think she did a great job though!
My horse is a 16.3hh grey guy with a heart of gold. He is a Holsteiner and 16 years old. Unfortunately, he had a 7 hour journey on the trailer today so he was definitely a bit stiff to start out with and I only spent the ride stretching and walking him around. So to be honest I wish I had more of a ride today and am crossing my fingers that he feels a bit more nimble tomorrow, but he seems to have an amazing temperament.
The owners of both the horses have been exceptional and are so kind to let us borrow their horses. There is also an additional horse for Esmee and I to try tomorrow afternoon. There needs to be a back up horse for us in case something happens or one does not pass the jog, therefore we will both try the additional horse tomorrow and go from there.
As I mentioned, tomorrow is another riding day, Wednesday is the jog and we get to ride our horses in the competition ring. Thursday we compete in the Prix St. George, Friday is the Intermediaire I test, and then Saturday is perhaps the most exciting day with the Derby! For the derby we all get to draw a horse and only get 30 minutes to get acquainted and warm-up the horse before we go into the competition ring to ride the Prix St. George test! It will be the ultimate test of all the riders!
Oh, and we discovered today that riders do still ride left-to-left here - thank goodness! Seems strange though considering they don't drive that way. Also, their golf carts and fork lifts have the steering wheel on the left side..... yet they still drive their cars on the right side. Odd if I may say so myself!
Goodnight from Sydney!
Lindsay
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Stay Left
G'day! It is 7:38 AM on this beautiful morning, making it 16 hours ahead of Alberta. The jetlag hasn't been too bad but I am super exhausted by the time 6 or 7 PM rolls around and then up around 4:30 AM. Not too bad though considering we are on the other side of the world!
We landed in Sydney at about 8:30 AM and got a nice tour of the city before we landed. Saw the Opera House and beautiful harbour. We then took off on a short flight to Melbourne where we have been traveling for the last couple of days.
We rented a car at the airport and have been driving on the opposite (please note how I am being politically correct here and saying "opposite" side of the road - just for you crazy island people who drive on this side!) side of the road ever since (well for the most part anyways!). The common phrase of the day is "stay left"! This did bring a sense of worry over me when I realized that this is how they also probably ride in the warm-up ring! With the new horse and new show atmosphere I have severe doubts that I will remember to ride right to right - opposite to the norm at home! Dressage riders hardly ever follow the rules anyways, so I am kind of hoping for the same here too!
It has been a great way to see some country while trying to adjust to the time. Dad does a great job of keeping the car windshield clean as well - for the first day of driving every time he wanted to put the blinker on, he instead hit the windshield wipers (on opposite sides of the steering wheel here)! Mother was slightly better but it still happens at least a few times a day, no matter who is driving.
To quickly sum up some of our adventures to date, we have seen penguins, kangaroos, koalas, beaches, the 12 Apostles (absolutely stunning), and the Grampians National Park.
Back to Melbourne airport today and then to Sydney for the night. Tomorrow at 1:00 PM I get to meet my horse - I am overwhelmed with excitement, but also starting to get more nervous as the time progresses. I have no idea what this horse is going to be like! All I can hope for is that we get along and can figure each other out quickly!
We are off for the day now - everyone in Canada have a great night!
Lindsay
We landed in Sydney at about 8:30 AM and got a nice tour of the city before we landed. Saw the Opera House and beautiful harbour. We then took off on a short flight to Melbourne where we have been traveling for the last couple of days.
We rented a car at the airport and have been driving on the opposite (please note how I am being politically correct here and saying "opposite" side of the road - just for you crazy island people who drive on this side!) side of the road ever since (well for the most part anyways!). The common phrase of the day is "stay left"! This did bring a sense of worry over me when I realized that this is how they also probably ride in the warm-up ring! With the new horse and new show atmosphere I have severe doubts that I will remember to ride right to right - opposite to the norm at home! Dressage riders hardly ever follow the rules anyways, so I am kind of hoping for the same here too!
It has been a great way to see some country while trying to adjust to the time. Dad does a great job of keeping the car windshield clean as well - for the first day of driving every time he wanted to put the blinker on, he instead hit the windshield wipers (on opposite sides of the steering wheel here)! Mother was slightly better but it still happens at least a few times a day, no matter who is driving.
To quickly sum up some of our adventures to date, we have seen penguins, kangaroos, koalas, beaches, the 12 Apostles (absolutely stunning), and the Grampians National Park.
Back to Melbourne airport today and then to Sydney for the night. Tomorrow at 1:00 PM I get to meet my horse - I am overwhelmed with excitement, but also starting to get more nervous as the time progresses. I have no idea what this horse is going to be like! All I can hope for is that we get along and can figure each other out quickly!
We are off for the day now - everyone in Canada have a great night!
Lindsay
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
2012 Sydney CDI3* Invitational
2012 Sydney CDI3* Invitational
Hello again everyone! I decided it was appropriate to start my blog back up again after Dressage Canada announced that Esmee Ingham and I would be representing Canada at the 2012 Sydney CDI3* Invitational Dressage show May 3rd-6th in AUSTRALIA!!!
Oslo, Cashew, and I have all gone through some large life changes over the past few months so I should fill in some of the gaps for those of you who have been asking me the question: "What is next in your dressage career?"
After qualifying for the 2011 Canadian Pan Am Selection trials, I decided it would be best for all of us to take a bit of a break! Oslo is no spring chicken anymore (even though he may act it on a regular basis) and Cashew is in the opposite boat; she is still very young and needed a mental and physical break after a long training season in California, along with her first outing in the FEI ring in Alberta at the FEI 4 year old level. Therefore, Oslo and Cashew hung out in the pasture while I took off for a quick trip to Europe (I did ride and visit a few barns while I was there, but it was mainly a backpacking travel trip).
Additionally, I decided to focus on my engineering career for the next few years and took a job with EBA Enigneering in Calgary in January. I knew I could not maintain my sanity without moving Oslo and Cashew with me, consequently, they both also made the trip down to the big city with me. They are now happily settled into Trakehner Glen and we are all back in full training at the beginning of January. Juggling my riding schedule with work keeps me busy, but I absolutely love having the horses here and it is the only way we can all still be in full training. I need to thank my parents for continuing to be so supportive of my engineering career along with my dressage passion! Mom regularly comes down to the barn to watch the horses go and provide me with the necessary "eyes on the ground". Dad still seems like my biggest fan and is always willing to be Oslo and Cashew's chauffeur, running us around to clinics (and shows in the future!). I could not even come close to sustaining my work and play schedule without all the help I get from both of them!
Ok, so now for the big, exciting news! After submitting my qualifying scores from my show season with Oslo last year, I was notified at the end of March that I would be joining Esmee in attending the 2012 Sydney CDI3* Invitational Dressage show on behalf of Canada! Along with all the excitement and happiness that overwhelmed me after receiving the news, I did realize that this will be my first international show experience without my show partner in crime, Oslo! Due to extreme quarantine restrictions and financial implications, Oslo will not be attending the show with me. PSG/I1 level horses will be provided at the show and I will just have to adjust to the new horse in a few days. We are provided with the horses on Monday and our first test is on Thursday. Therefore, this will be a true test on my riding and I am hoping my experience riding Bonafide and Oslo at the PSG/I1 level will benefit me. My diversified past riding experience is one of the reasons I was chosen by Dressage Canada to attend the competition (along with submitted competition scores), so I hope I can adjust accordingly and excel in the show ring by Thursday! Fingers crossed for a nice horse too, haha!
I fly out this evening (Tuesday, the 24th) and my parents will be tagging along to watch the competition and provide the terrific and loving support that they always do at the big competitions!
I have provided some links about the competition for those of you who are interested. I will try and update the blog regularly and post pictures when possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7RuDGIrGas
http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2012/04/23/seidel-wassenaar-and-ingham-canadian-invitees-2012-cdi-sydney
Thanks to everyone who has sent me best wishes already and I appreciate all your support! I promise I will represent Canada to the best of my ability!
See you for now!
Lindsay
Hello again everyone! I decided it was appropriate to start my blog back up again after Dressage Canada announced that Esmee Ingham and I would be representing Canada at the 2012 Sydney CDI3* Invitational Dressage show May 3rd-6th in AUSTRALIA!!!
Oslo, Cashew, and I have all gone through some large life changes over the past few months so I should fill in some of the gaps for those of you who have been asking me the question: "What is next in your dressage career?"
After qualifying for the 2011 Canadian Pan Am Selection trials, I decided it would be best for all of us to take a bit of a break! Oslo is no spring chicken anymore (even though he may act it on a regular basis) and Cashew is in the opposite boat; she is still very young and needed a mental and physical break after a long training season in California, along with her first outing in the FEI ring in Alberta at the FEI 4 year old level. Therefore, Oslo and Cashew hung out in the pasture while I took off for a quick trip to Europe (I did ride and visit a few barns while I was there, but it was mainly a backpacking travel trip).
Additionally, I decided to focus on my engineering career for the next few years and took a job with EBA Enigneering in Calgary in January. I knew I could not maintain my sanity without moving Oslo and Cashew with me, consequently, they both also made the trip down to the big city with me. They are now happily settled into Trakehner Glen and we are all back in full training at the beginning of January. Juggling my riding schedule with work keeps me busy, but I absolutely love having the horses here and it is the only way we can all still be in full training. I need to thank my parents for continuing to be so supportive of my engineering career along with my dressage passion! Mom regularly comes down to the barn to watch the horses go and provide me with the necessary "eyes on the ground". Dad still seems like my biggest fan and is always willing to be Oslo and Cashew's chauffeur, running us around to clinics (and shows in the future!). I could not even come close to sustaining my work and play schedule without all the help I get from both of them!
Ok, so now for the big, exciting news! After submitting my qualifying scores from my show season with Oslo last year, I was notified at the end of March that I would be joining Esmee in attending the 2012 Sydney CDI3* Invitational Dressage show on behalf of Canada! Along with all the excitement and happiness that overwhelmed me after receiving the news, I did realize that this will be my first international show experience without my show partner in crime, Oslo! Due to extreme quarantine restrictions and financial implications, Oslo will not be attending the show with me. PSG/I1 level horses will be provided at the show and I will just have to adjust to the new horse in a few days. We are provided with the horses on Monday and our first test is on Thursday. Therefore, this will be a true test on my riding and I am hoping my experience riding Bonafide and Oslo at the PSG/I1 level will benefit me. My diversified past riding experience is one of the reasons I was chosen by Dressage Canada to attend the competition (along with submitted competition scores), so I hope I can adjust accordingly and excel in the show ring by Thursday! Fingers crossed for a nice horse too, haha!
I fly out this evening (Tuesday, the 24th) and my parents will be tagging along to watch the competition and provide the terrific and loving support that they always do at the big competitions!
I have provided some links about the competition for those of you who are interested. I will try and update the blog regularly and post pictures when possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7RuDGIrGas
http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2012/04/23/seidel-wassenaar-and-ingham-canadian-invitees-2012-cdi-sydney
Thanks to everyone who has sent me best wishes already and I appreciate all your support! I promise I will represent Canada to the best of my ability!
See you for now!
Lindsay
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