Tomorrow is our last day in sunny California for this trip. It will be a sad day as we have made many friends here and had amazing lessons. We will especially miss Lientje! She is a truly amazing coach and person. Thank you so much for everything Lientje!
Oslo and I are out of the starting gate and have big hopes to be able to do that Grand Prix test in the next couple of months! Things are starting to come together and we just keep gaining strength and timing for all the movements. I feel I have so many more tools now to work on the movements and start to piece together the movements in the test. Oslo has been feeling incredible and keeps trying his little heart out. This trip has made me realize again how lucky I am to have Oslo. Yes he has been very difficult at times, but we seem to understand each other now, and I am so ecstatic that he just keeps learning!
Cashew and I have had really good rides lately as well. We are starting to work more cohesively and Cashew seems happier in the work now. She is getting more supple every day and it has been a learning experience for me to be able to get the true suppleness throughout her entire body. It is amazing how different she is from Oslo, making it very difficult but a terrific learning opportunity for me.
We have early morning lessons tomorrow as we need to get packed, send mom to the airport, and then get the ponies, dad, and me on the road to Vegas. With us having lessons in the morning, we will only go as far as Vegas for the night to give the horses a good rest before the two long hauling days back home.
That is all for this trip. Thank you to everyone here, back home, and the ponies for this tremendous experience. Hopefully we get the chance again next year and we would love to have some other Alberta friends join us too! :)
Until next year!
Cheers!
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Soaking up the dressage!
I think we are all getting a bit sad already since this is our last week here. Time of course has flown by and we are desperately trying to learn as much as we can before Friday!
Oslo and I are truckin' along and are chipping away at those Grand Prix movements. Today was a very exciting day as we worked the piaffe and passage with transitions in between. At first I was asking Lientje, "how does one get the big lofty passage down into the short quick piaffe smoothly?" as I was struggling with the aids and rhythm. Lientje just helped us work the transition slowly and gradually, while keeping Oslo in front of the leg (THE KEY!!!) and boom - Passage to Piaffe!!!! And the crowd, being mom and dad, go wild! :) Love my biggest fans!
The passage we are really starting to build now with me focusing on "pretending we are transitioning out of the passage" because that is where the passage has the best cadence, power, forward, and balance. We have been pushing that and I have really had to develop the timing of when to support him with my leg and then half-halt it all like crazy to transfer all the forward energy into the cadence for the passage. Let's just say, Oslo has never been this in front of the leg before! He has been feeling incredible and I am hoping I can take all of this back home with us and keep building upon it all! The one tempis are coming as well. We keep working more on the straightness and true roundness over his back in order to get the quality of the changes better. Most of the time we can get quite a few in a row, so we are focusing on building the changes now. We often throw in a few one tempis across a short diagonal in the middle of the ride, just to test the reliability and to be able to maintain the canter quality through all the work.
Cashew had a really good go today and was more relaxed again. Her suppleness is really coming and she seems to be settling into the work. I am thinking she is really missing her green grass and large field though! They are both going to go crazy when they get home and are able to run as much and as fast as they want in their field!
As with the horses, I am also getting a bit home sick. As nice as it is here, it still isn't Canada and I miss the wide open spaces, friends, and Canadian drivers :)
A few more days to try and soak up as much information as possible. We will do our best!
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Oslo and I are truckin' along and are chipping away at those Grand Prix movements. Today was a very exciting day as we worked the piaffe and passage with transitions in between. At first I was asking Lientje, "how does one get the big lofty passage down into the short quick piaffe smoothly?" as I was struggling with the aids and rhythm. Lientje just helped us work the transition slowly and gradually, while keeping Oslo in front of the leg (THE KEY!!!) and boom - Passage to Piaffe!!!! And the crowd, being mom and dad, go wild! :) Love my biggest fans!
The passage we are really starting to build now with me focusing on "pretending we are transitioning out of the passage" because that is where the passage has the best cadence, power, forward, and balance. We have been pushing that and I have really had to develop the timing of when to support him with my leg and then half-halt it all like crazy to transfer all the forward energy into the cadence for the passage. Let's just say, Oslo has never been this in front of the leg before! He has been feeling incredible and I am hoping I can take all of this back home with us and keep building upon it all! The one tempis are coming as well. We keep working more on the straightness and true roundness over his back in order to get the quality of the changes better. Most of the time we can get quite a few in a row, so we are focusing on building the changes now. We often throw in a few one tempis across a short diagonal in the middle of the ride, just to test the reliability and to be able to maintain the canter quality through all the work.
Cashew had a really good go today and was more relaxed again. Her suppleness is really coming and she seems to be settling into the work. I am thinking she is really missing her green grass and large field though! They are both going to go crazy when they get home and are able to run as much and as fast as they want in their field!
As with the horses, I am also getting a bit home sick. As nice as it is here, it still isn't Canada and I miss the wide open spaces, friends, and Canadian drivers :)
A few more days to try and soak up as much information as possible. We will do our best!
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Last Week
We are coming into the last week of our stay here. Time has seem to flown by, but I feel we have already made a ton of progress and it has been a tremendous learning experience in so many ways. But, saying all that, we still have a week to go and we will try to absorb as much as possible in the last few days!
I do feel the lack of real turnout is starting to get to both of the ponies. Oslo has been quite spooky and I have never felt Cashew with so much extra energy! Both have already had their food quantity cut in half, but the good quality hay here and lack of opportunities to run around are combining to create quite the handfuls of ponies!
I have included a couple pictures of Cashew that dad took on the weekend during a trail ride. She is always looking her best and loves the camera!
Oslo was "Mr. Superstar", as Lientje called him, on Saturday. We had the most amazing lesson and we manage to do it all! 11 one tempis, canter half-pass zig-zag on the first try, steep trot half-passes. passage and piaffe (on our own!). I could not have been happier with what Oslo gave us! He just keep working and offered everything he had. The exciting part is all of those things are starting to become easier for us and even semi reliable! Oslo is becoming much stronger and my timing and feel has improved significantly in the short work. Therefore, hopefully we will be a force to reckon with once we figure out how to put all the movements together in a test!
Looking forward to one last intense week of training!
Cheers,
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
I do feel the lack of real turnout is starting to get to both of the ponies. Oslo has been quite spooky and I have never felt Cashew with so much extra energy! Both have already had their food quantity cut in half, but the good quality hay here and lack of opportunities to run around are combining to create quite the handfuls of ponies!
I have included a couple pictures of Cashew that dad took on the weekend during a trail ride. She is always looking her best and loves the camera!
Oslo was "Mr. Superstar", as Lientje called him, on Saturday. We had the most amazing lesson and we manage to do it all! 11 one tempis, canter half-pass zig-zag on the first try, steep trot half-passes. passage and piaffe (on our own!). I could not have been happier with what Oslo gave us! He just keep working and offered everything he had. The exciting part is all of those things are starting to become easier for us and even semi reliable! Oslo is becoming much stronger and my timing and feel has improved significantly in the short work. Therefore, hopefully we will be a force to reckon with once we figure out how to put all the movements together in a test!
Looking forward to one last intense week of training!
Cheers,
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Cashew enjoying rolling in her new fine shavings!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Chipping Away....
We will have had lessons Tuesday through Saturday this week. It has been very exciting to build the passage and piaffe each day with Oslo. I feel I am finally getting the timing of when to "help with the leg", meaning to squeeze and ask Oslo to be more in front, and when to "trust him and relax and have a long leg". The latter is the harder thing to do actually! I used to come into the passage with the expectation Oslo was going to quit and fall behind the leg. Therefore, I would come into the shorter work with a lot of leg on already and have nothing left to get him in front once we were actually in the passage. Instead we are trying to get Oslo to maintain the passage with a longer, more relaxed leg of mine, and then when he starts to slow or loose the rhythm, I can put a bit of leg on for a couple of strides and build the passage again. It has been terrific as the passage is getting more consistent and we are even working on building the cadence in it now. The piaffe we are also starting to get more rhythmical and consistent. It is similar to the passage but the aids are even less and I have to focus more on keeping Oslo in front and his poll up. Otherwise, when the poll collapses, the front legs start to be more earth bound and he doesn't have the freedom in front to step up and quick. So the rhythm is thrown off and his hind legs are going perfectly, but the front are shorter and closer to the ground, throwing the energy and balance off. But trust me, it is a lot harder to keep the poll up and Oslo over his back at the same time then it sounds!
The canter with Oslo is also coming along and I am getting more solid and confident with the counting in the half-pass zig-zag. I swear that is one of the hardest movements in the Grand Prix, especially when you have a problem counting to 6! The counting is not the difficult part, it is the counting while changing bends and then asking for a change and repeating without panicking! The key is not to panic because it only takes a second to lose the count and/or straightness and then everything is thrown off from there. We are at the point now though where we are working on the quality of the half-passes in between, so we are getting there! It actually started to throw me off because Oslo was bending so much more in the half-passes, that it made it more difficult to straighten and I needed more time before the change. So there went the count again!!! haha, but with Lientje's advice and calming outlook, I quickly got it back :)
Cashew seems more relaxed again in the work and she has been so much rounder and over her back. She is starting to get a bigger trot and more expressive. Likely this is all because she is giving more in her back now and her suppleness has increased significantly. She definitely still has her tricks to try and do things her own way, but we are trying to work out an agreement!
Tomorrow is lessons and then Sunday will be a day of rest before our push in the last week.
Cheers from cloudy San Diego,
Lindsay + Cashew + Oslo
The canter with Oslo is also coming along and I am getting more solid and confident with the counting in the half-pass zig-zag. I swear that is one of the hardest movements in the Grand Prix, especially when you have a problem counting to 6! The counting is not the difficult part, it is the counting while changing bends and then asking for a change and repeating without panicking! The key is not to panic because it only takes a second to lose the count and/or straightness and then everything is thrown off from there. We are at the point now though where we are working on the quality of the half-passes in between, so we are getting there! It actually started to throw me off because Oslo was bending so much more in the half-passes, that it made it more difficult to straighten and I needed more time before the change. So there went the count again!!! haha, but with Lientje's advice and calming outlook, I quickly got it back :)
Cashew seems more relaxed again in the work and she has been so much rounder and over her back. She is starting to get a bigger trot and more expressive. Likely this is all because she is giving more in her back now and her suppleness has increased significantly. She definitely still has her tricks to try and do things her own way, but we are trying to work out an agreement!
Tomorrow is lessons and then Sunday will be a day of rest before our push in the last week.
Cheers from cloudy San Diego,
Lindsay + Cashew + Oslo
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Lientje's Back!
We had a great weekend working on all the homework Lientje has given us. There is so much to learn and both the ponies and I agree we need to take it a few steps at a time. I am just a little too slow at putting all the puzzle pieces together at the moment. So I find it very beneficial to have the dedicated help form Lientje for a few days in a row and then some quiet time with the ponies to try and feel for the connection and suppleness. Lientje gets the timing and then I need to work by myself to try and teach myself the feeling. This is in one case where it is about as hard as it sounds. Trying to at first feel the different feelings and then be able to identify them so you can quickly correct or soften, is very difficult. But, if you have to go around thinking about everything when you ride, you will never be quick enough. You have to feel it and then almost automatically respond without thinking about it, otherwise you are too late (and Cashew runs through the shoulder or Oslo quits in the piaffe)! That is what I find amazing about Lientje's teaching (and riding) - her knowing and/or feeling for the horse even thinking about going against the hand or leg. She most often catches it before there is any chance for the horse to follow through and become stiff or braced. She still often sees it on Oslo just as I start to feel it and that unfortunately is too late. I need to be better at feeling for that and catching it before she can see it from the ground! Some serious homework ahead.
Lientje stayed a day longer in Germany to look at a few horses so we had our first lessons for the week today. The ponies and I enjoyed some stretching and trail riding yesterday. I think it was nice for them to get a bit of an extended break as they are working very hard. Also, Lientje got to celebrate her mother's birthday over in Germany so I am happy for her that she got to stay an extra day. She is crazy to just go for the weekend, but I know that is the only way she can find time to visit her friends and relatives back home. So I think it was good for Lientje to get a extra break too :) And happy birthday Doerte (Lientje's mom)!
That is all for now from California. Have a good night every one!
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Lientje stayed a day longer in Germany to look at a few horses so we had our first lessons for the week today. The ponies and I enjoyed some stretching and trail riding yesterday. I think it was nice for them to get a bit of an extended break as they are working very hard. Also, Lientje got to celebrate her mother's birthday over in Germany so I am happy for her that she got to stay an extra day. She is crazy to just go for the weekend, but I know that is the only way she can find time to visit her friends and relatives back home. So I think it was good for Lientje to get a extra break too :) And happy birthday Doerte (Lientje's mom)!
That is all for now from California. Have a good night every one!
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Managing on our own!
Lientje is currently in Germany for her mother's birthday so we have been on our own for a couple of days. Oslo and I had a part lesson Thursday morning - we rode while Lientje rode and she helped us on her walk breaks and while she changed horses. It was good to have her eye on me the entire time, yet it gave me a bit more time to digest some of the stuff. My brain hurts after every ride now! So much focus and concentration needed. My standards have had to be increased and Oslo is responding tremendously to the higher level of work. I have to be so diligent though and keep the standards high! Lientje expects Oslo to be perfectly supple for every second of the ride. That is a lot more difficult then it sounds! My feel still needs to be more sensitive for the soft and supple connection while being in front of the leg. Saying all that, we are making progress and I feel way more confident in the passage and piaffe now. It is such a blast riding the work with Oslo. More practice and I think we will be pretty darn close to the Grand Prix :)
Cashew and I are working on the same stuff in regards to the connection and being in front of the leg! Surprise, surprise! I definitely have new standards in regards to the connection now and Cashew is definitely testing those! Lientje has been doing a lot of in hand work with her though and then we are trying to solidify it in the riding. I already feel the difference in her whole body. She is truly round now, over her entire back through her neck to the bridle.
Friday I rode on my own with mom's encouraging words when the connection wasn't quite right. We are all learning together here and I hope mom is soaking up half as much as I am.
When I rode early on Thursday morning (I just want to point out that I was on Oslo before Steffen was even down by the ring that morning!!! haha, not before Lientje though. She has been on a horse by 6:00 AM every day this week) we got the chance to watch Shannon, Steffen, Lientje, David, and Rebecca ride their respective horses. I always find it amazing to watch the different riding styles and exercises. Very informational and it is so nice to be able to just sit and watch all the beautiful and talented horses! Young and old, green and advanced.
Today was a stretchy and trail ride day for the ponies. Sunday will be a day off so we are all ready to go again for lessons on Monday.
I will upload some photos from the past few days.
Goodnight from California!
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Cashew and I are working on the same stuff in regards to the connection and being in front of the leg! Surprise, surprise! I definitely have new standards in regards to the connection now and Cashew is definitely testing those! Lientje has been doing a lot of in hand work with her though and then we are trying to solidify it in the riding. I already feel the difference in her whole body. She is truly round now, over her entire back through her neck to the bridle.
Friday I rode on my own with mom's encouraging words when the connection wasn't quite right. We are all learning together here and I hope mom is soaking up half as much as I am.
When I rode early on Thursday morning (I just want to point out that I was on Oslo before Steffen was even down by the ring that morning!!! haha, not before Lientje though. She has been on a horse by 6:00 AM every day this week) we got the chance to watch Shannon, Steffen, Lientje, David, and Rebecca ride their respective horses. I always find it amazing to watch the different riding styles and exercises. Very informational and it is so nice to be able to just sit and watch all the beautiful and talented horses! Young and old, green and advanced.
Today was a stretchy and trail ride day for the ponies. Sunday will be a day off so we are all ready to go again for lessons on Monday.
I will upload some photos from the past few days.
Goodnight from California!
Lindsay + Oslo + Cashew
Lientje on Chester, a cute Grand Prix guy.
Lientje and I chattin' it up!
Oslo sitting super well :)
Nice scenery for riding.
Steffen warming up the Legolas.
David on his phone before he loses it in the afternoon (dad found it on the road) and Rebecca warming her mare up, Soleil.
Me helping Lientje out (and watching in awww)!
The famous Regalo (or 84 as dad calls him since that was his score in the FEI 5 year old test last year)
Regalo's brilliant canter.
Oslo and I warming up with Shannon in the large ring.
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