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

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.