Holly Toile Christmas Card
Turn your favorite photos into your favorite Christmas cards!
View the entire collection of cards.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Leaps & Bounds
Life and the journey of Dressage sometimes move at a snails pace and at times there are surprises along the way and we move forward by leaps and bounds. This past weekend Ty and I had the chance to participate in a clinic with Judy Westlake. I've had the opportunity to ride with Judy in the past and have always walked away with new tools and knowledge. Unfortunately the last time Ty and I rode with Judy, Ty had just recovered from his tendon surgery so we took it easy.
This time around was a whole other ballgame. Ty has been working very well. After a rough year he finally was beginning to feel like he was back where he was before his surgery. This weekend I fully intended on taking advantage of the chance to work with Judy and allow Ty to excel, it managed to exceed all expectations. Ty has officially blossmed into a true dressage horse and has shown some glimpses at his amazing potential.
Our first ride was on Saturday. We got off to a bit of a slow start, getting into a rhythm. We began by getting Ty working better off the outside rein and getting him to balance and hold himself up. We played with circles, sprialling in and out. We seemed to be just getting into the swing of things and the lesson was over.
Sunday I had scheduled two lessons, I wasn't sure if Ty was up for the test, but we figured we'd give it a shot. We picked up Sunday right where we left off on Saturday. Ty has an amazing memory and only in the past few weeks have I begun to truly realize how incredibly smart and willing he is as we've begun to start into new work again.
Ty was working off my outside rein, just as we had got him doing on Saturday. We then moved into working on the leg yield to encourage him to carry himself and work correctly off his outside leg. We worked through it at the walk, trot and then into the canter. We then played around a bit in the canter leg yielding in then going into counter canter.
Ty had a two hour break and then it was on to his second ride, a true test of both his physical and mental endurance. We picked the leg yield back up turning it into shoulder in. Again Ty picked it up quickly and efficiently. Then we moved back into the canter working our newly found shoulder in to perfect our 10m canter circle. We didn't quite master this movement, but have the tools. Ty was wearing out towards the end of our second lesson, but he was a trooper.
I could not have in my wildest dreams imagined we'd make this big of a leap this weekend. I knew Ty was a willing and talented partner, but his level of dedication to the task at hand left me speechless. Ty is still young and has a ways to go, but I'm confident that he has the talent to do something truly remarkable one of these days.
This time around was a whole other ballgame. Ty has been working very well. After a rough year he finally was beginning to feel like he was back where he was before his surgery. This weekend I fully intended on taking advantage of the chance to work with Judy and allow Ty to excel, it managed to exceed all expectations. Ty has officially blossmed into a true dressage horse and has shown some glimpses at his amazing potential.
Our first ride was on Saturday. We got off to a bit of a slow start, getting into a rhythm. We began by getting Ty working better off the outside rein and getting him to balance and hold himself up. We played with circles, sprialling in and out. We seemed to be just getting into the swing of things and the lesson was over.
Sunday I had scheduled two lessons, I wasn't sure if Ty was up for the test, but we figured we'd give it a shot. We picked up Sunday right where we left off on Saturday. Ty has an amazing memory and only in the past few weeks have I begun to truly realize how incredibly smart and willing he is as we've begun to start into new work again.
Ty was working off my outside rein, just as we had got him doing on Saturday. We then moved into working on the leg yield to encourage him to carry himself and work correctly off his outside leg. We worked through it at the walk, trot and then into the canter. We then played around a bit in the canter leg yielding in then going into counter canter.
Ty had a two hour break and then it was on to his second ride, a true test of both his physical and mental endurance. We picked the leg yield back up turning it into shoulder in. Again Ty picked it up quickly and efficiently. Then we moved back into the canter working our newly found shoulder in to perfect our 10m canter circle. We didn't quite master this movement, but have the tools. Ty was wearing out towards the end of our second lesson, but he was a trooper.
I could not have in my wildest dreams imagined we'd make this big of a leap this weekend. I knew Ty was a willing and talented partner, but his level of dedication to the task at hand left me speechless. Ty is still young and has a ways to go, but I'm confident that he has the talent to do something truly remarkable one of these days.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
2011 Show Season - That's Not Quite How We Planned It
So our 2011 show season has officially ended. This season had a lot of highs and some lows. As always our season started out with high expectations and didn't go as planned. Roze was finally back in the show ring after a two year hiatus that included recovery from major hock surgery. Ty was back in the ring after his rookie season was cut short with a disappointing injury and recovery from tendon surgery. There was a lot on the line for my goals, I wanted Roze to earn enough points to receive her Legion of Honor and I wanted to have the opportunity to take Ty to Regionals and possibly Nationals, a feat I have personally been trying to achieve for years.
Our first show started on a rocky note, Roze was a bit rusty and Ty was fighting some body soreness. We opted after our first show to give Ty some extended time off to rest, finish growing and hopefully recover. With Ty off it also gave me the ability to focus on Roze 100%.
Roze went on to have a fairly successful season. We successfully competed at second level. It was certainly a reach for Roze's ability but she tried very hard for me and earned respectable scores. She handled her very intense show schedule with her normal eagerness. I was able to earn one second level score towards my USDF Bronze Medal. We also made it out to some open dressage competitions where Roze earned a new career high score of 71.786%. The culmination of Roze's show season was that she ultimately received enough points to earn her Legion of Honor. With this success achieved and Roze growing weary of the dressage work we ended our season in June. It was a good note to wrap up what was likely Roze's last time in the dressage ring for awhile. She was happy to have the pressure off and we went on to try some new disciplines, trail ride and just enjoy some down time.
With Roze's shows wrapped up it was time to get Ty back to work and see if he would come back. We started back to work in August. It was a slow journey getting him back in shape. Unfortunately we missed Regionals and Nationals was out of the question as he wasn't in tip top shape. The time off seem to have done wonders for his body and mind. He came back eager, happy and sound. September was looking good and we did joke about entering him at Nationals last minute. I guess the fortunate part was the post entry fees were cost prohibitive and it was likely a good decision not to push our luck. I opted instead to enter him in one last show in October. It was an open dressage show and of course Ty was in great shape and I was sick as a dog. We went and tried our best, our scores were not what we had hoped for but Ty was back, we survived and made it through our tests and we have a good starting point to work up from for next year's shows. Ty also had the chance to participate in the Dancing with Horses clinic with Michael Matson. Ty was a hit at the clinic and really likes to "dance" to music. We enjoyed this clinic so much that we're sponsoring one locally and will try to put together a dressage musical freestyle for Ty this winter.
This winter Ty will be working hard to become a solid first level horse and start on second level. We have a great team of trainers and clinicians lined up to work with. Of course only time will tell if his talent and our luck will hold up. I'm sure we'll learn a lot along the way and in the end that's really what it's all about.
Roze's future in the show ring is a bit less certain. She will bred in the spring and it will really be up to her if she wants to compete and if she'll be comfortable. Managing her arthritis and hock issues is becoming ever more challenging. She's still very happy to work but definitely is not as limber as she used to be. Roze has went on to achieve more than I could have hoped for given the challenges she has had to overcome. She has given more of herself and worked harder then most horses would have ever been willing to do. Her future under saddle is hers to chose at this point.
 |
| Roze's first go at Native Costume |
Our first show started on a rocky note, Roze was a bit rusty and Ty was fighting some body soreness. We opted after our first show to give Ty some extended time off to rest, finish growing and hopefully recover. With Ty off it also gave me the ability to focus on Roze 100%.
 |
| Roze's last show at PAJAG |
With Roze's shows wrapped up it was time to get Ty back to work and see if he would come back. We started back to work in August. It was a slow journey getting him back in shape. Unfortunately we missed Regionals and Nationals was out of the question as he wasn't in tip top shape. The time off seem to have done wonders for his body and mind. He came back eager, happy and sound. September was looking good and we did joke about entering him at Nationals last minute. I guess the fortunate part was the post entry fees were cost prohibitive and it was likely a good decision not to push our luck. I opted instead to enter him in one last show in October. It was an open dressage show and of course Ty was in great shape and I was sick as a dog. We went and tried our best, our scores were not what we had hoped for but Ty was back, we survived and made it through our tests and we have a good starting point to work up from for next year's shows. Ty also had the chance to participate in the Dancing with Horses clinic with Michael Matson. Ty was a hit at the clinic and really likes to "dance" to music. We enjoyed this clinic so much that we're sponsoring one locally and will try to put together a dressage musical freestyle for Ty this winter.
 |
| Ty warming up at Bucks Co. Horse Park |
Roze's future in the show ring is a bit less certain. She will bred in the spring and it will really be up to her if she wants to compete and if she'll be comfortable. Managing her arthritis and hock issues is becoming ever more challenging. She's still very happy to work but definitely is not as limber as she used to be. Roze has went on to achieve more than I could have hoped for given the challenges she has had to overcome. She has given more of herself and worked harder then most horses would have ever been willing to do. Her future under saddle is hers to chose at this point.
If you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking.
- Buddhist saying
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)