Home!

Well I’m home…you guys had a hard winter hu??? it’s crazy to see that outside Wellyworld, everything is still in hibernation!!! (its going to be 36 tonight….not cool!)

 

I wanted to write a blog summing up in the WIT program….. while I would love to tell you guys EVERY little thing I learned, there is way too much for me to write out( and I still have to unpack)!!

I’m going to start with saying that going through the WIT program this winter changed my life. It opened my eyes to the world of dressage, and to the professional world of equestrians. I learn so much about ridding, theory, horse care, and what being a professional rider relay means. Leo and I both grew and learned much more then I would have thought possible! Coming away form a winter of being in the middle of the dressage seen, I know for a fact that there is where I want to be!

This amazing experience would not have been possible without the major support team I had!

I want to say THANK YOU.

Thank you mom and dad, for making it passable for me to go to FL (for surviving the winter here!) and for always doing everything you can to make my dreams reality.

Thank you Lendon Gray, for teaching me so much, for opening doors, and for becoming a role model for me.

Thank you Kim Boyer, for opening your home to us WITies!! Being at HG all season was truly an amazing experience!

I want to thank Renee Isler and The Dressage Foundation, for supporting me.  

Leo and I want to thank Rachel Chowanec, for helping us in our training!

Thank you to all the amazing people who donated there time and skills to teaching us to the best of their ability!  Thank you!

 

Ok, now to the million dollar question, WHAT ARE MY PLANS!??? ( cue the lights)

My plans for this summer are to train and show (we are going to shoot for regionals this year!). I am going to be in OH at my barn, giving lessons, ridding, and training (give me a call if you are interested!). I am also going to be raising money for whatever the future holds for me. (I am hoping to go back to WIT next year, if it all works out!) My long-term goals, I hope to be able to do Young Riders with Leo. oh and sometime in the middle of all that I am planning on doing school.. ( ya that’s important..)

 

As this adventure ends, I am keeping my eyes up and looking forward to the next one!

J

oh, no worries, ill keep you guys up-to-date on what I'm doing!

real quick!

Hi guys!!

I’m on the home stretch….. in the last week… its crazy. I want to take this last week to really a moment to apresate WIT and Wellington, I like it here, and would not have traded this exsperice for anything!

 Ok, now on to this past week.

 

Frist I’m going to tell you about a ground breaking lesson I had with Susanne Hamilton. She told me that Leo needs to learn to use his hind leg correctly (by bringing it up and under himself). And that when he does, he will be balanced, and able to do more things. Wow what a difference it made! she had us do pretty much the same thing we have been doing, but was able to describe it in such a way that it clicked!! Awesome moment right there! ( we had the best canter transition EVER!!!) she also told me that I can ( quietly) use my voice in the test when I need it, and as she is a judge, she was able to tell me how loud was to loud! Leo loves it when I talk to him so that was relay helpful!!

Ok so this week we SHOWED….dun dun dun….

It was not to bad! Let me say, Global is a big scary place and I am so proud of Sir Mystic Smoke ( yes that is his show name….) for not only being a good boy there, but getting there without having a BIG  melt down!! ( yes, we HACKED to a show!!! Only in wellington folks, only in wellington!)

We showed training 3 and First 1, got a 61% on both! With some big spooky moments! ( im talking whole long side, full-on spokes!!) Go Leo right??? That boy loves to show…his prusnalitny in the ring is so funny…he’s all strutting his stuff, and then he sees the flower pot!! And then goes back to strutting! Such a funny boy ;)

There are deftly some story’s to be told of this showing experience, but I am so happy that I was able to go down centerline at Global, it made my day to hear my appendix QH be announced on the loud speakers!!!!

The rest of this week our lessons were great! Everything is coming together, it’s a mater of strnagh now ( we need hills to build some up!!! FL is so flat!) its amazing to see how far we have come!

Well, im off to do some packing!!

J

Pictures

Ok so counputers are way harder to deal

With then horses!!!! Here are some pics from my phone, to hold you guys over until I figure out how to deal with the good ones on my laptop!!!

 

KT tape! 

Love our DSB boots!!!!

The drive to palm beach. ( go until you hit the beach, trun left and park!!)

Just a random one.....

Thank you Katy for the gloves!!!!!! Love them!

The flag at globle. 

Thank you Tred Step!!!! They are. generously sponsoring all the WIT kids. have some awesome stuff! Like wow love it!!!!

Schlesese came out and did an valuation on the my saddle it was pretty neat! ( don't know if you can see it but there is calk on Leo)

Out for our grazing time! (

He had to roll every time. It's so cute!)

Ok I'll work on my laptop and get it posting some good pics!!!!

J

the mother of all blogs

Ok so here is the mother of all blogs!

What I have been up to in my laps of bloging…well for startedrs lets talk about how my main man Leo is doing!

With some help from Rachel, ( one of the girls at HG, she is an amazing talented rider!) we have really been coming along! Leo is doing better and better, showing a night and day differences from when we started! Its awesome and I am so proud of him! AND we entered a show at Global! This coming week, the 19^th and the 20^th, Its going to be fun(lets pray it goes well!)!

As for letures and things that have been going on. Im going to talk about them in no praticuler order, so bare with me!

We had Maryanna Haymon’s ( she owns Marrydell farm)  come talk to us about breeding, confirmation, and what horses are being breed for today. This was fascinating! I learned so much about confirmation. Did you know that a lot of good dressage horses are cow hocked? It was fascinating to here her talk about blood lines, and the vast knowledge of what sires produces what.  Later in the week she also invited us to come watch her home-breeds be worked, and we talked about her horses. I really enjoyed talking about bloodlines and horses, and I can see myself sometime down the road becoming involved in breeding my own horses!

 

We had Lauren Samase a two time veteran at the Pan Amen games come and talk to us about her experience as a professional she now runs a sale barn for imported horses, and her views on the horse biasness was inspiring! One of the things she told us is that leggy and dark horses sell, and I must say,….yes I agree!! J she also strested the fact that there are really two things you can do to help yourself in this world, work hard, and be honest! Such good words of wisdom!

 

Kim Boyer ( our host at Hampton Green!) talked to us about her passion, the PRE horses. Wow what a cool bread of horse, with a history!! I love hearing about how the pure Spanish horse has a history that can be traced back into roman times! Its so cool how these amazing horses are still around, and how they are modernizing along with the rest of the world.

 

Beth (of the Horse of Course) came and talked to us about bits, it is amazing how much a bit can affect a horse, and the craftsmanship and thoguth that goes into bits! Wow that is a whole field in and of its self!

 

Another one of our field trips we went to see Leslie Morse’s horses. (she owned and road Kingsten, and Tip Top). I felt an instant connation to her as she is dyslexic as well!!! some of the things she stressed was to think outside the box, to be creative, and not afraid to put your back into it and get the job done! Got to love good down to eath people who love their horses the way she does!

 

Ok, well it’s my bed time, stay tuned for pictures!

J

ok....

So this is a quick shout out.
IM SORRY FOR THE LACK OF BLOGS!!!!!!!!!


Iv been crazy busy, however I am working on the mother of all blogs for you guys :)
( and have pictures comeing!)


Just wanted to let you all know I am still here, and to keep an eye out!
J

im still here!!!!

I did not realize how long it’s been since I blogged! I apologize guys! Wow….time flys.

 

So I will just give you a rundown on this week, kind just whatever popes in my head!!

My lessons this week have been great! I feel like everything is coming together in my head, and in Leos strength, and it’s all “clicking”!!! So existing to finely feel like a “dressage RIDER!”…ok I’ll tell you about yesterday’s lesson now, cuz it was so awesome!!!

Yesterday we FINLY had everything click. We warmed up and then started in on the canter work, and while cantering across the diagonal is still messy, we no long want to swap leads at X! After that we played with some lateral work and THEN, when we went back to trot Leo was coming round, and through, he wanted to stretch down when I offered it! he was using his topline and I could SEE ( ok I looked down….) his shoulders being lose and free swinging!  And we got a “he is almost too deep!!!” ( that has been the goal the entire time, to have Leondn be able to say he is to deep)  By the end of the ride Ledon looked at me as asked where THAT came from! It was so cool, like all the pieces of everything I have been learning ( about how a horse muscles move and work, riders position plays a big part, all my lessons, as well as watching great riders) came together  and clicked! :D   

 

Ok now back to telling you about my week!

This week I was the barn manger, which means that I was the first to the barn in the mornings ( at the barn by 6:00), and often the last to leave!! Let me tell you, it’s been a LONG week!!

But its been a good week! We got to sit in on a Jan Blinks clinic, and as I said last week, I LOVE the way he teaches!

We had a lecture by Dr. Does on KT Taping, as well as chiropractic. We pulled out one of the horses and ALL evaluated him, and how he moved, and then Dr. Does adjusted  him and taped him with kinesiology tape. KT tape is an adhesive tape applied to the skin. It provides support for muscles, aiding in pain relief, as well as “showing” the muscles the correct poster and alignment for them to move.  It was so cool to have her point out the muscles in a horse and how they work for what job, as well as when they are tight how it effects how the horse works. After our demo horse got adjusted and taped we all watched  him move and saw a huge improvement! Dr. does also was kind enough to tape all of us!!! I got my neck and shoulders taped for pain, as well as a “shoulders back” training tape. Loved it! All my pain went away, and I could tell ( and others commented) on my poster in the saddle!!!! So cool

 

This weekend was the Youth Dressage Championships at gobble. We had three pepole from the program riding in it and it was so fun to go watch and support them! ( they all did well!) there were also lectures, and a party ( with a DJ!!!) that us WITies got to attend! On top of that there was a show at White Fences that two of our riders were in, so we went to watch them, and also volunteered at the show! What a weekend Hu??

 

Well, those are some of the “cool points” from this week!!! I WILL  be more diligent in my posting!

J

OH! something else that is cool, the WIT program, (and sometimes me) have been mentioned in several articles around the web!!! So cool to see this awesome program being put out there and getting noticed! I hope that other young riders hear about it, and apply!

 

 

Half way point….

 

Hi all! So I’m hoping you saw the quotes…..cool stuff hu? So to go on with the rest of my week.

 

Happy bleated valentine’s day ‘yall!!! I must say…I kinda get into valentine’s day, I even went as far as to bake ( red velvet oreo brownies…. Also named “those awesome sinful things”) and I wore…salmon!!!! ( almost pink)

It was a vary good day, it was hack day, ( Fridays) so some of us set up a Jumping lesson across the street with Miranda. I pulled out my jumping tack, and we had a lot of fun knocking off the dust and playing around! I must say, Leo is a much better dressage horse then jumper! There were these butterflies…. he kind of had a little fit over them! such a diva… ;) Haha! It was good for us to go have some fun though!

 

We also had a lecture by Jessica Ratter. She talked to us about how to define our goals, and how to lay the bricks down in order to achieve them. She had some really good points, and the way she laid it out made the whole thing about thinking about the “next step”  much less scary!!!

 

Yesterday!

 Our lesson was good! we busted out a little bit of lateral work, London said “your horse really does not mind going crooked at all!!!” ha-ha as funny as it is its true (both a good, and a bad thing)

Yesterday we spent the day at the Global Dressage Forum North America 2014. (we are taking turns, half of us went today, and half  will go tomorrow)

There were many speakers, and presenters who talked about he spore of dressage, and its growth. This was followed by presenters!

Jan Brink ( from Sweden) work with a young horse, as well as teach a young rider. Jan has a vary nice since of working with the young ( both people and horses) and I loved how he displayed throw his riding and talking that the young in the sport should be both nurtured, and pushed past there “safety” zone!

 

Then Christilot Boylen and Udo Lange  spoke and rode for us.  One of the things I really took away from hearing her talk, and watching Christilot and Udo ride was the importance of TIMEING and precision. Timing is everything! In any movement, of your timing is off, your horse will not do it correctly! All in all it was an excellent day, and I enjoyed seeing and listening to the “movers and shakers” of the dressage world!

 

Today- started off with an early lesson. We worked more on counter canter! The most existing thing was the Lendon said that Leo is now at the point were he is though enough to start working on making him a dressage horse!!! so existing to see how far he has come! ( oh and did I menschen, Friday was also the half-way point of the program!! Wow, I cant believe I've been here 6 weeks! Crazy hu?)  

Since the other “wave” of WITs went to the Form today, I had an easy day. So I went to Wal-Mart…. Man, people in there are CRAZY!! They’re zooming around with their shopping carts like it’s the high way! ( and they re crazy on the high way as well!) ya…that was an experience to say the lest! But I made it out alive, and got what I needed!

 

Well time for me to go watch a movie! ( tomorrows my day off, so I feel like I can stay up a little later tonight!)

Oh and not to rub it in or anything…but I’m going to the beach tomorrow!!!! Whoot whoot!

J