What Level Are You?

I hear this question asked quite a bit.  What Level are you?  It is an honestly asked question, but the answer is not so simple, in a lot of cases.

The implication is that you have a skill-set that is quantitative enough to put you into a category that is widely recognized in the Dressage World.  That is:

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF), and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF...our national governing body, which rules over all the competitions in the United States) recognize 6 levels of competition (ergo, training).  They are:

Introductory Level

Jelle's canter one year ago

Training Level
First Level
Second Level
Third Level
Fourth Level

The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI...the international horse sports' governing body, which rules over all the international competitions--the Olympics, the World Equestrian Games, Pan American Games, and all the CDI's held in each country throughout the world) recognizes 4 levels of competition.  They are:

Prix St. Georg
Intermediare I
Intermediare II
Grand Prix (including the Grand Prix Special)

So, the answer expected from the questioner falls in one of these descriptions.  But the interpretation of the answer can vary wildly.  If, for instance, my horse is 4 years old, I may be competing at Introductory or training level, and working on some leg yield, some lengthening of stride in trot and canter, and maybe even some counter canter to introduce the higher requirement of balance, one would think the answer would be, "I am showing Training Level, and working (or schooling) some First Level.  But even that answer is not really accurate.

Personally, as a rider, I have, in the past, ridden and trained horse(s) to much higher levels than where I am presently training the horse I have now. I have started and trained MANY horses to Training/First Level.  But because I am a trainer by profession, most were sold at that point to others who trained them further (or not).  I have trained several through competing Second Level, and trained one who was competitive at second level, but who didn't have the strength to be competitive beyond that, so she became my schoolmaster for students.  Her training didn't stop there, though, and I trained her to do single flying changes, all the lateral work in trot and canter, working canter pirouettes (she wasn't strong enough to "sit" for true pirouettes), and she even achieved some steps of Piaffe during her life.  That is my "trainer history" in a nutshell.  I have, however, RIDDEN many horses who were schooled through Grand Prix, so I could learn to feel, assess, correct, and train other horses to do it.  That experience should be part of any trainer's education.  I was lucky enough to be able to spend months (over the course of five years) in Europe at various trainers' facilities where I could ride their schoolmasters, and receive that education.

Jelle's canter today

So, how would I answer that question from above?  I, as a rider, have ridden through all the Grand Prix Movements (I even rode a Levade when I was in Slovenia at Kobilarna Lipica!). But currently, I am competing at First Level with my Friesian, who was a re-training project and didn't even start his competition career until last year (at 10 years old!).  So, am I First Level/Schooling Second? Yes. Or, more precisely, that is where the team is "proven" at right now, since we have received (good) USDF recorded scores at that level.

But, since Dressage training is a dynamic thing, we are progressing at a very good pace.  Jelle, my horse, is gaining strength and understanding of the the work being asked of him, and we are now almost ready to compete at Second Level, and are schooling most of the Third Level elements.

So, a better way to phrase the question, should you ever ask someone, would be "What is the highest level you, as a rider, have ridden (or trained) to?" or "What level are you competing (or working) at with this horse?"  You may receive a better answer than a blank stare, or a stuttered response that doesn't make sense.

Relocating IRIDE

IRIDE has relocated to the mountains of northeast Alabama.  Specifically, to 66 acres on Lookout Mountain, near Mentone, AL.

We have been working on the property to build a stall and pasture for Jelle, and I am happy to report that he is settled in nicely and loving it here in the mountains.

Getting used to the differences in philosophy in the horse culture up here has been a bit of a challenge, but I was forewarned of it with my experience at a stable/summer camp a few years back.  And quite frankly, the quality of the professional equine services has improved since then.
More about the specifics of that later.

I have found that I have about 15-20 acres of good quality hay.  I was quite happy about that, until I discovered the difficulty in getting someone to come bale it for me.  So, my husband and I are cutting a row at a time, and drying and gathering the hay the way I imagine the Amish do it.  The hay is thick and good quality, so the job is not that difficult.  And bottom line is that Jelle has great quality hay that is ultra fresh, organic (we haven't had to fertilize OR herbicide the field), plentiful, and cheap! 

The only expense we have incurred is the diesel for the tractor to cut it, and the personal man-hours of labor for my husband and myself.  Good thing it only takes about 20 minutes for the two of us to gather enough hay for a couple days.  I figure that a bale of this hay only costs us about $2.00 or so.

I have also had an influx of new students from this area (I travel between Chattanooga, TN; Huntsville, AL and Rome, GA during each week for regular lessons).  I am grateful for the warm welcome I have gotten from the dressage community up here!  There are quite a few talented, serious, and committed riders in this area!  I am also pleasantly surprised about the quality horses that they have.  Another thing that surprises me is the number of showing opportunities here.  There are almost 20 USDF/USEF recognized dressage shows within 2-1/2 hour's drive from me between the months of April and November.  That is plenty of competition opportunity for the students as well as for Jelle and me!

Do You Have a Plan When You Ride/Train Your Horse?

Someone posted a question similar to this in one of the online groups I follow.  People have asked me this before, but as I mostly lurk on this particular group, I didn't add my two cents.  But many other group members did comment.
To paraphrase, most people said they start with a plan in mind, but let the horse dictate what actually happens.  As I read the the replies, it started to occur to me that I USED to take this tack, but not anymore.
Let me explain...
When I train a horse, I have a plan with several components.  I have the Master Plan, which is the Training Scale.  I also have the "Plan of Attack", which takes into consideration the overall picture of the horse--his conformation and his personality.  Different horse-types require different focuses of the training scale at different times in their training.  Those are my general goals.
Then I have more specific goals, based on the long term goals--such as, a general timeline for progression (usually month to month), and this part of the plan is the most flexible, even after the idea is set.  The reason is that I initiate this timeline on a "best-case scenario", which doesn't take into consideration any hiccups (lameness, sickness, unanticipated weaknesses that need more time at a certain point, etc.).  The timeline usually gets longer, as we take into account any interruption, unforseen circumstances, or slow-down in the training.
Then we have the benchmark plan.....that is specific points of progression (apart from the timeline), and is used for competition purposes. Such as, as the purpose and elements of "Training Level" get easy for the horse, we should already be flowing into the concepts of "First Level" (where impulsion is introduced), such as the lengthening of the trot and canter. Then as all the elements of First Level are becoming easier, begin to introduce the notion of collection through some steps of the shoulder-in and other more sophisticated lateral work, and so on.
And to answer the question of a daily plan, yes, I do have a plan for each ride.  And I expect to be able to execute the elements of my plan.  If the horse is dictating something other than I have planned on a regular basis, then I believe the failure is mine!
If I don't "get to" the elements of the plan I lay out for the day, I have to wonder--"is my plan unrealistic"? Or, "do I really understand the training scale"? Or, "am I skipping ahead of where my horse truly is in its training"?
I believe that if I am not able to execute my plan for the training session at least 98% of the time, then there is something wrong with the master plan, or of my execution of the master plan, plan of attack, or timeline (the big picture).  If you are not able to execute the daily plan, it is just a symptom of a bigger problem in your training.

Do You Own a Dressage Horse That You Want Trained/Shown?

I have an opening for one training horse in my barn in Vero Beach, FL.  If you have a quality dressage horse that you would like to have campaigned on the WEF Circuit, call me after visiting my website.  

http://www.iride.at

I will speak with you about your candidate, his/her care, the specifics of the training and showing programs, and set up an evaluation with you.

Serious inquiries only, please.

Dressage Clinic Etiquette

The definition of a "dressage clinic" is a short-term opportunity to have an intense lesson or two from a trainer that you admire/respect who is not normally available to you.  This clinic should be in addition to your regular lessons with your regular trainer/instructor.  Ideally, it should recur several times per year, but it should NOT be the only help you get with your horse unless you are a successful trainer yourself (and if you are, you already know that you need regular help because no one can successfully train/maintain a horse on their own....even the top trainers in the world ride with someone--in most cases everyday, but that is a different topic).

A Host offers a clinic with a trainer/instructor for several reasons:
1. The trainer/instructor is a person who does not live in the immediate area, and is someone who the Host themselves would like to take a lesson(s) from, or already does take lessons from.
2. The Host would like to offset costs of their own education by bringing the clinician to their barn rather than travelling to the trainer's barn (often in another state, country or even continent)
3. The Host has a facility (or access to one) that is conducive to optimal training that other riders in the area may not have (a standard dressage arena with good footing, a covered arena, mirrors, lights, etc).

Right off the bat, let me dispel a myth--
In every single instance, the Host does not make money on the clinic, trust me.

The Host commits their time, energy, and money into getting the clinician there, which means paying at least some of the costs up front. Airplane travel, accommodations, transport costs, and food/drink for the clinician are NOT FREE. Further, the price that the clinician charges is a per day charge, not a per ride charge since they are giving up potential income from regular lessons at their own facility to be in your area.
Depending on the level of experience and popularity of the clinician the per day cost to the organizer for the clinic fee alone is typically between $800-2000.00.  And the clinician will only teach 8 hours per day, maximum.  So base price of a ride will be a minimum of $100.00, plus expenses (which vary widely, depending on the other costs listed).  All these indirect costs have to be included in the price of each ride, or the host loses money by subsidizing your ride.  Not only is that not fair, no one can afford to do that.

So, here is your Etiquette part:

If someone contacts you about riding in a clinic, get all the details from the beginning:
     The date of the clinic
     The name and bio of the clinician (if you don't already work with them)
     The details of the lessons (private, semi-private, work in hand, clinician rides your horse, longe
                     lesson for you, etc.)
     The price of a ride
     The price of auditing
     The price of stabling
     The deadline for accepting/declining
     Date of deposit
     Date of final payment
     Details about refunds, filling rides, waiting lists, auditing, videoing, concessions onsite, and
              anything else you can think of that will make your ride live up to your expectations

The second you accept an invitation to ride, you accept responsibility for payment in full.
If the host is pre-planning, meaning she is accepting tentative commitments prior to reserving the dates for the clinician, then she may accept a deposit, refundable up to the point that she actually reserves the dates and makes travel arrangements for the clinician.
If a deposit is required, make sure you send it within 24 hours of oral acceptance of the invitation.  Before you accept the invitation, make sure you understand the terms of the deposit (when the date will be confirmed, and the terms of refund, if any)
If the date is set already, and you confirm your intent to ride by any form (orally, email, phone, etc.), you are immediately responsible for full payment, and should mail or deliver the check within 24 hours.
If you should become unable to ride for any reason, you should contact the Host immediately, and ask if they have a waiting list.  If they do, let them know that you can't make it, and why, and ask them to contact their waiting list people to see if someone can ride in your place.  If this is successful, you should receive a refund (there may be a nominal fee to cover time spent processing your ride time and also replacing your ride).
If they have no one on the waiting list, then they may allow you to find someone to fill the ride.  Otherwise, you have to pay for the ride anyway.


If you are not willing to take this risk, do not sign up to ride in the clinic.  End of story.


Next up--etiquette when you arrive at the clinic

Pondering the Value of the Blog

Wow, it has been five months since my last post (and that sounds like the introduction to a Catholic confession, doesn't it?).  That is why I am pondering the value of this blog, but then again, I think the whole purpose of a personal blog is just to spout off when it is convenient for the writer, yes?

The training of Wimbley has been going extremely well, since the heat and humidity this summer was not nearly as bad as last summer, and so we were able to train pretty much continuously.  We did have a couple of young-horse mishaps in the pasture, resulting in a week or two off here and there, but they were just scuffs; nothing major.  We always worry about the risk of the major stuff, don't we?

One of my students was not so lucky, and her horse had a pasture mishap that will result in several months off.  I feel SO bad for her (and her horse), and will keep my eyes open for an alternative for her, of course.

I remember posting way back when I posted last that my goals included getting my USDF Instructor Certification, since I feel that I am ready for the testing, and also signing up as a participant in one of the "L" judge's programs to start my journey to be a dressage judge.  Well, no one in all of North America has offered the certification testing (or workshops, or pre-certs, or anything), so I am still waiting for the opportunity to open up.  I do need to email the USDF liaison for the program and ask if they have a list that I can be put on to receive information for whenever someone does decide to offer any part of the program (and also to make sure they have all the information about my participation in previous workshops and pre-certs up to date!)

There were two different organizers offering the "L" program, and they were already full (there is a limit on the number of participants allowed in each program) when I contacted each organizer, so I missed out on both!  I did tell the organizer of the one here in Florida that I would like for her to contact me first when they offer the next one.  I never even heard back from the organizer of the other "L" program, so I guess she was inundated with participants.  Oh well, I will keep trying to reach her, as well.

I have decided to retire Bogart, my 27 year old gelding.  He still looks good, and is sound when not being ridden, but is starting to be just "not quite right" when worked, so I don't want to hurt him.

I have also become the sole owner of the mare that I had in partnership with another person.  I am conditioning her for next spring to breed her, and I am considering the options that are available to me.  I will be posting some of the options, and thinking out loud here on the blog about which direction to go, so I will be so grateful for suggestions as we go along here, as well!  Please feel free to jump in with a suggestion or observation as it comes up!  I will post her information, pedigree, history, etc. in subsequent posts.  Pictures, too!

Well, that catches us up on the generalities of the last five months.  I will post more specifics (and more frequently) in the future.

March and April Training for Wimbley

In mid-March, we recommenced with our training.  I started concentrating on building strength and reliability in the softer transitions, and started asking for more steps in the leg yielding.  I asked for more reaction in the down transitions, and could feel his back getting strong enough to do more sitting trot. 
He has been progressing in every aspect of his training at an increasing pace, and starting in the first week of April, I have been able to ask for more of the strength related exercises, such as a few steps of shoulder-in, transitions to the medium and collected trot, and a lengthening and shortening of the stride in canter.

April 18, Wimbley has had time off again for almost two weeks because Edie and I were both busy and then I had the flu, but when I rode him today, he was stellar, as usual.  He seems to gain strength and understanding of the work we are doing even when I don’t ride him! I was just going to take it easy and review with him, which I did, and his canter is a solid tempo with a good jump, he is light and responsive and reliable in his leads now.  He is understanding the lengthening of the trot and canter, and is really using his back and hocks correctly for a horse of his age and training in the half-halts.  A couple of the half-halts gave me the feeling that he will be quite willing to sit enough for piaffe when he is strong enough.  He is still adjustable and supple, and the lateral work went very well even into shoulder in on both reins and a bit of renvers and travers.  Mind you, I only ask for two or three strides in a very minimal renver and travers, but I can feel the increase in engagement, and a willingness to put his body in position for it.