Meet Gretzky! Gretzky RV is a 2011 KWPN Gelding, Johnson-Elmshorn, and he’s the latest addition to Lauren’s show string. He’ll be Puck in the stable, and with his quick hind leg and bold markings, he’ll sure to be noticed in the showring. We’re excited to see him arrive from Holland next week! And thank you to the team at Inspo for bringing him into our lives!
I can sit and watch any horse sport done well. I love horses (news flash!), but more than that, I love dressage. And because I’m a huge nerd, I love seeing how dressage plays a role in all the other sports, that the basic tenants of training that I preach to my students apply to other disciplines.
Recently I had the great pleasure of a pairs driving lesson. A student of ours has been involved in pairs driving at the top level for years, and is now coming to dressage, but has a fantastic pair of cremello Morgan mares in training for whom we did some complementary under-saddle training, including the world’s cutest Pas de Deux last year. I hopped up in the cart to take them for a spin, starting out just puttering around in the open, and then tackling cones (at which I was marginally awful), and even a few basic marathon obstacles (which went much better).
Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!
We had a great outing to Lexington Spring Dressage! Our small but plucky force had some great educational rides, and ate SO MUCH good Mexican food. Onto Morven Park next month!
Here are some results from the show.
Eliza Gardner & Ellegria
1st Place Young Rider Team Test, 62.632%
2nd Place Young Rider Individual Test, 63.026%
Kristin Hickey & Leapfrog
4th Place Prix St. Georges, 62.763%
Kristin Hickey & Capital Call
3rd Place Prix St. Georges, 63.895%
3rd Place Prix St. Georges, 63.421%
Hannah McSween & Avatar
4th Place 2nd Level Test 3, 64.878%
6th Place 2nd Level Test 3, 63.415%
We had a triumphant first recognized outing to CDCTA’s Spring show at Morven Park. Huge congratulations to Torrey Wilkinson for finishing her USDF Gold Medal, and to Kristin Hickey and Becky Lee for Zarco’s Second Level High Score! We’ve also got an upcoming weekend with Michael Barisone, and fun news about summer training and lessons. Read the rest here, and sign up to receive our e-newsletters directly in your inbox.
A while back I had a client enter a show at a big level, her debut at that level, and her first show after a long competitive gap. Her horse is an amazing creature, a phenomenal athlete with an equally incredible mind, who’s also had a long history of health issues, including trying very hard to die on her twice, fortunately to no avail. She’s done the lion’s share of the training herself, and he’d spent a month with me to finish up one last piece of the test. Was she ready to do this level? Mostly. Was it going to be incredible? Certainly not.
But I talked her into entering anyway, and here’s why. First, on her best day, she was close enough. Second, the show was close, and we—my students and I—were going already. This client doesn’t live nearby, so it was a great opportunity for me to be there with her to talk her through it. And last but not least, horses are horses, and she’s been thisclose to this level for two years, marred by an annoying injury in the middle.
Screw it, I told her. Life is short. Carpe diem. Get in the ring.
Read the rest online at The Chronicle of the Horse!
Years ago when he was a wee thing, Midge learned the flying changes fairly quickly, and rapidly got comfortable with the fours, threes and twos. But the ones eluded us for almost a year. Midge, with his combination of crazy Dutch Harness Horse knees and boundless enthusiasm, could get through a few, but soon enough he’d be launching himself with reckless abandon in about 37 directions at once, and strong and brave and long-legged thing that I am, I couldn’t hold him together.
And that, I learned, was the problem. No one is strong enough to hold back a tidal wave.
Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!
Where in the world is Lauren? We’ve had several requests for her 2017 clinic schedule, so here it is!
April 23 – Ft. Defiance, VA
April 29-30 – Ottawa, ON, CAN
June 24-25 – Newton, PA
July 1-2 – Pittsburgh, PA
July 29-30 – Turtleford, SK, CAN
September 2-3 – Tunbridge, VT
November 18-19 – Lebanon, CT
Lauren is now accepting clinic dates for late summer and early fall; email her to learn more!
After a whirlwind last week in Florida, an exciting trip home involving—you guessed it!—two flat tires, and 2 1/2 days to move into my new house in nearby Warrenton, my Floridian team and I are safely back in Virginia, reunited with the home team, and back up and running. I’ve got a few relatively quiet weeks at home until we start the usual spring chaos of constant horse shows and clinics; I’m home one weekend between the end of April and the 4th of July.
But whereas last year I had a full string of horses to show, and even more at home, plugging away at their work, this year I have… Danny, who is maybe going to do a Grand Prix at the end of the year, or maybe not.
And that’s it. Hurricane is spending the summer at Camp Barisone. And other than my wonderful 25-year-old Billy, who I visited in his field today as he enjoys his well-earned retirement, that’s all I’ve got.
It’s weird, having the fewest horses I’ve ever owned since I was a teenager.
Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!
We’re back up and running at Sprieser Sporthorse North, with some new faces, new paddocks and a new round pen! Read all about it, and if you’re not yet receiving our newsletters in your inbox, click to sign up!
Third Level, Test 3. Ring 2 at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and having begun to develop an uphill balance at Second Level, now demonstrates increased engagement, especially in—
JOHNNY ROAD: HI! Hi hi hi! Omg you guys, we’re at a horse show!! It’s been a few years since I went to a horse show because there was a period of time in which I thought grabbing the bit and running with my head in the air was an appropriate response to being asked for a flying change, and also there was a while where I thought going sideways was pretty stupid. But now I’m a big boy and I’m here and I’m braided and it is SO EXCITING and oh, hey Mom! That was the bell oh boy oh boy oh boy—
Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!