No Kicking Of Cans
Danny is 8 this year. He’s always been wildly talented; I bought him in June of his 6-year-old year, by which time he could do big clean changes, a few half steps and a passagey trot that, while all will be handy one day, I had to basically sit down and take out of him because he’d learned a mechanism that wasn’t what I wanted at Grand Prix, one where he pushed his big powerful hind legs out behind and made them slow, instead of really sitting and being snappy. But more importantly, what I loved about him at 6 was that I could take a hold of the reins, clamp my legs on, pester him a bit with a stick, and not get dumped.
Well… mostly not get dumped.
The first time was about the whip. It was early fall of last year, and I’d been spending more time on the canter than on the trot because, at that time, the trot was more developed, and I wanted to make some progress on his weakness. I felt I had, that he’d plateaued a little bit, and I wanted to go back to the trot for a while to feel like I was making progress.
I was playing with the half steps, not even thinking about AND NOW WE PIAFFE but more just that I could compress and expand the trot in a really boring way, and he backed off and kicked out a bit, and I sat down and said hey, c’mon, and he double-barrel kicked out behind, ducked left, and plopped me on the ground.
Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!
I’m terribly careful with my horses and their schedules. I’m a little bit of a nut about making sure they get down time, not just for their bodies, but also for their brains. They’re all individuals, of course, and some can handle more shows and more work than others. But in my time with Ella I’ve learned that while she’s a good girl and she’ll work hard for me, she’s at her best when she shows about once a month, and also only for a few months at a time.
Read all about our terrific trip to the USDF Finals, and our final events of the year including a final Michael Barisone Clinic November 26-27, our 9th Anniversary Open House November 19, and a visit from saddle fitter Colleen Meyer, in our November e-newsletter! 
I’m sitting in my PJs recovering from a terrific trip to Kentucky for the U.S. Dressage Finals, sipping coffee, listening to my mountains of laundry churn away, packing up my show clothes for the trip to Florida in January, and looking back on a wonderful year.
I get asked some form of this question 50 times a year, in lessons, at clinics, via email or Facebook: how do I rise up the levels? What’s the best plan to get from being a lower-level rider to FEI? What path should I follow?
Lauren comes home to Virginia once a month in January, February and March to teach two days of lessons. The 2017 dates are January 21-22, February 18-19 and March 11-12. These times tend to book quickly, so if you’d like to be on her list for lessons, 
We’re celebrating nine years of dressage excellence! 
Below is the schedule for our October 29-30 clinic with US Olympian Michael Barisone. Auditing is $35/day if prepaid, or $40/day at the door, and lunch is included. For more information,