Tom Noone Clinic

Connor and I spent the weekend in Lincoln, Rhodes Island at Prospect Hill Farm for a clinic with Tom Noone. The facility was amazing and everyone was very welcoming! It really was great prep for NEDA Fall Fest. We also were able to have a nice dinner with Tom and the other riders on Saturday night.

Tom focused on controlling Connor's shoulders and haunches independently from each other to really make him straight through his entire body. We really focused on the basics working on large and small circle and having him move his shoulders out and haunches in. Once he was straight I was better able to move him away from my legs as well as work on our upward and downward transitions. It really seems like this aspect of our riding is slowly coming together and is really going to help us out next year when we move up to 1st level.

Another important bit of information I picked up was the use of my legs; controlling my upper thigh and calf during transitions. My canter departs and downward transitions from canter to trot improved significantly with Tom suggestions about leg control. This is something I will have to continue to practice before the big show in a couple weeks.

We made some fabulous new friends this weekend who I look forward to seeing at Saugerties! A photographer from the local paper was at the clinic and Connor may possibly be a star in a couple days or so! Keep your eye out for him in the Valley Breeze and Observe if you get it!!!

Roel Theunissen Clinic

This week I was lucky enough to get into the Dressage Week at Mt. Holyoke College, S. Haldey, MA. Roel Theunissen was the clinician for the week. I audited on Tuesday and Wednesday I rode with him. On Tuesday I saw some very lovely riders and extremely nice horses. When I go to audit a clinic I always want to see some sort of change in either rider or horse by the end of the lesson. This really lets you know that the instructor has helped the pair improve within the short time they get to work together. It is very apparent Roel has an eye for what changes need to be made in each pair to help them improve performance.

The lesson on Wednesday was fabulous and Roel gave us some great exercises to practice at home. During our lesson Roel had Connor and I doing some of the best leg yields and shoulders ins that I have felt on Connor so far. He said Connor is ready to move up to the next level which is nice to hear because we have been working really hard this year so we can move up to first level next year and be competitive. We worked a lot on controlling the shoulders and haunches individually which is very important for me to be able to do especially going to the left which is when Connor falls to the inside. We also worked on spirals pushing the haunches in and out while still maintaining the correct flexion. This is an exercise I need to do more often at home in both the trot and the canter now that Connor is better able to use his muscle properly as we spiral in.

Overall, I am glad we were able to get a spot in the clinic it was very beneficial! I will definitely be looking forward to the next time Roel comes to this area again.

Centerline Events @ HITS on the Hudson

We had a wonderful weekend up at HITS on the Hudson in Saugerties, New York for a Centerline Events show. The weekend was very hot but we tried to stay cool and had tons of fun!

We had a very successful competition weekend. Connor was Champion of the Training Level Adult Amateur Challenge, Champion of the East Coast Riders Training Level Adult Amateur section, and received very good ribbons in the First Level Adult Amateur Challenge. All scores were in the mid to high 60s!

Our Training Test 2 was ridden in front of Axel Stiener and we received some very nice comments from this well know judge and an overall score of 67.875%! It was a great honor to be able to ride in front of him!

Along with the many ribbons Connor came home with prize money, a victory gallop in the international ring, gift card to SmartPak, and other fun gifts! The best was a very nice brand new dressage whip from Westfield Whips!

On Saturday night we attended the Centerline Dinner and watched the Grand Prix Musical Freestyles. All rides were amazing and I look forward to debuting my own musical freestyle at Mystic Valley Hunt Club in October!

It was a good time for everyone and good preparation for NEDA Fall Festival next month!