Big Week Ahead!

Hi everyone,

Very excited for this upcoming week.  Monday and Tuesday I will ride with the US Team coaches, Missy Ransehausen and Sharon Schneidmann.  Sharon has not seen Dylan since Nationals in May, and Missy only saw him briefly in June before he threw a shoe during our warm-up.  So...I'm hoping they like what they see, and the direction we're going in.  

My greatest concern is that he has been a little fresh - and when he gets fresh he gets a little unpredictable.  It's sort of like riding a roller coaster...slow to start, but you better hang on for what might come next!!  I worked with my trainer Jenny Nell on how to warm him up in such a way that I keep his attention, and get his energy focused in a better way - it isn't just a matter of getting him forward and through, I have to add in a shoulder-fore, or a transition, to make sure he's not looking for more "exciting" things to do!

He moved over to the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center facility on Thursday, so hopefully he will be relaxed and ready to get down to business come Monday morning.

After the Thanksgiving Holiday, I will be moving Dylan up to Trilogy Farms in Monroe, home of Roxanne Christensen Dressage.  I'm very excited about this opportunity!  I am also incredibly grateful to have the support of not one, but two great trainers, as I forge into the year ahead! 

On to WEG!

 

Rolling right along...

Hello Friends -

Just a quick update.  Nothing too exciting going on.  Getting ready for the USEF clinic in a few weeks.  I hope that Dylan brings his "A Game".  Lately we've been a bit hit & miss - fantastic rides interspersed with rides where Dylan alternates between his feet being glued to the ground, and his favorite trick, the "spook & bolt".  The most annoying thing is that he doesn't actually spook...it's more like a convenient leap followed by an all out run to get out of whatever task we're working on at the moment.    I can almost hear him singing "I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys R Us kid....".  

We're starting work on the medium trot.  He has gotten to the place where he can actually "push" instead of "pull" his way through them, and we are now trying to teach him that if he keeps his poll up, he can really reach through his shoulder.  He enjoys it, to say the least.  Canterwork is coming along.  Sort of the same phenomenon - he is now initiating the strike off from the hind legs, and "pushing"...but there were a few weeks where he would strike off, then his legs would get all tangled.  Did some work on the lunge to help him sort it out, and we're in a good space now as far as that goes.  We're able to approach the subject of walk to canter now, without too much drama.

I am feeling more confident that we'll get the pieces together in the next few months.

Going to start working on timelines, budgets, and plans soon (exciting!).  Hoping the financial aspect will all come together.  

Until next time....heels down, eyes up, and keep riding!