DefinitelyDressage.com

Gwen

I have to wonder what it would have taken to get an 8 on those fc's and halts for instance. I hope I can give as solid a test on Rudy one day, as you rode at that show. In the pouring rain no less! :mrgreen: . 100% agree with this. Currently riding an endorphin high after a jump lesson where we war...

Gwen

I was trying to see where the beacon thingies you set up for the pixio are?? I think you are doing well, you just have to keep chipping away at it, and then you look back and it all is easier. I took a while to get the simple changes right and now they are quite easy, I never thought they would be....

Gwen

Love the photos and the commentary Dresseur, very interesting. Dresseur and Piedmont - thank you for the suggestions on my core, I can see what you are saying - I'm sort of breaking under the ribs to absorb the movement, so there's a lot of pelvis bouncing. I tried today to use the imagery of fillin...

Gwen

I'm so glad Bliss is better Rosie, and you are back in the saddle! We had a schooling show yesterday but had to scratch due to all the crazy rain and cold, we weren't riding until the afternooon and the ring was a puddle by 11! In other news, our barn got a pixio! And I got to test drive it in my le...

Gwen

This really is just amazing Khall! And I hope you will take copious notes on your Spain trip, I have wanted to do that trip for quite some time, and I want to hear all about it!

Gwen

VLF, I'm so sorry, losing the D700 must be heartbreaking. I loved mine and understood it so well it was like an extension of my brain, when it finally started to go wrong (it kept shutting itself down and corrupting video cards, sent it to Nikon and they couldn't fix it), I didn't know what to do. I...

Gwen

Thank you Sue B! And I totally get what you are saying with the focus required just to keep your body in the right place, never mind the concentration any given exercise takes on top of that! And yes, I think it will be quite a big deal for us as a "couple". Rode her in the outdoor today, ...

Gwen

That's amazing Khall!!!!

Gwen

Svv he looks gorgeous! Love that hind leg.

Gwen

I'm glad you were able to have good rides after such a challenging night, and I'm glad you are almost done with them for the week! Had a jump lesson with my trainer today for the first time with Callie, and I. NEED. MORE. OF. THAT. Oh my goodness. So, so fun!! And the biggest thing for me was learni...

Gwen

Khall I still can't believe that your filly is old enough to start, time flies!! Yesterday was pretty good - two bolts (or maybe just big scoots? Not sure what language to use for these) and a whole lot of tension, but we worked through it. Certainly not our best work, but we got to a point where I ...

Gwen

Congratulations cb06, and what wonderful photos! You guys look fantastic! I've definitely had that "I have no legs, where are my legs!" feeling, it's QUITE disconcerting.

Gwen

Yes, certainly countless issues have been magically resolved by becoming a better rider. :lol: I think I need to think of this as learning how to ride her, and what she needs from me, in this context. And the only way to do it is to keep riding her in this context. I think I need to focus more inten...

Gwen

I'm *so* glad to hear he's feeling better, and it sounds like a positive development in terms of getting to the bottom of the issue. It must feel good to be able to participate in the research into this issue, knowing your contributions will help others dealing with this as well.

Gwen

Mountaineer, she's still worried and would spook if she could, but my trainer is much quicker than she is (and than I am!) so she doesn't really get the chance to act on her fears. :lol: I'm not saying I stay totally relaxed, but I am significantly better than I used to be, and can honestly say that...

Gwen

Wow, everyone, it looks like it's been an eventful first week for all! Jingles and congratulations and good lucks all around, wherever appropriate! Got back in the saddle today, was able to join a fix-a-test at my barn, which was nice to do before the show this weekend. We were in the dreaded (by Ca...

Gwen

Miro looks fabulous! Good luck with the clinic and the trainer search tuddy, would love to hear about how the clinic goes! We're off to an inauspicious start to May/June, as my 5yo daughter, after a night of high fever and vomiting, tested positive for the flu this morning. We're all vaccinated so h...

Gwen

I'm loving that spring is here, so much inspiration all around! It's fun to feel the creative urge again, it's been on hold a bit.

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Gwen

Jumping in also - I don't have a printer, I've always relied on Social Print Studio and Artifact Uprising for the times when I've actually been able to decide what the heck to print! I am semi-seriously considering a digital frame - they make them much nicer than they used to, so they look gallery-l...

Gwen

We had a change yesterday with NO anticipating!! She had, in general, been trying to change as soon as we turned on (any) diagonal and I started asking her to be straight, but yesterday we turned, got straight, and stayed calm and straight past X (!) and the second I asked gave a big change! So exci...

Gwen

Oh Mountaineer, how disappointing!! I'm so sorry. I'm glad the vet is optimistic about the outcome. Good luck with the surgery Kyra's Mom, I hope it goes as smoothly as possible and the outcome is everything you hope for! Khall, I'll keep jingling, that's encouraging news and I hope Rip responds abo...

Gwen

I'm so sorry to hear about Rip, khall, what a nightmare. I hope you are able to get some answers, and that he continues to be comfortable and happy as long as possible. First show is coming up, a schooling show mid-May. Need to make sure I know my tests... I also have to figure out some musical free...

Gwen

Omg that is so adorable!!! She is just DARLING.

Gwen

She's lovely! Congratulations!

Gwen

We rode outside in the scary (for Callie) outdoor today and it was fabulous. A couple of early spooks, but easily managed. It's funny because imagining riding out there causes an eruption of butterflies in my stomach, but the reality was totally fine. I walked her for a while first - she's a horse w...

Gwen

Wonderful photos, and a great show report! My favorite thing about showing is the feeling of "we did it!" followed by "we have so much to do!" - it's so motivating.

Speedy healing!

Gwen

I agree Chisamba, my favorite thread on the internet! I wish I had someone to video me every week, I have to take what I can get. The barn has bought a pixio they are going to install in the ring so we can all video ourselves and our lessons, which is so exciting. Loved the show outings, go DDBers! ...

Gwen

My friend videoed my lesson this week, which was enlightening and helpful, if demoralizing. :lol: Trot is looking pretty good and strong, canter looks miles away from where we need it to be. And my position makes me nuts. Thighs creeping too far forward, leg coming up - I'm allowing Callie to sneak ...

Gwen

Welcome back! Handy is so darling! Love the snow picture.

Gwen

Good news on Laddie! And good luck dresseur, I'm sure you guys will be fine! We are so close on the changes... so close. We were going to stop working on them as we gear up for showing 2nd level, but they are SO close we're going to see if we can get them confirmed (with me, I think they're quite co...

Gwen

Thanks all for the super helpful suggestions! I'll give it a go in the next week or so and report back. I'm hoping to have my lesson today in the outdoor arena also - it's surrounded by trees, with a highway on the other side and she can see the cars flashing through the trees and it makes her nuts!...

Gwen

My friend and I, reviewing the footage that night, were literally rolling on the floor! It was funny at the time, and even funnier in retrospect!

Gwen

Here's the video, finally! Clips from almost every ride (the first ride I hadn't figured out the right set up for the gopro so it was pointed at the horse's neck. Whoops! https://youtu.be/bj_XP5gO6Mw One of the clips is me getting run away with! :lol: :roll: The perils of sticky winter riding gloves...

Gwen

I was gone again for a week taking my daughter to my parents, so I'm just getting back in - I keep trying to compose responses to people but my memory is atrocious - I'm so glad Laddie's lameness is not more serious, and enjoyed reading all the back in the saddle/epiphany/training progress posts! Ju...

Gwen

Thank you everyone! These are wonderful suggestions. Yes, Chisamba, I agree! I have also thought about getting into eventing - just baby novice stuff - for the exposure for both of us.

When the snow melts I'll suck it up and give it a go, and then report back!

Gwen

This sounds wonderful, I really enjoyed reading it and pretending to have been there!

Gwen

So, as we are working more on getting power into the lengthened/extended gaits, I'm realizing how limiting working in an indoor or fenced outdoor is. There's always a clear end, so every lengthen comes with that in mind and is more conservative as a result. We have a big beautiful cross country jump...

Gwen

Nice pics Flight! And I know what you mean, those moments of "This, THIS is it!" Followed months later by oh no wait, *this*, this is more it." :lol: Had a better ride today - in canter I just worked for on and back, on and back, without changing rein length, suppleness or bend. She's...

Gwen

So glad you all enjoyed the pictures! It was fun for me to write it out. And thanks for all the sweater love! I'm having to take a knitting break, I've been overdoing it this year and I keep getting tendinitis flareups... :evil: :cry: I have so many projects I want to get started on, and to finish!!...

Gwen

What stunning pictures! How cold was it? It was warmer than it is here in Northeast right now!! The temperatures tend to hover just above and below 0 Celsius, and we didn't get much wind so when the sun was out it was like a spring day, and the day it snowed it started warm, got colder and snowed a...

Gwen

Jingles for good weather and soundness for all! New goals: - Try to maintain looseness I learned from riding Icelandic horses last week - something about the way they ride helped me truly get a tension free hip and draped leg - desperately hoping I maintain that for a while! - connection connection ...

Gwen

That sounds like a wonderful trip! Thank you for posting all the photos and details. I'm looking forward to your videos. I love the sweaters that you designed and knitted. Wow, you are talented! Did the horses use special shoes when competing on the ice? Thank you! I'm hoping to get the video toget...

Gwen

Yes, all the tour horses went in snaffle + drop, and most of the competition horses were in similar set ups. Some were in what I was told was a traditional Icelandic bit? I'll see if I took any photos of those bits - they are quite a bit stronger, and one of the fellow tour participants (who rides i...

Gwen

Some nice trots:

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And the group of the top five finalists in the Tolt competition:

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Gwen

Ok, some of the photos from the "good" camera of the Open: This was the champion of the Tolt competition (no trot or pace shown in this). It was the final one so presumably the most prestigious. He was an absolutely stunning stallion. There were a large number of stallions and mares all sh...

Gwen

In only tangentially related Icelandic horse reporting, I designed and knitted my friend and myself matching horse sweaters!

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Gwen

The Myvatn Open! So EXCITING. This was the competition track: IMG_2266.jpg The track going to the left was the warmup, straight out was the track itself. In general, the competitors would, one at a time, go out and back in slow tolt, trot, fast tolt, and in the more advanced classes, would then need...

Gwen

This was my ice tolting partner, Gola, who's name means "Breeze". Which is appropriate, I had ridden her in the snow the previous day (before riding the rocket on the home leg of the ride) and she was so smooth and surefooted, I trusted her so much that whenever the ride sped up to fast to...

Gwen

IMG_2700.jpg The third day we went to a frozen lake to experience tolting on ice, and to be there for the Myvatn Open the next day - a big competition with many of the best horses and riders in Iceland competing. We were at a farmer's place waiting for our horses to arrive, and sat around admiring ...

Gwen

IMG_2636.JPG IMG_2699.jpg This guy was my little rocket! So lovely and soft to ride, but I discovered an occupational hazard of riding in sticky winter gloves with a foot long mane... when he got excited coming out of the river, and I had given him a bit too much rein to find his way, trying to get...

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