In Motion Sport Horses, LLC Dressage Training , Instruction and Campaigning | Starting Sport Horses with Balance and Forward Movement | Horse Training Granit Bay, Orangevale, Fair Oaks CA | Hand Made Lead Ropes
As I recently said, my blog is so very far behind. However, many events happened during and since 2016 that are note worthy.
Kassandra was a working student for me during her high school years. She is now a college graduate and married! Time flies. She’s a good horse woman, competitor and has fantastic sportsmanship.
I’m so proud of my student Kasandra and her gelding Ace. At their first official dressage league show last weekend, they scored 62% at Training Level Test 2 and a 63% at Training Level Test 3!
Comments Off on SOJODS Spring Fling Dressage Show April, 2016
I just have to say how very proud I am of three particular horse 4-Hers: Jasmine, Kaelyn and Celena. You girls and your mounts did TERRIFIC at jumping and dressage this year.
Jasmine earned a Second Place award in Hunter Hack
Kaelyn earned a Second Place award in Hunter Hack, her first ever jumping competition!
Selena won her Jumping Class!
Each one of you have learned and progressed at jumping and your flat work. It really showed during your classes this week. I’ve enjoyed teaching you and your horses. I look forward to helping each of you learn more and more!
In usual style, the Jumping Clinic at Eastern Slope Ranch in Baker City, OR is always a blast. The students, some new and some repeats, were attentive and inquisitive.
Saturday morning session of flat work. One must have effective flat work to jump well!
Percy and Leslie Dickerson always do a nice job hosting the clinic.This year with the help of Kevin Rasmussen and others, they added a cross-country course to the ranch. They did quit a nice job of building fences and will continue to add to the course for seasons to come.
A zig-zag complex for three different levels, with Lydia Anderson on course.
This fence was built all in fun specifically for long time student, Annika Anderson and her mount this season, Halo. They didn’t jump this obstacle, nor were they suppose to! 🙂
Annika Anderson aboard Halo contemplating tactics to the other side of this giant hay bale.
Saturday afternoon we schooled over a grid of gymnastics on the grass and then headed to the cross country course to school. Each horse and rider combination had an opportunity to practice jumping all the fences of the course, preparing for the following days competition.
Leah Vengley on Chewey, a very green, but willing horse, building confidence going through the grid.
Erin Swanson aboard Red. Red earned the “Most Improved Horse Award” at the clinic.
Sunday morning found me sitting at the judges table, with scribe, Drea Rasmussen for the competitors Dressage Tests. It was the first time for me to see each of these riders actually in a competition. I am very proud of each one!
Marilyn Williams and Blue
To wrap up the days Derby Competition, Leslie presented the awards. She went all out for the winners of each division. Awards for the clinic were also given to Marilyn Williams for The Most Improved Rider and Erin Swanson’s horse “Red” for The Most Improved Horse.
The Award Ceremony
All in all, it was a terrific weekend. I look forward to heading back across the state for another clinic at Eastern Slope Ranch in 2015!
It is already July and that means it is time for the annual Jumping Clinic at Eastern Slope Ranch in Baker City OR. The clinic is on Friday and Saturday, July 18th &19th. The focus will be on dressage, hence flat work, and over fences. It is designed to challenge each rider, but to meet them at the level they are currently. It is open to riders of all experience and levels.
Marilyn and Blue
Sunday will follow the clinic with a Derby. Each competitor will have an opportunity to ride a dressage test and to take a derby round of fences. A derby is a combination of cross-country and stadium fences set on a cross-county course.
Last Years Group on Sunday
Eastern Slope Ranch always does a wonderful job of hosting and everyone seems to have a wonderful time. Details are available at www.easternsloperanch.com Come join us!
Marta, an experienced rider with a very green horse, ended very successfully last year.
What a difficult thing it is to lose a horse, whether it be tragic, illness or age related. Horses are such an incredible animal that it is very easy for us to become very emotionally attached. Such is one of In Motion Sport Horses students, Shannon.
Casino, Shannon and her ever supportive mom, Mary
Shannon has owned Casino, an OTTB gelding, turned hunter-jumper, school horse, for the last 12 years. Casino has played an extremely important part of Shannon’s riding and walking, for that matter. You see, Shannon has cerebral palsy. Doctor’s said she would never walk. However her parents thought differently. They had her riding horseback at a very young age. Casino was a horse at the stable where she went to ride regularly in Hawaii. The two made a fast bond with one another. When Shannon’s family planned to move to the mainland, Casino’s owner gave him to her, knowing the two of them would not do well separated. So Casino boarded a plane and moved to Oregon.
Casino enjoying the summer sun
Now at 31 years old, his body is tired. Casino’s vet monitored him very closely for the last five months of his life. The vet and Shannon determined when it was time for him to be put down, humanly, as opposed to letting him suffer. It was an extremely difficult decision to come to for Shannon, but one she knows was on Casino’s behalf.
Shannon sharing a quiet moment with Casino
Casino is missed on a daily basis. Thankfully, the tincture of time is very healing. Shannon continues to ride her Icelandic gelding and owns a very lovely thoroughbred mare.
Our Sunday group from left to right: Annika Andersen, Marta Andersen, Marilyn Williams, Caitlin Robb and Carrie Allen
Under a beautiful eastern Oregon sky, a group of wonderful gals and their horses gathered awaiting instruction. A jumping clinic has become an annual event at Eastern Slope Ranch. I am privileged to be invited there as the clinician.
Mattea and Mr. McKinley
We spent much of Saturday doing only flat work. At the end of the day a circle of cavalettis were added and the horses and girls did several exercises over them.
Caitlin and Zeus working on position, roundness and throughness
On Sunday, we followed up with more flat work and then moved outside of the arena to the jumping field. Each horse and rider pair had improved from the day prior and years past. Even a young, green horse was happy to jump with his rider for the first time.
Marta and Caden jumping the gate for the very first time!
Marilyn and Blue ~ legs down and hand up the crest!
Annika and Noche’ looking for the next fence
Our Saturday group taking a break while Carrie adjusts Daisy’s bridle. From left to right: Marilyn Williams, Annika Andersen, Sarah Backstrap, Caitlin Robb, Marta Andersen hiding behind Caitlin and Mattea
Yesterday I had the privilege of riding Esmerelda with Debbie Evans. What a great lesson! Debbie really helped us to fill some gaps between training and first level, working mainly on submission. I’m looking forward to saddling up today to duplicate yesterdays ride! Many thanks to Marleen Dierkes who transported us, along with her big warmblood boy, Stinker.
Working on submission through the poll.
I love riding and learning, so it is always easy to smile for the camera at such occasions!
GET SIGNED UP! July 6-7th is the annual Jumping Clinic at Eastern Slope Ranch. You can download an entry form from this link. Hope to see you there!! www.easternsloperanch.com
It is a real privilege to teach horses and humans! I consider myself fortunate to have wonderful students, one of which is Anna. She is a member of the Hidden Valley High School Equestrian Team. Their first meet of the year took place this weekend.
Anna took on an OTTB (Off Track Thoroughbred) as a project. His name is Flyer. He has a tendency to be a bit hot and tense. Anna is doing such a great job being soft and quiet in her ride, providing him reassurance.
Flyer got a bit herd bound at the competition, wondering were his trailer buddies were, but eventually settled and went to work in the warm up. The dressage competition ring ran over an hour behind schedule. When it was Anna and Flyer”s turn to enter the ring, he was a bit apprehensive, but a good boy. Anna did a great job piloting Flyer through Training Level Test 3. Flyer certainly showed his tense concerns, but was obedient.
I am very proud of both of them! Now we all head back to the practice ring in the next months and see how much improvement we can make together.
