Sunday, May 20, 2012

Success at the Clinic

Starlight and I had a fun ride with Fred Kappler today at Lane Cove Dressage in Greene, NY.  We emerged not at all horrified and demoralized, as I feared, but instead, I was very pleased and she was her usual willing and steady self.  

Still standing after our ride.  Photo by Trish Pierce
For Starlight, it was her first dressage lesson, doing 10- and 20-meter circles, serpentines, quarter turns and the like.  It was positively the hardest she and I have worked ever during a single ride together.   

I was amazed, once again, by this pony’s cooperative personality and game demeanor.  She’s such a rock star and she received many compliments from Fred and from my friend Trish Pierce, of Foxwin Farm, who joined us on the journey and was very helpful as a groom, photographer, companion and pony complimenter.

Starlight and I were quite bad at the canter, but we did get it going both ways.  We’ll work on that. 

Fred was a kind and perceptive clinician, giving us the type of work we needed to knock the rust off of me and get Starlight using her body in a new, better way.   

Now I’m yawning and she’s dozing.  Two sleepy critters, content with a good day’s work.

2 comments:

  1. You guys were great-- if these videos ever upload, you're going to see a remarkable difference in her self-carriage from beginning of lesson to end. And you two were not at all bad at the canter-- you were very typical green-horse at the canter. She improved that, too! It was a pleasure watching you work together. Great things lie ahead for you both!

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  2. Cool. Great job. 1 of Foxwin's student's Sarah Slocum showed her adorable grey gelding at Foxtale's show. He was great. I have pics of him up on FB under Foxtale's Dressage photo album on my FB page

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