Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
So? How did the simulator go? All I can so is wow, wow, wow! That was by far the best lesson money I have spent. If you live anywhere near Ventura, or you hear that Luke will be in your area, I strongly urge you to give him a try. The Ventura County Chapter of CDS put on a really nice clinic. They had lunch both days, although I didn't stay on Sunday to eat, and all of the participants were super friendly. The clinic was held at Spirit Equestrian which is quite the lovely facility. Check out their website. I snapped a few photos of the grounds on Sunday, but my photos don't do the place justice. I was in the afternoon session. Barbro Ask-Upmark started with a brief lecture explaining how Luke came to be and how he works. Since I was first, I tossed my saddle up and cinched him up. He has such a live presence that it was weird to cinch him up so matter-of-factly without worrying about pinching him. The first part of the ride was simply about assessing the rider's balance. Barbro set Luke to walk, trot, and canter for one minute. My job was to sit like I normally do and hold the reins. There was no need to steer or use my legs. At the end of the minute, Barbro printed out my results so that I could see what I needed to work on. Here's a photo of one of the other riders during her lesson. My core proved to be pretty stable, but Barbro helped me lengthen my spine. The simulator also showed that my left leg is weaker than my right; my left hand is stronger than my right; and my right wrist is blocking the flow of energy.
During the first day, Barbro helped me with my pelvis position, rock it back, and had me work on taking a firmer hold of the reins, a necessity for establishing a good, steady contact which is an area I've really needed to work on. The second day we focused on contact and maintaining the contact while steering. I discovered that I hold the left rein too long in the turn. More tomorrow, including a video.
Angela
11/12/2012 11:10:48 pm
The clinic sounds amazing! I'm just awe-struck (if that's a word) that it could tell how your right wrist was blocking the flow of energy! I get how it can determine your balance and detect your weaker and stronger sides/limbs, but the flow of energy...Simply amazing!! I need to do this. Just one question. Did you post the cost? Perhaps, I missed it. If you are open to sharing the cost, I would love to know.
Karen
11/13/2012 10:38:00 am
It really was great, Angela. Tomorrow's post talks about the cost, but it was $180 for both days, $90 for a 45 minute lesson. I paid that same price to ride with Leslie Web so I think it's the going rate (or maybe less) for lessons with well-known instructors. I really want to go again this winter.
Karen
11/13/2012 10:39:00 am
They had several nice dressage arenas, at least three! It was a great clinic. I plan on going back for more rides with her - it was that good! Awesome! Didn't realize you were at Spirit (thought it was at El Sueno for some reason) - what a gorgeous facility. I got to board there for a few weeks after emergency evacuating following a mudslide down the road. Anyways, I'm so interested to hear more about your experience - I thought it was so overpriced but if its money well spent then I sure need to take a second look!
Karen
11/13/2012 10:41:56 am
Sarah - it would have been great to meet - next time for sure. I paid $90 a lesson to ride for 45 minutes with Leslie Web. I thought this was better for the same price. I can't afford to do this every week, but for an occasional thing, the money was totally worth it. My trainer LOVED the results she saw in me and is interested in going down to try it out for herself. I am going to write about my Monday lesson with her. She was really impressed with what I was able to learn in such a short time. :0)
martina peterson
11/14/2012 08:12:23 am
I was curious to know that when you are on "Luke" do you look on the screen as if you are actually out riding
Karen
11/14/2012 09:18:02 pm
Hi Mom! It depended on what I was working on - if it was just balance, I watched the screen to see where I was off balance. The next day, I actually "rode" which was like those video games where you drive a race car. In front of me was a dressage court so I had to steer Luke around so that I didn't ride through the wall. It was pretty hard but also quite fun! Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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