Tuesday Lessons

I've lamented my lack of a nearby dressage trainer since ... forever. For a number of years I've been making the long trek to Simi Valley, a 5 hour round trip, to ride with Chemaine Hurtado (owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables).

For the past six months, I've been able to round up enough interested riders that I was able to put on twice monthly clinics here in Bakersfield with Chemaine teaching. Having a lesson twice a month gave Speedy, Izzy, and me a big upward boost in our training. Then, Chemaine bought a house in Bear Valley Springs, an equestrian community just an hour east of us.

From last week's lesson: FINALLY! Poll is up and hind leg is engaged.

That changed everything. All of a sudden, I started getting a lesson once a week. Today is lesson day. I am so thrilled with how much Speedy and I are learning. Last week, we tackled the shoulder in - ask me sometime how to ride it completely WRONG. Now that I see Chemaine every week, we can work on finessing little stuff instead of always tackling one huge issue at a time.

Starting to develop an uphill frame!

Today I am hoping we can do some work on travers (haunches in) - Speedy's a little braced and definitely heavier than I think is right. And like the shoulder in, I am probably going to find out that I've been doing it wrong anyway.

​I'll let you know!