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E.I Fall Freestyle Clinic Report
Carol Barone

As I started up the driveway to enter Pacific Moon Equestrian Center,I couldn’t help but be struck by the fact that attending one of The Equestrian’s Institute’s semi-annual musical freestyle clinics was starting to become a very familiar ritual for me. I’d participated in two previous clinics with my mare Hilary, and was excited to return for the third round with my homebred Hanoverian youngster Atrevido (Alfredo to his friends) to work on his first freestyle. According to Kathleen Doyle, clinic organizer extraordinaire, this was the 10th EI-sponsored Karen Robinson freestyle clinic held in the Puget Sound area over the past 5 years. Musical Freestyles continue to gain popularity here in the Pacific Northwest as evidenced by over 25 freestyle entries at this summer’s Champagne Classic horse show. Freestyles are always a crowd pleaser, but it’s clear from this clinic that they are becoming a rider favorite as well.

Nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, Pacific Moon is the perfect venue for an event such as this one, and facility owner Karen Moore personally makes everyone feel welcome. The fabulous footing, relaxed atmosphere, and individual grass turn out paddocks must seem like a spa vacation for the equine participants.

The clinic begins with an evening introductory lecture graciously hosted by Pacific Moon, followed by two days of individual rider sessions where participants select music suitable for their horses and work on choreography. By the end of Friday’s introduction, all of the participants and auditors realized that Karen Robinson has an amazing intuitive sense for matching music to horses. Karen’s parents had a deep appreciation for music, which they shared with their children. In addition to riding and competing on her own horse, Karen is also a journalist. Her frequent travels to international equestrian events give her a unique perspective in regard to what works, and what doesn’t in terms of a successful freestyle. Her international clientele includes Leslie Morse, Leslie Reid, and Mexico’s Bernadette Pujals. Through her choreography, Karen is in a unique position of being able to set international trends, not just analyze and respond to them.

As part of her presentation, Karen reviewed basic concepts for freestyle design and provided perspective on how a judge may approach the scoring process. She discussed strategies for incorporating required movements so the choreography would be interesting and technically demanding, all the while being mindful of the fact that the judge has to keep track of the movements in order to score them. After watching some taped rides, all of us had the feeling that a good freestyle has a bit of an indefinable, almost magical quality associated with it that helps to make it appealing. As participants, I think all of us felt that Karen was clearly the right person to help us capture a little bit of this magic over the course of the next two days for our own rides.

One of the most fascinating parts of these clinics is meeting the diverse group of both human and equine participants. Some attendees were complete newbies to the freestyle process, while others had worked with Karen at previous clinics, and were returning to polish or increase the difficulty level of existing freestyles or develop new ones for new horses. The horses ranged from first level to FEI in their level of training, and rider aspirations ranged from local to regional to international competitions. Each of the riders had their own personal set of goals and expectations for the clinic, and most of us also had initial thoughts about what sort of music would suit our horses. One thing that I recalled from my previous work with Karen is that these clinics are always full of smiles and the unexpected!

Nicole Grous attended the clinic with her “new” equine partner of six months, Phoenix, a 10 year-old Dutch gelding in order to prepare a second level freestyle for next year. Nicole enjoys riding to music, and thinks of it as a fun way to help consolidate her own training. “Freestyle makes you very aware of the rhythm (you have to be consistent), your horse’s mood (is he forward, or do we need to be more motivated today), and helps you to learn to enhance the movements. You want to make sure the judge knows you’re doing a shoulder-in on the center line, not a traverse or a sloppy straight line!” Phoenix is a bright chestnut with exceptionally rhythmic gaits, and he responded well to Celtic music, much to Nicole’s amazement. “Karen is so personable and takes each ride very seriously. She works with international level riders, but makes you feel your freestyle is just as important. She has a talent to pull music to fit the horse, but is also very amenable to working with the rider’s selections. Interestingly, the music most riders thought would work well, didn’t. She was able to pull some surprises that worked REALLY well, like my Celtic music.”

Rider Erin Alberda has international aspirations, and returned with her equine partner Valeur, intent on revising and polishing her existing freestyle. Valeur is an impressive black Danish gelding owned by the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. According to Erin, Valeur is a bit of a goofball around the barn, but in the ring, his size and color translate into an amazing amount of presence. Erin has been partnered with Valeur for over a year. The pair competed successfully at a national level in 2007, and hopes to qualify for the US Para Equestrian team for 2008! Karen helped Erin and Valeur with their initial freestyle that they have been competing since February of this year. According to Erin, “I’ve gotten numerous compliments on my music- lots of people wanting to know where I got it, who designed it, etc. At Pacific Moon, I specifically came in to work with Karen to iron out some very small kinks in the freestyle. We added in lateral work, and tightened up the choreography so that my timing was better in a variety of footings. I now feel well prepared for the Selection Trials for the Paralympics in 2008. I definitely appreciate that Karen is familiar with the Para Equestrian through her work with the Canadian team, as the requirements are quite a bit different from the USDF tests.”

And what about my own equine partner Alfredo? At five years old, I’ve owned him for his entire life, so I’m probably more than little prejudiced when I describe him as one of the cutest little chestnut horses I’ve ever seen. Karen was kind enough to humor me and agree with my barn-blind assessment before moving on to musical selection for my first-level freestyle. My only sentiment in regard to musical selection was “no show tunes, please!” After a few samples, we reached the conclusion that Alfredo was an 80’s kind of guy. Our trot music was Pop Goes the World by Men Without Hats, and One Trick Pony by Paul Simon fit his canter to a “T”. We also worked a bit on choreography the second day. Since Alfredo is fairly small as far a warmbloods go and quite handy, Karen’s goal for us was to come up with choreography that would emphasize that characteristic without being so busy that the judge would lose track of the movements.

At the conclusion of the clinic, it was clear that all of us felt like we had captured a little bit of that magic, and hoped that it would carry over into our competitive freestyles next year. I look forward to following up with each of the participants to keep track of their progress. I think that our work with Karen provided each of us with something special and unique to incorporate as a part of our musical performance. And what did each of us really discover over the weekend? I think that Ashley Bowen summed this up best. “I came to realize how much I depend on my horse and appreciate him, not only as a valuable teammate, but as an irreplaceable friend!”

Equestrians’ Institute will host the next Freestyle Clinic with Karen Robinson on February 8-10, 2008 at Bear Creek Farm in Woodinville, WA. For more information, please contact Kathleen Doyle at Equita8@comcast.net or (425) 681-7811.

Heidi Gloudemans - E.I. Grant Recipient 2007

When I was putting together my E.I grant application, I started scouring USDF, USEF and local schedules for a clinician that I thought would be a good choice for my grant money. I felt like a kid in a candy store. An ounce of Karen Robinson, how about a pound of Anne Gribbons? My inner dressage geek was salivating.

But as I read clinician backgrounds, and asked for feedback on online dressage boards, I realized that I wasn’t looking at this process the right way. I wasn’t looking at myself first, and finding a program that would help me improve where I was weak. And really, how much can just one clinician ride do? It’s only after I took a good hard look at my riding through videos, photos and scoring sheets that I decided to form a “rider fitness program” with local pilates instructor Beth Glosten.

I had an ephiphany of normal fitness vs. riding fitness during a particularly difficult lesson with my trainer, Shaun McLaughlin. My goofy, charming but huge moving mount, Mandela, was making me work entirely too hard. But I knew it was mostly my own fault of really not being balanced enough. After a lot of huffing a puffing, I lasted all but 15 minutes in that lesson. The next day I ran 4 miles without breaking a sweat. Fitness and riding go hand in hand, but are not necessarily equal to the same thing.

For my grant, I had 3 one-on-one sessions with Beth Glosten in her pilates studio followed by 2 mounted sessions. I won’t bore you, dear readers with the particulars of our exercises or the history/benefits of pilates. But I will tell you that after my studio sessions, Beth was able to point out where my weaknesses were likely to be in the saddle. (Half pass problems? How about flying changes? J) Without the business of riding to get in the way of focusing on those weaknesses, I was able to become aware of them. I became aware of how physically strong my arms and shoulders were, and how I had allowed them to dominate where I should have let me core take the lead. (Something we all know intellectually, but intellect and the physical don’t always align!) I became aware of the small tweaks in my balance that would allow my driving aids to be more effective. My core was strong, but it was just knowing how to better use it.

Our studio session findings were put to the test under saddle. I was happy to find that the exercises in the studio (and my subsequent homework exercises) did indeed translate to better body awareness in the saddle. Though my riding in the lessons themselves was almost clumsy as I really pushed my body to retrain itself, Beth helped me become excited by the changes I was feeling.

It hasn’t been until almost a month later that I have really seen some exciting results in our riding. Though, like everyone, we have our ups and downs, I’ve found the quality of my half halts has markedly improved, and as a result so has the quality of most of our movements. The other day, just for kicks, I asked for our first canter half-pirouette after a circle of riding haunches-in, and BAM there it was. I don’t think I was balanced enough to have done that 3 months ago.

In retrospect, what I gained from this experience wasn’t necessarily better fitness, but better awareness. I’m really happy I got the chance to do these sessions with Beth, and I hope that all E.I members take the opportunity to participate in the grant program.

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Young Rider Camp on E.I. Grant
by Kelly Lynch

I am grateful for the eventing grant that I received from E.I. In June 2007. I attended the Young Rider’s Camp held at Inavale Farm in Oregon. It was not only a lot of fun, but a good learning experience for myself and my horse, Shay.

The camp opened up on Tuesday, when we settled in, then I went to a dressage lesson with John Camlin. We spent time on our transitions, keeping Shay’s head down, and not hollowing when going down to a transition. This was good reinforcement for what my instructor Denise Green always says to me.

Wednesday was the most fun going cross country with Tricia Dahms as instructor. She was on the Canadian team and really had a lot of good instruction. We worked on galloping and collecting into the canter, and then moving forward to the jump. I felt we could jump anything after her instruction.

Later, I had a great dressage lesson with Loris Henry. She helped me to get Shay in rhythm and asking for canter at the correct time. We worked on sitting trot, always important, and keeping the right amount of contact.

Thursday was a jump lesson with John. We did several gymnastics and then would turn left or right when he called out the jump. This was a good exercise because both horse and rider needed to pay close attention and look where they wanted to go. We worked on turning in the air, using your balance and head to determine the direction to go.

Thursday also gave me the opportunity to have a dressage lesson with Tricia. We worked on keeping Shay from leaning on me into the corners. At the end of the lesson, he was balanced and turning correctly while moving into the corners. We also worked on circles, riding the four points correctly- again a good reinforcement from Denise.

Friday was a free choice day for everyone. I chose a dressage lesson with Bea Di Grazia as she was giving lunge lessons which everyone seemed to not only enjoy, but needed. We worked a lot on sitting trot and balancing without stirrups and keeping a long leg, something we can’t get enough of.

Stable management was given by Anni Grandia. She made the whole camp fun and was very instructive. We were shown the correct way to wrap and had opportunities to practice. I learned a new way to sew in braids, and she made sure that everyone was taking care of their horses properly.

I am very grateful to Equestrians’ Institute for giving me the opportunity to attend this worthwhile camp. It was a great learning experience, both for me horse wise, and socially, meeting the other young riders. I encourage others to come next year. Fun was had by all.

Sincerely, Kelly Lynch

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Sky Mountain Stable's 2006 Eventing Camp
Alison Gertler

I had a great time at Sky Mountain Stable's 2006 Eventing Camp! It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot! As a result of going to this camp, I was able to compete in 3-day eventing at Donida Farms for the first time.
Everyday at camp we did dressage, stadium jumping, and cross country. Andrea Brown, the instructor, built a mini cross-country course for us, which included 2 straw bale jumps, a bench jump, and 2 sets of trot poles. Part of the course also included a trail by the river and a "maze". We worked on having control over our horses outside the arena and did dressage in a cross country setting. We also did dressage drill
team and drill team with jumps.
Thank you so much E.I. for giving me this grant. Without everything I learned at Sky Mountain Stable's Eventing camp, I wouldn't have been able to compete at Donida Farms.

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Lothar’s Centennial Ride
August 2006

Dr. Lothar Pinkers, well known Bellevue Washington General & Trauma Ssurgeon, and his mount, Get’s Spellbinder, performed a Century Club ride at the Whidbey Equestrian Center’s August Summer Dressage Show. They rode First Level, Test 1 with a score of 60%.

The Century Club was formed in 1996 by The Dressage Foundation to honor horse and rider teams whose combined age was at least 100. Dr. Pinkers and Get’s Spellbinder are the second Washington State Recipients of this honor. The first Washington honored team was Eugene Duber, Col. USMC (ret) and his horse, V P Medley in 2001.

Dr. Lothar, who started riding at the age of 56 as a dare with his equestrien wife, inherited Get’s Spellbinder (Sid) from his veterinarian daughter, Dr Diane Pinkers when she went off to veterinarian college. They had competed at Training and First levels in western Washington until Sid was sidelined with an suspensory injury.

Lothar, at the urging of Gene Duber, joined the Equestrians’ Institute in 1997. He served on EI’s Board for several years as Dressage Director, was instrumental in reinstating the well known l’Aperitif and Champagne Classic Dressage shows, and continues to serve as manager for the recognized EI dressage shows. He is the Show Secretary for the USDF Region 6 Dressage Northwest shows. Lothar also serves on the board, as Treasurer, of The Bridle Trails Park Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to the preservation of Bridle Trails State Park as an equestrian and pedestrian Washington State Park.

Lothar is a member of “The Famous Last Words Society” when, as mother and daughter Diane went out to Diane’s first riding lesson, was heard to exclaim, “Remember, We Are NOT Buying a Horse!”

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Camp Henrik, July 2006
by Peter Skjøtt Larsen


Introduction - Thanks to a supporting spouse who’s left with 9 horses to tend, I rush home from work on July 21, saddle up my truck and trailer and pack my trusty steed Pharaoh in cotton for transport to a 5 day clinic at Wildwood Equestrian Center on Whidbey Island to train dressage with Henrik Johansen and Ulla Boysen. This event is called “Camp Henrik” and is targeted at a broad range of riders wanting an introduction to, or refresher on, Henrik’s positive approach to riding and training. Henrik and Ulla have conducted many such clinics in the Northwest, and they work well as a team. Ulla Boysen – a brilliant trainer in her own right – is master of logistics, paperwork and also of lunge and long line lessons and Henrik Johansen is the center of theory and practical dressage training at camp.

Positive Riding - Henrik and Ulla have been promoting Positive Riding with lessons and articles on the web at http://www.positiveriding.com for many years. Riding dressage is all about creating a partnership where we set up the horse for success. We have to know what the horse is capable of at any given time, and we have to plan our training to push the boundary a little when we can. Henrik asks for harmony between you and your horse, and wants you to ride the horse you would “want to ride” creating a mold for your horse to fill. He also talks about the horse leaving the arena with more answers than questions every time. These are good examples of the up-beat inspirational attitude Henrik brings to his training.

Getting There - I live in Duvall WA, so Whidbey Island is just one long trailer-ride away. Getting ready involves getting a room on the island and packing anything I needed for a short week. Hay and grain for the horse and all the supplements we give him on a daily basis. The main concern of course, is the horse, but I also had to contend with some real work-work in the middle of the clinic, and I needed a computer and some civil clothes. After a few hours and bottles of chilled water later, my horse Pharaoh and I arrived at Wildwood after some false turns. The pony got fed and tucked away for the night, and I went on to my hotel in town and some food of my own.

The Setup - Wildwood Equestrian Center is set up pretty well for this kind of clinic. The participants were a mix of campers on site, in cabins and people staying in Oak Harbor a few good stone throws away. The facility has a nice roomy indoor arena saving us from the summer sun, and a second indoor arena for simultaneous lunge-lessons. Most importantly for camp Henrik, Wildwood has a nice classroom setting which provided an important start of most of the 5 days. The property has nice wooded trails and a track to cool out the ponies after a hard ride. Our horses were afforded nice box-stalls and outside regular hours they could frolic in big runs, and the nice staff at Wildwood helped with cleaning and feeding them.

The Pony - Pharaoh is a 10 year old 17+ hand Oldenburg we got at 4 - and a lot smaller. After having been seriously naughty, what used to be my wife’s horse is now mine, and I’ve had lots on fun on him since. He has done a couple of schooling shows, but we are still looking for that confirmed 2’nd level frame to show off at the big shows. We have done clinics with different people passing through, but we have not been in a regular lesson program. This clinic for me is a start of more serious work with my pony. While I have been riding for more than 30 years, this is only my second owned horse and I have ambitions for this one.

A day at Camp - We start a typical day by congregating at the clubhouse after having fed our ponies breakfast if they needed anything special –other than the flake left in front of their door. After a little coffee, we get print-outs of articles which Henrik has been writing on his positive approach to dressage. Henrik introduces us to the content for several hours most days, and then invites us to complete the reading on our own. The theory charges everyone for their subsequent lessons. In the lessons we are teamed up two or three riders at a time with approximate experience. Every day is a little different and the riding is supplemented with demo-rides, lunging or demonstrations by Henrik. One night is a campfire potluck which combines group discussion with problem solving as well as good food and good company.

The Fundamentals - Here is what we learned on the first day: The nature of the horse determines our approach to riding it. The horse is a flock animal and we need to become the leader. By providing a leader, the horse gets calmer and more attentive as we are now responsible for the welfare of the little group. Before we get on the horse, we need to have a plan; what are we going to do when we get on? If we don’t have a plan to execute as we get on the horse, the horse will not perceive us as the leader, and rightly so, and we will be wasting valuable time. Another important insight is the physical aspects of adding perhaps a 170 pounds of weight in front of the horses own center of gravity. Our weight significantly alters the natural balance of the horse, and our dressage work should be designed to assist the horse with accommodating this change. Once on the horse, we need to tune in and have the horse tune into us. This is achieved through a number of little tests where we ask the horse to follow us going forward, slowing down and stopping by shifting our weight and using our driving and resisting aids. This quick start should only take a few minutes and while the horse certainly has not been warmed up yet, we now know where we are before the real work begins. The next step is now to work on getting the horse as responsive as we need it to be, or if it is already there, start on real dressage work!

Diagonal aids - We worked on diagonal aids and on engaging the inside hind leg in one lesson. In the walk, we supple the horse to the inside by engaging the inside hind leg with a driving leg aid, pushing our inside hip forward, and then catching the energy on the outside resisting rein aid. When it works, this will result in the horse being on the outside rein which we can test by momentarily letting the inside rein loop down without the horse loosing its frame. When the horse is on the outside rein, we can start doing turns on the haunches in the walk, and when that works, we can start working in the canter. By doing some walk-canter-walk transitions, we get a chance to rock the horse back on its haunches in preparation for turns the canter. In the canter work, we start with smaller turns before upping the ante. In order to help me with the full 180 turn, I was instructed to start up the quarter-line in counter canter and turn towards the arena wall for support which culminated in a passable canter pirouette in the middle of the arena and made my day.

Frame, Tempo and Length of Stride - We worked in several sessions on the regularity of the gaits. The rider needs to develop an internal metronome with a sense of the rhythm that works best for each horse. Besides the collected, working and extended gaits required in the test, we have to know where we want the horse to be and how to ride it so. To help us realize this scale of movement, Henrik took us through an exercise of playing with multiple speeds, frames and tempos. In order to control the tempo, the horse has to be straight, so we started with transitions and turns with the horse perfectly straight. To assist us with the next step, we had poles laid out in sets where each set required a different length of stride. Henrik and Ulla would walk us through “the course” and help us on subsequent rounds. The poles would help the horse lengthen or shorten its stride and they were a great help. Throughout it all we played with the third dimension of the frame which we asked to be lower or higher. Some of these combinations lead my horse to more cadenced gaits which gave us a sense of upper level work.

Long-Lining - I found it very exciting to long-line with Ulla’s help. I have long-lined before and this requires some experience. This is where you stand – and sometimes run! – on the ground with only two long driving reins through metal loops on a girth attached to a horse that thinks that its free at last! We started with work like on a normal lunge-line, but instead of a perfect circle, I was instructed to get as many straight lines in as possible. By switching between going straight and on a circle, we help get the horse get on the outside rein. The outside rein becomes really important as we start to change reins. Once I could control the outside rein, I was asked to move around in a figure eight pattern where you swing the long-lines over the horse’s hind quarters and go the other way. Unless you have the horse on the outside rein, you are likely to loose it when switching over to the new rein. Now that you are on the ground, your driving aids are a combination of your presence and a long driving whip. There is an element of lunging in the technique. On circles you form a triangle between yourself and the horse’s body with the right angle at the hind end. You never let the horse get its own idea of what to do next, and you try and give your commands only once – same as the riding aids; don’t let the aids drown in chatter. As when riding, you can test if the horse is on the outside rein, you can temporarily loop the inside rein and hopefully observe an undisturbed frame. Just like with serpentines on horseback, you first need to get the horse on the new outside rein before the actual turn. Here is where many go water skiing across the arena. With a few sprints of my own, I finally did some respectable turns. I find long-lining especially fun because otherwise I seldom ever see my horse work hard from the ground.

The Half-Halt - As riders we know that the half-halt is central to dressage. One of the important lessons Henrik gave us was that a resisting hand and seat without the necessary extra driving energy just creates tension in the horse. The half-halt is used to both engage the hind quarters and to prepare the horse for any upcoming change. It rebalances the horse and makes it more capable of performing whatever you are going to ask it next. Just like the spoken word is easier to listen to in a quiet room, the horse will be much more attentive and prompt if half-halts are precise and are not drowned out by little jerks on the rein from rider imbalance or chatty aids. Doing less is a hard lesson for some of us, but it works wonders.

Dressage Tests - To prompt conversation about the execution of different dressage movements, two volunteer demo riders rode a number of patterns from different tests and we would all score them. Holding up our scores, we would have to explain ourselves and thereby flush out the interesting parts about each movement if any. It was most interesting to be wrong and educational to hear the insightfulness of your fellow riders. Many of them who had never taken judging training were very perceptive and certainly put my own powers of observation to shame.

Conclusion - There are many things I have not mentioned but how can you relate 5 days? As from previous encounters with Henrik, I walked away pumped with enthusiasm for my chosen sport and eagerness to just ride, ride, ride! I also walked away with great new friendships, which will be renewed at future clinics and shows, with wonderful people who share my enthusiasm. After camp however, everyday life settles in, we all go our separate ways, and while the horse is probably glad the whole thing is over, my dressage training must now run at a slower pace. I am changed for the experience though, and even if I have heard some of the messages before, I am more receptive now than ever before and feel I have moved forward just a little. I will aim to be more deliberate in my training and I have picked up a few more exercises to help me. I am very grateful for the dedication of Henrik Johansen and Ulla Boysen who tirelessly work to bring dressage in the Northwest to a new level.
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The Art of Musical Freestyle
by Kathleen Doyle
March 13 2006

Can horses really dance? Does the music honestly matter? Can you actually determine your horse’s beats per minute? Do horses truly show better to certain types of music, depending on their personality? Do horses even like music? These are a few and maybe some of the questions many of you have had when you hear of this form of Art known as Dressage Musical Freestyle or Kur.

Musical Freestyle is a relatively new art form in the dressage world that was first introduced at the 1985 Volvo World Cup and first recognized in an Olympic format in 1996 at the Atlanta Summer Games. Many of us dressage enthusiasts are getting on the band wagon, so to speak and entering into the very fun world of dressage choreography to music.

Musical freestyles are not only fun to watch but fun to create and perform. They can be entertaining and inspiring for onlookers and riders, as well as their horses. Some feel horses respond differently to certain types of music and are therefore an important part in the music selection process. We saw evidence of this at the most recent Freestyle Clinic that was hosted at the very beautiful Bear Creek Farm, owned and operated by Leigh Cochran and Greg Brewer on February 10-12th.

The stage could not have been any better. We had cold, crisp but SUNNY weather during the three day clinic which was taught by Karen Robinson, Musical Freestyle choreographer extraordinaire. She has created musical freestyles for Dressage Enthusiasts world wide since the mid-nineties. Karen not only has a fabulous ear for music but, being a competitor herself in the dressage and eventing scene, she has an extraordinary eye for what movements and combinations look good to what type of music.

Karen also helps by creating a choreography which will emphasize the strengths of the individual horse/rider combination, while still conforming to the required movements of each level. Spectators were able to witness this process being applied to very different horses and rider combinations as well as to very different levels of difficulty, from First level up to Grand Prix.

The host of this wonderful clinic was the Equestrian’s Institute (with a lot of hard work by Kathleen Doyle and EI volunteers) . Many thanks also to the clinician, Karen Robinson, from Applause Dressage located in Vancouver, British Columbia. You can find out more about Karen and the creation of musical freestyles at www.ApplauseDressage.com.

Our next opportunity to watch Karen in action and to witness horses dancing to music will be October 21st and 22nd at Pacific Moon Equestrian Center in Arlington, Washington. For more information please contact Kathleen Doyle on (425) 957-7294.

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A Rider Puts E.I. Grant to Good Use
Amy Hagstrom

“I’m an Adult Amateur rider with a 5 year old mare, Winnie. Connection and balance were the two issues I wanted to firm up so we can be clearly on our way to 1st level.”

The E.I. Dressage Grant gave us an excellent opportunity to get some new perspectives to help achieve that goal. I put the grant to use at two different clinics – one with Henrik Johansen and one with Bo Jena.

I had the first lesson of the day with Henrik, and then stuck around to watch several other riders. I strongly recommend this approach when doing clinics – it gives you a chance to absorb your lesson, pick up some ideas from other riders’ lessons, and ask follow up questions if you need to. I found the clinic fun and friendly, and got a lot out of it.

The overall theme of our Henrik lesson was balance and harmony. It sounds simple enough - I must know and envision what I want, organize myself, and let Winnie find her position and balance with me. Put together the vision in my mind, reflect the vision in my body (sitting tall, seat bones engaged, contact with soft wrists, etc), and then wait for Winnie to organize herself under my body. Easier said than done, but I now make an attempt before and throughout my rides to stop and envision what I want before proceeding – and be more insistent that Winnie follow me in that vision. I find my rides go much better when I take that approach.

Henrik did a great job of taking time to explain the concepts (not just the mechanics) of what we were trying to achieve. He’d spend some time riding Winnie and giving her clearer understandings of where she needed to be, and then I’d get on her. Here are a few of the many things I learned and exercises we performed:

Getting prepared before we even begin moving forward. In the halt: stretch up in my body, engage my seat bones, and pick up the contact – all gently positioning her to find some engagement. Don’t proceed until we’re there. When Henrik got on her, she moved and fussed a bit until she found the balance and connection at the halt – and suddenly her body length seemed a couple feet shorter and her height a foot taller through the withers! One exercise Henrik had me do to better understand where my body needed to be was on the ground stand with my feet together, stretch up, and then relax.
A beginning rider would be more about their body following the horse, but Winnie and I are beyond that and she needs to learn to follow my body. For example when I turn right, she should turn right; when I move “shorter” her strides should also be shorter. Keeping this in mind, to help gain shoulder control and balance we did fairly tight turns at the walk – almost a turn on the haunches but not quite. I found this exercise so effective for us I now use it frequently in my rides/practices, though I do not need to do as much of it as I once did to get the same affect.
We received further confirmation that leg yields are a good suppling exercise – and that they’re good to mix with other exercises (like transitions within a gait).
If Winnie gets a little sticky, I can “scoot” her forward with my seat out to my hand.
The horse will find freedom and more happiness when balanced to carry a rider. Why do we need our horses round? Largely to carry a rider – similar to a person leaning to one side to carry a heavy suitcase.
Some differences between fussing and arguing. When Henrik was on Winnie if she got a bit fussy or distracted Henrik would clear his throat – and 90% of the time it worked to get her focus more with him. Also - when going right, if she’s fussing on the right rein counter-bend her left for a few strides and then bend back right. This is much more effective than just arguing with her on the right rein.
Energy in shorter strides. I’d always thought long strides were the default way to go, or in some way slower strides. Not so with Winnie. Instead, at this point I should think of her “back legs like pistons in a car.”
Transitions. Within the gait: push forward in the trot – think medium – to get her round, and then go back to the short strides (think piaffe), and then back out again. This helped in softness and connection. Between gaits: always thinking of the hind legs moving last in downward transitions and first in upward transitions.
When to do a turn on the forehand vs a turn on the haunches: the former is a suppling exercise, and the latter promotes collection and shifting the weight to the haunches.
Confirmation that when turning, the inside rein should go out and not back if necessary; otherwise the inside hind will be shortened.
I appreciate Henrik’s summary at the end, as well as his positive approach. His approach is more about letting the horse decide, while still being consistent/insistent. We didn’t even get to cantering – but what we did sat “deeper” with me by taking it slow and thorough. The concept of “if you’re not getting it, stop and start over” saves me from a bit of frustration in my practices at home. Speaking of which - the next ride I had at home after Henrik’s lesson was the best ride we’d had in a long time – much more harmonious.

My lesson with Bo Jena was about half as long and a bit more intense. His approach is more on the demanding (though not forceful) side of insistence. In the halt – she must stand still and come round (vs letting her move around to find her balance). We were about worn out after 35 minutes, doing mostly trot and canter work. If I had a quarter for every time he said “more on the bit” (we have trouble with that final 10% of give) and “more forward” I’d be able to afford another lesson!

In some ways he echoed what I’d learned from Henrik. Be VERY consistent with my expectations, and don’t settle for anything less. Winnie must give me her attention at all times; my “kindness” can lead to inconsistency and thus potentially a more confused horse. And keeping my wrists loose will help in a softer connection.

We did a lot of serpentines, going large and forward, and transitions between gaits. Some massaging of the bit (not pulling back and forth) to help keep the bit and connection alive, and of course, lots of drive from behind. His approach was to keep pushing to get through things vs the previous “stop and regroup.”. There’s a place for both, so it is always good to get different perspectives.

Both instructors seemed to agree about what we need to work on, they just have different approaches to get there. Bo has a great eye, but I found Henrik to be a bit more effective with the lower level Adult Amateur.

Many thanks to Equestrian’s Institute for the grant!

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Dreams come true for Kathleen Doyle
By Karen Moore

Frustrated with the process of developing her own freestyles and the small freestyle turnout at dressage shows, Kathleen Doyle decided to take action thus creating the Musical Freestyle clinic series with the support of The Equestrian’s Institute and Karen Robinson, Applause Dressage. Karen has been coming to the Pacific Northwest twice a year as part of Kathleen’s vision to promote musical freestyles. The purpose of the clinic series is to make the design process more accessible to the average dressage rider. Kathleen’s dream has become a powerful reality. During the last clinic at Pacific Moon, Arlington, Washington, Oct. 22nd and 23rd, I sat down with Kathleen to review her vision and ask her a few questions.

How did you find Karen Robinson and Applause Dressage?

I was mesmerized by Rebbecca Garrard’s musical Freestyle at Devonwood in 2002. I decided, I’ve got to find out who designed that freestyle. Rebbecca then introduced me to Karen Robinson, Applause Dressage. Karen has designed freestyles for some outstanding riders and trainers including Leslie Reid, Leslie Morse, Christilot Boylan, Shannon Dueck and Ashley Holzer.

Why did you start the Musical Freestyle clinic series?

The freestyles are the most exciting part of dressage competition for both the riders and the audience. I felt like so many people in the Pacific Northwest where struggling with the creation and design process. And it showed in the small freestyle classes at the shows.

For those who’ve never been, explain the clinic format.

The first day is spent on timing the horses’ gaits and music selections. On the second day you get a good start on choreography. You do not walk away with a finished design. That takes several weeks to put together and an additional couple of months to practice before riding it at a competition. This is why we do the clinic twice a year, early spring and fall. Eric Krech of Showcase Imagery is there to video tape both days. This is amazingly valuable. 16 year old, Jessy Hartzell was very smart and did her homework. She watched her Saturday video 3 times that night and again Sunday morning. She was surprised at how perfect and unique the music was for her lovely Hungarian gelding Neuman. She said, “I loved watching the video and had no idea how good Karen’s music and riding suggestions were until I watched the video. Wow! I had a great time!.”

How accessible has the Musical Freestyle design process been to the average dressage rider?

I think most people found the process of finding a designer intimidating and expensive, often working long distance without meeting the designers in person. Really, for many it was a leap of faith. Or they jumped in and struggled to design one on their own. The barrier to access has been broken as a result of the clinic series.

I know you’re passionate about Dressage. How have the Musical Freestyle clinics affected the sport?

This is the fun stuff for both the riders and the audience; the part that inspires and rejuvenates both horse and rider. For example: Janne Sleeper after warming up to a techno version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons said “I can’t wipe the smile off my face. This has to be my trot music.” The crowd applauded. Janne will be working with Karen to develop a Third Level Freestyle for her 12 year old Oldenberg gelding Diamo.

Over the last 3 years, how have the clinics changed Musical Freestyles at the local competition level?

I was delighted to see a huge increase in participation in the freestyle classes this season. In 2002 there were less than 10 riders in the Champagne Classic musical freestyle classes. More than 30 freestyle riders competed at the same show this year. It’s a technical process and it pays to have an expert work it out for you. Karen has designed three freestyles for Alvaro (my 12 yr Trakehner gelding) and me and our Pas De Deux with Carol Barone. She has helped dozens of riders in this area with their freestyles as a result of the clinic series. I like to believe the increase in participation has something to do with this clinic.

What factors make the clinic series so successful?

With the Equestrians’ Institute’s support the clinic is affordable to most riders. Karen Robinson also helps the process stay affordable by offering a discount off her design fee to clinic riders. Pacific Moon Equestrian Center and Bear Creek Farm offer beautiful, safe and auditor friendly facilities for reasonable fees. Plus this clinic is a blast! Oh my god, we have the rowdiest audiences. Really, Karen must give us the big hush several times a day.

If dreams could come true, and apparently they do, what do you want to see as a result of the clinic series in years to come?

I would love to see freestyle classes so large at all the levels that they fill an entire Saturday at each competition. So anyone could park their easy chair and enjoy an exciting day of musical freestyles. From the audience, future freestyle riders of all ages would emerge. The more the merrier don’t you think?

I want to thank Kathleen Doyle for her vision and hard work in making her vision come true. For me, I can see a tremendous ripple effect as a result of this clinic series; solid information, beautiful freestyles and renewed energy for both horse and rider. What a powerful example of how dreaming big is good for everyone.

Karen Moore is owner of Pacific Moon Equestrian Center in Arlington Washington. Pacific Moon is a top of the line dressage training, retirement and rehab facility. For more information go to www.pacific-moon.net

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E.I. Grant Recipient – Conrad Schumacher clinic
Madison Cushman

My name is Madison Cushman, presently 14 years old and I was chosen as one of the recipients of the Equestrians’ Institute Jr./Yr. Dressage Grant. I ride a 6-year old Hanoverian gelding named Caruso. We bought Caruso as a three-year old and I was determined to train him up the levels. With the help of my sister Caitlyn, my mom, and trainer Roxanne Christenson, we have had two very successful show seasons. This upcoming season I am striving to compete third level. Never having ridden the new movements or higher degree of collection and engagement, Roxanne suggested I ride with the acclaimed Conrad Schumacher in his clinic at Trilogy Training Center and Bear Creek Farm. Normally I pay for all my own clinics, but this was the perfect opportunity to use the grant money because I would not have been able to afford his clinic by myself.

The clinic was scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, October 24 and 25 at Trilogy Farm and Training. I was so excited! On Monday Conrad got to know Caruso and me, and we worked through many different exercises. One exercise we used was on a circle, increasing and decreasing the size, using his markers (shavings placed on the footing). This exercise helped us achieve greater connection and got Caruso really using his back. I also had my stirrups taken away, which made me very aware of where my body was and how I used it to aid for different things. By the end of the first day I had learned so much! I couldn’t wait for more!

On Tuesday I started Caruso out very round and forward. We practiced many mediums, making sure the transitions were clear and distinguishable. We made sure I had control over Caruso’s actions by doing a medium across the diagonal, collecting at X, and then finishing in medium. Conrad also had me work on collection, turn on the forehands, and walk to halt transitions, all the time keeping Caruso supple and round. With a tap of the whip Caruso’s rump would lower, and in the halt it would also make him give to the bit. By the end of my second ride, Caruso was very responsive to the aids, and I was riding like a “German girl.”

This was an amazing experience for both Caruso and me, and I learned more than I ever thought I would from my two rides with Conrad. I want to thank Equestrians’ Institute for awarding me this wonderful opportunity to ride with a top-notch trainer. The Dressage Grant was an incredible blessing, Thank You!

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