Excitement on the home front

It is great to be back home again!  I have missed my family and friends.  I especially missed my husband.  I am looking forward to getting back to a regular schedule of training, lessons and clinics.

There are a lot of exciting things happening and a lot to look forward to.   My husband and I had just moved to our new farm in the fall.  So it was hard to leave it for Florida.   While I was gone, construction on our indoor ring began.  I was really sad to miss this.

However, while I felt bad that everyone back home had misearable weather, the advantage to me was that this hindered the progress on the building.  I know, it sounds strange not to want progress.  But this means I can see a good portion of the construction.

Because of the wet weather, they had to put off delivery of the trusses for 3 - 4 weeks.  But the day I got back it was time, so I was able to witness the whole thing!  

 

  

After just two weeks, the indoor has morphed from some poles in the ground into a beautiful building.   Just yesterday when I saw one end complete with siding it was amazing!  It looked so beautiful and I got very excited.  It was an emotional moment.

Please stay posted on the progress and all the wonderful things we will plan for our new place.

 

More on shows

Entering the show ring every other weekend was extremely helpful!  I learned so much about Amicelli and we are both feeling so much more confident together.  Each show we were able to improve our scores a little bit.   The CDIs were very competitive and new for us as a team.  It was wonderful to be a part of this competition. I look forward to continuing this progress and furthering our career in the CDI ring.

The community of professionals at these competitions was very supportive and this contributed to making the experience a very positive one.

Our last show was at the Global Dressage Festival.  The morning of the second day of competition, Judi had a talk with Amicelli.  Check out Judi's chat with Amicelli  here.

Amicelli was good for his word, winning his class in the Grand Prix Special!

More on lessons

My training time in Florida was so rewarding.  It allowed me the time to focus and the time for Amicelli and I to develop our partnership. Jaimey Irwin and George Williams were instrumental in leading the way for us.  They are both wonderful coaches and I feel lucky to have them on my team.

In my last entry I shared how I evaluated the test to determine how to improve my overall scores.  Here I want to share how we addressed some of these things in our lessons during the last month in Florida. It was great, because George made a point to provide me with a variety of exercises to improve each movement so that I had a bigger tool box to choose from when I got home.

George said to focus on my strengths in the test and see how I can improve these scores even more.  Here are some of these:

• Halts and rein back - These are just silly to lose points on.  With a little focus and maintaining engagement, I ended up with a 9 at my last show.
• Passage to canter transition -  Unless Amicelli was distracted or my timing just totally off,  we would get very consistent scores here.  George offered a wonderful tip to remember to ask for the canter from the passage when my inside knee is down. We regularly got 7s here. 
• Tempi changes - Amicelli and I love the tempi changes.  Occasionally if he gets excited the changes get tight or I might get a short change here or there.  George made sure we focused on getting these consistently better with more clear use of my seat during the change, and some suppling in the corner before the changes. 

While building on the strengths is a wonderful strategy, we cannot neglect the movements that are not as consistent.  The following movements we do well a lot of the time, but not always consistently in the show ring.  Below are some of these and what we are doing to make improvements:

• Canter pirouettes - Working on the overall engagement was a theme throughout our time in Florida.  Some of the exercises are 1. making a clear half halt followed  immediately by a haunches in on a circle, then straightening focusing on using my inside leg to engage, 2. taking the haunches in to a working pirouette and enlarging the pirouette when we lose engagement and then immediately making it smaller again, 3. making a transition to walk in the pirouette and back to canter- this increases engagement and gives both horse and rider confidence to 're-ask' for the canter within the pirouette to maintain engagement.  
• Trot half passes - Developing overall cadence in the trot and especially in the trot half passes were another overall theme of our training in Florida.  There are a lot of exercises to work on this.  1. We make a lot of transitions from passage to medium trot and back on a 20 meter circle.  2. Taking this to the trot half passes I would ask for the cadence in the trot in the half pass, sometimes asking for a passage. 3. For increased suppleness we also make a half pass, into a few steps leg yield the opposite way, back to half pass. 
• Piaffe/passage -  Many of the above exercises also improved the engagement in the passage.  We found out that training the passage and increasing the activity in passage, improved the piaffe.  We made many transitions from passage to a few steps piaffe on a 20 meter circle.  This increased strength and engagement.  Passage on a smaller circle also engaged the inside hind, improving evenness behind in the piaffe steps immediately following. 

This only touches on all the things we have worked on, but hopefully this gives an idea of how hard Amicelli and I worked in FL!

Lesson Days with George Williams

Amicelli and I really enjoyed our lesson days with George Williams.  We usually had a lesson about 2:00 pm at Havensafe Farm, owned by Betsy Juliano, in Little Ranches.

The timing worked out great because it gave us time to ride the other horses and get the barn work done.

Havensafe Farm is aptly named.  It has such a wonderful, relaxing atmosphere, a beautiful place where you can totally focus on being with your horse.

Each lesson with George was informative and inspiring.  During our last month in Florida, after having a couple of shows under our belt, we were able to focus on the things that   we could improve for the last shows.

I might have mentioned this before, but I will again, as it really made a lot of sense to me.  George reminded me to focus not only on what needs improvement, but take a good look at our strengths, and see how I can improve these scores even more.   (This is one of those things I thought to myself..." jeez, you tell your own students this, why do you need someone to tell you???")  That gave me some excellent homework.  One night when I couldn't sleep, I decided it was a better use of time to evaluate my tests.  I was able to categorize Amicelli's and my strengths and weaknesses in the tests.  I noted which movements we can do well consistently, and also how we could earn more points on these.   I noted which movements we can do well but not always consistently and how to improve these scores consistently.   And lastly,  I noted which movements we don't do well and.... well.... what I can do about these.

In my next entry I will share these moves and some of the exercises we did to improve them.

Amicelli loves to roll

Amicelli always enjoys a good roll .... this is how he looked every morning after his walk!  He certainly made sure to keep me busy before heading off to lessons with George Williams!

And below you can see what he does when he gets home from his lessons ..........

 

I was lucky enough to grow up with horses.  When they would get down to roll and be able to roll completely over,  my Mom used to say "He's worth $100!"  After this roll Amicelli had to be worth at least $400!

Judi's Winter (Boot) Camp

When you hear everyone talk about  "going to Florida", you create this fantasy image of escaping the cold to warm weather, exotic farms, high level competition, parties and maybe even a little time at the beach and more time on your hands!

It didn't take long to realize that is exactly what it is... a fantasy.  Yes, there is warm weather (mixed in with some cold), exotic farms, high level competition.  But there is also a lot of hard work, intensity and no time on your hands.

But hard work, intensity, and focus are the main reasons we go to Florida and Judi was up to the task!!  When we first got to FL, Judi told me that when her kids encouraged her to go to Florida, they said "Ma, we went to summer camp every year and now it is your turn for summer camp!"   Judi worked so hard and made so many improvements in her riding.  She and Zivona were able to focus and learn so much more about each other.   There were moments when the work was so intense and the breakthroughs elusive.  I was able to share with Judi that this was my experience countless times during my training in Germany and it was being persistent during this darkest moment when a breakthrough always emerged and I came out a much better than before.  Eventually, I learned that it always gets much worse before it gets better and I could trust that.  I explained to Judi that I felt she was so lucky to be at this pivotal point as this is where so many people give up and they never emerge a better rider.   Judi showed that she has what it takes and stuck through every moment and emerged a much better rider for it.  Now she is much further along toward reaching her goals.

Judi was so brave to come to Florida.  She took a chance, left her kids and grand kids and came with me.  Her dog Tasha had been sick so it was very stressful leading up to our departure.  We didn't even know if she would be able to come until the last minute.  But her vet assured her that it would not be too physically stressful for Tasha and that Tasha's home was with Judi no matter where Judi was.   And it is true, home is where the heart is... Tasha immediately adjusted to her new surroundings and while she still was dealing with her illness, she seemed to be having a wonderful time!!

 3 pees and a poop .... that was our mantra this winter in FL.  Part of Tasha's illness was her kidneys.  Judi had to time her riding and horse care around taking Tasha to the vet and making sure she didn't go too long without going outside.  Which ever of us could get home first would take Tasha for a walk.  When taking Tasha for a walk you knew you hit the jack pot when you got 3 pees and a poop ... who knew what a success that could be!

It was so much fun living with Tasha (and Judi too).  I miss having dogs and it was so nice to be with and help take care of Tasha.  She and I got to spend some time together out on the balcony as you can see in the picture.   Judi and I had to give her fluids 3 times a week.  Her most recent lab results showed that her blood work was normal.  What a miracle!

Sandie's visit in March

Judi and I had a great time when Sandie came to visit Draco. For starters,  Sandie treated us to

cleaning our stalls everyday!  Really - we were very happy to see Sandie clean stalls or not.  Draco was also happy to see Sandie.  It was a pleasure to see them working together!

In addition to the three of us riding, we were able to experience some other Florida activities.  On Saturday we attended the Challenge of the Americas.  This was a fabulous exhibition to raise money for breast cancer.  We were glad we weren't the judges, it would have been hard to pick our favorite ride.

Sandie and I were able to take a field trip to the Lion Country Safari.  This was very close to where we stabled the horses.  As a matter of fact,  sometimes in the early mornings or later evenings, you could hear the lions roaring or the monkeys getting fed.  Poor horses!  No wonder Amicelli was a little spooky once in a while!

The LCS was quite an experience.  All the animals were out, so we got to see a lot of them up close.  You will see in the pictures below that we saw the Ostriches from especially close quarters.  Fortunately Sandie had insisted we take her rental car.....  Sandie is always thinking....  I was glad we did, as one Ostrich was pecking on the car.

Back at our apartment we had our own animal safari.  Below our balcony a duck was nesting.  She was laying on 12 eggs.  It was fun to watch her and her mate taking turns watching over the eggs.  Unfortunately, once they hatched, we didn't get to see them, she moved off with them very quickly.

                                                                         

  

Our home base in Florida

Our horses stayed in Deer Run, which is right next to White Fences.   Here is the entrance to the farm, owned by Robin Walenius.  Judi and I rented the empty stalls and did self care.  Robin takes great care of the place. The horses were very happy there.  You might be able to see trailer, which I needed to back in the driveway all the way to the back of the farm.    Everyone else left in the beginning of March, so Judi and I had the place to ourselves for most of the month.  You can also see the ring and the barn in the photos below.

     

The Palm Beach Dressage Derby March 1 - 3

This was the 30th anniversary of this prestigious event. This was also Axel Steiner's 30th Derby and his last year as an FEI judge, so it was a very special year - it was fabulous to participate.

Each CDI begins with the vet check.  The vet check is a big deal, you need to present your horse to the vet and the ground jury to make sure he is sound enough to proceed in competition.  It is always very exciting and you need to look your finest.  Many people come to watch just for the excitement of seeing these athletes strut their stuff.    

Judi makes sure I go every where in style.  She took this picture at the vet check.  This is the outfit she helped me pick out. 

Judi also took this picture of me, Jaimey and Amicelli after the Grand Prix Special on Saturday. 

Jaimey Irwin coached me at the Derby.  It was so valuable having him there to help me, as he knows Amicelli so well, in addition to being a great coach and trainer.  Amicelli and I rode the Grand Prix Special for the first time together!  I felt better than ever with him in this test.  I feel like this concentrated time together in Florida has really helped Amicelli and I to know each other in the show ring.  This trip has been so worth it.

Judi has been such a support for us.  She and her dog Tasha helped us to unload at the Derby.  As you can see in the picture, Tasha loves being a CDI dog!  In addition to riding, Judi and I had a lot of fun at the Derby.  We attended the welcome dinner put on by the Equestrian Aid Foundation, with a silent auction to raise money.  There was also a competitors party given by the home owners in White Fences. 

    

Growing Hair on Our Chests!

It will grow hair on your chest

Did your mother ever tell you you should do something because it would "grow hair on your chest?"  Mine did, and my reply was always...."Mom, I don't want hair on my chest!".  Apparently Judi's Uncle Harry (haha) used to tell her the same thing!  Now that I am older, I finally understand what that means.  It means working hard, doing things that aren't always easy and toughening up.  Anyone in the horse business understands this, and we all have 'hairy chests'.  But there are some days when you are just sick of growing hair on your chest....

There was one particular day Judi and I were both thinking of this phrase.....and we subsequently had to remind ourselves how much hair we were growing!  On my day, I was unloading at the Global CDI show.  Judi was rushing to try and get there to help me, but she was finishing up bringing in the horses back at the barn and had to stop and walk her dog Tascha.  So I was in this long line of trailers waiting to unload (very similar to Devon), and when it was my turn, I pulled up and started lugging everything to the opposite end of the barn.  You cannot pull up next to the barns at this show ground.  I was running as fast as I could, and the guys helping everyone kept telling me I only had 10 minutes.  At one point I had to move the trailer up to allow more trailers in, and I was even further away from the barn!   I reminded the guy (several times) that I was all by myself.  He did take one armload off my hands.  But he was also busy.  He reminded my a couple of times that I had ten minutes, and finally made me move the trailer without cleaning it out.   Yes, I was feeling sorry for myself this day!

                                                                       On to the show ring

Our first CDI was a success!  While there is always room for improvement, I was happy with our Grand Prix the first day.  Amicelli and I are getting to know each other in the ring, especially at the bigger venues.  We got a 60%.  We got very good marks on what we did well, and where we had a mistake, we got very low marks.  So it is very clear what we need to improve and the important thing is that these things are definitely achievable.

Our next CDI is this coming weekend, at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby.  I am looking forward to getting back in the ring!

Lessons

George Williams and Jaimey Irwin have been helping me down here.  Jaimey used to coach his wife Tina, who formerly trained and competed Amicelli.  Both George's and Jaimey's input have been invaluable.  George has continued to help us with exercises to improve the cadence in the trot, the engagement in the canter and improve the quality of the movements we need to do in the test.  George is a very steady influence for horse and rider and after each lesson I feel how each exercise has improved our partnership and I feel energized.

Jaimey, having known Amicelli for so many years has been able to help us in many aspects of our ride.  He knows all the key aids for keeping Amicelli's attention and confidence when he gets hot.  Jaimey is also very thorough with the basics, from warm up all the way through the training portion of the ride and in riding the movements.  He has also offered many exercise to improve the overall quality.

I feel so lucky to get help from such great trainers during my time here.  I have felt so much improvement and look forward to the next month!

Trip home

Last week I was able to go home for a couple of days to teach everyone in Maryland, to visit my husband and to see the beginnings of construction for our indoor ring.  It was a great visit and I will look forward to getting back in the end of March.  Until then, we have a lot in Florida to accomplish.

We are adjusted

It has taken longer to get adjusted to our new schedule than we thought.  However, when we thought about it, we realized that we shouldn't have been surprised.  This was a real move!  New apartment, new barn, new surroundings etc....  All while getting ready to compete.  Only the second move of house and barn that we have done in 4 months!!!  A little crazy if you think about it.

When I returned to Florida from Maryland (Judi, by the way, held down the fort in FL while I was gone.  Thank you Judi!!!!),  I said to Judi...  "We are now adjusted"... and you know, somehow this has helped us to focus on what we came here for, instead of just getting everything organized and on a schedule.

Zivona and Draco

Zivona and Draco are also working hard. They both get turned out next to each other and they are getting along great.   We will be thinking about some shows for them soon too.  Zivona will also be going with us to George for a lesson.  Zivona has added a little spice to our lives.  She seems to be waking up these days.  From the time we got there she has been very forward (most days).  She has been offering some playful bucks and one day with me and one day with Judi, she offered way more than just playful bucks.  We definitely had to have our seat belts on.  These were followed by some fabulous work.  It is good Judi had some rodeo practice at the BLMs!!
 

Before and After

Before.......

 

After.............

It is heating up here in Florida on all fronts.  Check soon for some more updates!

In Florida at Last

It is hard to believe we have already been in Florida for a week.  Everyone says that it takes about 2 weeks to settle in and I believe it.  It has taken awhile to get the horses and ourselves situated.  We are finally getting to a regular schedule and the horses seem quite happy.

We have already had an action packed week!  Horses horses everywhere.  I forgot the rows of farms and everybody out riding in their front yards. That was Brian's first observation last Sunday when we arrived ---- that everyone had a ring in their front yard.  Now he wants one too ---- I think he just wants less grass to mow.

Brian 'got' to stay and help us get settled in from Sunday until Tuesday.  Thank goodness he was there to help get everything unpacked and organized. I don't know what we would have done without him.  On Tuesday I dropped him off at the airport and went directly to the Global Dressage Forum.

I have always wanted to attend the forum in Europe and never made it.  I was excited to see that the United States was hosting the same format.  I missed the first day, but was happy I could make the second. This will be an excellent program going into the future.  There were some excellent speakers and panelists.  My favorite was Ingrid Klimke.  She is just a joy to watch.  She is so joyful and passionate about what she does.  I remember watching her many times while I was in Europe and I always admired her riding as well as her positive attitude.  Her appearance at the Global Dressage Forum definitely met up to my expectations.  In addition, she shared many stories about growing up with her father and it felt very special to be a part of this.

Getting back to our horses - we got them slowly back into work this week. And they have seemed to handle the travel and climate change just fine.  Judi is happy to start her riding boot camp.  Her kids were so happy she could go to Florida.  They told her "Ma, you sent us to camp for 8 weeks in the summer, now it is your turn!"  She and Zivona had a great end to the week, they both look fabulous.  Zivona is 'feeling her oats' and giving Judi some very playful rides.

Draco is settling in very well. He is such a love bug and has made friends with everyone, horse and human.  What a model citizen! He is such a pleasure to have around and has been a perfect gentleman both around the barn and in the ring.

My boy Amicelli is a star as always!  Dede and I have been working hard with Amicelli             throughout the summer and fall and I am excited to be in Florida now for the competitions.  Dede and Peter have been so helpful in guiding Amicelli and I in forming a partnership.  Even the last week before leaving for Florida I felt like Amicelli and I made great strides in getting to know each other.

I felt excited and really prepared to head off to our first session with George Williams Sunday.  I have worked with George several times in the past on various horses, however this was the first time he and I worked with Amicelli.  I felt it would be a good match and I was right.  We had a fabulous session.  Amicelli was of course excited when we arrived - George teasingly asked if he had ever been off the farm.  However as soon as I set foot in the stirrup it was right to work.  George was able to pick up where Dede and I left off and work on the fine tuning we needed for our show this coming Tuesday.

We worked on some great exercises for improving the canter pirouettes and the piaffe and passage.  In the canter pirouettes we worked on making the pirouette bigger when he needed help and then smaller again.  To improve the collected trot as well as passage and piaffe, we made many transitions on a 20 meter circle.  We went from passage to a forward, cadenced trot back to passage etc...  We did the same with transitions to a few steps of piaffe back to passage.  In the end we had very regular passage and piaffe steps as well as a very cadenced and bigger trot.

It was just a fabulous day.  Judi was there to cheer us on and also learn by watching.  She paid me a huge complement.  She said "I hope I can be such a good student as you ..... You listened and did everything George said and I could see such an improvement in Amicelli!"  She said that while we always looked good together, today we reached another level.  That was such a nice complement and we both got really excited for the upcoming season.

Today we continued to add to our overall program and Judi and I took our first pilates lesson.  It is time for boot camp for all of us!

Time to sign off, it will be an early day tomorrow as we head off to our first show.

Home at Last

As always, our schedule has been action-packed and non-stop. The flurry of activity has been an exciting part of TeamStrawson’s Journey to Excellence on the road to realizing our goals and dreams.  There are so many things to share that I am not sure where to start, so I think it is best to start with the most recent. 

SHOW RESULTS

OCTOBER

© 2012 Richard Malmgren 

Amicelli and I ended this year’s show season with a 10! This is my first 10 and I want to shout it out every chance I get!! 

At the BLM championships held October 18-21 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA, Amicelli and I placed 2nd in the open Grand Prix class and 5th in the Championship.  Our final halt in the open Grand Prix was a perfect 10. We also received 8s from both judges in our canter zig zag, which has been my ‘bug-a-boo’ movement since Amicelli and I first started practicing the test together. 

You might recall from my blog in July that the road to a partnership between Amicelli and I has not been as easy as I expected. Considering that we have transitioned in a few short months from running through a test -and I mean running -to a lead line escort at the first few shows, to a perfect 10 in the last show is pretty impressive. It feels fantastic! Amicelli and I are bonding and developing an exciting partnership! 

SEPTEMBER 

OK, that was October. Move to end of September and we’re at Devon. In our brief time competing together, Amicelli and I qualified not only for the Grand Prix at Devon, but also for the “famed” Grand Prix Freestyle held on Saturday night. It was a fabulous week, but not without its challenges. Channeling Amicelli’s energy in front of the raucous, sold-out crowds during the evening classes was interesting, to say the least.While we didn’t completely work through the tension in the ring, I was very pleased with many of the scores we received, and with how much Amicelli and I learned about each other.

The Big Move

AUGUST 

Welcome Home
© 2012 Judi Rosenfeld

Rewind to August 31st: My husband and I have found a place to permanently call home! On August 31st, we moved from Turning Point Farm to our own farm -also in Clarksburg, MD.  Our new place is 15 acres nestled in the Little Bennett Regional Park, and we are in love with it. Over the next year, our goal is to create a place to train developing and future campaign horses. Until then, we are based at WindCrest Farm - again in Clarksburg. When our place is complete we will continue to work in alliance with WindCrest. 

PRESS RELEASE

ALLIANCE WITH WINDCREST

WindCrest Farm

Over the past year, DeDe and Peter Bierbrauer and I have discovered a shared philosophy for education and classical training. While in discussions regarding co-hosting various educational opportunities, DeDe and Peter also made their facility available to us to practice tests and freestyles. TeamStrawson’s clients and horses have benefited from WindCrest’s hospitality.  Amicelli and I have also had the benefit of DeDe and Peter’s coaching.  Their “eyes on the ground” and enthusiastic support have been invaluable.   I moved the horses to WindCrest on August 31st, and will continue to base the core of my training business at WindCrest while gradually developing the potential we see at our own property! 

FREESTYLE FUN

It is every dressage rider’s dream to perform a Grand Prix Freestyle at the international level. I must confess it has been my dream as well. As soon as the thought of Amicelli was fully realized, EquiChord began working on compiling music and designing his freestyle.  Although the music was ready to go last winter, Amicelli and I first had to work through developing a partnership in our Grand Prix test. During that time, WindCrest was there to provide the full sized arena to help make it happen. However, we didn’t begin practicing the freestyle in earnest until the end of July.

DeDe and the group

Judi and Ginger

EquiChord is always quoting Anky’s rule of practicing 200 times before showing, and I am in complete agreement that practice is the key. However, it doesn’t always work out that way. By the time we did our first show in August at Saugerties, we had only practiced a total of 8-10 times. Regardless, we received a 64% and placed third. Just over a month later, we found ourselves competing the freestyle for the second time at Devon. By then, we had only practiced a total of maybe 14 times. It was an exciting and exhilarating moment. I think we were both surprised when the audience clapped several times midway through the performance. We love this freestyle, and can’t wait to continue to work with EquiChord to bring it to its full potential. 

Here are a few pictures from a dress rehearsal we did in front of a select group of my clients and clients from WindCrest.

Lynda and Jennifer

NEXT GOAL

OK...this is a little embarrassing, but in our new house we have a great internet connection, and I have developed an affinity for the series Glee. One quote I just heard is, “It’s not the broken dreams that break us, it is the ones we didn’t dare to dream”. I wish I had said that one myself. This quote clicked right away, because this burning idea has been lighting our way for a long time - especially this past year.  Someone once asked me how I would feel if I didn’t achieve my dreams. My response was that I would much rather take a risk and fail than guarantee failure by not trying to do everything I could to succeed. This past year, we have taken many risks -big risks.

Some of which included purchasing Amicelli in partnership with Jennifer Foulon, purchasing our new property, and making plans for the development of a new and exciting aspect of my business on my own property. For us, it was worth having taken those chances and risking the possibility of failure, rather than never having taken the risks at all. Without giving ourselves that chance, there is only a certainty that dreams will not come true. I think that if anyone ever doubts their own goals or the goals of someone they love, they should consider that quote from Glee. Finally, I would like to thank those of you who have supported and believed in our dream and continue to do so. Most importantly, I want to thank my husband. His belief in me has never wavered. Thank you; I love you. 

Our next focus will be getting to Florida with Amicelli with an eye on making the 2013 National Grand Prix Championships. Stay tuned for our plans and fundraising projects. We will need your help to get there! 

Amicelli and Me

I can't believe I've already had my new Grand Prix partner for almost 7 months!  Amicelli is everything I'd hoped for and more - even though it has been an adventure getting to know each other. Since it 'felt so right' when I first tried him, I assumed learning about each other would go very smoothly.  I did not take into account what a big change it would be for him as well as for me. Since Amicelli had spent most of his life with his rider, Tina Busse-Irwin - who he clearly loved - and it has been several years since I have had a GP horse, the period of adjustment for both of us was interesting, to say the least.

Amicelli and Barbara Strawson
© BS Photography

Now that several months have passed, Amicelli and I are becoming partners in our own right.  I love him, and I believe the feeling is mutual. A couple of weeks ago my groom, Candido, was hand walking Amicelli in the arena.  As soon as I walked in, Amicelli stopped, looked over at me and perked up his ears. He melted my heart!  Another memorable moment came recently when I was doing my routine late night barn check.  As I headed down the aisle towards his stall, Amicelli nickered to me as soon as he heard my voice... aww .. it was just the cutest thing.  I do think he learned this from his friend Charlie who nickers when his mom, CeCe, walks in.

Amicelli is amazing, though not without its challenges.  Amicelli, a branded Holsteiner with a TB father is very sensitive. He arrived in the winter when we were having extreme weather changes, and I noticed right away that this affected his energy level. He is also very sensitive to sounds, which is very similar to the last horse I owned who was also a Holsteiner. I really love that spark! It gives horses a “look at me” quality. Although, I have to admit that this recent spell of warm weather has suited both of us just fine!  Riding such a clever and accomplished horse has definitely challenged me.  Amicelli believes he is all-knowing, and sometimes we have to decide who knows what!!  He is so bright and really knows his job.  One day, while practicing the canter zig zag, he got particularly frustrated with me because he thought I was not doing it quite right.  However, as each day goes by, we develop a better feel for one another, and he is starting to realize that I, too, know just a little bit as well. 

Amicelli and Barbara at Lexington
© 2012 EquiChord

When the time came to do our first show, it was as if I was  having the experience for the first time. It was really exciting.   Amicelli is a real showman, and he clearly loves what he does!!  The learning process continues on the road to a solid partnership in the ring, but so far, I have been thrilled with our results.  By our second show, we received the final scores for our USDF  Gold Medal!  Since I had only shown GP in Germany, my scores didn’t count here in America towards a USDF Gold Medal. I am thrilled with this accomplishment, and look forward to the rest of the season. We have qualified for the BLMs and regional finals, and are have received our qualifying scores for Devon!  Our next big project is the freestyle.  We already started to work with EquiChord; the music and choreography are set, and now it’s time to practice, practice, practice.  The music is amazing, and I just can't wait to ride it in the ring.  Amicelli - the pro that he is - loves his music, and already knows it well enough to pick up his choreographic cues without me telling him what to do. 

Stay tuned!  We have a number of exciting developments and changes in the works, and coming soon - the  2012/2013 Calendar  

Don't forget to check for upcoming clinics and events.