We're in the USDF Connection Yearbook!

The article I was interviewed for during Dressage Finals has been published on page 41 of the USDF Connection Yearbook sent out digitally to USDF members this morning! 

Here's a low quality screen shot as a teaser!

Of course Amber received a well-earned shout out in the article :). She's been paramount in the amazing training progress Mark's made. We also have mentions in the Region 3 Championship results and the IDHSNA All-Breed Awards. I didn't have a decent dressage picture to submit in time for the deadline for the All-Breeds Awards, so we don't have one on there this year. Although, now that I've purchased some awesome ones, we'll get one in next year!


Here's a link to view the actual publication: http://connection.epubxp.com/i/247063


When I receive the hard copy in the mail, I'll have to cut it out and add it to my bin of pictures I still need to frame. Maybe I'll be inspired to make the BHB a shadow box with photos and awards from this season. I think his favorite "award" from this past show season were the free treat bags Seminole handed out at the Region 3 Championships:

The BHB would like me to buy these in bulk.

Journey from Weanling to Dressage Horse

I purchased Mark (the BHB) as a weanling to be a foxhunter/eventer/showjumper. Dressage was one of the last things I ever thought we'd be enjoying together. What happened?!

Going for a walk around his new home at 6 months old. What a chunk he was!

Well, we tried all of the above disciplines, but my budget can't afford them all. So I decided to focus on the one Mark enjoyed the most. That ended up being dressage. He still jumps a bit, and I'm dying to take back him out foxhunting again. Cross country is the only thing I don't think he really enjoys. He loves to gallop around fields, loves to jump in the hunt field, but for some reason isn't a big cross country fan. It could just be due to having a wimpy rider though... maybe he can't enjoy it when his rider is a complete chicken?

Mark at a Young Event Horse competition at 4 years old. 

Mark is an extremely bright horse, but not necessarily the biggest athletic over achiever. He loves to jump as much as his pedigree says he should, but he only loves to jump small jumps that don't require much effort. He will still jump a pretty big jump if asked to, but doesn't enjoy as much as a top jumper would. With his unlimited brain power, I think he enjoys the mental difficulty of dressage. He really loves getting training rides from Amber where he's not hampered by rider limitations.

A newborn Flagmount's Trademark. Soooo adorable!

Desk Jockey Dressage Diva: Basic Fitness

Another snow day brings another post! 

Rider fitness is a HUGE part of being a successful rider. I may have a full-time desk job that prevents me from riding everyday, but I still maintain a decent level of fitness to try and prevent myself from looking like a "bouncing monkey" during the medium or extended trot. 

Today I will share the top 3 forms of exercise that have helped me improve most in my riding.  I'll save the rest of my fitness routine for another day :).  I'd like to forewarn you that these are not all inexpensive to do, but they are well-worth it if you want to become a stronger rider.



1. GYROTONIC
I think anyone can successfully do gyrotonic exercises whether they have a crippled body and chronic issues or not. These are extremely low-impact exercises on special equipment that focus on core stability and having equal strength/ flexibility on each side. It's as close to swimming without water that I've ever experienced. Even if I go in with a stiff body and low mobility, I come out feeling loose and limber. 

The catch: It's not cheap and can be hard to find studios where it's offered.
To see if it's offered close to you, visit:  https://www.gyrotonic.com/studios_classes_and_courses.aspx




2. PILATES
There's a reason this is already the go-to fitness plan for Dressage Divas! It increases body awareness and strengthens weak areas, with a huge focus on core strength and stability. I've found that private lessons with a Pilates instructor are invaluable in fixing huge form issues that I never noticed when I was trying to do Pilates exercises on my own. They are well-worth the investment. The equipment in Pilates studios (such as the reformer, chair, and table) is surprisingly helpful too, especially if you find the mat exercises to be a bit difficult. 





3. CARDIO ON THE ELLIPTICAL
Here's a budget friendly one for you! I try to do 30-45 minutes  2-4x/week on the elliptical machine at my apartment complex gym, followed by some light weight lifting. I find I can work on core stability most with it when I put it on a lower resistance at a high incline and pedal backwards without hold onto moving handles. I keep correct posture (shoulders back, shoulder blades down, everything aligned vertically) and try to stabilize my core like I would riding a big sitting trot. This is much more efficient for weight loss but not as good at strengthening as doing GRYOTONIC or Pilates exercises. It is also a fraction of the cost as the other two!

Setting Goals Leads to Improvement!

I have always been very successful at setting and achieving goals. If you have the motivation to improve yourself, goals help to focus that motivation and create measurable results. I came up with this list after analyzing videos of my rides, figuring out what Amber repeats the most in my lessons, and from experimenting when I ride outside of lessons.

For 2014, my goals are to:

1. Ride between movements, don’t take a break in the corners!
2. Upper arms parallel to torso, thumbs up with firm grip on reins
3. Don’t pull back on reins-- it doesn’t do anything useful
4. No bending wrists, bend the elbows or squeeze fingers instead
5. The first halt needs to improve… don't run down the centerline!
6. Less rider movement= a better ride
7. No more rider meltdowns in the warm-up

Here is a great illustration of the straight elbows and flat, loose-gripping hands that I need to fix!

Prepping for the 2014 Show Season= Budgeting

Welcome to my blog! I will be documenting the adventures my spectacular Irish Draught, Flagmount's Trademark, takes in the sport of Dressage. There will be plenty about my struggles as a 25-year old Adult Amateur as well.

Budgeting for the Show Season

Although many Dressage Queens are currently enjoying the show season in Sunny West Palm Beach, Flagmount's Trademark (aka- Mark, the official BHB) and I have yet to start gearing up for our competitions this year. Add in a winter storm, and I suddenly have time to start writing on the blog I've been putting off for nearly a year!

I went over my horse budget last show season after showing at Regionals and the National Finals, so a show-cation to sunny Florida is not in the books this season. Instead, I've been working hard to fit a show schedule to this season's budget. At 25 with plenty of bills on my plate (including a high maintenance retired horse, HRH Blitz), it's a struggle to do all the horse stuff that I want to do. I'm still waiting for my Billionaire future husband to knock on my door and hand me a black card!

We're going to do our Second Level debut this season, along with doing a freestyle or two... once I get choreography nailed down and the music edited to fit. I'd like to get enough scores to compete for All-Breeds Awards at First and Second level, and also for freestyles at those same levels. That means we need to fit at least 20 classes into our show season since I already have 2 scores at First level from Regionals and Nationals. Assuming each show weekend is 2 days long and I don't try to completely exhaust the BHB, I'll have to prepare for 5 shows before Regionals. I also want to let Amber show off her progress with the BHB at least a couple shows, so that means we need to add a 6th show to our schedule. Adding in Regionals and Nationals, hopefully we will be going to 8 shows this season.

I love going to shows in the Atlanta area. It's the most budget-friendly for me too since I get to save on the trailering costs and hotel costs that I'd incur on long-distance showing. Three-day shows, like the August Tennessee one or even four-day shows like KDA Spring shows, are awesome and make it easier to get tons of rides in at one location.

So far, it looks like our first show will be the GDCTA show at Conyers in April. I love supporting my awesome GMO! Hopefully we can debut the First Level freestyle that's currently in the works. I can't wait to get the shaggy beast primped up for show season!