Latest News at Helicon Farm
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November 2023
Lots of big news to report!
Figlio (show name Femmo) is now a Grand Prix dressage horse and I am a USDF Gold Medalist! We made our Grand Prix debut this fall, and Figlio proved he has what it takes!
Kim Charney has a beautiful new horse, Oso is an Azteca (3/4 Andalusian 1/4 Quarterhorse) who not just eye candy, but also a nice mover and proven competitor. The future looks bright for this partnership!
Emily Kutz and her beautiful mare Lala (show name Olivia) have been making amazing progress. Lala is already so light and uphill and her topline looks fantastic. Emily gave me the honor of showing Lala for her first time out at the Dallas Fall Show and she was mostly wonderful (I mean is "rodeo" even a legit comment or did the scribe ad lib there?).
London Sustala and Listillo won two firsts at the Curragh schooling show, finishing as Training Level reserve champions! London also scored a 67% in her equitation class at the Dallas Fall Show with positive remarks from the judge.
Theresa Sheehy and her beautiful Amadeus (show name Atticus) have also been making great progress. We were so excited for their recognized show debut, but Amadeus got a sole bruise from a twisted shoe the day before the show. We got the shoe fixed and he seemed to feel better. I rode the first two classes to take the edge off (he gets show nerves) . Finally, it was Theresa's turn ... and he was off again. Like a good sportswoman she hopped off immediately - but what a bummer. Somehow Amadeus still finished as Reserve Champion for first level for his first two classes.
Sherry Sheffield and her famous El Espiritu have a had rough summer due to some health issues. Fortunately the end of the ferocious heat, a round of meds an and a very special diet have helped Stu feel like his old self.
I have deeply sadly news, I lost two dear old friends this summer. Aeros was put to sleep after complications from EPM that did not diminish despite three months of meds at full strength. Aeros was spoiled with TLC in his final days and passed peacefully at the age of 24.
I also lost Frisbee, one of the greatest loves of my life. He was taken by an excruciating colic that came on too fast. He was 22 but in wonderful health and holding his spot as the shining star of Helicon Farm, and more poignantly, of my heart. I am incredibly grateful to have been Frisbee's person. He was one of the most intelligent and kind horses I have ever known. He was beautiful and talented, and yet so kind and safe I could put any rider on him. I never tired of seeing riders' fearful faces melt into big smiles as they sensed his generous spirit and softly swinging gaits. Frisbee had a strong sense of justice and a great sense of humor. I could ride him bridleless, even though I never really formally taught him how. Where other horses walk off, Frisbee would sidle up to the mounting block - again I never had to teach him that, he was just that way. I have no children, but I was there when Frisbee was born in 2001 and his sister Freesia in 1998, and with them at the end ... and I can't think of any other experience that has given me so much joy and profound sorrow.
Tip of the Month
"Every morning you can stay in bed
with your dreams... or
you can wake up and chase them."
-Katelyn Vanhoozer
I am a writer in addition to being a rider... So naturally I love to write about dressage!
Légérete
Article with legendary classical horseman Michele Henriquet at his Ercurie (stables) near Paris just a few months before he passed away.
More articles I have written for Dressage Today (with links).
Training the Happy Athlete with Jessica Jo Tate
Build Your Horse's Confidence with Scott Hassler
Symmetrical Thinking with Lauren Sammis
Losgelassenheit with Sabine Schut-Kery
A Gender Based Approach to Training with David Blake
For clinic reports and other horse adventures, please visit my blog
Losgelassenheit
Article with Olympic Silver Medalist Sabine Schut-Kery and featuring Sanceo as a young horse.
2025 Calendar of Events
for Helicon Farm
Jan 18 Willow Draw Schooling Show
Jan 18. FWDC Banquet
February 14-16 Haras Recognized Show
February 22 Willow Draw Schooling Show
April 5-6 Bill McMullen (S) clinic at Helicon Farm
April 11-13 Texas Dressage Classic at Tyler Rose Park
April 24-17 Scott Hassler Clinic
May 4. Helicon Farm's Black Beauty Classic Dressage Show
May 31 - June 1 Dallas Dressage Club
June 15. FWDC Schooling Show
June 21-22 DDC Breed and Dressage
September 22-28
CDI at Dressage at Devon
Past Tips
May
If your horse feels heavy in the bridle, push your hands forward as if meeting a wall. This engages your core and ensures that it's not you who is heavy!
June
Always make sure you follow the motion of the horse - seat follows the back and hands and arms follow the mouth. Even when you give aids, stay with this motion.
July
Feeling stuck? Maybe you have an outdated rule that is holding you back. Many riders are still loyal to instructions they received decades ago. It may have been relevant to your skill level then, or to that horse, or that moment or maybe it was just bad info. Be willing to let go of a "rule" and learn new ways!
August
Dressage is often described as the process of shifting the horse's weight back to the haunches. This unfortunately makes riders try to pull the horse back into collection. Instead, think of engaging the haunches forwards, so that the horse drives his hind end under the forehand.
September
Are you straight in the saddle? Crookedness issues will effect every communication you make with your horse. In addition to getting help from mirrors, your coach or ground person, consider trying a good chiropractor! Even Charlotte Dujardin depends on her physio to keep her straight!
Fall 2018
"Speed is the Enemy of Impulsion" one of my instructors used to say.
So many times we chase our horses forward, when what they really need is time and balance to reach under with the hindlegs. Use half halts for balance and lateral work to develop the reach of the hindlegs. Then you will be able to produce those thrusty suspended strides that make dressage riders swoon!
Winter 2019
We all want a forward dressage horse, but what does that really mean? Race horses are very fast, but they don't have the agility and suspension we want. In dressage "forwardness" is the ability of your horse to respond quickly and easily to your requests. A forward horse can go, stop or make a transition immediately from your first light aid.
Spring 2019
Confused about how to create contact? Get your position stacked first, then gently take the slack out of the reins as you close your legs to send horse toward the bridle. When you shorten your reins, advance your hands down the reins toward the horse's mouth, so that you don't pull his head in and close his throat. Your arms should be adaptable to maintain a sympathetic connection. When your horse carries his neck, you will be able to carry your elbows softly bent and close to your body, so that a baby could nestle there without falling!
How to Become
the Best Dressage Rider You Can
I wrote this article with my students in mind, and posted it on Facebook. It's been shared 200+ times!
I hope it will help you on your journey too.
As an aspiring rider and coach to others, I am fascinated about what it takes to become great at dressage. I have watched some riders zoom to the top while others struggle at the same level for years. What makes the difference?
Here is what I have learned so far:
1. Learn from a master
This is the only real shortcut in dressage. Many top riders come from family dynasties where the knowledge is generously shared. If you weren't born into it, you can still seek knowledge from the best horseman or woman you can find. The other master who will speed you on your journey is the equine schoolmaster.
2. Don't let talent hold you back
Talent has a dark side. It can make you arrogant and thus unteachable. It can make you overestimate your ability and then you will beat yourself up for underperforming. It can make you play it too safe, because you won't want to expose (or discover) the limits of your talent.
3. Instead, develop a talent for learning
Learn from every situation. Every problem, challenge and setback is an opportunity to get curious. Ask what skills or tools do I need to surmount this challenge? A friend, who is an Olympic rider, once told me that her coach is so interested in training that he will chat with a city carriage driver with curiosity about how he trains his horses.
4. Don't ride a horse that scares you
Fear makes you a bad rider. It makes you tense, stiff, and short tempered. Ride a horse you feel safe on so that you can stay in learning mode.
5. Be a sponge
We are so lucky to live in a time where information is everywhere. You can google anything, from techniques to keep your heels down to how to teach flying changes. You can study your next test by watching a 70% ride on youtube. Audit other lessons and clinics. Learn to scribe and attend the L program. Take advantage of the excellent riding and training academies on line such as Team Tate Academy, Amelia Newcomb Dressage, and Featherlight Horsemanship.
6. Take responsibility for your growth
Don't use your instructor as a crutch. If they are repeating the same instructions over and over, you are slacking. Olympic rider Courtney King Dye once wrote that she made it her goal that her coach Lendon Gray would never have to tell her the same thing twice. If your horse is in training, watch his training sessions. If your trainer has to get on to make a correction, don't sulk, get curious about what he/she is doing. If you want to progress faster, actively seek ways to improve. If you feel like you aren't getting the results you deserve for the amount of effort you are putting in, welcome to the club! now double down.
7. Keep a journal
I am surprised how many riders don't do this. Every breakthrough you have needs to be recorded on paper. It will engrave it into your memory, especially if you make time to reread and study your notes.
8. Don't blame your horse
Your horse has no frontal lobe. That means he has no mental ability to plot against you. He is just being a horse, trying to survive. Just as a skier has to learn how to navigate the terrain of a mountain, you have to learn how to be a horseman. Even if you own a Stradivarius violin, it won't make beautiful music until you develop your skill to play it properly.
9. Ride with intention
Ever notice how some golfers play every weekend and never improve? It's because putting time in doesn't count if you don't do it with intention. You have to ride with self discipline and curiosity. Was that last circle round? Do you notice when your horse cuts in at the same spot every time? Do you try using the tools and exercises you have learned so far? If you get stuck, don't be afraid to experiment. Afterward you can research solutions, consult mentors and ask your instructor for suggestions at the next lesson.
10. Be the guardian of your horse
If you use horses like sports equipment, you may gain the ability to ride well, but you will never be a great horseman. Horses generously share their friendship, beauty and athleticism and trust with us. This is an honor to which we must strive to be worthy. That means we are bound to provide them with the best mental welfare, safety and care into their twilight years.
June 2019
Do you have following hands? Are you sure? My very first dressage lesson was on the importance of following the horse's mouth with my hands. The problem with this lesson is that having a following seat is even more important. If your hands are moving a lot, it might be a symptom that your seat and the horse's back are not moving enough.
Try this, still your hands on the horse's withers as he canters, follow with your seat, and let his motion guide your elbows open and closed. You may be surprised how much the contact steadies. Now you have hands that are both quiet and following!
Fall 2019
Are you one of those riders who tries really hard? You may be trying too much. Experiment with doing less. Trying can create stiffness and tension which makes it harder for the horse to move freely. For example a leg aid that gets stronger becomes gripping and squeezing, which blocks the horse's back from swinging. Sitting up too much causes the rider's spine to be too stiff. Rein aids can easily become too strong or too long. Try giving tiny rein aids without any expectation of a response. Your horse will probably ignore it, but if you relax the rein and ask again, you may be pleasantly surprised!
December 2019
Dressage is all about engaging the hind end so that the horse steps deeper with the hind legs. To teach your horse to take deeper steps, try this exercise:
As you walk or trot down the long side ask the horse to move his haunches away from the rail by crossing the hind legs to make a leg yield step. When you feel him start to make some nice deep steps, ride forward and then turn onto a ten meter circle. Repeat a few times in each direction. This exercise will improve suppleness and have your horse reaching well under himself!
Spring 2020
Has your riding progress hit a plateau? Examine your automatic riding habits!
The automation of our riding skills is generally a good thing, because it enables us to ride without overthinking. It also frees our brain so we can remember things like a test pattern, or which way the haunches go in renvers! But automation can also lead to stagnation. Those automatic habits need updating just like your computer software. When you practice outside of your comfort zone, you are forced to problem solve and to think about what you are doing. It's a confusing and frustrating place to be, because you are not proficient and things can get messy. Ironically, this "discomfort zone" is actually where you will develop the new skills necessary to move forward and upward. Embrace the struggle and trust that new and better software will take you to the next level!
Has Is your horse hard to bend? Does he jut his shoulders out and drift out? Do you feel like you have to pull on the inside rein to get him around the turn?
While correct bend is ideally aligning a horse on a curve, like a quarter of a circle, or a parenthesis - like this ( The horse often bends too much with his neck and not enough with his body. The rider aggravates this problem by pulling on the inside rein. So the horse looks more like this <
To correct this tendency, concentrate on turning the withers rather then the head. So if you are turning right, guide the withers to move right and then bend the horse behind the withers (at girth line) rather than in front of the withers (at the base of the neck). Use your inside leg to ask your horse to lift and yield at his ribcage. If horse just braces his torso, teach him this yield from the ground first, or if he knows, you can touch him with the spur. Now you can use your outside rein like a neck rein to guide the withers (and the shoulders) to the right.