DISMOUNTED WORKSHOP EVENING CLASSES

We will be running some more evening sessions for riders at Upper Village Hall, Kings Road, Shalford GU4 8JU
7:30 - 9:30pm on Thursday 26th January and Thursday 23rd February.

Price: £15 per session or £25 for both.

Please let Debbie or Alex know if you are planning to attend. In order to give everyone enough attention, numbers will be limited to 12 per session so do book early to avoid disappointment.

Email: debbiesdressage@btinternet.com or alex@guildfordtaichi.co.uk

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011

My new saddle arrived at the end of October and was worth the wait. Ligero feels so comfortable and is really working through his body. I am looking forward to getting out in the new year to the training clinics and some competitions.

I am very grateful to Kay Humphries for making such lovely saddles and taking the time to ensure that both the horse and rider are really comfortable together. I am delighted with mine.

Alex Swainson and I held an evening Workshop in November which went very well. We will be doing two more in January and February 2012 in the Shalford Village Hall. Please contact me if you are interested. Emails will be sent out to those of you who have been before. The workshops are fun and a nice way to meet other riders and make new friends.

I had a lovely surprize for Christmas from a group of clients who presented me with a wireless communication system. I have wanted one for years and it is a very generous and perfect gift. I have been using it for work, it makes teaching outside so much easier and the clients are enjoying it too. I am very grateful and will be using it most of the time when I am teaching and helping in the warm up at competitions.

I would like to wish you all a lovely Christmas and a very happy and fun new year.

AUGUST - OCTOBER 2011

31st August - 3rd September I travelled to Stow on the Wold for four days of training with Gerd Heuschmann at the Unicorn Trust. It was good fun as well as educational. Several clients came along too and we stayed at a local B & B.

As always, Gerd captivated his audience with his 4hr presentation on the Wednesday evening, and then the following 3 days were horse assessments, training and demonstrations.

Thanks to Emily Baker - www.equinethos.com for organising another super 4 days of training with Gerd. We are all looking forward to the follow up next year.

Next years dates have already been arranged, 29th August - 1st September 2012. Venue to be confirmed in Oxfordshire.

Ligero has been working very well and due to his development, his saddle has had to be changed. This has caused a frustrating break in his ridden training and we have missed 3 clinics while we wait for his new one to arrive. He has been worked in-hand and on the lunge to maintain his fitness and continue his training until the saddle comes, hopefully by the end of October !

MAY - JUNE 2011

Ligero and I have been out training to three clinics in the last two months and I am very pleased with his progress. He is such a pleasure to work with and he feels very comfortable and happy to ride. I took him to the Iberian Festival at Pachesham EC on 19th June and he won both his classes. I didn't expect that on our first time out so it was a very happy day !

In June we had two Dismounted Workshops and another one in July. We are featured in the June and July issues of Horse and Rider Magazine. The articles are on how Tai Chi principles can help your riding.

July and August - Work is busy, it's holiday time, Hickstead International is on and Gerd is back 31st August. Just going to enjoy the summer and try and fit everything in.

Ligero competing at Pachesham EC 19/06/11

NOVEMBER 2010 - MARCH 2011

Despite the difficult winter I managed to keep Ligero in training and he has gained in confidence. We attended clinics at the TTT with Alex Cookson, Andrew Murphy and Stephen Clarke. These have been a valuable part of his education and a good way of testing his confidence and level of work away from home. At each clinic he became more focused and less concerned about things around him, venturing closer to the spectator gallery!

We are due to attend two more clinics in May.

I also managed to have another training day with Gerd Heuschmann in Oxford, and one of my clients had a great time participating on his 3 day clinic. It was great to have his input on how we have been working her horse and he gave us encouragement to keep going with our remedial work.

MOORCROFT RACEHORSE WELFARE CENTRE

We did our last workshop of the year at Moorcroft on 27th November 2010.

Despite the cold we all had a good day, the sun did shine, so although we had use of the lovely new indoor school, we did the workshop outside. This enabled Horse and Rider Magazine to take some photographs and we are delighted that they came along to see what we do. Thank you to all those that participated and braved the cold, and to Mary who made us all feel very welcome and kept us supplied with tea & coffee throughout. All the proceeds from the day went to the Centre.

We will be returning to Moorcroft in 2011 to do some more workshops.

Check out their website www.mrwc.org.uk

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010

Dr.Gerd Heuschmann Presentation and Clinic

I first heard Gerd Heuschmann lecture in 2004 at The Young Horse Seminar held at Hartpury College. I have attended his lectures annually since then and can highly recommend them. This year I was fortunate to get to his Presentation and Clinic at the Unicorn Trust, Stow on the Wold for two days in September with one of my clients, and then again in October at the TTT.

Gerd is a Veterinary Surgeon who has specialised in equine orthopaedics, been head of the breeding department at the German Equestrian Federation and is a trained Bereiter. He has his own Veterinary Clinic in Warendorf and lectures all over the world. His Presentation ' The horses anatomy determines its way of training ' is a very inspiring, thought provoking lecture on the bio-mechanics of the horse. Using computer projections he gives a clear explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of different training philosophies. The background of the classical riding principals is based on this bio-mechanical knowledge.

He also works with riders and their horses to clearly show the effect of good training and the importance of the rider having a good seat.

Every year he brings new research to his presentations and holds the attention of his audience throughout.

Training with Gerd Heuschmann at the Unicorn Trust. Emily Baker, Debbie, Anja Fragodt with her horse Elling and Gerd

We never stop learning and I am grateful to Gerd for speaking out for the good of the horse, and giving so much of his time to educate us.

I can highly recommend his book - Tug of War - Classical versus "modern" Dressage. Why classical training works and how incorrect riding negatively affects horses' health. Also his DVD - If horses could speak - this has a great 3-D animation which makes the principles discussed in his book very clear.

Gerd will be back at the TTT next year.

www.gerdheuschmann.com

JULY 2010

A BIG THANK YOU

I would like to say a ' Big Thank You ' to Sue Dennis, Lynne Leeder and Maureen Moss for their sponsorship this year for my new horse - Ligero, and to Anne Simmonds for her contribution towards new training mirrors for the school. Thank you all.

LIGERO - My new horse is a purebred Andalusian, grey, 9 year old gelding.

He has settled in very well and is a joy to train. He is a very sensitive horse who was so spooky about everything when I first met him, that I wondered if I would ever get him to concentrate! He came to England in '08 and had to be rescued from a field where he had suffered neglect later in the year. It took most of '09 to get weight back on him and be able to begin to train him. I did some work with him at this time for Alex Gache. I enjoyed working with him so much that I bought him in July. Thanks to Alex for rescuing him and matching us up !

He is becoming much more confident and getting stronger in his body after such trauma. I am hoping to compete him next year, but, he needs time and patience, so we will have to wait and see.