Enjoying the Journey,,,,,,

This blog is for the journey of CM and myself as we make our way to Grand Prix.. I am so pleased with his progress perfecting 3rd level and moving to 4th level that is is nice to stop and just enjoy the journey sometimes!! Training horses has been such a wonderful life for me...I have the best horses of my life (CM included) and students who are just AMAZING... I feel like it is all coming together like I have always dreamed.  I have worked so hard...

Just the other day my mom and I were talking...and we started to count the horses I have trained and the ones I have had the honor of riding (horses that taught ME vs. me teaching them) to date I have trained 5.5 FEI horses from green to FEI some PSG and some more (piaffe, one tempies, full pirouettes) on my own... I have RIDDEN (meaning these horses were trained by my parents and some instances horses trained elsewhere and brought here to be moved on or "fixed")... 16 horses ABOVE FEI... this does not include all the babies I have had and lower level horses under 4th level (SO MANY, too many too even count)... WHAT A WONDERFUL LIFE I HAVE HAD SO FAR!!!! (and a priceless opportunity)

Thanks to all the horses in my past... I am able to train the horses I have now with the program that works for me...following the methods of all the great masters, and of course my parents!  Each and every one of those horses has given me the gift of knowledge... I am so grateful.

SO this blog is for CM... and someday he will be the one of the horses that helped educate me on how to train my youngsters...

Here is to ENJOYING THE JOURNEY, learning all we can, and paying it forward!

Pefecting, and Pirouettes!

It is 12 days till spring..not that I am counting or anything.... Con Mar and I took a short break during the VERY cold weather in Early February and he has come back better than ever... We are working on perfecting our changes (straighter and no dramatics, even though that part was really FUN to ride!!) and I have started him on half pirouettes..>THEY ARE SO GOOD!  The right one is showable..the left (my bad side) is close.  He is such a tryer... I LOVE THAT>

I am strongly considering showing him this summer at a few shows...to get him out.  The clinics that I have wanted to attend are just not working out schedule wise :( THAT SUCKS... but, It would be fun show show him!!!!  I will start at 2nd and 3rd to qualify most likely... we will see what summer brings... b/c he is a young stallion I will start BELOW his level of training... he has not been out enough YET!

I eagerly await SPRING and so does CON MAR! :)

Con Mar wins best behaved!!!!

Recently I have been told about the issues that the other stallion owners have had with their full siblings of Con Mar! I must say I am pleased with my stallion!!! I have had no issues of stallion behavior that is out of control or out of line. Sure he is a STALLION! but Con Mar knows his limitations and respects his trainer! ME!

Stallions are not for everyone and shouldn't be handled or even owned by people who just don't GET it, this is most people!!! They are NOT PETS! they CAN be dangerous! and the littlest mistakes can end in tragedy! Add that to a young and hot horse and you are in trouble!!! That said my stallion is very loved and respected! I wouldn't trade him for Anything!!!!!

So THANK YOU to my parents for teaching me how to properly handle a stallion and for also teaching me to be HONEST about my ability to do so! thank you for teaching me ton stand up for the HORSE!

Winter....oh yah!

ANYONE who knows me know that the title of this is sarcastic!!!!!  I hate winter...but, so far temps have been WONDERFUL and i have no complaints really.

Con Mar is doing wonderfully, he hates COLD too...but, we are plugging away on the 4th level... I have yet to order him the double bridle...but, am going to do that soon!!! AND I have yet to video tape just because I have not been as regular as I would like to be with ALL my own horses as I have been SO BUSY!!!! Life is back to normal now however and riding is coming back together for my boys :)

Look for another update soon...I must say that this tiny break has been good for Con Mar...he works hard and deserved a bit of a rest.

Winter is coming......

Con Mar and I acheived all our summer goals this year and are on to winter goals...I have not yet figured out WHAT they are going to be.... I think we will school all the 4th level all winter and then bring him out in the spring to show @ Copper Creek Dressage shows to start... (they have safe stalls!)....

I am so thrilled with my "little" who is not so little, Stallion.... to me he is a pure joy to ride and work with...he is not easy don't get me wrong..but, challenging enough to make this fun for me after 35 years of riding then training Dressage horses!

My goal for this Blog is MORE PICTURES and video...I think I am going to get a new "flip" video cam..they are so EASY to use...no excuses after that, right?!!! :)

Good Job Young Grasshopper!

Summer has been wonderful for Con Mar and I.... I could not ask for better weather, and a better student at this point.  Today Con Mar did 3 changes on the diagonal (no count) in the snaffle like he has been doing it all his life.  He was so proud of himself and immediately got to quit training for the day and go for a walk outside in the morning sunshine.  It is AMAZING to me how things fall so easily into place when you are riding CORRECTLY.... the pieces of the puzzle just fit...no struggle, no fight... easy peezy. 

It has taken all of my years of riding and training to get to the point where "my system" just produces horse after horse easily achieving the desired results of moving through the levels.  It is so refreshing...but, the best thing of it all...MY HORSES ARE HAPPY and they perform because they understand and because they love the work. WOW.

Thanks to all those horses, Mom and Dad, and Mr. Karl Mikolka (even if it was just a few lessons, it was eye opening)

Conversano Marina (Conversano Barbarina X Marina by Pluto Bona II) 6 years old.

1, 2 and...........3??

Flying changes that is!!!  We finally have two changes on a line... we are working towards #3 pretty soon!! Yesterday 1 and 2 where very very easy to get!  Good Boy Con Mar!  I will say that even though he is a super talent... I have had EVERY version of Flying Changes known to horses....it has been VERY amusing and I have had a very hard time not LAUGHING at him when he is going through his leaps and kicks... He has more control over his hindquarters than any horse I have EVER trained... he enjoys showing me how much control he has on a regular basis!
The trot work is coming along as well.  He has all his lateral work and the extended trot is FINALLY starting to make an appearence... this has been his most difficult thing... but, it is coming! 
I was right about the double bridle...he does prefer to wear it..he is much more comfortable in it (the weight I believe) so he is wearing it more regularly... I also prefer it with a stallion just in case!  My dad would tell you just because you have it doesn't mean you USE IT.... I agree.  SO.... because he is being such a good boy...he will be getting a new double for Christmas!!  There is so many to chose from that it will take me that long to get the one we both want :)
I haven't forgotten about VIDEO and New PHOTOS of Con Mar and I.... and hopefully we will be attending a clinic in October/Nov.... To Be Announced!  HAPPY RIDING!

The dog days of summer

It has been a very HOT summer so far this year... Con Mar is handling it pretty well, considering he hates the COLD weather I am sure he is thankful for the SUNSHINE :) .  Training is going very well.  We finally have a little bit of canter half pass...and starting some super collected steps which eventually will turn into passage or piaffe.  I am starting to feel the level of collection I have been looking for!  The double bridle is only be used 1 x weekly as I am not a HUGE fan of using "equipment" to train a horse to do dressage... He has accepted it's use very well and I think he will be a horse that prefers the double to the snaffle in the end.  The work he is doing in the double is very nice...and there is definitley a feeling of "I am an upper level horse" coming from him.  He is a very proud stallion! 
I haven't taken him out yet as I have been very busy training horses and showing my "Oscar" at PSG his first year (doing very well)... but, that will come before Fall... I have a few more shows in July and August and then I am looking forward to a BREAK! Photos and videos will come THEN :)

what a joy!

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful Lipizzaner stallion!!!!  'Con Mar' is doing wonderfully... he is very happy in his work and we are perfecting the 3rd level work.... I believe that 3rd level is the longest stage in a horses training after the "green baby" phase... it takes time to go from being a "baby" to being a grown up horse and having to do grown up work.  I am looking forward to the summer months and possibly showing him this year.... he will go on many "outtings" to get used to working out side of his comfort zone.

This year I will be posting some training videos of 'Con Mar' and I .... as well as a summer photo shoot!