Ok, size limit dictated that I put this into a 2nd entry. So go read the one before this if you want to find out about the chestnut's journey into flying changes!


Arwen: (4-year-old, Training level)

Saturday
Not much to discuss—Arwen didn’t handle the 35mph winds well and wore herself out, lunging/running for an hour. It was not well disciplined lunging. Barn 4’s Christmas party was going on, and kids were running around playing Frisbee, etc. After getting a decent collected canter in the double lunge, gave up and went in the barn aisle and talked about goals/future with Wolf and Sue.

Sunday
My 4-year-old was SORE for her silliness the day before! It took about 10 minutes before she finally came through and swinging in her back, and she was still really lazy and behind the leg for most of the lesson, which is unusual for her.

At the walk, we began just a few steps of haunches in against the wall, then a few steps half pass from the center line. At this point, just “playing” with the lateral work, to keep things interesting for her and as Wolfgang says, “get it in early.” Quote of the week: “Just because she is showing training level doesn’t mean she can’t half pass!”

At the trot, we spent some time getting her a little more in front of the leg. (Again, an unusual reaction for her. She’s normally quite hot.) Sending her forward and getting her to stretch out in the lengthenings helped. Se also spent some time stretching, the working trot, the stretching, then working trot to keep her going to the bit when she wanted to brace on the bottom muscles. From that exercise, we took the canter upward trasition, and she stayed more connected and through after the stretching.

We tried a 3-loop serpentine at the canter with trot transitions on the center line, and that’s homework. It was a little messy, but will be good once she can stay a little more focused. (There were a lot of distractions today, but she was still at least rideable.) Stay back and down in the downward canter transitions, and that helps keep her from kicking out. Also, forward on the long side in the canter to get her more in front of the leg again.



Other news:
Wolfgang, his wife Sue, and I sat and talked for over an hour after Saturday’s lessons were over. He is on board with the goals that I have sent you for Chessie, and truly believes in her talent.

Wolf and Sue are organizing their “presence” at the shows in the coming year, and they want me to be an integral part in their team of riders and trainers. I will still show under the Arabella Equestrian name, and still school my own students, but Wolfgang will be available to school me at shows that we go to together. Also, we will be able to refer students back and forth, if someone is in a tight spot at the show, we can be available to warm-up each other’s horses, school each other’s students, and just generally help each other out. (Essentially what our group already does, just with a bigger pool to choose from.)

I talked to Wolfgang, and he has agreed to be my mentor for my professional goals. I told him that I’m pretty ambitious—I would like to actually be a competitor on the national scene, showing at Del Mar (CA), Devon (PA), etc. Wolfgang has DONE those shows before, so he can help me with qualification, preparation, etc. I’ve never had a true mentor for my riding goals and career, so I’m really excited about this. Incidentally, he also feels that my current show horse, Chessie and Arwen, would be ABLE to be competitive at this national scene—that was great news all by itself!

My boss at work has agreed to be my business mentor and talk me through if I should incorporate, how to set up an LLC, etc. (Her and her husband own their own medical device company, and additionally they just recently set up an LLC for something else, but I’ve forgotten what it was.) So I feel like things are moving forward in a very positive way!