This is how it feels: It’s a trot that’s resistance free. He glides with relaxed strides. At first you think it might be slow, but no, his strides are longer. He has time to push from behind. Every vertebrae in his back is loose. His movement is fluid and soft,…
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Added by Anna Blake on September 2, 2016 at 9:15am —
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Beach attire for the serious dressage rider.
In the 80’s, I marched with the Ladies Against Women. Do you know the organization? They were a national group…
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Added by Anna Blake on August 1, 2014 at 9:00am —
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An article of mine was published in a national dressage magazine in 2006. Spirit had been retired two years and he was still pouting (read) and holding a grudge…
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Added by Anna Blake on April 20, 2012 at 8:16am —
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There were lots of great rides in Spirit’s 25 years, but this was the most perfect ride…
Spirit was something in the day- he and I agreed. He was fun to show, always a crisp and spontaneous ride. His confidence improved year by year, and still, every day was a brand new day.
That day, our first…
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Added by Anna Blake on April 13, 2012 at 8:05am —
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It was the late 1980’s, and a bunch of us from the barn went to see the Lipizzaners when they came to town. It was a chance to dress up, eat an…
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Added by Anna Blake on April 6, 2012 at 8:33am —
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I am hooked on the writings of classical trainers. It isn’t that I am an elitist; they use an inspiring word that I like and don’t hear so much these days: ART.
“Theory instructs us that we should work from a foundation of sound principles, and these principles,…
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Added by Anna Blake on September 23, 2011 at 9:20am —
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… and Grace gives herself a promotion.
Dressage borrows lots of language from ballet -after all, we are the dancers of the horse world. Pas de Trois is a dance of three. I have commandeered that phrase to describe riding lessons as a conversational dance between horse, rider and instructor. All three participants have to be heard for the dance to succeed.
I am always…
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Added by Anna Blake on May 13, 2011 at 8:02am —
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Dear Drama Queen,
I understand getting upset. You have so much passion and desire for riding. I know how much you want to do the very best job. Sometimes the world seems to conspire against you; it’s like every bad thing happens to you and none of it is…
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Added by Anna Blake on April 15, 2011 at 8:00am —
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It’s generally considered good manners in the barn to graciously take the blame anytime your horse is less than spectacular, and give your horse all the credit after a good ride. But it is more than manners, it is also a rider’s responsibility.…
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Added by Anna Blake on March 11, 2011 at 9:30am —
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The head of the herd at Infinity Farm is the kind of horse you might call Grandfather- with reverence. He was a flashy something in his day; what he lacked in confidence he made up for with bravado. We made a pair and a quarter century later, we have both softened and matured with age. He rules the ranch, from the ducks (he shares his grain with them) on up. Not all barns are as…
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Added by Anna Blake on March 4, 2011 at 9:12am —
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I’ve traveled in all directions in the last few months- looking at potential lesson horses. I want to rescue the skinny ones. I try to guess how much retraining will be needed for others. The right horse…
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Added by Anna Blake on February 26, 2011 at 7:34am —
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