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Connecticut Dressage & Combined Training Assoc. Member Shares Experience at Ride Critique Ride with Claudia Tarlov Submitted by Penny Folsey
On August 24, I had the pleasure of participating in the Connecticut Dressage & Combined Training Association’s (CDCTA) Ride Critique Ride with Claudia Tarlov. I found myself looking forward to it all month long and it served as a goal in my schooling. I rode Training Level Test 3. The morning of the event dawned as a picture perfect day; Grand View Stables is a beautiful facility with great footing both indoors and out. The clinic was so successful, a second day had to be added to accommodate all the rides. I set to work tacking up my horse,
Capriccio, and getting myself ready to ride. The warm-up was taking place in the indoor arena. I spent about 20 minutes getting warmed up. As the rider before me finished up, I headed down to the dressage arena. I rode my test, trying to do my best, and we had a decent ride. Claudia thought our test was pretty good, and we decided on a couple of areas to focus on improving for the second test. One area was the bending line loop, ridden in both directions. She pointed out that a better bend, and change of bend, being careful to not cross X, could easily improve my score.
I also need to work on my stretching trot circle. Claudia was very helpful in giving me pointers that would improve my horse’s reach. I felt relaxed and comfortable following her instruction. I rode my second test and improved my score by four points. I was thrilled. The insight I received by this critique ride really helped me complete a better test at Arabian Sport Horse Nationals. I frequently think that when we school and take lessons we do not really wonder about what the judge sees as we ride our tests. We practice elements of our tests, whether it be good geometry, soft transitions, or square halts, but we seldom have the opportunity to hear what the judge really thinks when we put all the “parts” together at a show. I saw many familiar faces that day. It was really a fun and relaxing way to spend my Saturday. I look forward to the next CDCTA event that I can attend, as they are always well run and friendly and the clinics are great learning opportunities.
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The New Hampshire Dressage & Eventing Assoc. Shares Four Reasons on Why You Should Join Submitted by Stefanie Rossetti
Founded in the late 1970s, The New Hampshire Dressage & Eventing Association (NHDEA) is a small but growing GMO (Group Member Organization) of the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) based in Manchester, NH. We are the only USDF GMO in New Hampshire. Our membership year runs from November to that of the following calendar year, so with renewal time upon us, now is the perfect moment to join NHDEA. Dues are a lean $37 per year and give you a great bang for the buck! Here are some reasons to join us: 1. NHDEA puts on well-organized and friendly events that appeal to a range of equestrians throughout the riding season. We also frequently plan an indoor winter clinic for those stir-crazy, snowy months. Our clinics give our membership and the riding community at large great opportunities to learn from some of the top clinicians in the area. Some clinics, typically our dres-
sage clinic, are club-subsidized to keep lessons affordable for everyone. As more and more event riders have joined our membership, we’ve also beefed up our eventing clinic schedule and added club-sponsored two- and three-phase shows to our roster. In an effort to further expand our eventing offerings, we will be organizing both beginner and advanced eventing clinics in 2014. 2. NHDEA holds two dressage schooling shows per year—one in the spring, and the second in the fall. Over the past two seasons, we have upgraded both our show venue and our judges. All of our schooling shows are now adjudicated by U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF)licensed judges at the University of New Hampshire show grounds in Durham, NH. If you’ve ever wanted to dip your toes in the rated show waters, NHDEA competition will give a rider a good sense of what a rated show is like. Our schooling shows follow USEF-rated show regulations, while
maintaining the friendly and learning atmosphere of a schooling show. 3. Are you a Junior Rider? Juniors make up roughly 40% of NHDEA’s membership and for that reason we offer many opportunities for our young riders. There is a spot on our board of directors for a Junior representative; we offer Junior-organized clinics and we sponsor a team for Lendon Gray’s Youth Dressage Festival, Dressage4Kids. In 2013, we had two teams due to the strong interest in the festival. 4. The members of our board of directors strive to keep a pulse on the membership’s wants and needs. As members let us know what interests them, we collaborate to guide the club into meeting the goals and needs of our membership. A brilliant, cohesive, and gregarious board, we are actively seeking new members to join us for 2014. We believe that adding new board members is the only way our club will continue to evolve. If you’ve ever wanted to give back to the dressage and eventing community and can spare a Tuesday evening once per month and a few weekend days during the riding season, please contact us. Board member inquiries can be sent to Lydia Neusch at lyd.neusch@hotmail.com. Membership inquiries can be sent to Stefanie Rossetti at stefanierossetti@gmail.com. November 2013
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