NEDA Tip of the Hat October 2019 by NEDA

N E D Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; S A W A R D W I N N I N G N E W S L E T T E R

A Tip of the Hat October 2019

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

H G N E R U O E S! S N U

s I look towards finishing my term as NEDA President on November 30th it occurred to me how frequently I’ve had the pleasure of hearing the praise for the wonderful programs, shows and benefits that NEDA brings to its membership. I’m fortunate to hear the accolades because I have a high visibility role within the organization. The same is true of the Competition and Education Coordinators and Managers, Beth Jenkins, Paul Cormier, Kathy Hickerson and Beth Beukema. When the event is complete, they receive the well-deserved credit for running a great show or educational event. But I’d like to take this month’s letter to sing the praises of the volunteer board members who work behind the scenes to run the largest single-chapter GMO in the country for our membership.

Beginning with Angela Prenosil, Tip Editor, because Angela was the inspiration for this letter. It’s a beautiful weekend but I thought I should write my Tip letter so, just this once, I have it in before the deadline and Angela doesn’t have to ask me for it! For five years now Angela has edited the Tip. This involves determining the content and choosing pictures, chasing down articles (which can be like herding cats) and making sure you have an informative, interesting publication in your mailbox every month! My sincere gratitude to Angela for not only her fine work but her patience in chasing me down each month!

Angela Prenosil

Carole MacDonald Photo: Diane Holston

And what is a full color publication without photos! Carole McDonald has photographed practically every NEDA event and provides the photography to NEDA for use in all our publications and advertising. Carole has done an amazing job of chronicling NEDA through photos over the past twenty years!

Time changes our communication methods and now many of us learn information first through social media. Krisy Nordgren, Public Relations Coordinator, almost entirely single-handedly creates and posts all our social media. Huge kudos to Krisy for staying on top of so much information.

Krisy Nordgren

Jennifer Englund

Continued → October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 3

A Tip of the Hat

Contents: 3 9

President’s Page

Latest News Fall Symposium

11 Tentative Schedule Fall Symposium 12 Membership Info

13 USEF “r” Dressage Judges Program 15 Sport Horse Survival Guide 16 U Mass Breed Show

17 NEDA Year-End Awards Banquet Info 18 New Experiences & New Friends 19 NEDA Calendar 2019

20 Gary Rockwell Symposium 23 Region 8 News

24 2019 Dressage Shows 25 Stallion Paddock

30 Advertising Rates A Tip of the Hat is a publication of The New England Dressage Association, Inc., a non-profit, tax exempt corporation. MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS AND CHANGES OF ADDRESS Please contact: Tammy Paparella 6 Pratt’s Junction Rd. Sterling, MA 01564 978-422-2324 memberentry@neda.org

A TIP OF THE HAT ADVERTISING Classified ads must be submitted to the Advertising Editor via email in plain text (.txt) or word (.doc).

Display ads and photos may be submitted on disk or via email to the Advertising Editor. Ads must be high resolution, press ready PDFs with all images and fonts embedded or high resolution TIF, JPG or EPS. MS Word doc templates are available for your use at neda.org and must be converted to PDFs.

NEDA 2019 OFFICERS

President:

Phyllis LeBlanc 978-807-3378  president@neda.org

Vice President-Activities: Kate O’Connor 508-612-6985  vpactivities@neda.org

Vice President-Services: Christine Shea 978-314-9922  vpservices@neda.org

Board Secretary:

Heather Stone 617-480-8077  secretary@neda.org

Treasurer:

Iris Berdrow 781-589-6422  treasurer@neda.org

COORDINATORS and MANAGERS

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Membership Services Coordinator: Jennifer Dillon  508-641-3121  membership@neda.org Nominations: Jennifer Englund  917-330-2462  volunteer@neda.org Ombudsman: Alexandra Dane  978-356-0682  ombudsman@neda.org Member-at-Large: Helen van der Voort  917-834-2635  memberatlarge@neda.org

Competitions Coordinator: Beth Jenkins  508-655-6490  shows@neda.org Spring Show: Paul Cormier  508-995-5988  springshow@neda.org Fall Show: Beth Jenkins  508-655-6490  shows@neda.org Sport Horse/Breed Shows: Kathy Hickerson  603-673-4344  sporthorse@neda.org Year-End Awards:  yea@neda.org

Public Relations Coordinator: Krista Nordgren  207-749-6643  pr@neda.org Communications/Social Media: Krista Nordgren  207-749-6643  communications@neda.org Advertising - Outbound:  advertising@neda.org Photography: Carole MacDonald  508-366-7886  photo@neda.org Technology Coordinator: Donna Winters  508-947-6982  technology@neda.org

Sponsorship Coordinator: Vincent Flores  832-205-2285  sponsorship@neda.org Sponsor Facilitator: Kari Cincotta  781-654-7694  cincottak@neda.org Sponsor Development: Sam Yonika  508-277-6090  yonikas@neda.org

TIP Editor: Angela Prenosil  413-627-2699  TipEditor@neda.org Graphic Design: June Evers  845-294-0656  jevers@warwick.net TIP Advertising: Angela Prenosil  413-627-2699  tipads@neda.org

COMPETITION COMMITTEE

SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE

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NEDA.ORG October 2019

PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE

NEWSLETTER STAFF

USDF REGION 8

Region 8 Director: Debra Reinhardt  region8dir@usdf.org Youth Coordinator: Jennifer Dillon  508-641-3121  jen@dilloneq.com

All ads must be submitted to the Advertising Editor with a check made out to NEDA. Contact: Angela Prenosil, 413-627-2699 ▲tipads@neda.org

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Education Coordinator: J. Stanley Edwards  617-293-8209  education@neda.org Judge Education: Sally Davenport  781-378-1881  judgeed@neda.org Symposium Organizer: Beth Beukema  508-320-6549  fallsym@neda.org Scholarships: Samantha Williams  413-297-2384  scholarships@neda.org

Cover: Sergeant TLF owned by Mary Barrett Photo: Carole MacDonald

PRESIDENT’S PAGE - cont’d

Our website is our go-to for current information and Donna Winters has undertaken the challenge of leading the team to update such a very important communication tool for the organization.

None of these board roles would be filled with such capable people if not for the efforts of Jennifer Englund, Nominations Manager. Jennifer is always on the look-out for dedicated, capable people to fill board roles as board members move off the board to new challenges and opportunities in their lives. We are constantly amazed that Jennifer finds the perfect “fit” when we have an opening. She reaches outside her circle to bring new ideas and inspiration to the board by way of new board members.

Helen van der Voort Jen Dillon Photo: Carole MacDonald

Membership Coordinator, Jen Dillon is always balancing the best interests of the members and the organization. She spends countless hours agonizing about things like how the USDF increased fees will impact our members and can we hold dues at their current level or will that undermine the finances of the organization. While the membership role may seem high visibility much of the work is done behind the scenes to be sure we provide the best balance of programs and cost to our members.

Members at Large, Helen van der Voort and Dawn Mackenzie are the voice of the members on the board. Their role is to always advocate for the members and bring concerns and member ideas to the board. They are your voice and advocates within the board.

Rounding out the membership team is Alexandra Dane as Ombudsman. With luck Alexandra never has to perform the duties of her role which is to handle dispute resolution. But should the need arise we know Alexandra’s amazing

Alexandra Dane Photo: Tracy Emanuel

October 2019 NEDA.ORG

Continued →

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PRESIDENT’S PAGE - cont’d

Stanley Edwards

tact and grace will help to smooth the waters to achieve a fair and reasonable outcome.

Many of you know Beth Beukema for her work in bringing us blockbuster symposia featuring Carl Hester, Charlotte Dujardin and very soon Dorothee Schneider. But there is a whole team of board members working on NEDA Education.

The team is led by Education Coordinator, Stanley Edwards, who keeps everyone on task and communicating within the team. She is a wonderfully positive leader who has built a great team.

Sally Davenport manages our Judge Education programs. She is responsible for our having well-trained, qualified judges in the region and larger area. She makes sure the programs are filled and future judges get the best education possible, while also providing education for auditors in what judges are looking for when they are judging rides. There is a tremendous amount of coordination required to put together these programs and Sally does it so well it appears effortless, which it certainly is not!

Twice a year NEDA conducts our very popular scholarship program. In order for there to be a fair distribution of the scholarships Sam Williams leads a team who judges each application against a published grid of criteria. Sam must put together the scholarship team and then communicate with all the applicants. This program has grown significantly as it has become more well known. Sam has done a great job being sure the funds are distributed in a fair and organized manner based on the criteria.

Our sponsorship team is led by Vincent Flores and includes Kari Cincotta and Sam Yonika. They work closely together to identify companies and individuals willing to offer financial support to NEDA. Once they have a sponsor on board, 6 TIP OF THE HAT

Sam Williams

Beth Beukema Photo: Joan Davis

NEDA.ORG October 2019

they communicate with event managers to be sure the sponsor receives all the benefits and visibility they are due. It is a huge responsibility to both the organization, to bring in the sponsorship funds, and the sponsors to provide them with benefits and keep them happy so they will continue to support the organization.

Managing the flow of all the financial resources for the organization falls to our Treasurer, Iris Berdrow. Iris makes sure all the managers put together budgets for their areas each year and then handles the negotiations with the board members to get us to a balanced budget. In addition, she oversees our investments, the work of our bookkeeper and auditors. It is her responsibility to keep us fiscally responsible.

Sally Davenport

Iris Berdrow

Legal responsibility is the venue of our Board Secretary, Heather Stone. Heather handles the important details of our by-laws, minutes and makes sure we perform all our responsibilities as a non-profit entity. She also gracefully fields legal questions like whether we can run a fundraising raffle when they come up for the 400th time!

Overseeing the work of the Education and Competition Committees is Kate O’Connor as Vice President of Activities. Kate’s institutional knowledge of NEDA has been helpful to so many

Vincent Flores

Interested in getting involved with

NEDA?

We're looking for volunteers and new board members! Please contact Jennifer at nominations@neda.org

Sam Yonika

Continued →

PRESIDENT’S PAGE - cont’d

Heather Stone

Kate O’Conner

new board members in finding their way in the organization. Kate’s enthusiasm and dedication to NEDA is extraordinary and we appreciate her years of dedicated service to the membership.

Christine Shea oversees the Sponsorship, Membership and Public Relations areas as Vice President of Services. Christine’s wealth of experience in the world of customer service professionally has been a tremendous asset to NEDA as the organi-

Beth Jenkins Photo: Diane Holston

Christine Shea

Paul Cormier

zation has grown and evolved over the past years. The board can always count on Christine to bring us back to the facts when discussions become passionate in our meetings! And they do because the entire board is passionate about NEDA and dressage!

Although I opened by saying this was a letter in recognition of the unsung heroes I would be remiss not to sing the praises of our more high visibility board members, Beth Jenkins

Katherine Hickerson

as Competitions Coordinator, Paul Cormier as Spring and Summer Show Manager, Kathy Hickerson as Sporthorse Coordinator and Beth Beukema, Fall Symposium Manager all do an amazing job in their very public roles representing NEDA.

It is truly a privilege to be part of this dedicated, passionate group of volunteer board members! Personally, I thank each one of them for their hard work, professionalism and dedication in leading the organization.

It is my hope that this letter will not only recognize the board members who work so diligently behind the scenes but help the membership to better understand the workings of your organization that you may not see on a daily basis. And by all means if one of the areas in the board piques your interest don’t hesitate to reach out to Jennifer Englund in Nominations. She is always on the lookout for great people!

Best, Phyllis

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SYMPOSIUM

SPONSORED BY

The Horse of Course

“

The USEF “r” dressage judges’ program hosted by NEDA, sponsored by The Horse of Course and supported by The Dressage Foundation came to a very successful end this past weekend. Centerline at HITS served up beautiful weather, plenty of rides to judge and an awesome buffet. This group of strong candidates must wait now to hear whether they passed or not.

From left to right in the photo are the candidates with the two instructors and organizer: Joan Pecora (IL), Danielle Perry (GA),Sarah Geikie and Lois Yukins (instructors), Angie Bean (PA), Sally Davenport (organizer), Michell Combs (AZ), Nicole Chastain and Patty Mayer (CA), Katie Rocco (MA). Back row: Melanie Cerny (MA) and Missy Gililand (AZ). October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 13

Broad elds 121 BREEDERS OF PREMIUM SPORT HORSES

WOLKENLOS Wolkentanz II / Feiner Stern 2000 Premium GOV Stallion 2013 Devon Champion Stallion USDF Final Performance test at Adelheidesdorf: 9s on rideability, trot, gallop CARA KETTENBACH | 978.360.7158 | www.BROADFIELDS121.com Sport Horse Prospects Available

MEMBER NEWS

port e s r o H

S U R V I VA L G uide

BY SARAH BLATCHFORD

’ve been a NEDA member for the better part of a decade, and I’ve loved all of the opportunities that come with being part of the largest single chapter GMO in the country and a truly wonderful organization. When I saw that NEDA was searching for a volunteer to write an article for A Tip of the Hat about the NEDA Breed Shows at UMass held on August 10 & 11, I jumped at the chance.

Personally, I am anything but a seasoned breed show competitor, but I decided to take a crack at Materiale this season with my five-year-old mare. I have been taking her to a small number of shows that offer this and competing her in hand with the help of friends who are veteran competitors in the sport horse world. Horses, especially youngsters, can be unpredictable. I have found these events to be a kinder introduction to showing for my own mare. The classes are set up with the young horse in mind and the group setting allows the horses to really grow more comfortable with the show environment. So, based on my limited breed show experience, here are my five survival tips when participating in your first few USDFBC Shows: 1. For those who competed in 4H or on the Hunter Jumper circuit, you have undoubtedly lived by the “hurry up and wait” gospel. Unlike in regular recog-

Sarah Blatchford on Bashert

nized dressage shows, breed show competitors must go into the ring when they are told to do so, even if it is not their posted time. So, listen to the PA, check with volunteers regularly and be sure to know which class is ahead of you so you can make sure to be at the ring on time. 2. Invest in great sneakers. Even if you are hiring a handler you still may need to handle the whip for your horse and footing can be uneven. Either way you are guaranteed to rack up extra steps as you head up to the ring to check incessantly on those pesky times. 3. Know who and where the Technical Delegate is (Hi, Joan!). They will be a great asset to you if anything should go awry. The TD is a super resource about all things USEF and USDF and is there to make sure the show runs smoothly. Officials like these may seem intimidating, but they, and your fellow competitors, are your best allies. TD’s are the glue that keeps the shows together. Introduce yourself to them! We are lucky to have them. 4. Charge that Fitbit and challenge someone! As mentioned above you will rack up those steps! I walked a total of 52,000 steps this weekend blowing all my challengers out of the water. It’s also extremely helpful to keep track of time.

5. Most importantly: Befriend your neighbors. When the stress of showing kicks in, it’s lovely to have their support. In the breed show world, having competitors who rally around each other makes this wild ride worth it. So, pull up a chair or a bucket and enjoy the new pals you have made thanks to this whole new sport horse world. Plus, NEDA knows how to throw a party, enjoy it with your new comrades.

This weekend was a learning experience for this rookie competitor. These shows have a hard time getting the entries needed to keep them afloat and the efforts of the organization to increase entries and lastminute sponsorships did not go unnoticed. I am glad to report they were successful! The breed show was full according to the NEDA Sport Horse Facebook page which was a huge success for NEDA. Keeping entries and interest high will help keep these small breed shows alive. The weather could not have been more perfect, and the organizers put on a great party with delicious food and drink. The volunteers were chipper and helpful, even with a 6AM start time. I cannot recommend participating in these breed shows enough. I am looking forward to UMass hosting NEDA’s Breed Show and USDF Breeders Championship New England Series in September! October 2019 NEDA.ORG

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BREED SHOW

Top left: Heinrich's Hattie bred owned by Wendy Wagner Middle left: Millenium Falcon owned by Kristin Wagner

Top right: Lanara with Handler Jens Richter & owner Cara Kettenbach Middle right: Karrington MG owned by Kathy Hickerson Bottom right: Cisco and Michael Nutter Photos: Carole MacDonald

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BREED SHOW - cont’d Left: Delphine DN owned by Heidi Humphrey Right: Novarette MG handled by Liz Caron owned by Kathy Hickerson

Photos: Carole MacDonald

Help us keep The Tip of the Hat financially viable in print by advertising in it!

D N E R A NEDARYDSEBANQUET AWA

Come Celebrate the End of the

Save season! the 2019 Andover Country Club, DATE Saturday, ANDOVER MA

Nov. 16, 2018 6:00PM - 11:30PM

COST: $65 PER PERSON OR $480 PER TABLE OF 8 (CASH BAR)

VISIT: WWW.NEDA.ORG/PAGE/YEA

October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 17

& MEMBER NEWS

E P R X I EN C E S E W EN New Friends BY LARA SLOAN

Photo: Ellie & Quentin Sloan

ith the alarm set for 4:30am and a departure time of 5:00, we knew it would be an early morning but our excitement to volunteer at the NEDA Breed Show on August 10th made the early morning wake up a breeze.

My two children, Quentin (14), Ellie (10), and myself have been active in the New England Dressage scene for the last 3 years, my children as competitors and myself as designated show mom. Like most who get involved with competing we moved from schooling shows, to rated shows and onto Regionals which is how we found NEDA last year.

It was through a fellow NEDA member and friend, Emily Larson, that we learned about Handler classes when we went to cheer her on at the breed show held last year during the NEDA Fall Festival. The kids and I were instantly intrigued at this, new to us, form of horse showing.

While both children have been involved with Lendon Gray’s Dressage4Kids

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program for the last four years, when we learned that the festival would be offering the handlers class to beginners for the first time this year, we began practicing immediately, as both children were keen to “run with their ponies”. After a fun and successful experience at the D4K festival the natural next step was to learn more about breed shows. No sooner than my inquiry about when the next local breed show would be, I found myself offering my children and myself as volunteers. No better way to learn something than to get in and help.

Ellie and I helped at the awards table handing out ribbons and trophies. We loved this job as it was a great way to meet people and learn about the horses they were showing as well as their breed farms. We also had an excellent view of the show ring which was an added bonus as we could really see and learn more about the in hand showing. There may have also been an adorable frisky colt that we loved to watch chase after his mom. Quentin was a score runner, a job he was quite familiar with having done it the

last four years at Lendon’s D4K Festival as well as the NEDA Fall Festival last year. The best part about running scores is you get to see up close what’s happening, and he came away from the day with not only a better sense of how to present a horse “on the triangle” but also a better sense of basic horse handling skills. Both Quentin and Ellie left saying they wanted to try showing their ponies in hand next year ~2020 TBD

In addition to the fabulous NEDA volunteer gifts, a delicious breakfast and lunch, we left with new experiences, new friends and a renewed sense of the joys of volunteering ~ I may have even come home that night and hopped on the signup genius to volunteer at the NEDA Fall Festival. Were we tired when our heads hit the pillow that night? You bet, but it was that good fulfilled kind of tired, the best kind of tired. If you haven't had a chance to volunteer with this great organization, I highly recommend giving it a go. The experiences you’ll have and the friends you’ll meet are priceless.

NEDA CALENDAR 2019 DATE

EVENT DESCRIPTION

5-6

▲ Vera Kessels Clinic*

OCT.

Be sure to check the NEDA CALENDAR website page for full calendar listings including prize lists, updated and additional information.

LOCATION

Stony Brook Farm, Norfolk, MA

19 - 20

▲ Tina Irwin Clinic*

NEDA Fall Symposium w/Dorothee Schneider

Fox Run Dressage, East Aurora, NY

1-3

▲ Lynn Palm Clinic*

West Milford Equestrian Center Newfoundland, NJ

5-6

NOV. 16

16 - 17

23 - 24 30

NEDA Year End Awards Banquet

▲ Christine Stuckelberger Clinic* ▲ Vera Kessels Clinic*

Last day of 2019 NEDA membership

**Partners in Education Program events offer special discounts to NEDA members** (Highlighted in yellow)

Mount Holyoke Equestrian Ctr.,

Andover Country Club, Andover, MA

Upper Creek Farm, Stockton, NJ

Stony Brook Farm, Norfolk, MA

Like to see your event listed here? Email edpartners1@neda.org for more info!

Check www.neda.org for updates!

October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 19

NEDA PARTNERS IN EDUCATION NEWS Formerly Education Outreach

GarySYMPOSIUM Rockwell X T X

BY GINA DAILEY

he day after he judged the show at Bear Spot Farm Gary Rockwell gave a symposium entitled “Training the Rider’s Eye – The Effects of Alignment on Developing the Horse’s Balance.” Several judges joined the auditors in the audience, including one who came up from New Jersey. As it turned out, several of the high score combinations from the prior day had been selected to ride in the symposium and, while Gary was quite complimentary of the various talents of the horses and riders, he pulled few punches when it came to things that could be improved upon. He also gave several general notes, in his introduction and throughout the day, based on his years of judging and on the prior day’s rides overall.

He emphasized from the start the importance of straightness – if the horse isn’t straight the energy escapes instead of coming through the whole body from back to front. He noted that during the show the prior day, too many riders kept bending their horses’ heads and necks to the inside whereas on straight lines the horse should in fact be looking straight ahead. So should the rider, hence the need to “train the rider’s eye.” In response to an auditor's question about the common theory that a horse should always be ridden in a slight shoulder fore rather than completely straight, Gary said that for very, very advanced and experienced trainers that may be acceptable but that most riders fail to keep the horse’s inside hind leg engaged when riding shoulder fore all the time and just end up losing all of the correct energy

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flow over the horse’s back. He also mentioned that frequent changes of bend make a horse supple but staying bent on a circle for a long time does not.

Gary estimated that only about 20% of the leg yields he sees in shows are well ridden, as there should be no bend. For shoulder-in, the prior day’s biggest mistakes had been that many of the horses had too much bend going into the movement as they came around the corner – then you can’t really use the inside rein to create the bend, since the horse will either head in off the track or fall to the outside. Gary said that even though we do a million shoulder-ins they remain difficult, and that even at the big show at Aachen he has given 5’s where the horse’s head was over-bent and tilted. He thinks the main problem is that people aren’t using their eyes correctly – for shoulder-in the rider should be looking straight ahead. He also thinks that too many riders don’t pay enough attention so that they can react appropriately to their horse’s actual response to the particular aids that they've given.

There were a few last-minute rider cancellations, so Jane Karol filled the breaches with two of her up and coming Oldenburg mares at very different stages of their careers. The first to go was Jane’s four-year-old mare Kiss Me (“Kat”) who Gary said was a super example of where a horse at that stage should be. One of Gary’s themes of the day, particularly with the younger horses who are still learning various movements, was that the rhythm should stay very steady and the horse should not really notice that it is being

Gary Rockwell. Photo: Jemgray

asked to do anything new (otherwise it’s likely to get tense, worried, and tight). When Jane rides leg yield or starts introducing shoulder-in to Kat she needs to be sure to keep the same forward, relaxed and low trot that she had before the movement, and shouldn’t be in a hurry to get too far sideways too quickly.

Next up was Natasha Khandekar on Dario, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding and a combination at Second Level which had been one of the high score champions the prior day. Gary pointed out that even when warming the horse up in walk on a long rein the rider’s hands should remain in the classical position (3” apart) rather than being allowed to come far apart. If nothing else, that is safer, since if the horse stumbles it’s much easier to shorten the reins back up from the classical position. Once again leg yields started out with too much bend, and Natasha was encouraged to drop the inside rein so that the whole exercise could be ridden on the outside rein.

Young Rider (and Jane’s assistant trainer) Callie O’Connell on Zorba rode Continued →

GARY ROCKWELL - cont’d

next, demonstrating Third Level. Gary had them work on lots of walk-canter transitions. He said that at this level you should use less preparation for these transitions and need to get a more immediate response, or else you won’t get your flying changes. Like Dario and many of the horses at the Bear Spot show, Zorba needs to move with his head and neck down a bit lower during the trot and canter lengthenings.

Vincent Flores rode the lovely Danish mare Southern Belle SWF at Third/Fourth Level. The mare tended at first to tilt her head a bit during the lateral work, particularly on the left rein. Again, straightness in the leg yielding was emphasized, and then much half pass work. Gary said that half pass is the most important training tool – it helps you get the correct contact with and acceptance of the bit, because there's usually less fussing with the bit in half pass. Horses easily move sideways, so don’t push them over but control the shoulders with your inside leg. That will

help bring them up into a more balanced frame. The mare’s head carriage became much straighter after this work.

Joan Mansfield on the 12-year-old Oldenburg Rubenstein (“Regalo”) (another high scoring combination from the prior day’s show) rode at Fourth Level. Because Regalo is a bit hollow to the left he’ll offer left bend when Joan asks for straightness, so Gary told her to be super aware of that tendency. They worked on lots of leg yielding, again emphasizing straightness. The shoulders need to lead rather than the haunches, not just because the rule book says so but because if the haunches lead then the balance tips towards the forehand, which can’t raise up nicely unless the forehand is in front of the haunches.

Jane Karol then brought out her mare Romantic Love (“Rolo”) who is working at Prix St. George. Gary pointed out that Rolo is quite delicate in the throatlatch and therefore very sensitive to the reins, so Jane needs to do everything gradually, no

sudden aids. She also needs to turn not by using the inside rein but by establishing the inside bend and then moving the mare’s shoulder towards the bend. Gary mentioned that with many mares you need to be extra patient and accept some of their fussiness. If you keep getting after them, they’ll learn to hate the work and then you’ll never get them back on side.

Cindi Wylie rode her PRE stallion Amado XXXV at PSG/I-1 level. From the start Gary had her focus on straightness and the flow over the stallion’s back in order to improve the walk and trot, which looked quite different by the end of the lesson.

Last to ride was Liz Caron on Schroeder, riding at Grand Prix. In the tempi changes Schroeder got a little longer with each change so was less collected by the end of the diagonals. Gary had Liz give a little “whoa” with her aids after each change and pointed out that horses tend to make mistakes in canter movements if the canter changes – you will do much better with one Continued →

October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 21

consistent canter the whole way through. In the trot half passes he had Liz hold her inside leg on, creating a “wall” so that the horse doesn’t fall sideways. Also, in the direction where he tends to fall to the inside Gary had Liz ride a few steps of half pass, then a few steps of shoulder-in, a few steps of half pass, etc. There was real improvement shown during this session. Even more dramatic was the change to Schroeder’s passage, where it sounds like his swingy movement has caused some lower scores than Liz would like. Gary pointed out that the stallion’s head and neck were too high in the passage, so that his hind legs were staying too far out behind him. He gets swingy because his hind legs can't come under properly. Gary had Liz use her outside rein to keep asking her horse to bring his head and neck lower and rounder. He also had them repeatedly halt, rein back, and go forward to passage, again to help get his hind legs bending underneath him. The improvement was obvious, and lovely to see.

Earlier on Gary mentioned something that Kathy Connelly also mentioned later this month while commentating on the Brentina Cup finals at Lamplight: that the canter to trot transition can be very tough for the Grand Prix horses. Kathy says it looks much easier than it is, and Gary thinks riders collect to prepare (which is okay) but then forget that the actual trot aid is a release so that the horse can go forward into trot. He says that these transitions are the only time that he uses his upper leg, in an effort to help clarify the aid.

One consistent theme throughout the day was that riders need to reward their horses more often so that they know what the rider wants. Gary often encouraged more frequent patting, especially if the horse has made a mistake a few times and finally got it right – he needs to know that he has figured out what you want.

GARY ROCKWELL - cont’d

During the lunch break Dr. Wade Tenney from Tufts University Cummings Veterinary Medical Center gave a talk and slide/video show regarding sport horse injuries with a particular emphasis on the use of ultrasound in diagnosis and treatment. He showed ultrasounds of various anatomical structures of equine limbs and topline (healthy and otherwise), and video that had been captured during ultrasound guided injections. Dr. Tenney pointed out that as a dressage horse advances up through the levels his weight is carried less and less on the front end but that this then puts extra stress on the hocks, pelvis, and other structures towards the horse’s rear. Also, the lateral work puts unique twisting stresses on the spine. He mentioned that injuries in dressage horses tend to be slow and progressive rather than acute, so that typically the injuries are not diagnosed until they are fairly advanced. This makes it especially important that riders know what is “normal” for their horses so that injuries can be caught and treated before they progress very far.

Many thanks to Jane Karol and to the entire team at Bear Spot Farm for hosting this very educational day, to NEDA for its support, and to Gary Rockwell for all of his insights.

Andris J. Kaneps DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR 978-273-5479 cell 978-927-6404 office and fax

68 Grover Street Beverly, MA 01915 www.kanepsequine.com ajkaneps@kanepsequine.com

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22 TIP OF THE HAT

NEDA.ORG October 2019

Retail store: Mon. - Sat. Online 24/7 PROUDLY SERVING EQUESTRIANS FOR 33 YEARS!

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HUGE, HUGE

REGION 8 NEWS

Region 8 presence!

he last month of shows to wind up the qualifying period have been perfect with weather and our equine friends all seemed happy.

The NAYC happened July 31-August 4 and I have the opportunity to be one of the Chefs with Meagan Davis being the other Chef. Thank you Meagan for all you did!!! It was a wonderful experience for all…riders, parents, trainers, and chefs. Region 8 by far had the best team. They all played together, helped each other, cheered for each other, help wipe tears away when needed….It was awesome. I am pleased to announce that Jennifer Dillon has agreed to remain as FEI JrYR Regional Coordinator…Thank you Jennifer!

As most of you know I entered ‘NEDA Jail’ on July 29th, as the show secretary. Sadly (LOL!!) I ONLY received just under 200 entries on opening day for NEDA Fall Festival aka Region 8 Championships. The opening week we finished up with 370 entries and the front barns were basically full with several open classes on the waitlist. The show closed August 26th, with entries at 617 which are up from last year’s 606 entries processed. We have a full show of 8 rings for four days, and after scheduling our 200 plus ride wait list has about 70 rides on it. YEAH!!! It will be a huge success thanks to NEDA and all their tireless hours of planning and work… As you are aware (or not) the breed show and the Breed Championship will not be held at this competition. So the grounds will be differently layout, show office is moved, and lots of other changes. NEDA has been lucky these past few years so I want everyone to continue to do the anti-rain dance!!!

Are you competing on the Championships??? If so, did YOU all declare for the Nationals? If not, you have still have time, and it does not cost you anything to declare! We want a HUGE, HUGE Region 8 presence!

Remember Region 8 still has some shows in October. Mystic Valley Hunt Club will hold their show which includes Northeast Adult Amateur Dressage Competition. This is team competition AND individual for Adult Amateurs only. Sperry View Farm will hold the annual CT Level 1 Championships on Oct 27th. So there are plenty of shows to continue your competition urges!

Speaking of USDF Annual Convention, this is will be held in Savannah on December 4th – 7th. I would hope many will come and visit a new interesting location.

See you on the Centerline… Debra Reinhardt USDF Region 8 Director

October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 23

SHOW NEWS

2019 Dressage Schooling Shows

SHOW DATE LOCATION

10/6/2019

CDCTA Schooling Dressage and Combined Test Westbrook Hunt Clunb Westbrook, CT

LEVELS OFFERED

JUDGE(S)

CONTACT INFO

Intro- GP

TBA

Laura Claman 860-874-1229 lauraclaman@outlook.com

Intro-First Second and above TOC Freestyle TOC Western Dressage

Sarah Stubbs (L) Jennifer Englund (r)

www.heritage-dressage.org Andrea Waldo andrea@triplecombinationfarm.com www.champlaindressagevt.net

10/6/2019

Heritage Dressage Briggs Stables Hanover, MA

10/6/2019

Triple Combination Farm Ferrisburgh, VT

Intro- FEI Western Dressage

TBA

10/6/2019

Xenophon Farm Montague MA

Intro-Fourth Western Dressage

Ann Guptill (L)

10/6/2019

Hilltop Equestrian Center Somersworth, NH

Intro-Second

TBA

10/6/2019

Puckerbrush Farm Schooling Show Newburgh, ME

Intro-Second Third and above TOC

Paula Foote (L)

Intro-First Second-FEI TOC

Keith Angstadt (r)

10/20/2019

Cutter Farm Dracut, MA

Intro-Training PreElem-Prelim

TBA

10/20/2019

Life's a Ride Schooling Show (SMDA, WMDA, and MDS Affiliate) Saco, ME

Intro-FEI

TBA

Cassi Martin 207-890-2606 cassandrajmartin@yahoo.com PJ Archambault 508-428-1526 secretary@belandstables.com www.BelandStables.com

10/13/2019

Beland Stables Lakeville, MA

11/3/2019

Beland Stables Lakeville, MA

Intro-First Second-FEI TOC

Rita Brown (r)

11/3/2019

Puckerbrush Farm Schooling Show Newburgh, ME

Intro-Second Third and above TOC

Krisy Nordgren(L)

24 TIP OF THE HAT

NEDA.ORG October 2019

Check www.neda.org for updates!

Suzanne Mente 413-367-9828 xenophonshows@gmail.com

Mary Ann Davis 603-692-6313 www.Hilltopequestriancenter.com

https://puckerbrushfarm.net/clinics--shows.html PJ Archambault 508-428-1526 secretary@belandstables.com www.BelandStables.com

Marina Burliss (978) 697-7858 Kristin Wesson/Secretary (603)440-3564 info@cutterfarm.com www.cutterfarm.com

https://puckerbrushfarm.net/clinics--shows.html

STALLION PADDOCK

October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 25

STALLION PADDOCK

26 TIP OF THE HAT

NEDA.ORG October 2019

STALLION PADDOCK

October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 27

STALLION PADDOCK

28 TIP OF THE HAT

NEDA.ORG October 2019

STALLION PADDOCK

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BIZ CARD AS LOW AS $50 FOR MEMBERS! Email: tipads@neda.org

Help us keep The Tip of the Hat financially viable in print by advertising in it! October 2019 NEDA.ORG

TIP OF THE HAT 29

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

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Below are advertising rates and sizes. Go online for more details on advertising. Or contact: Angela Prenosil 413-627-2699 ▲ tipads@neda.org

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30 TIP OF THE HAT

NEDA.ORG October 2019

Become a NEDA Volunteer Join us and become the engine for New England dressage.

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Become a NEDA Volunteer

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