July 2016 YourDressage

YOURDRESSAGE

July 2016

Jennifer Heck Tells You Her Story

A United States Dressage Federation Publication

Welcome to Your Wonderful World of Dressage YourDressage is compiled by the United States Dressage Federation, written by participants from throughout the dressage community. The articles in this publication are submitted by people like you to share and be shared by all. Experience their stories as they navigate through the wonderful world of dressage and become friends with your dressage community.

It’s YourDressage, be part of it! If you would like to submit your story see the last page of this publication.

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WHAT TO SEE INSIDE DEPARTMENTS YOUNG & INSPIRED: Learning from Horses in College Samantha Andrews tells of her experiences with horses in college with the Intercollegiate Dressage Association Team.

MY TIME TO RIDE: What a Difference a Year Makes Adult Amateur Nelson Long of Signal Mountain, TN, has a lifetime with horses and competing at the US Dressage Finals was an experience of a lifetime.

HEARD AROUND THE ARENA: Favorite Educational Event Hear what people are talking about in this monthly query USDF FLASHBACK: The First Meeting of USDF USDF was founded in 1973. Here is a look at the first annual meeting.

GMO SPOTLIGHT: New Dressage Association, Inc. Take a look at this group member orginization located in Wisconsin.

FEATURE Jennifer Heck has made a lot of moves in her life because of her husband Andy coaching NFL teams around the country. Jennifer tells us her story and how the NFL and USDF have provided a team and community for her family. Cover photo by Cheryl Toub.

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Cheryl Toub

Dressage on the Move

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YOUNG & INSPIRED

Learning Horses in College

By Samantha Andrews

G

rowing up in love with horses is a special thing. There’s nothing I looked forward to more than lacing up my paddock boots and sliding my half chaps on for my afternoon lesson. I remember days I missed school for being sick, and then crying when my mom told me “If you’re too sick for school, then you’re too sick for the barn.” It was always fun to think about which lesson pony I would be on that day, and to think about what new exercise I would be learning.

Eventually, my first horse came along and we started competing in dressage schooling shows. Even though I had my own horse now, my instructor made me ride her different school horses every other lesson. At the time I didn’t understand why, but she explained that riding as many different horses as possible would make me a better rider in the long run. Now I believe her.

As I began my college career (as an Equine Studies major), I made sure to sign up for the riding class where I would be able to ride three times per week. In the beginning of the semester, my classmates and I rotated horses a lot, while our instructor decided which would be the correct fit for the rest of the semester. As I continued throughout the semesters, I realized those first few weeks weren’t just for the instructor to decide on a horse for us, but for us as riders to learn about each horse and how they were unique as individuals. Each one had different strengths and weaknesses, quirks, and methods of getting out of that difficult ten meter circle. I continued to learn more and more about how to help each horse use their body correctly, and I began having quicker results on every new horse I was riding.

In my junior year of college, I decided to try out for the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) Team. I had shown through First Level in high school, at recognized shows, but that July 2016 Z YOURDRESSAGE

YOUNG & INSPIRED

Whether you are a college student who has the ability to try out for an equestrian team, or an adult amateur taking lessons, don’t take for granted all of the horses around you. Even the ones who aren’t your favorites will teach you something,

on any given day. I’m only twenty-two and I have years of learning ahead of me, but I look forward to all the horses I will be able to work with. I will always remain so thankful for IDA and all those lesson horses from my past.

The UNH IDA Team with the UNH lesson horses pose for a photo after practice.

was on my personal horse that I’d had for years. At IDA Shows, each rider draws a horse in the morning and watches them warm up for ten minutes while another rider is on them. Then, at their assigned warm-up time, they mount and have exactly ten minutes to correctly get the best work out of the horse that they can before entering the show arena.

My first show was intimidating to me, but I ended with a 68% and a yellow ribbon at the end of the day, which boosted my confidence. As the seasons progressed, I noticed my average percentages slowly climbing at nearly every show. At my most recent IDA

competition, I ended the day with a 74% on a horse I’d never ridden before, and took home the High Point Rider Award. Looking back, I thought about all the naughty lesson ponies, the dull school horses, and the steady but demanding schoolmasters I’ve ridden over my career.

Although I’ve owned my own horses throughout this process, I will never take for granted the knowledge I’ve gained from all the horses I didn’t know a thing about, but swung my leg over anyway. Trainers are so important to all of us as riders, but so are the lesson horses. Each one can teach us something different.

What do you think of this story? #yourdressage

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2

MY TIME TO RIDE

What a Difference a Year Makes

By Mimi Bliss

Central Tennessee Dressage Association

N

elson Long of Signal Mountain, TN, began riding as a child when his father bought him riding lessons to prepare for a family camping trip. He enjoyed riding so much that he began mucking stalls in exchange for more lessons. He later went on to compete in the jumpers in California through Grand Prix, and then served as a captain in the Army.

When he eventually returned to riding, he found dressage.

A longtime member of USDF and the Central Tennessee Dressage Association (CTDA), Nelson is a frequent competitor at the Tennessean and Ole South dressage shows, which are organized by CTDA and recognized by USDF. Nelson also rides in regular clinics with Jim Koford and Tom Poulin.

“Tom is kind enough to answer the phone when I call with a question,” says Nelson. “He will say ‘Try this or do that.’ And it always works.”

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MY TIME TO RIDE

November 30-December 3 St. Louis, MO Nelson says his horses have been wonderful, loyal friends and tremendous teachers along his journey. These friendships have served him well, as Nelson has earned his USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals and has made two trips to the US Dressage Finals as an adult amateur. A high point in Nelson’s riding career came in November at the 2015 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. Nelson and his Dutch Warmblood gelding, Be Cool Metall, were Reserve Champions for Fourth Level Freestyle with a score of 68.611%.

Nelson bought Cool in 2014, after the gelding was imported from the Netherlands. Cool was eight-years old and well-bred, but had limited training and no show experience. He’d spent most of his life as a stallion and was used for breeding only a few times.

“Cool is very green, so when we first went in the arena he was pretty full of himself, but he settled down and went to work,”

Nelson explains. “He has talent and a huge amount of attitude.

His attitude is both a blessing and a curse. He is hot.”

The pair competed at First and Second Level at the 2014 US Dressage Finals. Cool was so spooked by the electric environment at Kentucky Horse Park, that he cleared out the rail in the warm-up ring and required two people to lead him up the hill to the show ring. “I felt like a kid at a pony ride,” says Nelson.

A year later, Nelson and Cool competed successfully at Fourth Level and Prix St. Georges and made it back to the 2015 US Dressage Finals. “We were here in 2014 for First and Second Level, and what a difference a year makes. He works very hard and it really was fun.”

Before Cool, Nelson competed through Grand Prix on his horse, Abahn, and has taken several horses up through the levels from Training through FEI. “Cool is walking in the very

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large hoof prints of a very special horse, Abahn,” says Nelson. “I owe a great debt to my friend. He opened doors and took me places that I had never been. He let me train and ride him from a threeyear-old. No horse does tempis like Abahn.”

Nelson said the experience of riding at the US Dressage Finals is like nothing else.

“I had a ball,” he says. “I met great people from Oklahoma, California, Michigan, New York, and other states. There are lots of nice horses who have earned the right to compete, and everybody is celebrating the fact that they are there.”

He plans to compete at Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I in 2016. Nelson’s advice for other adult amateurs is to always be learning from trainers, judges, and others. And finally, he says to trust your instincts as a rider and enjoy your horses.

“Go ride,” says Nelson. “Just go ride.”

Join us at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch for

Dressage at the Arch

2016 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention

Thank you to our sponsors

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DRESSAGE ON THE MOVE

Cheryl Toub

By Jennifer Heck

Jennifer Heck and her horse Luxor

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W

hat could the National Football League and the United States Dressage Federation possibly have in common? Helmets?

High performance athletes? Gallop steps?

It is, in fact, all of these things, but the NFL and USDF have also provided a team and community for my family.

I am an avid amateur dressage rider and my husband, Andy, has been working in the NFL for 25 years—12 years as an NFL player and these last 13 years as a coach.

As a result of his career, our family of six has made six major crosscountry moves. We have lived in Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, Virginia, Florida, and we now reside in Kansas City (Go Chiefs!).

With each move, the role of the dressage community has become increasingly important to me.

This adventure began after Andy and I graduated from the University of Notre Dame together.

Andy was captain of the Notre Dame National Championship football team that fall, and was

looking forward to starting his professional career with the NFL. I was ready to begin a career as a high school English teacher – a job which offered flexibility in terms of where we could reside. That spring, I remember sitting anxiously with a few friends, watching the NFL draft on TV and wondering when the phone would ring with news about where Andy and I would be starting our life together.

Andy was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks that day, and off we went to Seattle. It was the first of many surreal moments, and perhaps the first inkling that teaming up with the NFL would require us both to relinquish some control over some major aspects of our lives.

Andy and I started a family.

We were blessed with a son and, two years later, we were blessed with (not to mention bombarded by) triplets – two girls and a boy!

When Andy signed with the Chicago Bears, we left Seattle and returned to my hometown of Andy and Jennifer Heck

See Coach Heck discuss how training high performance athletes applies to dressage

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Jon and the triplets in 1996

Chicago, where we moved into a house only a few blocks away from my parents. We had a huge support system during those busy years, when the children were all so young. But our time in Chicago would only last for five years, before our next move. Undoubtedly, the most difficult move for me was leaving behind my friends, family, and home in Chicago to head to the unfamiliar DC area with a five-year-old and three twoand-a-half-year-olds in tow.

Meet the Kansas City crew!

Jon, Molly, Andy, Jennifer, Evelyn, and Charlie

But that was also when my real love for dressage began. As hard as the move was, we ended up living down the street from an equestrian center in Great Falls, Virginia. Although I had not ridden consistently since high school, I felt drawn to the horses. One day I drove up to the equestrian center’s front office, walked all four kids inside, and tentatively asked if I could begin taking riding lessons.

The woman at the desk stared at all five of us before she stood

and enveloped me in a hug. “We will make this work!” she said.

“This is just what you need.”

That moment was truly a turning point for me. Riding became a joy that fulfilled me on so many levels—the absolute consuming focus while riding allowed me to shut off all other stresses and distractions. I made friends that shared a common interest, and I was challenged both physically and mentally. Riding was a lifesaver.

We only lived in DC for a few years but, by then, I had grown savvy about the art of moving. I was initially a little jealous that whenever we moved, Andy literally joined a team in our new city, complete with all the benefits that any team provides—a community, a support system, and friends, to name a few. I remember wishing that I, too, could have a team to join when we moved. But one day it struck me that the dressage world actually is a team—with July 2016 Z YOURDRESSAGE

a national, regional, and local structure already in place.

Gaining access to that team was as simple as doing a little computer research. Before our next move, I explored the USDF website, found the local GMO, and soon had the names of barns, trainers, farriers, and veterinarians. USDF became an immediate connection and resource with every future move we made. While there are certain aspects of this life that I cannot control, enjoying the journey and building my own “team” is something I can do.

I have been fortunate to connect with some of the most wonderful horse people across the country this way. The horses that I have learned from and loved span the country as well.

We had a nine year stay in Florida, which enabled me to obtain a true dressage education at the Poulin’s School of Dressage.

That was also where I formed a Evelyn, Molly, and Jennifer What do you think of this story? #yourdressage

partnership with my now 22 year old FEI school master, Luxor.

Luxor is one of those rare equestrian treasures - an energetic, hard working, enthusiastic, wise teacher and teammate. He has quietly “listened” through the ups and downs of my often hectic life and was more of a trooper about leaving Florida than my teenage children!

We now live in Kansas City where the horsemanship, local training, and dressage opportunities exceed all of my expectations. Lilo Fore, George Williams, Betsy Steiner, and many other elite clinicians teach in the area, on a regular basis. I am currently Vice President of the Kansas City Dressage Society and head of the Horse Show Committee.

I have benefited greatly from this wonderful community and hope to help others make connections as well. Like anything in life, the more I put in, the more I get out. And I know I will find a dressage “team” each and every time we move.

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HEARD AROUND THE ARENA

Tell us about your favorite educational event from the past year.

As a breeder returning to riding who is now in a fulltime training program, the online access to On the Levels actually has been my favorite.

Scott Hassler at Devonwood in Oregon LOVE LOVE LOVED it!

Worked with George Williams at equine affaire this past year

I do listen to some podcasts which i thoroughly enjoy.

What interesting or fun thing have you heard lately? Send it to us using #aroundthearena

In 2014 I attended a 3-day adult dressage camp.

This is by far the most fun educational experience I have ever had.

Lilo Fore and Conrad Schumacher clinic in the spring was one of the best

Two events: Demo rider in a through the levels clinic with Hilda Gurney hosted by my GMO; Participant in CDS AA Clinic. Both were incredible experiences.

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USDF FLASHBACK

The First Meeting of USDF Excerpt printed from the December 1973 issue of Dressage & CT

T

he United States Dressage Federation, for which the foundation was laid last February held its first annual meeting on November 10-11 in Lincoln, Nebraska, the location of the first get together of the representatives of the American dressage community. While the Febraury meeting was called primarily to establish whether or not it was desirable to bring all the local and regional orgnizations, as well as individuals who do not belong to any of these, under one national orgnization, the November meeting was, in fact, the founding and working meeting of the Federation. Over fifty participants, representing 22 orgnizations and individuals who joined the Federation directly, came to

At the inaugural USDF “annual meeting,” November 1973: Mary Dodd, Sally O’Connor, Barbara Beck, unidentified, Mary Yates, Tom Poulin, Hardin Crawford III, Arlene Rigdon, Carole Grant Oldford, Chuck Grant, Migi Serrell

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USDF FLASHBACK Lincoln to adopt the bylaws that were prepared by the temporary legislative committee established in February. Election of the Feder-

ations’s officers also took place and the working committees, which will carry out the actual work of the Federation, were set up.

CAN YOU ID? There is an unidentifed person in the photo on the previous page. Using the hashtag #usdfflashback can you tell us who the person is?

1973 Lincoln conventioneers A.B. Cudahy, Carl Nicholson, Mary Jean Rogers, Joe Sysel, Sally O’Connor, and Col. Clarence Edmonds

Karl Mikolka, Elyse Roberts, Jack Fritz, and Mykola Pawlenko at the 1973 inaugural USDF meeting in Lincoln What do you think of this story? #usdfflashback

The above photo was taken at the 1977 USDF annual meeting held in Cleveland, Ohio. How many can you identify? #usdfflashback July 2016 Z YOURDRESSAGE

GMO SPOTLIGHT

New Dressage Association, Inc. Group Member Organizations (GMOs) are the foundation of USDF and integral in bringing dressage and dressage education to the masses. Stay connected with your local dressage community and support dressage at the local level by joining a GMO in your area today!

USDF GMO Established: 2009 Locality: USDF Region 2, Wisconsin Website: www.newdressage.org How many members does your GMO have annually, on average?

120 members.

Tell us a little about your GMO: We began in 2009, and embrace all riders and breeds. We are currently developing more programs for our western dressage riders, and encourage fun and training of riders and horses of all skill levels. We have four active chapters that provide a wide variety of schooling shows, clinics, parties, and excursions on the calendar, as well as great volunteers who keep things going. We have a scholarship program that is available to help our members.

Does your GMO offer unique classes or activities that cater to youth, adult amateurs, or professionals?

Our Southern Chapter is introducing a virtual schooling show this year and also a lead line class for our youngest riders.

What type of educational events does your GMO offer?

Chapters do all kinds of activities: Shows, riding clinics, ground work clinics, yoga, equine massage, trips to see shows. The list is varied and long.

Additional Comments We are so grateful to all of our volunteers and members who make these opportunities possible. We especially thankful for all of the organizations that help our horse world continue learning and improving.

Tell us about your GMO. #GMOSpotlight

Visit www.usdf.org for a list of GMOs in your area.

GMO

Support dressage and connect with your local dressage community by joining a USDF Group Member Organization today!

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We Want Your Story

Learn More About Dressage

YourDressage is a chance to share your story with the dressage community. Send submissions to epubs@usdf.org.

We will need photos to go with the story, with a preference for candid shots that are clear and well composed. Please submit photos as JPEG formatted files. Also, if you have any video(s) that we can use, related to your story, make sure to include their hyperlinks.

Have questions about dressage and the United States Dressage Federation, use the following links to learn more.

If you have any questions, please e-mail us at epubs@usdf.org

About Dressage

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education@usdf.org

About USDF

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usdf.org/about/about-usdf

usdf.org/e-trak

Calendar

Youth

usdf.org/calender

usdf.org/education/youth.asp youth@usdf.org

Membership usdf.org/join membership@usdf.org

Group Member Organizations Find a GMO in your region Search for a GMO by zip code gmo@usdf.org

Disclaimer: The United States Dressage Federation does not guarantee that all submitted stories will be published. Any opinions expressed in the pages of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Dressage Federation

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Horse Registration usdf.org/faqs/horse-registration.asp horseregistration@usdf.org

For more information, check out the USDF Member Guide available on this app!

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