Newsletter. June Didy Massey Committee. PRESIDENT Jenny Devine ,

Transcription

1 Newsletter June Committee PRESIDENT Jenny Devine , VICE PRESIDENT Gabby Adam SECRETARY Sharon Gurney PO Box 487 Armadale WA 6992 The May rally weekend started with a very wet arena. We managed to fit two arenas in the corners which rode really well, but caused a few attention problems with our horses. On Saturday we had Liz Tollarzo and Janet Davidson instructing and on Sunday we had Liz and Celeste Elliot. On Saturday Leanne Morris ran through all the things we need to know to be good writers, gear checkers and marshallers. Everyone felt a lot more confident to help out at the upcoming Dressage Championship Day. On Sunday we had a few dramas when Sarah's horse thought he was being attacked by the archers, and managed to throw Sarah onto her wrist smashing it quite badly. We continued on with Liz giving a demonstration on lunging. Thank you to all the members who helped with the Dressage Day on the 26th. We had a good group putting arenas up on Saturday, which made it very quick. Everything ran smoothly and I think the club was able to raise some money as well. We now need helpers for our next training day on the 29th of June. Come and ride a test and help out at the same time. Didy Massey Rally Co Ordinator We are on Facebook so please LIKE us and stay constantly up to date with what is happening with in the club TREASURER Nicky Higgs ORGANISER Didy Massey or UNIFORM COORDINATOR Helen Bennett NEWSLETTER Amy Morris or amorris2991@gmail.com CANTEEN CO ORDINATOR Paulette Caruso OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS Sarah Baldwin - Fundraising Leanne Morris - General enquiries DAWA WEBSITE & dresssageassocwa@gmail.com

2 Rally 8th & 9th June 2013 This month s rally theme is - a) gaining and controlling impulsion through the correct contact and forward desire b) lengthening the stride medium and extended Note that training themes have been incorporated into the program to give instructors a guideline only. Obviously, each instructor will assess his/her riders ability and understanding of the topic and structure their coaching accordingly. Lunch time lectures Saturday: TBA Sunday: TBA Instructors Saturday: Cindy Oud, Janet Davidson and Celeste Elliott Sunday: Cindy Oud and Celeste Elliott Saturday 8.00 Put up arenas everyone!!! 9.00 Mounted instruction Mounted instruction 12 noon Lunch & lecture 2.00 Mounted instruction 3.00 Mounted instruction Sunday 9.00 Mounted instruction Mounted instruction 12 noon Lunch & lecture 2.00 Mounted instruction 3.00 Mounted instruction Take Down Arenas (everyone) Riders Please Note: Can all riders in the first lesson on Sunday afternoon please wait and help pull down arenas, as it makes it very late for the last lesson to finish, put horses away and then pull in arenas. Confirming your place. For the next rally we need to know numbers by June 4 at the latest. We cannot take additional names after this date. This is so that we can organise enough instructors to cover our classes, and so the class groups can be constructed and confirmed by instructors. Notice of cancellation is also important as it greatly affects both lesson size and composition if you re unable to make it to the rally because of a last minute glitch, please let Didy know, so we can re-arrange classes without causing hassles for other riders, or for our instructors. Contact Didy at dressageassocwa@gmail.com

3 Championship Day Review On the 26th of May we held our anual dressage event. But this year it was run a little different to how we usually structure it. This year we ran it as a championship day where riders can compete in two tests at the same level to win overall high score. Alot of hard work went into running such a successful day; from the ladies in the canteen to the scorers that were working very hard into very late in the afternoon. We also could not have run this event without our volunteers. We had people that were not able to ride because of circumstances but they still came to help out at the day. I would like to put a shout out to all the riders because without them all the organisation is for nothing. We had serveral members competing. Helen Bennet did very well with her horse Louie, Liz Tollarzo rode two horses and ended up the medium champion with two very consistant rides on Wandiera Rembrant. Nikky Higgs also rode Remi in the Associate class. And a big well done to all our other members that competed on the day as well. With out the constant support of our sponsors the place getters would not have recieved such wonderful prizes. So if you won a prize why not drop a line to the sponsor to say thankyou for their support. Our next event is the June training day. So if you are available to come down and help it would be very much appreciated. Peter Shaw is Coming NCAS Level 2 Dressage Specialist. Peter has taught many people that have gone onto win and be short listed and selected for events are prestigious as Olympics and WEGS. He has also had my 40 years of judging dressage and volunteering in the sport, 24 of those years at Grand Prix level Judging. Peter is coming on the 21st & 22nd of June at Darling Downs. He is also going to be teaching on the 23rd & 24th in the Swan Valley. Exact locations yet to be confirmed. We are seeking expressions of intrest. The lessons are $120 plus ground fees of the locations. If you would like to attend his clinic in the Swan Valley please contact Leanne Morris on or her on dalmorris65@bigpond.com If you would like to attend the Darling Downs clinic please contact Alison Greison For more information on Peter Shaw visit his website

4 Rally notes for June A Training Scale for Classical Riders (!?) Someone once said: It takes ten years learning how to sit on a horse without getting in his way. It takes another ten years learning how to influence the horse and then a further ten years learning how to influence him without getting in his way! Many riders have already ridden for years before coming to Classical Riding and some find it hard to have to go back to the beginning and start again. Indeed, some try a couple of lessons and don t return. To want to ride well you have to take a good look at yourself and place the onus on yourself (not make the horse a scapegoat) to improve. It can be hard work; physically and mentally. I ve cried with frustration at my inability/inadequacy at times - it wasn t the horse s fault that he couldn t take right canter; my body wasn t allowing him to do anything but take left lead! When you realise the truth of this, and other similar scenarios, riding becomes humbling and you see it in a new light. It certainly leads me to want to improve every day. You have to want it and work for it, but it pays off in spades. When I say it takes hard work, that doesn t mean that it should be all sackcloth and ashes; riding should be fun too! There may well be aches and twinges as hitherto unheard of muscles come out of hibernation, but actual physical pain is a sign that you are doing something wrong. Where you start on the Scale depends on where you re at now. Some riders are nearly there and only need to be shown the missing piece of the jigsaw for them to see the whole picture. Many, many others are confused at the Classical Scale because it seems like the exact opposite of what they ve been taught to date. Getting riders to bring their upper arm closer to their body and lengthen the reins is always a discussion-generator! Here then is the list of rider scale items and the order in which I generally introduce them. Do you know where your starting point is? 1. Sitting with a Neutral Spine, with seat bones evenly in contact with the saddle and an upright pelvis. 2. Use of abdominal & lumbar muscles to maintain position and influence horse. 3. Snug upper leg position from rotating the leg at the hip. 4. Open shoulders and long front line, through raised diaphragm. 5. Lower leg position through deep knees. 6. Upper arm position; hanging vertically from the shoulder. 7. Length of reins and how to hold them. Lower arm position. 8. Head; releasing upwards / forwards. Extract from an article by Sue Morris (adapted). More can be found at her website: scales.html

5 Benefits of Rising Trot The rising trot significantly reduces the load exerted on a horses back, a Dutch researcher has found. The research by veterinarian Patricia de Cocq, a keen horsewoman, also gathered some insights into the crouched and elevated riding position used by jockeys, revealing just how difficult that position is. De Cocq explains that many ridden horses experience back pain that is hard to treat. She wondered whether riders modify their technique to reduce the load exerted on their horses backs. Analysing the movements of riders on trotting horses, de Cocq discovered that the rising trot significantly reduced the load exerted on horses backs. She also built a computational simulation of a horse and rider that could help riders discover better ways of riding. By filming experienced dressage riders as they trotted using both techniques, and analysing the motion of each horse and rider, de Cocq could see that the centre of mass of riders using the rising trot moved much less during the standing phase than the centre of mass of sitting trot riders, reducing the force exerted on the horse s back and lessening the chance of injury. While de Cocq was analysing the data, she came across a paper in the journal, Science (Pfau et al., Science, 325, 289) that explained how the technique used by modern jockeys where they stand in their stirrups had significantly improved times in horse racing. She noticed that the posture of jockeys was similar to the standing phase of the rising trot. Read more: Follow on Twitter Horsetalk on Facebook Placement of markers on rider and horse. Rider: chin, cervical vertebra 7 (C7), thoracic vertebra 12 (T12), shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle and toe. Horse: the spinous processes of the 6th thoracic (T6) and the 1st lumbar (L1) vertebrae, dorsal side hind hooves. De Coq also found in her research that jockeys were able to ride fast because their centre of mass barely moved at all. Her findings have been published in The Journal of Experimental Biology. De Cocq, from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, explains riders have a choice of two techniques when perched on a trotting horse: the easier rising trot when the rider bobs up and down, standing in the stirrups when off the saddle and the more technically challenging sitting trot, where the rider remains firmly seated.

6 General News DAWA uniforms: Short sleeve polo shirt $27.50 Long sleeve polo shirt $40 Micro fleece vest $30 Navy jacket $40 Caps $10 Embroidered badges $8 Sale items prices slashed! Old-style short-sleeve shirt $25 now U$15 (all above prices inclusive of GST) NEW! Hot to Trot long sleeve shirts available for ording at the rally. DAWA uniforms: Please remember that everyone must wear the DAWA uniform at rallies. If you are unable to wear the polo shirts then you can wear a white shirt and navy blue tie as an alternative. If you have any queries concerning uniform talk to Helen Bennett and she will be able to show you the range. Member of the Month Gabby Adam & Paulette Caruso As our member of the month you receive a gift voucher from Budget Stockfeeds and a DAWA mug. You are rewarded for stepping in at the last minute and taking control to run the training day. Thank you for your contribution to the Dressage Association of W.A. This month the member of the month goes to two lovely ladies that went above and beyond the call of duty to help a fellow member in need. Gabby and Paulette made sure Sarah Baldwiin was attended to when she came off her horse on the Sunday rally. The member of the month award is presented to the one rider each month who stands out for good presentation of themselves and their horse, as well as helping with tasks at the rallies. Good presentation includes DAWA uniform as well as general neatness and cleanliness. The recipient each month is selected by the Committee present over the weekend. For more information on what you should be wearing, and how to present your horse, please refer to the first newsletter for the year on dress and gear standards.

7 Rally Dates 2013 THE DRESSAGE ASSOCIATION OF WA DATES FOR 2013 MARCH 9TH & 10TH APRIL 13TH & 14TH APRIL 27TH MAY 11TH & 12TH MAY 26TH JUNE 8TH & 9TH JUNE 29TH JULY 13TH & 14TH AUGUST 10TH & 11TH SEPTEMBER 7TH & 8TH SEPTEMBER 21ST OCTOBER 19TH & 20TH NOVEMBER 9TH & 10TH & ASSESSMENT DAY TRAINING DAY - A TESTS DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIP (Official and Associate) - B & D TESTS TRAINING DAY - B TESTS TRAINING DAY - C TESTS Dates to Remember June training day on the 29th And the September training day on the 21st PLEASE NOTE THAT WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS WE WON T BE ABLE TO RUN THESE SUCCESSFUL DAYS I study my horse; my horse studies me. If I am a coward, he is one; if I am lazy, he is lazy; if I am impatient, he is impetuous; if I am lost in thought how dreamily he pursues his way! John Osgood Newsletter articles If you re a budding writer, have a comment about the newsletter, want to sell something, or just have some interesting information you d like to share (perhaps a brief profile of you, your horse, and what you ve achieved?) please details to Amy Morris at amorris2991@gmail.com