Newsletter. May Rally April Rally/Protocol Day Report Committee. Members Dressage; Teaching your horse the ABCs

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1 May 2015 Dressage Association of Western Australia Newsletter Dressage; Teaching your horse the ABCs May Rally 2015 Committee PRESIDENT Gabby Adam Members VICE PRESIDENT Didy Massey SECRETARY Paulette Caruso TREASURER Nicky Higgs RALLY ORGANISER Didy Massey UNIFORM COORDINATOR Helen Bennett NEWSLETTER Naomi Edmunds April Rally/Protocol Day Report 2015 Our instructors for the April Rally were Cindy Oud and Liz Tollarzo. The theme for the April Rally was Rhythm, Suppleness and Contact The First Three Points in the Training Scale. Rider position was also a part of the theme for the weekend. The riding of the tests went well on both afternoons and the arena desensitising was well received at our Saturday lecture. The Protocol Day was a successful day. Thank you to all who helped out on the day; from setting up/dismantling the arena, judging, penciling, canteen duties, running sheets Looking forward to next rally, see you there. OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leanne Morris Dianne Pethick Helen Bennett Sarah Baldwin Robyn McMurray Committee members welcome your phone calls. Please phone between 7.00pm and 9.00pm on weekdays, or during the day at weekends. To keep up with everything that is going on with DAWA like us on Facebook. Pg. 1

2 Last Rally THANK YOU TO ANNETTE SHEEDY FOR THE GREAT SHOTS FROM THE RALLY. 2

3 Next Rally May 9 & This month s rally theme is - a) Straightness on curves and straight lines. b) The understanding of flexion and bend according to the line of travel and understanding of the importance of transitions. c) Rider position. Lunch time lectures Lecture: Going through the 2015 Dressage Rule Book and Pencilling figures and abbreviations. The link to take you to the EA site to download the Dressage Rule Book is: See back page for Dressage Writer s Quick Ref Sheet (Pencilling tips). Instructors Saturday: Cindy Oud, Liz Tollarzo Sunday: Cindy Oud and Liz Tollarzo Saturday Sunday 8.00 Put up arenas everyone!!! 9.00 Mounted instruction 9.00 Mounted instruction End Take down arenas everyone!!! Riders Please Note: 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 May 5 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 didymassey@iinet.net.au 3

4 Straightness Below are definitions of three kinds of straightness. A horse can be: Straight on lines and curves (hind legs follow trace of front legs) to enhance mobility: this has enormous consequences for gymnastic training because it is based on the ability to place the inside hind under the inside hip position. This action creates ASYMMETRIC EFFORT for every stride on a curved line because the inside hind of a diagonal is more widely spaced R ---> L than the outside hind diagonal. In lateral work or on curved lines the horse "enlarges himself" (s'enlarger). As a consequence of placement of the inside hind under the inside hip, tracking becomes "straight" by dressage definition of proper position on curved lines, in pirouettes and in all lateral work. The gymnastic horse does not lean in or throw itself over either shoulder at any time. This takes strength, coordination, flexibility in relaxation. Even Olympic horses lean around their corners and on circles... unless they place the inside hind under the inside hip. Show push and carry capacity that flows evenly from hind quarters to forequarters (dependency on throughness). This type of straightness is revealed as roundness with optimal combination of engagement, bend and impulsion. Exhibit alignment of all sections of the spine (problems include tilting head, locked sections of neck or "on the muscle," stiff and hollow sides, inconsistent alignment). 4

5 Straightness The horse follows the arc of the curve with his spine (they can't exactly hinge in the middle). Straight is not 90 degrees. If the horse is on a 15m circle, he is following that exact shape/curve, not doing a 10m size circle, or shooting the hips or shoulders to the inside or outside. Here the horse D is clearly not following the curve, nor is C. A is not bent enough. In the figures below, the horse "stacks" the hind legs directly in the path of the front. On a curve, it should be the same. Horses are wider in the back end than they are in the front end. That is why "threading" the hind leg under the body using shoulder fore is critical for straightness. 5

6 Transitions Transitions are a big part of the horse s learning curve, one of the most important steps on the road to the Grand Prix movements. We must develop soft transitions so that changing from one gait to another, one speed to the next, becomes one fluid movement. A good transition is about balance Good transitions are when the young (or lower level) horse performs them with a long (as opposed to shortened neck) without rushing and without being reliant on a strong hand contact. This will create a beautiful, balanced transition. Developing transitions is about avoiding any imbalance, change in posture, loss of suppleness, or loss of rhythm through the transition. Manolo Mendez 6

7 Uniforms DAWA uniforms: Short sleeve polo shirt $27.50 Long sleeve SUN SMART polo shirt $42.50 Micro fleece vest $30 Navy jacket $40 Caps $10 Saddlecloth badges $8 NEW Sun Protection Sleeves $15 SALE Old-style longsleeve shirt $30 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. 7

8 March 2015 Member of the Month If nominated as a Member of the Month, you will receive a gift voucher from Budget Stockfeeds and a DAWA mug. The member of the month is presented to one rider each month that stands out for good presentation of themselves and the horse, as well as helping with tasks at the rallies. The committee present selects the recipient over the weekend. CONGRATULATIONS April Member of the Month: Kim Jackson Dressage could not function if it was not for the many volunteers who give up their valuable time to run competitions and contribute to the discipline. Riders now have a chance to say thank you. 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.

9 Events and General Information Advertisements Advertising in this newsletter is free to DAWA members. Non-members may advertise at $5.00 per newsletter (up to 12 lines of text, images or combination) or $25 per newsletter for a full-page advertisement (an additional $5 per newsletter applies to any changes made to full page ads). 9

10 Events and General Rally Dates Information Rallies are held every month, March to November. The first rally of the year is an Evaluation and Goal Setting day. Each rally runs Saturday and Sunday with two mounted lessons a day. A demonstration or lecture is run during the lunch break by an external specialist or one of DAWA s coaches. Rally attendance is coordinated by the Club s Rally Organiser. Each month a member is awarded Member of the Month for their presentation at lessons or helpfulness. Member of the Month is sponsored by a local feed merchant and the winner announced in the monthly newsletter. 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 Naomi Edmunds (naomiedmunds@hotmail.com). The deadline for the next newsletter is two weeks prior to the following month s rally. 10

11 Rally Dates Dressage Writers Quick Ref Sheet The sole duty of the Writer shall be to record the Judges marks and comments on the Horse and Rider s individual Dressage Test Sheet The following is a Quick Reference Sheet for dressage writers it includes suggested abbreviations. The list is not exhaustive. Writers, where possible should abbreviate words on test sheets. 11