May - My week of intensive training

I have had a very busy few weeks and Rafi and I have learnt so much thanks to our training bursary. I have been working on lateral work for the past few months but have not had the courage to go out and do a medium test, which I believe will be a big step up.

Thanks to my bursary I have been able to have an intensive week of training. Firstly I attended a test training clinic with Jane Peberdy. Rafi warmed up well and did a fair test. I think Jane was quite generous with her marks but it gave me the confidence to enter two medium tests a week later. In between I went on a two day training course with Kate Attlee which was amazing and made me ask a lot more of Rafi.

It was a bit different once I got to the competition as it was very hot and Rafi was a bit tense, he still tried his socks off and although I hated doing sitting trot especially in the medium work it was great to have the chance to give it a go. I only did the competition as training, but we would have got 63% in both tests and would have won the first and come second in the next. That means he has qualified for a Pet Plan area final at medium level.

I have also been helping my BD regional team members. I organised and ran a team building day which made me put on my thinking cap and I supported them at The College, Keysoe by reading tests and generally being there for them. Hopefully I will be able to join them in the team at the Home International.

April - Competition Update

Myself and Rafi had a brilliant British Dressage Championship, it was touch and go before we went as Rafi developed Mudfever on Tuesday morning. The vet was called but could not give us anything in case it was not competition legal, luckily the extent of the mudfever was not so bad and we were still able to compete.

At the championships, Rafi and I were placed third and fifth in the Spillers Combined Training and received a beautiful sash for the highest amateur. Rafi also came seventh and best British bred in the Novice Restricted class and fourth in the Pet Plan Elementary Championships, so I thought this was an amazing result and was very happy.

April - Time to focus on my position

Well since the regionals and the snow incident, the English weather has finally improved, I have been able to ride in the field and work on suppleness and connection, which Gareth and Kate always keep drilling into me.

However, instead of always focusing on my little boy I decided this month I would work on my position and see how many weaknesses I had in my body, as this is bound to reflect on my horse. So I booked a schoolmaster lesson with Leonie Smith riding Caitano, her grand prix horse. I arrived early accompanied by my mum and my friend Lauren who has started a photography career and had the role of taking snaps of me. It was a refreshing relief to see that Leonie was of an average height, which gave me hope that not all dressage riders have legs up to their arm pits.

Once on Caitano, Leonie told me to work long and low and to flex him left and right to soften his back and allow him to move forward. Now, like most of us I have admired these talented horses, however I never really comprehended how hard it was to keep these horses forward and round. Let’s just say Caitano knew that I was not his mummy and that I needed to be put in my place. He was not naughty, however I felt like he had about a thousand buttons all over his body and whatever I did with my limbs he responded to, resulting in either passage or one time changes. Leonie did comment on how beautiful the changes were however I had no idea how to stop him doing them! Throughout the lesson Caitano made me realise what naughty habits I had got into, such as using too much leg and not using my seat enough. However, I did experience piaffe and passage and all the sparkly parts of dressage but it showed me how much talent these top riders have to be able to define your leg aids to produce so many different movements.

This lesson made me want to have a lunge lesson with Leonie and take time to work on me, as at the end of the day I am trying to give Rafi specific signals and I need to make sure they become more defined. Leonie was the perfect host and very supportive even though I felt like a complete novice on her horse.

Since then, I have become more relaxed on my horse and not been afraid to work him low and realised that I need to warm him up more before a class so that both my body and Rafi's body are really prepared for our best work. With this I entered Weston Lawns last weekend, I was aiming to qualify for the summer regionals at elementary level. He warmed up really well and did two lovely tests winning both with around 70% in each.

I am currently very busy as I have a BD regional lesson with Kate Atlee, I am a guinea pig on the BD workshop 'What the Judge wants to see' at Kingswood Equestrian Centre in Wolverhampton and also have my first lunge lesson with Leonie. What I call 'a perfect week'.

March - What a result at Addington BD Regional Winter Semi-Finals

The highlight for me this month has been attending Addington BD winter semi-finals. I was competing on Friday 19th Feb and Saturday 20th so I had the week leading up to it well planned and prepared. I went for a lesson with Gareth Hughes on the Tuesday, as Rafi had been very cheeky in his last two competitions I needed some advice.

Gareth hadn't seen Rafi since the BD summer nationals and thought he had improved in his physique and way of going. He asked me to get more bend just before the corner and keep my hands up and ride him past things as if I was leg yielding. We then worked on transitions within a pace to get him much sharper off my leg. Rafi felt fantastic and I was thrilled when Gareth said he looked like a horse that could go all the way, at last.

On Wednesday I hacked him out and practiced the shoulder fore past things he wanted to shy at. Then on Thursday afternoon I hired an arena to have a last minute practice. I worked him hard for about half an hour.

Once at Addington, we settled Rafi in his lovely stable and went to watch some friends compete and to find out where he was performing.

Next was our competition, he warmed up really well but I knew we would have to be spot on to qualify. The Novice Restricted Music Freestyle went well, I had decided not to go too far down for my first halt in case he spooked at the judge's boxes. I was slightly in front of my music in trot and slightly behind in canter but I was pleased with our performance, I thought he did fantastic. When my score was displayed, it was 69.83% and took the lead but not for long as Lucy Pincus scored a fabulous 73% but we came second and qualified.

It was an early start on the Saturday but I was a lot more relaxed. I went to warm up and began doing my transitions within a pace and Rafi soon started to relax and work through. In the Novice Restricted Winter Regional Championship my test was indoors and we did one of the best tests of our life. I was thrilled until I saw his score, 65.36% I thought it was very low but it was the best score so far. I held the lead for a long time but then someone scored 66%. I knew that three would qualify so that was ok but then someone else got 65.85%. I was now in third with quite a few still to go. Luckily no one else got higher so we came third and qualified.

So, Rafi and I have five classes at the championships and I’m very excited.

My plans up to champs are to have a schoolmaster lesson with Leonie Smith, guinea pig for the BD regional clinic at Kingswood, regular BD regional lesson with Kate Attlee, last minute lesson with Gareth and try to get some show jumping practice in.

February - A month for improving my dressage with Kate Attlee and Yogi Breisner

Well the snow has gone at last, fingers crossed, and I am left with very fresh horses. Rafi already looks bigger and stronger than last year and he is developing a personality to match.

His season started early at Moulton College on 24th January, he is on 123 BD points so I wanted to get a novice and elementary music qualification before he goes over novice points as it will count for the 2011 regionals.

He felt amazing in the warm up arena; supple, forward and relaxed however once indoors he took an instant dislike to the judges’ box and would fling himself into the middle every time he passed it. Luckily, all my scoring movements were at the other end, good tip when doing floor plan, so they got good marks and he scored 73%, which put his in fourth place. In the elementary, I decided that Rafi's enthusiasm would be directed to helping me not hindering me; he was still cheeky but controllable and won with 71% and qualified.

With the disappointment of the novice I quickly entered Brooksby the following week; he was still too well and cheeky but came second with 71% so qualified.

You may be thinking if I can achieve scores like that, why do I need a look4horses training bursary? Well I have never ridden above novice level before and elementary doesn't have anything too difficult in but medium does. I have never ridden a half pass before never mind teaching it to a horse and performing it in a competition.

I want to keep Rafi and make him into an advanced horse, I have spent three years working on his basics, getting him in front of the leg and improving his balance and rhythm. His paces have improved beyond belief, now we have to really work hard and this bursary is going to help me achieve it.

I have a regular BD regional lesson with Kate Attlee. I wanted to work on my lateral work and after working Rafi in very deep and round she started to ask me to ride a circle and ask for inside bend, she told me to be greedy and make him look at her in the centre. Then I had to make him look to the outside, she made me do this with the reins in one hand so that I used my leg to bend him; he started to feel amazing. Kate is a very good instructor and I’d like her to teach me everyday.

In late January, I joined in with a pony club clinic with Yogi Breisner. It took plenty of courage on my part to attend the lesson as the others there have been my pupils at Pony Club camp and were on eventing horses. This made me concerned that Rafi would show me up. Adding to my troubles was that I had to work a night shift at work and be on Rafi by 9 a.m. so no sleep and on a dressage horse, great combination. Yogi got us to answer some questions, everyone got the first question wrong: ' When you get on your horse, what is the first thing you think of?' answer should be 'My own position' good point. We were told ' You choose to ride your horse, he doesn't choose to let you ride him, he deserves to be ridden well.' another good point.

We did lots of flat work so Rafi was in his element, there was lots of trot NOW, extend NOW and walk NOW. It was all correct basics and that is how it should be. We then started jumping and Rafi got a bit excited; he really did try hard. I think it does him good to have an all round education and he loves to jump.

So now I have the BD winter regionals to look forward to at Addington later in February. I will work on his basics as he is getting a bit clever since he has tried a few flying changes and tries to be too clever. Back to basics, no one must forget they are the most important thing.