Cari Swanson

From the Judges Box

Recently I judged a dressage schooling show which was the last of a series from the summer season at the Stockade Polo and Saddle Club near Saratoga, NY. My scribe explained to me that many of the 60 rides I judged had been attending each monthly show, improving with each outing.

It was exciting to see the variety of breeds and sizes of the competing horses. There were small 14.1 hand Morgan’s and Quarter Horses to an 18.1 hand Shire cross to Dutch Warmbloods and Paints. And of course there were numerous Thoroughbred’s from the track desended from legends such as Seattle Slew and Secretariat. Some of the most consistent harmonious rides were on a trail horse and a former roping horse, both of whom transitioned well into their new career of dressage horses.

Several older school horses performed as pro’s, carrying their timid riders around an accurate, albeit, sluggish rides. The horses were clearly enjoying their job, relaxed and calm with floppy ears and soft eyes as they were put through the paces.

Of course there were the reluctant participants who misbehaved, dodging out of the arena every time they passed A, or refusing to step into canter, chosing to bolt or buck as an alternative. However, the riders persevered and finished with the horses completing their tests in spite of the arguments.

The high score of the day was won by an elegant black Anglo Trakener gelding, Azay Avignon, who was recently plucked off the film set of Ruffian where he played her double for the soon to be released Hollywood production of “Ruffian”. His test was beautiful. Azay was remarkably poised and correct in his rhythm and balance, showing a pleasant harmonious ride that judges enjoy watching. He clearly is enjoying his new career in the world of dressage.

Ride a Schoolmaster

Learning to ride correctly is challenging and can be frustrating at times. The best teacher of all is the well trained schoolmaster who will perform only when you sit correctly. Very few riders have a sophisticated balanced seat, however, it is quite possible to obtain if you are lucky enough to train on a seasoned pro who will teach you how to sit correctly.

It takes years of training to become a top level dressage horse. Therefore you are looking at schoolmasters in their late teens and early 20’s. Do not be put off by age, if managed properly and cross trained, they remain sound well into their 20’s.

Several lessons on a Schoolmaster can teach you the timing and feel of the aids that may otherwise take you years to understand. These horses have an incredible sense of balance which can train your mind and body what to look for when riding your horse.

If you ever have the opportunity to ride one of these equine encyclopedia’s, jump at the chance! Although I have trained with some of the top trainers in the world, I believe the most valuable lessons that have taught me are on the well trained schoolmasters who insist on perfection.

World Equestrian Games Dressage Finale

One of the most exciting classes to watch is the Dressage Musical Freestyle. The top 15 riders from the Grand Prix qualify to ride their Musical Kurs in front of record breaking crowds. It is thrilling to watch the horses and riders dance to music as one. The atmosphere was electric when the two American team members Guenter Seidel on Aragon and Steffen Peters on Floriano danced for the crowds.

“Tonight I had to ride a little bit more carefully, Peters said, Floriano was on the edge the whole time coming in there, so I took it a little bit easy in the trot extentions. I am very happy with a 78, we came in and tried our very best and had a lot of fun.”

Peters and Floriano, the 16 year old Westphalian gelding, owned by Stephen and Laurelyn Browning, were the last to compete in front of a sold out crowd, performing to a medley including “Don’t stop Believing” by Fleetwood Mac and “Imagine” by John Lennon. They finished in sixth place with a score of 78.60%.

Seidel rode his 14 year old Bavarian Warmblood gelding, owned by Richard and Jane rown, to 13th place. “When we were going in, I thought he was going to explode,” said Seidel of his mount. He could not have been happier with his horse’s performance, “It was very electric. There were a few mistakes. But when do you have the chance to practice in an atmosphere like this?”

Team USA’s Chef D’Equipe, Klaus Balkenhol has taken our horses and riders to a new level in Dressae. We are all proud of our teams success!

A Day at the Races

/>Saratoga Raceway is less than 2 hours from Dutchess County, offering an exciting day at the races at one of the most beautiful tracks in the country. The main course is a mile and an eighth, the turf course is one mile and the Steeplechase course is 7/8 mile long.

This weekend is the Tavers Stakes named after William Travers, the President of the old Saratoga Racing Association. This year is the 137th running of the Grade 1 Stakes race comprising of a field of 3 year olds racing for the one million dollar purse. This race is the highlight of the summer season just as the Belmont Stakes is the highlight of the Spring meeting at Belmont Park.

Elegant attire is a tradition at the Saratoga Race Course. Find your best country hat and go out to cheer on your favorite horse to win. The entry fee is only $5/person, but bring some money to bet on your horse. You will enjoy a fun day in the country!

Dressage 4 Kids

The 8th annual Dressage 4 Kids competition is August 11-13 at Hits in Saugerties, NY. This exciting weekend is for riders under 21 to compete in various age groups for wonderful prizes. The competition was conceived of by Lendon Gray to encourage young riders under 21 to become true horseman. The goal of the program is to create riders who understand the correct position, to develop competive skills, to have knowledge of all aspects of horse care and riding, to offer scholarships to enable competitors to continue their education, and most importantly to have fun and develop good sportsmanship.

Competitors must meet the requirement of qualifying with two scores and come from 10 countries and 25 states. They hail from the worlds of eventing, jumping, hunters, pony club and trail riding. Many of them form teams with fun names like the Beau Jesters to compete against each other.

This is a fun learning experience and a great place to meet other young riders. For more information check out the web site www.dressage4kids.com.

Update on Barbaro’s condition

Many of you have contacted me regarding the latest news on Barbaro, so I would like to let you know about a link that gives updates each week.

You can find the latest info at www.vet.upenn.edu.

As of the last recording, Barbaro is in good shape with a healthy appetite and he remains in good spirits.

Fitches Corner Event

The Hudson Valley hosts many top equestrian events throughout the year and this weekend is one of the hottest events to attend. Fitches Corner, located in Millbrook on Mabbettsville Road and the Shunpike (route 57), begins tomorrow with dressage and ends Sunday with a day of Cross Country and Stadium Jumping.

The host, Fernanda Gilligan, takes care to make it fun and easy for competitors to attend. Saturday evening is the Blue Jean Ball, a party for everyone involved as well as the community to eat, drink and dance into the early hours or the next day.

There are over 30 vendors in the Marketplace for shoppers and for those who may have forgotten something. This year also marks the first time Bit of Britain is represented on the show grounds. Many call this event a Mini Rolex due to the extraordinary attention to detail to every aspect of the weekend.

The cross country course is beautiful and challenging at 3 levels, Novice, Training and Preliminary. You will watch local riders as well as some of the best riders in the country riding their young horses over this challenging course. The water jump is a great place to watch the action, and then walk around the course to watch all the obstacles being ridden by a very talented group of athletes.

Enjoy the day and cheer on your favorite rider!

Treating Hives

Many horses develop small bumps or raised areas on the skin called hives, or the technical term Urticria. These are caused by an allergic or hypersensitive reaction. The cause can be topical from an insect bite, fly spray, shampoo, a saddle pad with detergent on it, or systemic from a food or drug that may have caused a reaction. Generally hives are not life threatening, with the exception being if the throat area closes and the horse cannot breathe.

If they do not resolve themselves in a few hours, it is necessary to call the vet who can administer drugs to reduce the swelling and discomfort. Try to identify what could have caused the hives by checking food sources and external causes in his environment.

Hot Summer Days

Horses can suffer from heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Take care to know your horses normal temperature, heart rate and pulse. On extremely hot days be sure to keep a close watch over your horses condition. It is a good idea to ride early in the day or at dusk when the air temperature cools down. After your work out you must cool your horse out completely. The length of cool down will depend on the environmental conditons, amount of work and each individual horse.

Signs of a heat stroke include hot dry skin, high pulse and respiratory rates and a high temperature (101 is normal). Use the pinch test to check for dehydration, that is pinch some skin together and let it go, if it returns to normal immediately all is well, if it remains pinched, call your vet immediately.

Some horses have a condition known as anhydrotic, that is when the horses cannot sweat normally. These horses are prime candidates for heat stress and must be monitored closely on hot days.

Of course, make certain to have fresh water available to your horse all the time. Feed an electrolyte supplement in daily feed on hot days to encourage drinking. Horses drink 5-10 gallons of water a day and this is critical to maintaining a healthy horse.

Learning to Canter

A student has mastered the walk-trot work and is now ready to start to canter. She does not have the confidence to canter yet and would like some easy excercises to help her succeed in this next step.

First of all it is important to realize that the rider is elastic and moves her arms with the movement of the horses neck in both walk and canter. This is critical to understand because you do not want to ask your horse to canter and suddenly hang on his mouth which will throw him off balance and almost always force him to trot.

The best way to experience a successful canter is to ride a school master on the lunge. That way the trainer can ask for canter from the ground and all the rider has to do is sit and relax and feel the gait.

Next, the rider can ride several trot to walk transitions to engage the horse and confirm that the horse is in front of her aids. Now ask for a half halt as if you want to walk but instead, ask for canter with the correct aid. A common error is for the rider to pitch forward with her upper body and grip with her knees. Always go back to the correct rider postion to set yourself up for success.

Another easy way to ask for canter is to trot a 20 meter circle with a small cavalleti on the track, when the horse trots over the pole, sit and ask for canter. This is almost always successful. Be sure to have a qualified instructor on the ground assisting you in this lesson. They can monitor your position and help you correct any mistakes.