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Agape Dressage
By Jennifer Parker
Spring has sprung and the shows have begun! Although the weather has been mild the wind has been rather gusty. Kudos go to everyone who rode in the February schooling show in the gale force winds. Lynn Boice, Anna Calek, Nancy Orta, and Lucy Ziurys were among the many faithful who rode despite being blinded by dust and blindsided by flying debris. Lucy and her trusty steed, Star Fleet, actually had to jump a large branch in the middle of their medium canter!
Lynn, Anna, Lucy, Beth High, and myself all made the trek to the CARA Champagne show where our practice in the wind paid off. The weekend was marked by high winds, dust devils, and some grumpy riders and horses, though none came from the Agape Barn!
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Anna and I debuted our new musical freestyles with much success late Saturday afternoon. The show was a bit tougher than previous shows as all the Agape riders and horses had moved up a level. Anna and Kai began First level, while Lucy, Lynn, and Beth all started Second Level. There was general agreement that 2nd level is VERY hard and the judges are much more demanding that things be "Correct"!
The weekend following CARA, some of us received a tune-up from Charlotte Bredahl-Baker who was in town for a private clinic. Ellie Stine-Masek rode THREE horses in one afternoon with breaks coming only when I rode Bogotta and Anna rode Kai. All 5 horses and 3 riders were exhausted after the lessons each day. Charlotte stressed the need for every horse to truly be "through" and working from the hind end with an elastic back. My horse was
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faking this and we were duly chastised. However, on the second day, Charlotte rode Bogotta and the most amazing extended trots emerged from my horse with seemingly little effort. Now, why can't I do that? What has been the most fun is to use the "homework" Charlotte gave me with my students and see the results in their horses as well.
April will be a busy month for Agape with trips scheduled to ADA, Walter Zettl, and Del Mar, where Anna and Kai will be representing us. For those of you who receive Dressage Today, look for Lucy Ziurys in the "Local Entries" section on page 23 of the April issue.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the shows this spring. Good luck and Happy Easter!
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