Every year, the amazing folks at Hassler Dressage and Harmony Sporthorses host the Young Dressage Horse Trainers’ Symposium a three-day invite-only event. It’s one part clinic, one part demonstration, one part conversation, and all parts fun. Clinics are wonderful, but Symposium is unique because there are 60+ professionals all in one room, sharing experiences in an open, judgment-free environment. It’s really marvelous.
I was asked to bring Ella again this year—we went last year, when Ella was in a wonky development phase both emotionally and physically. She’s put on a ton of weight and muscle since then, which I know, but it was great to have everyone in the room say wow, what a difference a year makes.
Because she’s again in a weird place—she came into season REALLY hard about a week and a half ago, and she got pretty physically sore in the process—we focused on specific things, the walk and the canter pirouettes, and kept the workouts short. We also chatted about her contact, something she’s always struggled with, and about a fitness plan for her, deciding whether to go for more muscle fitness or more cardio work. In the end I was encouraged to go for the gusto and work on both independently, because she’ll need both in the end, and it doesn’t make sense to go after just one or the other. And she stayed super in the mouth, so there wasn’t much to chat about. Huzzah!
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I was also excited because Ella stayed totally cool, even when trailering with a strange horse—my friend Renee Carter and her client’s lovely 3-year-old, whom we picked up on the way. Ella ate well, something that is unusual for her at shows, stayed relaxed, and she didn’t get attached to her stablemates or scream or do anything ridiculous. She’s been to Scott’s before, so I’m sure that played to my favor, but it’s a big relief to have a 100 percent positive experience away from home under her belt coming into the winter season.
We had a ridiculous drive home—an accident on 95 that blocked all lanes, hilarious—but all arrived in one piece, and I’m getting caught up on work and REALLY looking forward to a quiet week. Of course, my quiet week includes a distance client coming in to see her (wonderful and MUCH improved, yay!) horse go, some folks coming in to see an EXCELLENT sales horse I have, and possibly a trip up North this weekend myself to look at some young horses for me. I’m tentatively looking for a 3, maybe 4-year-old, to be my next superstar. It’s really fun looking at horses at that age, and I’m really, REALLY inspired by the quality I’m seeing in American-bred horses!
