A local stable called Blossom Ferry Farm (http://blossomferryfarm.com/) offered a Fix-A-Test recently and I drove out to meet some of the locals as well as watch Tanya and Fidge go. It was a bit of a trek to get there but well worth it meeting several nice dressage folks! Tanya and Fidge were super as shown by a few pictures I snapped with my trusty iPhone.



Here’s Tanya getting a few notes from the Fix-A-Test judge Susie.



No DQ (or Kings) here! I was met with big smiles and even handed a cooler with something to put in it! Wow! These folks roll the way I like to enjoy a horsey afternoon, mellow and without pretension! The owner of Blossom Ferry, Paige, actually gave me 2 of the coolers which I proudly brought home and look forward to enjoying outdoors as the weather warms up!



It was such a great time and I look forward to getting out and meeting more local soon!

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I occasionally read and post to some bulletin boards online when the notion strikes me that my opinion might be helpful to at least one person. Most all the time the threads I post to are constructive and people very friendly but not all are this way and some people get quite heated which I find interesting as I enjoy debate but feel it shouldn’t result in name calling. The poster I’m replying to in the paste below commented about my training with Anky but she also included a great quote from Kyra “If you always do what you always did than you’ll always get what you always got” which is brilliant that if you’re fighting your way around the sandbox beating you head against the slanted wall wondering why what you’re doing is not yielding the results you desire then why keep doing the same old thing. For what it’s worth I thought this particular reply might be inspiring to being open minded about your training and hopefully reflects Kyra’s wonderful quote.

Quote:

Originally Posted by caddym Horsegirltv – I love your blog and am so envious of the time you had in Holland

Thanks caddym. My time training with Anky was life changing in many ways. I likewise spend a significant amount of time training by Hilda Gurney in SoCal in 2004 and must say that my time with her was simply amazing. The opportunity to work extensively with one great legendary top sport person is a fleeting chance for most but two simply amazing. I’ve also ridden with Anne Gribbons (best elevated trot), Jeff Moore (grasp of rider biomechanics), Janet Brown-Foy (toolbox), Sabine Schut-Kery (soft seat), Bettina Drummond (riding from independent seat) and the late Hans von Blixen-Finecke (just in aw the this incredible, yet fragile looking older gentleman would still mount and school passage on your horse for you! RIP).

My point with the name dropping is that I’ve been lucky to train with some wonderful people at the top of their game many of which are complete contradictions in their systems.

Parenthesized above, my best take away, apart from major training scale reinforcement with Janet Brown-Foy was her analogy of riding with your toolbox and I’ll completely paraphrase now as over the years I’ve morphed it yet essentially the toolbox is you and your horse, the tools you put in it must build as the training scale does adding more and more advanced tools (i.e. – don’t attempt lateral is your straightness is not there). Some people never obtain more than a hammer and a handful of nails so to master the use of the hammer and a few handful of nails is the ultimate goal.

The above blathering aside, my tools of speed control building to softer and softer use of a ‘resistance rein’ (giving/softening when the horse gives but NOT throwing the reins away) and tap with the leg instead of push was a great addition to the growing tool box from training with Anky.

Further digression… some people prefer Sears, Black & Decker, DeWalt or Makita and might think their brand superior to the other but if the end result is a successful building project then who is to say the Makita is better than the Sears brand or components of Anky’s brand is better/worse than anyone else.

It was nice to see this thread last as long (even though still quite short) as it did in a focus of talking about training technique before it was taken off track.

I look forward to another one that lasts longer even. Perhaps keeping it focused on training techniques it’s all tied up in the Subject line utilized? What I enjoy talking about is not the labels placed on a single component of a particular riding style but riding fundamentals and true basics.

Best regards,

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