I could write this article in a few short words: I am having a blast, learning a ton, and spending my time at home figuring out ways to make money during lockdown so that I can stay longer.
I have brought my horse Sansira (2004 Sunny Boy x Rubinstein) and my mom’s horse Stryder (2008 Sagnol x Feinbrand). I am working on the U-25 Grand Prix with Sara and Stryder and I are just getting to know each other and working on his strength since he is a bit of a worrier and dropped a lot of weight on the trip here. Hopefully, I will be able to do U-25 on him as well, but he is not as easy of a ride as Sara, so stay tuned.
I am living in downtown Toronto with an RN and a dental school student. I am quickly becoming friends with both of them, though they do not quite understand why I would move across the country to ride horses when I could just as easily do it at home. Let me tell you why.
Interjection: If you want a crash course in dressage and horses, visit @teamirwindressage on instagram. Below you can see Jaimey and I working on piaffe with Sara.
Two and a half years ago in my first clinic with Jaimey, I could barely get one clean flying change with Sara. Soon after riding with him for the first time, I began plotting my trip out East, because of how quickly I was advancing with only a couple of clinics a year. The few clinics we had became my favourite weekends because every time he was in town, I did something on Sara that I had never done before – fours, threes, half-steps, and so on. We work hard at the clinics and they keep training headed in the right direction, but by training every day, I am realizing that riding is a process and requires so much more than a clinic every few months to make sure you haven’t gone too far off track. I am also realizing that subjecting yourself to coaching and criticism everyday can take a bit of a toll on your confidence as a rider.
Jaimey teaches me on both horses Monday to Friday. The first week was mostly getting the horses moving and learning how to ride Stryder. He is a completely different feel than Sara and I would be lying if I said I have figured it out. For the first week, cantering a 20 meter circle on the bit was a challenge, though, I am happy to report that he was round for at least half of our last ride.
Sara and I were doing some exciting things last week. We did 12 ones for the first time and the canter half-pass-pirouette sequence from the u-25. BUT ever since I have been riding her up in a grand prix frame, she has been weird on the bit, not flexing right in the poll, crossing her jaw, and sticking her tongue out a little bit. All things that will cause judges and spectators to roast the rider alive.
This week, Jaimey rode her Monday to Wednesday to get her more even into both reins. Turns out, my right hand forgets the “give” part of the half-halt which causes Sara to be one sided and defensive. I would probably stick my tongue out, too.
It is exciting to watch Jaimey ride the horses because I get to see what they are capable of, but when he first got on, I was quite frustrated with myself. He makes it look so easy and then my brain goes, “Wow, Katey. You suck. Why could you not get that?” On Tuesday, after some reflection and a chill pill, I remembered that if I COULD do it by myself, I wouldn’t be here.
When I got back on, I immediately felt the things that Jaimey had been trying to get me to feel for the past week. He had taught Sara how to stretch properly through her whole body in 20 minutes, saving her confusion, frustration, and unnecessary strain on her body. He also jazzed her up enough that I could feel the cadence and bounce in the trot for the passage – I had never felt that before so it was quite an epiphany. Thank goodness Jaimey got on because after feeling the stretch and proper trot, Sara and I are not guessing anymore. Sara did not cross her jaw or stick out her tongue at all when Jaimey was on and now, when I ride she is not doing it as much. This is a process for both me and the horses. I am still working on having a better seat, more elastic contact, and giving with my right hand. Rome wasn’t built in a day and my first u-25 won’t be show ready in my first month here, but I am excited to see what these horses can do with 6 months of consistent and outstanding coaching.
Side Note: The dessert places here are incredible. I am currently on a tiramisu kick. Which one would you pick??
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