tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32970108309775339482024-03-05T11:21:06.197-08:00Matt Eagan's Dressage BlogMatt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-73255021163513998502014-06-08T19:44:00.000-07:002014-06-08T19:44:59.742-07:00CA RecapLeo and I returned home about a week and a half ago. I came
immediately back to the barn/work and haven't had a moment to sit down
and provide a recap of our training and showing trip to CA until now.<br />
<br />
Overall, the trip went very well. Leo hauled like a pro and settled into his new home for the month at <a data-mce-href="http://www.wfarms.net" href="http://www.wfarms.net/">W Farms</a>
like he never had left (Leo lived there for 8 months). He trained each
session like it was no big deal and handled his first show (a big show
nonetheless) like a seasoned veteran.<br />
<br />
W Farms has become a second
family for me over the years. They have always welcomed me with open
arms each time I have come down to train. I always feel like a part of
the team and cannot say enough positive things about everyone involved
with the farm. <a data-mce-href="http://www.wfarms.net/david-wilson.php" href="http://www.wfarms.net/david-wilson.php">David Wilson</a>,
did a wonderful job preparing Leo and me for the Flintridge Show. The
main points that we worked on were to continue to keep Leo in front and
light to the leg and seat aids (we are now at the point I just need to
use a little seat and Leo will respond); continue to polish up the
submission (more so that Leo maintains consistency in the gaits and
frame and not from any disobedience); and finally to have Leo work in a
slightly higher frame (a frame that is appropriate for Training Level
and the USEF 4 year old test).<br />
<br />
Leo really did shine at the
Flintridge Show. For being his first show, he handled the environment
like he had been showing for years. The highlight of the show was the
Training Level Test 3 ride on Friday when we scored a 76.8%. Leo was
fluid and smooth during this ride. One of the comments from judge Axel
Steiner was a this is how we want Training Level rides to be ridden.
Our ride was the second highest score of the day; and only .2% behind
the highest score of the day. Ironically, the high score of the day was
from my old mentor, Hilda Gurney.<br />
<br />
In our other rides, we had
some simple young horse mistakes. When Leo becomes unbalanced in the
canter he will simply do a flying change to other lead. We had a couple
of those when I lost connection during the rides. Because there are
not a lot of points available in the Training Level and First Level
tests, mistakes like these are costly. In the two other tests where we
had these mistakes, we scored 68%. It is really encouraging that on our
"off" rides we are still near 70%.<br />
<br />
Here is the video link from our Training 3 ride on Friday:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Mr-40TJjvfY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Our
next show is this upcoming weekend at the Beaujolais Show over
Father's Day weekend. There I will be showing Leo and also Andi
Garland's 2 year colt Otto (Totalias x Riverman) in the Friday
breedshow.<br />
<br />
Thank you for the support!<br />
<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/qX4YKEatSZ1DVpRGtF7qIASqQxLkZy24lI9YOZ3H_gA.jpeg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/qX4YKEatSZ1DVpRGtF7qIASqQxLkZy24lI9YOZ3H_gA.jpeg"><img alt="qX4YKEatSZ1DVpRGtF7qIASqQxLkZy24lI9YOZ3H_gA" class="alignnone wp-image-420" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/qX4YKEatSZ1DVpRGtF7qIASqQxLkZy24lI9YOZ3H_gA-300x214.jpeg" height="214" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/qX4YKEatSZ1DVpRGtF7qIASqQxLkZy24lI9YOZ3H_gA-300x214.jpeg" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Yba_LOCHsow5YQ9hN45BlLj9VrZEaIu8NVDzCUaXN_o.jpeg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Yba_LOCHsow5YQ9hN45BlLj9VrZEaIu8NVDzCUaXN_o.jpeg"><img alt="Yba_LOCHsow5YQ9hN45BlLj9VrZEaIu8NVDzCUaXN_o" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-421" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Yba_LOCHsow5YQ9hN45BlLj9VrZEaIu8NVDzCUaXN_o-214x300.jpeg" height="300" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Yba_LOCHsow5YQ9hN45BlLj9VrZEaIu8NVDzCUaXN_o-214x300.jpeg" width="214" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/YPv1lw0obn5hjj0nDvmLg4qiVFM4Yn70G9A4WF4m8Vk.jpeg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/YPv1lw0obn5hjj0nDvmLg4qiVFM4Yn70G9A4WF4m8Vk.jpeg"><img alt="YPv1lw0obn5hjj0nDvmLg4qiVFM4Yn70G9A4WF4m8Vk" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-422" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/YPv1lw0obn5hjj0nDvmLg4qiVFM4Yn70G9A4WF4m8Vk-300x214.jpeg" height="214" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/YPv1lw0obn5hjj0nDvmLg4qiVFM4Yn70G9A4WF4m8Vk-300x214.jpeg" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/i25bc0wmc00UWgeq89W5_xVzgtbD7FJ0npwSqMGIq5UPisc93A75pUAMZXYKUuTHsDm9qJPqsBxwDK-iRqVSHU.jpeg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/i25bc0wmc00UWgeq89W5_xVzgtbD7FJ0npwSqMGIq5UPisc93A75pUAMZXYKUuTHsDm9qJPqsBxwDK-iRqVSHU.jpeg"><img alt="i25bc0wmc00UWgeq89W5_xVzgtbD7FJ0npwSqMGIq5U,Pisc93A75pUAMZXYKUuTHsDm9qJPqsBxwDK-iRqVSHU" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-423" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/i25bc0wmc00UWgeq89W5_xVzgtbD7FJ0npwSqMGIq5UPisc93A75pUAMZXYKUuTHsDm9qJPqsBxwDK-iRqVSHU-300x214.jpeg" height="214" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/i25bc0wmc00UWgeq89W5_xVzgtbD7FJ0npwSqMGIq5UPisc93A75pUAMZXYKUuTHsDm9qJPqsBxwDK-iRqVSHU-300x214.jpeg" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG952014052695183519.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG952014052695183519.jpg"><img alt="IMG952014052695183519" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-424" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG952014052695183519-225x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG952014052695183519-225x300.jpg" width="225" /></a>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-40436531077141913202014-05-02T13:10:00.000-07:002014-05-02T13:10:35.695-07:00USEF Young Horse ClinicOver the Easter weekend, I had the opportunity to ride in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Clinic with Scott Hassler. <a data-mce-href="http://www.devonwoodec.com" href="http://www.devonwoodec.com/" title="Devonwood Equestrian Centre">Devonwood Equestrian Centre</a>, in Sherwood, OR,
graciously hosted the event. We had a total of 8 horses/riders in the
clinic.<br />
<br />
One of the highlights of the weekend was to see how the quality
of young horses in the Pacific Northwest has dramatically improved over
the years. There is now more depth in the quality of young horses in
the area than ever before. It will be fun to watch all of these
horses, and some of the others that weren't in the clinic, develop over
the coming years. Talking with some of my colleagues, it looks like we have
4-6 horses aiming to qualify for the Young Horse Dressage Championships
this year.<br />
<br />
Overall, I was extremely pleased with my training
sessions with Scott. Scott lays out simple, yet extremely effective
approach to training a young horse. Over the two days, we worked with
Leo on being more responsive to the leg so that he would then glide out
in front of me with the simplest of leg pressure. In addition, we worked
on keeping him up a little higher in the shoulders in the canter to help
with his balance, especially in the left lead canter. All in all, Leo
showed improvement over the two days of the clinic. Scott was impressed
with how he is doing and hopes we can do big things in the future.<br />
<br />
Here is the video from the second day of the clinic:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/O5iDmiTy_1A" width="420"></iframe> <br />
<br />
Later that week, I took Leo to one day with Conrad Schumacher at <a data-mce-href="http://www.pumpkinfarmsdressage.com" href="http://www.pumpkinfarmsdressage.com/" title="Pumpkin Farms">Pumpkin Farms</a>
for Conrad to give us an eye and insight on how we are doing. The ride went
great. I have been doing cavelletti with Leo at the trot, but not at
the canter. Conrad had us not only doing 3 poles at the trot but also
at the canter. Doing the poles helped sustain Leo's rhythm and little
bit better in the canter, which then helped out with the balance. <br />
<br />
Here is the video from the Conrad clinic:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CC658wRhft4" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
All in all, Leo is in a great place right now and we are ready to head down to California to train at <a data-mce-href="http://www.wfarms.net" href="http://www.wfarms.net/" title="W Farms">W Farms</a> with David Wilson and to show at the Flintridge Dressage Show. You can follow our progress here or at <a data-mce-href="http://www.leodressagehorse.com" href="http://www.leodressagehorse.com/" title="Leo Dressage Horse">Leo's website.</a><br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaee0_145944294a0ea0fb.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaee0_145944294a0ea0fb.jpg"><img alt="!cid_ii_hue6jaee0_145944294a0ea0fb" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-409" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaee0_145944294a0ea0fb-300x199.jpg" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaee0_145944294a0ea0fb-300x199.jpg" height="199" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaet2_145944294a0ea0fb.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaet2_145944294a0ea0fb.jpg"><img alt="!cid_ii_hue6jaet2_145944294a0ea0fb" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-410" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaet2_145944294a0ea0fb-300x200.jpg" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaet2_145944294a0ea0fb-300x200.jpg" height="200" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaf13_145944294a0ea0fb.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaf13_145944294a0ea0fb.jpg"><img alt="!cid_ii_hue6jaf13_145944294a0ea0fb" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-411" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaf13_145944294a0ea0fb-300x200.jpg" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jaf13_145944294a0ea0fb-300x200.jpg" height="200" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6juje5_1459442f8130eb20.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6juje5_1459442f8130eb20.jpg"><img alt="!cid_ii_hue6juje5_1459442f8130eb20" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-412" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6juje5_1459442f8130eb20-300x200.jpg" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6juje5_1459442f8130eb20-300x200.jpg" height="200" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jujl6_1459442f8130eb20.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jujl6_1459442f8130eb20.jpg"><img alt="!cid_ii_hue6jujl6_1459442f8130eb20" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-413" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jujl6_1459442f8130eb20-300x200.jpg" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cid_ii_hue6jujl6_1459442f8130eb20-300x200.jpg" height="200" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10171753_278922262274780_4144327911412740461_n.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10171753_278922262274780_4144327911412740461_n.jpg"><img alt="10171753_278922262274780_4144327911412740461_n" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-414" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10171753_278922262274780_4144327911412740461_n-300x200.jpg" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10171753_278922262274780_4144327911412740461_n-300x200.jpg" height="200" width="300" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/YoungHorse-118.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/YoungHorse-118.jpg"><img alt="YoungHorse-118" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-415" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/YoungHorse-118-300x199.jpg" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/YoungHorse-118-300x199.jpg" height="199" width="300" /></a>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-30019918460999733202014-02-23T12:25:00.002-08:002014-02-23T12:30:17.407-08:00Video of LeoWith the end of February upon us, we are beginning to slowly increase
Leo's training. This is in preparation for the spring clinics we have
coming up with HenriK Johansen, Scott Hassler and Conrad Schumacher, a
schooling show to get Leo out and see a show setting, and for our May
trip to California for training with David Wilson and to compete at the
Dressage at Flintridge Dressage Show.<br />
<br />
Below is a short video of Leo schooling:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fpBEwDy4Lm0" width="560"></iframe> Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-41534053629401280602014-02-16T13:39:00.002-08:002014-02-16T13:39:43.371-08:00Leonard da Vinci's 2014 ScheduleI am excited to announce Leo's 2014 training, clinic and show schedule for 2014<br />
<strong>March:</strong><br />
1st: <a data-mce-href="http://www.donidafarm.com" href="http://www.donidafarm.com/">Donida Farm</a> Schooling Show<br />
13th to 14th: <a data-mce-href="http://www.positiveriding.com" href="http://www.positiveriding.com/" title="Henrik Johansen">Henrik Johansen</a> clinic at River Run Ranch<br />
<strong>April:</strong><br />
19th to 20th: USEF Young Horse Training Clinc with Scott Hassler at <a data-mce-href="http://www.devonwoodec.com" href="http://www.devonwoodec.com/">Devonwood Equestrian Centre</a>, Sherwood OR<br />
TBA: Conrad Schumacher Clinic at <a data-mce-href="http://www.pumpkinfarmsdressage.com" href="http://www.pumpkinfarmsdressage.com/">Pumpkin Farms Dressage</a>, Monroe WA<br />
<strong>May:</strong><br />
Beginning of May: Travel to <a data-mce-href="http://www.wfarms.net" href="http://www.wfarms.net/" title="W Farms">W Farms</a>, Chino Hills CA, for training with David Wilson<br />
23rd to 25: Dressage at Flintridge, La Canada Flintridge CA. Qualifying for the Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships<br />
<strong>June:</strong><br />
13th to 15th: Beaujolais Dressage Show, Auburn WA. Qualifying for the Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships<br />
<strong>July:</strong><br />
TBA: Henrik Johansen Clinic<br />
18th to 20th: Dressage at Devonwood, Sherwood OR<br />
<strong>August:</strong><br />
2nd: Summervale Dressage Festival, Roy WA<br />
21st to 24th: Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships, Wayne IL<br />
<br />
We
will add in a couple of more clinics with international level
instructors during the summer when their respective schedules are
confirmed.<br />
This will be a big season for Leo and me. We are
looking forward to the challenge, excitement and fun of working towards
being one of the best four year old dressage horses in the country.
Thank you for your support!<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/matt_leo06.jpg" href="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/matt_leo06.jpg"><img alt="Matt Eagan with Leonardo Da Vinci" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-308" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/matt_leo06-200x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/matt_leo06-200x300.jpg" width="200" /></a>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-63467807855974730852014-02-11T19:53:00.003-08:002014-02-11T19:53:58.317-08:00SponsorsTo achieve your dreams, it definitely takes a supportive team to
train and show successfully. Below is my team that helps me be the best
that I can be.<br />
<br />
If you or your company are interested in joining us and be part of this exciting team please feel free to contact me.<br />
<br />
<strong>Complimentary/Integrated Veterinary Services</strong><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.jilltodddvm.com" href="http://www.jilltodddvm.com/"><img alt="Jill Todd DVM" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-321" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jill-300x210.gif" height="210" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jill-300x210.gif" title="Jill Todd DVM" width="300" /></a><br />
Dr
Jill Todd is a vital component to my training and showing program with
her therapies. Dr Todd's services include chiropractic (Veterinary
Orthopedic Manipulation), acupuncture and cold laser therapies. With
her assistance, my horses are able to perform their best.<br />
<br />
<strong>Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates</strong><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.nwequinevet.com" href="http://www.nwequinevet.com/"><img alt="NW Equine Veterinary Associates" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-323" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/NW-Equine.jpg" height="200" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/NW-Equine.jpg" title="NW Equine Veterinary Associates" width="180" /></a><br />
<br />
Dr
Steve Latimer and his staff are truly the best in the Pacific
Northwest. Dr Latimer is the best lameness vet in our area and his
approach to helping the horses is well educated and reasonable. Using
the most advanced treatments, Dr Latimer helps keep our horses happy and
sound.<br />
<br />
<strong>Anderson Equine Saddle Fitting Services</strong><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.andersonequine.com" href="http://www.andersonequine.com/"><img alt="Anderson Equine" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-322" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Anderson-Equine-300x115.jpg" height="115" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Anderson-Equine-300x115.jpg" title="Dawn Anderson" width="300" /></a><br />
I
have been using Dawn for the past 3 years as my saddle fitter. With
her keen eye and attention to detail she does a fantastic job of keeping
the saddle fitting correctly and my horse's backs pain free. Her
customer service is outstanding in that she will recheck with me to make
sure that the saddle for my horse is fitting perfectly. I enjoy riding
in my <a data-mce-href="http://www.hastilowusa.com/" href="http://www.hastilowusa.com/" target="_blank" title="Hastilow Saddles">Hastilow</a> saddle with the <a data-mce-href="http://www.fairfaxsaddles.co.uk/products/19-performance-girth" href="http://www.fairfaxsaddles.co.uk/products/19-performance-girth" target="_blank" title="Fairfax Girth">Fairfax</a> girth.<br />
<br />
<strong>Olson's Tack Store</strong><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.olsonstack.com" href="http://www.olsonstack.com/"><img alt="Olson's Tack Shop" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-324" data-mce-src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Olsons-300x135.jpg" height="135" src="http://www.mwdressage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Olsons-300x135.jpg" title="Olson's Tack Shop" width="300" /></a><br />
Mike
Akers and his dedicated staff do a outstanding job of outfiiting me for
my daily training and show attire. Additionally, I will always find
the training equipment that I am looking for either in the store or they
will happily order it for me. I always look sharp from my helmet to my
boots thanks to Olson's.<br />
<br />
<strong>Tom Wright Horseshoeing</strong><br />
<br />
Tom
has been my farrier for the past 6 years and I cannot say enough
positive words about the work he does. From making minor adjustments to
help the horse move even better, to correcting truly bad feet and
helping the horse become sound, Tom can do it. His positive, can do
attitude with soft touch with the horse makes him the best farrier in
our area.<br />
Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-35098265896527946682013-12-18T06:44:00.003-08:002013-12-18T10:49:00.872-08:00Hill Work for Dressage HorsesI have always been a firm believer in getting the horse outside of the ring either for hacking, or for strength work. This not only gives the horse an opportunity to get outside of the arena but also to vary their training routine.<br />
<br />
I am fortunate that at the farm I train at, <a href="http://www.redfernstables.com/" target="_blank">Red Fern Stables</a>, we have the opportunity to hack our horses on a series of trails right out the arena door. Additionally, we also have two hills we can take the horses on.<br />
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I absolutely love taking the horses up the hills as this helps strength their hindend region (especially the gluts and stifles). It also helps teach the horse balance, not only going uphill, but as we go downhill the horse must learn to balance upright or they will end up on the ground because they lost their balance (this has never happened to me).<br />
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We have two hills on the farm. One is a shorter, steeper hill that goes into the woods. This is great not only for the strength work, but because of some of the uneven terrain (it is a dirt trail). The ground helps strengthen the tendons and ligaments in the lower leg. The other hill is the road that leads into the farm. It is longer in distance (.5 mile in each direction), and overall less steep compared to the woods hill but nonetheless and great hill to begin and/or end the ride.<br />
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Typically, I will hack the horse halfway up the hill before the ride to help loosen up its muscles and joints. If the weather is nice, I will get each horse out for a hack around the property before and after their training session, or for an easy day hack for 30-60 minutes. This serves two purposes: 1) it gives the horse a change of scenery and gets them out of the arena. 2). The purpose of the ride is for recovery and the walking around helps loosen up the joints and muscles and also helps flush the metabolic waste out of the muscles. I am able to keep all of the horses fresh and interested in their work because of this opportunity to get out and enjoy the fresh air.<br />
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Recently, we experienced a severe cold spell in Seattle. Because of the freezing temperatures the footing in the arena became unrideable. Fortunately, we were able to handwalk each horse outside. With each horse we did multiple hill repeats to substitute for the daily riding they were not able to do. We did this for 5 days (My assistants and I were each hand walking 2-4 hours each day). When the warmer temperatures returned each horse rode like they hadn't missed a beat because of the extra hill work we put into their program during the cold temperatures. Having the hill to work on made the difference.<br />
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Some nice views hacking around the property<br />
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A group of us heading up the hill<br />
for some work <br />
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My dog "Z" leading the way<br />
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One of the views from the top<br />
of the hill<br />
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Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-4106912918915795242013-11-30T17:38:00.001-08:002013-12-18T19:51:44.709-08:00A Complete UpdateIndeed it has been a very long time since I have posted an update. I am setting a new goal of posting at least one time a month.<br />
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I have had a lot of positive changes the past year and I am happy with where I am at now professionally, and more importantly, what the future holds.<br />
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<u><b>New Barn</b></u><b>:</b> <br />
The first big change, is I moved my business to a new farm in October 2012. I am now conducting my training operations out <a href="http://www.redfernstables.com/">Red Fern Stables</a> on Union Hill in Redmond. I couldn't be happier with the new farm. I am also overseeing the day to day operation of the farm, which I am happy to do. <br />
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Amenities include:<br />
-Each horse has either a 12x12 or 12x14 stall with attached paddock off each stall.<br />
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-Full dressage court with hogsfuel footing<br />
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-Turn out 5 days a week<br />
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-Eurociser<br />
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-Trail system right out the arena. Great for flat hard ground work to strengthen ligaments and tendons and also two hills to do strength work on. Weather permitting, I will hack the horses outside prior to schooling them, and then afterwards, do a little hill work to finish off the training sessions. The horses love getting out of the arena and I have noticed my horses having greater strength and also stronger stifles from the hill work <br />
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-Roundpen<br />
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-Observation Room<br />
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Currently we have a full barn of 17 horses in training. <br />
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<u><b>Wyndham</b></u> <br />
Last October I purchased a horse for myself. In my search I had been looking for a young horse (3-5 years old). The reasons being were that I wanted to train a horse from the beginning of its career, but also a quality young horse fit my budge. During my search I came across an 11yro, 17.1h chestnut Hanoverian gelding named Wyndham (<a href="http://www.superiorequinesires.com/stallions/wolkenstein_ii.shtml">by Wolkenstein II</a>). Wyndam and I clicked instantly and I decided to purchase him instead of a couple of other young horses I was looking at.<br />
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Wyndham came to me with a lot of talent, but also with some training issues. Primarily, he was spooky and not quiet in the barn. After a couple of months we began to see a turn around in Wyndham's behavior. Most importantly, Wyndham began showing a little self confidence.<br />
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After six months of work we turned a huge corner. It took longer than I had anticipated. After weeks of extra time spent together, not only under saddle but also from the ground, I had a horse that was ready to really begin training. The highlight was taking Wyndham to a Conrad Schmaucher clinic and having Wyndham take his training to another level. A new horse emerged and I finally felt confident I would have a solid 3rd/4th Level horse for 2013 but also a FEI small tour horse by the end of 2014. Grand Prix would be obtainable at some point too.<br />
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Sadly, two days after the clinic Wyndham experienced a severe colic. I took him up to Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital. Initially, Wyndham was stable but after a couple of hours began to go downhill. We elected to perform surgery on him. About midway through the surgery we determined it was in Wyndham's best interest to stop the surgery and put Wyndham to sleep.<br />
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What we found was that Wyndham had 5 feet of dead small intestine (it was completely black) and a gastrosplenic rent that was discovered and then was lost. The dead colon did not concern me as much, but the unknown rent did, as most likely we would need to perform a second surgery in the future. Based upon those factors, plus knowing Wyndham's behavior, a prolonged recovery for Wyndham would have been extremely tough on him. So much so, he would have likely hurt himself from being stall bound, hurt me or someone else, and most likely had a second colic because of the frustration of being stall bound. Wyndham was a horse that need not only work, but also to be outside.<br />
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While the decision to put Wyndham down was easy to make, the emotional fall out/devastation was greater than I had ever imagined. I had put down a personal horse earlier in my life so I knew what that entailed. Wyndham's death hit me greater than a ton of bricks and to this day still brings tears to my eyes thinking or talking about it (seriously, I am wiping away tears right now). <br />
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What I can take comfort in was the 6 months that I owed and trained Wyndham were the best of his life. He gave so much to me and he trusted me so explicitly that I don't know if I can have a connection like that again. What amazed more than anything was that I didn't realize the connection the two of us had was so apparent to other people.<br />
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Following his death, most of my clients mentioned that they saw the connection, but also people who saw us at the Conrad clinic, who just saw me ride him and nothing more, saw the connection too. A couple of the auditors later mentioned to me that they could tell how much Wyndham trusted me based on watching us work together. <br />
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Wyndham will always be a special horse in my heart. I will always know we were meant to be a team, even if it were for a short period of time.<br />
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<u><b>Leonard da Vinci</b></u><b>:</b><br />
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Once I began to recover emotionally from Wyndham's death I began a search for a new horse. During my search last year I came across a 2 year old at David Wilson's farm (<a href="http://www.wfarms.net/">W Farms</a>). I liked him a lot at that time but decided to go with Wyndham, who was also at David's.<br />
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I contacted David's sales manager, and a good friend, Amanda Olson, to see if Leo was still up for sale. Fortunately, he was. In August I traveled down to try out Leo. For a 3 year old, Leo showed exceptional balance, power and up hill tendency. He arrived in September. Leo is a 16.1h bay Hanoverian (<a href="http://hasslerdressage.com/hasslerdressage/stallions-alt/locksley-i/">Locksley I</a> x <a href="http://www.bridlewoodhanoverians.com/dacaprio.php">Dacaprio</a>)<br />
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Over the past three months, I have taken Leo out to clinic with Conrad, Anne Gribbons, and <a href="http://www.positiveriding.com/" target="_blank">Henrik Johansen</a>. The main purpose of these clinics was to take Leo out to new places and to get an evaluation from these international level instructors. Because of his age, we kept the sessions short. With each trainer, we were given new exercises that did challenge Leo and he took each new challenge in stride and performed each well.<br />
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All three instructors had positive remarks regarding Leo and basically said you have an exceptional young horse on your hands.<br />
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Leo shows three solid gaits, with an exceptional canter. He is very workman like under saddle but a little bit of a goof in the barn. He has attached himself to me fairly quickly and is always aware of where I am at in the barn. My assistants are always laughing when they are tacking up or handwalking Leo because he is always looking at me. Every morning when I come into the barn he hears me and has his head out of his stall stall looking or calling to me.<br />
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My plan for Leo is to take him down to CA in May for a month of training with David and to compete in the West Coast Young Horse Selection Trials at Flingridge. Our big goal for 2014 is to qualify and compete in the USEF Young Horse Championships at the end of August. I am aiming for a high finish. <br />
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All of this of course will be dependent upon Leo. If Leo is not ready for any of this I will back down on his training and showing.<br />
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Photo credits: <a href="http://cwillsphotography.com/" target="_blank">Christine Thronton</a><br />
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In the next few days I will post another update of new horses I have in training and am showing.<br />
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Also, on a quick side note, I choose not to mention my work with my students and their improvements and accomplishments as I feel that that is their personal work and not my business to publicly talk about it. Needless to say, I have been quite proud of my students and their work. Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-44764305692809862312013-11-22T05:52:00.000-08:002013-11-30T16:30:09.456-08:00Updates Are On The Way!!!!!Ok-it has been way too long since I last did a posting. My apologizes for that.<br />
I am in the midst of writing a thorough update about what has been going on, including a new barn I am the trainer at, new horses in the program and exciting new young horse that I purchased.<br />
I am working on big plans for the 2014 season, including the 2014 Young Horse Championships. I will get this posted after Thanksgiving.<br />
Thanks!Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-65469495604055780712012-02-20T17:42:00.006-08:002012-02-23T11:28:42.633-08:00Looking For A New SponsorOver the past few months I have had a lot of people ask me if I am showing a horse this upcoming season. As of right now, the answer is unfortunately no. (I do have students showing this season, which I am extremely excited for!). Upon hearing that answer, the usual response is, "Too bad. Matt you need to be showing!"<br /><br />I do not have the personal financial means to purchase and compete a high quality FEI (or potential FEI) dressage horse. Over the past few years I have been fortunate enough to have owners who generously let me train and show their high quality horses. Without their support, which I am ever so grateful for, I would not have been able to advance my skills (through clinics with world class instructors) and experience (with shows both locally and at CDI's in CA). Having this kind of support is vital to be able to advance in this sport.<br /><br />With that said, I am looking for a new partner (both equine and business) to work with. The horse can be a talented youngster to bring up the levels or a horse ready to make the jump up to the FEI levels.<br /><br />I feel that it is important to work towards short term goals and also have "grand" long term goals. I have always set lofty goals and have worked extremely hard to achieve those goals (with achieving a high rate of success).<br /><br />Currently my personal goals are:<br /><ul><li>Continue to challenge myself each day to be a better rider and trainer</li><li>Continue my education as a horseman to be a more complete rider and trainer</li><li>Begin working with one or two horses that I can develop for the Grand Prix</li><li>Eventual work with a horse with the caliber to compete internationally for the United States</li></ul>There of course has to be a benefit to you for supporting a rider. This is what you will get by working with me:<br /><ul><li>Be part of an exciting team of an up and coming National Level rider and eventually International Level rider</li><li>Have your horse treated, cared for and ridden with the utmost care and consideration</li><li>Training with some of the best instructors (Currently I primarily train with <a href="http://www.wfarms.net/">David Wilson</a>, <a href="http://spetersdressage.com/main.html">Shannon Peters</a> and <a href="http://www.positiveriding.com/">Henrik Johansen</a>)</li><li>A lot of positive exposure for you, or your business, supporting one of the well known riders in the Pacific Northwest</li></ul>If you are interested, please don't hesitate to contact me (matt@ecdressage.com; 720-641-7319) or please feel free to pass this along to any potential partners.<br /><br />Thanks so much for the support!<br /><br />MattMatt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-59847269660195333502012-02-20T17:38:00.001-08:002012-02-20T17:40:48.656-08:00Falcon SoldCongratulation to Cindy of CA on her purchase of Falcon. She came out last weekend and had great rides on Falcon.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcxVsIRJnKlB9e4YZC2umSYV_E0c1fwV_a5qc4owYmv5TO_CpoUt_vahmcLwytCudchWgAY32DOaf7POQzO0jnSGsYjyAC1mphGWOhI5wuXRLE8cNIGiQU6MUp3GpU-a5FZkrcMfMRP4/s1600/DSC_0042b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcxVsIRJnKlB9e4YZC2umSYV_E0c1fwV_a5qc4owYmv5TO_CpoUt_vahmcLwytCudchWgAY32DOaf7POQzO0jnSGsYjyAC1mphGWOhI5wuXRLE8cNIGiQU6MUp3GpU-a5FZkrcMfMRP4/s320/DSC_0042b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711397715115594738" border="0" /></a><br />It's nice to know Falcon is going to such a great home.<br /><br />Best to them both!!Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-909117299862044842011-07-25T08:04:00.000-07:002011-11-21T09:41:42.841-08:00For Sale: Falcon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6E_LpJ-5yOsvVHuKFwMZiUb5TnVz-1pPaRqeVzBoqbaYAcMLgWeKR6XMsFhB7JQPftrgbMsD5VkeMnS4TNCITTFS6GCty6xkSLIVQftDb4vKoufG8lhsVVWWdbAr-sUjnSJSjmQyQdI/s1600/July+2010+Henrik+Clinic+052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6E_LpJ-5yOsvVHuKFwMZiUb5TnVz-1pPaRqeVzBoqbaYAcMLgWeKR6XMsFhB7JQPftrgbMsD5VkeMnS4TNCITTFS6GCty6xkSLIVQftDb4vKoufG8lhsVVWWdbAr-sUjnSJSjmQyQdI/s320/July+2010+Henrik+Clinic+052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633307869922477730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Zjl5qkAyDRJhN4rtGVhMOP6MnO2n1XDPiEK2RuApf2UToJzInP1rzRXdmYMzBDTJdIPPhbaDR4sQVjfh99pBDs3AuvuSagZaYCGlQ3xllW-0yt94lM98lJXLoqjSr7L4110UGvz-oqs/s1600/2010+Whidbey+Show+008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Zjl5qkAyDRJhN4rtGVhMOP6MnO2n1XDPiEK2RuApf2UToJzInP1rzRXdmYMzBDTJdIPPhbaDR4sQVjfh99pBDs3AuvuSagZaYCGlQ3xllW-0yt94lM98lJXLoqjSr7L4110UGvz-oqs/s320/2010+Whidbey+Show+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633307865781068194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fx5biDYA4Gr769JS3h7DLaz7aU2gjuqk7N2yOwP1fqmPVarBUHh9T0GRHEDU1L2r2Gmm5djTE1xz8oVPm9fr-yrZGvg5efDCp1U5bSl1zwk8nfH6oHcVWO1DoEkJptzuiVHnAEvADIQ/s1600/2010+Champagne+Classic+026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fx5biDYA4Gr769JS3h7DLaz7aU2gjuqk7N2yOwP1fqmPVarBUHh9T0GRHEDU1L2r2Gmm5djTE1xz8oVPm9fr-yrZGvg5efDCp1U5bSl1zwk8nfH6oHcVWO1DoEkJptzuiVHnAEvADIQ/s320/2010+Champagne+Classic+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633307862350862082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj73QpF7xDKkgo1GbWjNiM_AtOjVu2PjWh5g9kSqsN6ENF0pI6tKdPjgX5b-lx_d9ii4Xl0pRHkHJfE_C0x-xRFtxTBfBu5hABR5JSXEAhKHzJi4Hb7Oaa9vWWGxoeiAi_x6bNnc9ocqk/s1600/2010+Champagne+Classic+034.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj73QpF7xDKkgo1GbWjNiM_AtOjVu2PjWh5g9kSqsN6ENF0pI6tKdPjgX5b-lx_d9ii4Xl0pRHkHJfE_C0x-xRFtxTBfBu5hABR5JSXEAhKHzJi4Hb7Oaa9vWWGxoeiAi_x6bNnc9ocqk/s320/2010+Champagne+Classic+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633307860100311314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs09BEeAhocUVz5PDdSfIZ6JbgDhSSTkoOixoY-2j9uZy71LL0Mdn8k-wvPGeWan-S-ddQLouR8kNINof5v7uoJQJTY7TNq9vct5cWMeczC4Z8-SJnJbk__szLOkhEy8Z3a1pftYbhm3U/s1600/July+2010+Henrik+Clinic+047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs09BEeAhocUVz5PDdSfIZ6JbgDhSSTkoOixoY-2j9uZy71LL0Mdn8k-wvPGeWan-S-ddQLouR8kNINof5v7uoJQJTY7TNq9vct5cWMeczC4Z8-SJnJbk__szLOkhEy8Z3a1pftYbhm3U/s320/July+2010+Henrik+Clinic+047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633307881481846098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;">Falcon is elegant and a fancy mover. He is currently schooling 2nd and 3rd Level movements and is just starting changes.<br /><br />This affectionate horse is suitable for an amateur but not bombproof. Falcon would make a great partner for an amateur or young rider who has a some experience in dressage or hunters/jumpers and is looking for a horse to learn lateral movements and collection. Falcon can be taken out on the trails and also bathes/clips/loads.<br /><br />Show results from 2010 include scores in the low to mid 70's at Training Level and mid to upper 60's at 1st Level.<br /><br />$15,000<br /><br />Contact:<br />Matt Eagan<br />720-641-7319<br />matt@ecdressage.com<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NBFUj0HYkQ8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /></span>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-81945733818063844692011-04-23T15:35:00.000-07:002011-05-02T16:14:43.867-07:00CA RecapI've been back home almost three weeks now. I am starting to feel like I've got everything under control now after being gone for 2 months.<br /><br />Overall, I was extremely pleased how the trip went. The only part of the training down there that didn't go well was the weather. I missed about 10-12 days of riding at various times in February and March because of the insane amount of rain. One week, we got 5+ inches over a couple day period!<br /><br />As I wrote in a previous blog I laid out a list of goals to meet. Happily I achieved all of the goals, except for one:<br /><br /><ul><li>Increase Neo's strength and engagement</li></ul> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">By far, the biggest improvement was the increase Neo's overall strength. The amount of muscle that Neo put on in the two months was absolutely incredible. His neck saw the largest increase in muscle and Neo now has a solid neck.<br /> <br /> With th increase in strength, Neo's engagement of his hindquarters is at his best yet. He is holding himself in a higher degree of self carriage. Because of that, I have had to adjust my riding of him. I'm now basically having to sit and follow Neo's movement, rather than drive him. This is tough for both of us as we are making this adjustment. With it, he is now showing a loftier gait with more float.<br /></span><br /><ul><li>Continue to polish up the piaffe and passage so that the rhythm becomes more consistent and we have greater elevation</li></ul> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Near the end of February, we brought Neo back out for a short session of piaffe/passage in the afternoons (with a normal lesson in the mornings). Neo really started to show some good float in the passage and we were showing improvement in the transitions in and out of the piaffe. We did this two or three days each week.</span><br /><ul><li>Continue working on the 1's so that we can get 15 in a row consistently</li></ul> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">This was the only goal I was unable to achieve. Each time I had Neo in the right spot in the tempis (4's to 2's) and were ready to tackle the 1's, we had a set back either because the rains came and we had to stop riding for a couple of days; or we were in the week of a show and didn't want to ride the 1's and thus possibly mess up the 2's in the show.<br /><br /> David rode 15 1's on Neo a couple of times with no issues so it's just a matter of me getting them.<br /></span><ul><li>Work on perfecting the small tour tests so that we have strong showings at The Dressage Affaire and The Festival of the Horse shows</li></ul> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Overall, I was extremely happy with how we rode in the shows. It was my first time in the CDI ring and the experience I got from riding in those classes helped me immensely in how to prepare for any show. In each class, we had either some small bobbles or a mistake or two and those hurt us badly. We presented a picture that belonged in the CDI ring and with cleaning up the bobbles we are right in the thick of it. We'll never contend for a top spot in one of those classes, but we can compete for a top 10-15 spot.</span><br /><ul><li>Have fun and enjoy the time in California</li></ul> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Without a doubt I had a great time. It was good to see and work with my old friend Amanda Olson and to make a new friend in Sarah Lockman. I'll miss seeing those two everyday.<br /> David Wilson did a phenomenal job with us. By far one of the best instructors I have ever worked with. Not only did I become a more effective rider but his insistence of riding with a quieter feel made a huge difference in my overall riding.<br /> Everyone involved with W Farms welcomed me with open arms and I began to feel at home almost instantly.<br /><br /> I look forward to my next trip down to CA! <br /></span>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-40133299322062800032011-04-13T08:35:00.000-07:002011-04-13T08:49:11.767-07:00The Festival Of The Horse CDI 3*Over the first weekend of April Neo and I competed in our final CDI.<br /><br />Overall I am happy with how the show went. We showed a horse that showed more collection and engagement compared to the Dressage Affaire 3 weeks prior.<br /><br />Our Prix St Georges ride had some bobbles in it and I did not ride as good as of a connection as I could. Because of that, Neo opened his mouth up in a few of the movements which obviously hurt us score wise. <br /><br />Going into the I1 ride, I spent a fair amount of time visualizing riding Neo more uphill and with his back way up. I got that from the get go in the warm up. I also spent a lot of time focusing riding in slow motion so that when I was on the horse my aids wouldn't be rushed or hurried. That too made a huge difference.<br /><br />In the show ring, I hit a mental block in the trot rhythm where I couldn't find my seat to ride in conjunction with Neo's rhythm. So instead of showing off his best gait, we had some moments of irregularity. I was able to recover in the canter and probably for the first time with Neo our overall canter work was better than our trot work. <br /><br />In the I1, two of the judges scored us in the 62% range, while the third judge scored us in the 57% range. That low score hurt us badly as it now not only dropped us 3 or 4 spots in the overall rankings, but we missed qualifying for the freestyle by .6%. <br /><br />Neo's owner, Rebecca Chatfield, and one of my clients, Norma Stein, made the trip down to see the show. Rebecca had not seen Neo in person since we were in CA and she was excited and happy on how Neo looked and rode.<br /><br />A big thanks to David Wilson for the superb coaching, Sarah Lockman for braiding and general help, and all my friends at W Farms for the support at the show.<br /><br />I'll post a blog in a few days on my overall CA experience.Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-85774416105843450072011-03-28T18:10:00.000-07:002011-03-28T18:22:55.240-07:00One Week LeftNeo and I are heading into our last week here in California.<br /><br />For the past week or so, we have been inundated with a lot of rain. So much so, we moved Neo and Classy (Alisa Wilson's horse) over to a nearby facility that has a covered arena. This was done to ensure both horses stayed fit and trained for our next show: The Dressage Affaire.<br /><br />We moved the horses to Brookeside Equestrian Center. The movie "National Velvet" starring Elizabeth Taylor was filmed at this facility. We found that ironic with her death last week.<br /><br />Neo is starting to reach another level of power and self carriage. I'm excited to see how we show this week as the training sessions lately have been really good. Additionally, Neo's coat is growing into a dark liver chestnut color-one which he has never had before.<br /><br />Then we'll be leaving a week from today to head back home.Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-52658925007633386162011-03-16T17:19:00.000-07:002011-03-16T17:26:13.018-07:00Dressage Affaire CDI 3*<span style="font-size:100%;"></span><br /><div style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">We (Neo and I) are starting to feel recovered from our first CDI this past weekend.<br /><br />Overall, I'm very happy with how Neo went. We got stronger each day of the show and was pleased with how it went. Neo rode better each day and it was a lot of fun really going for it in the freestyle. <br /><br />We encountered some very stiff competition with a few horses having a legit shot at making the Pan Am Team this year. Additionally, the panel of judges were unmerciful and were not handing out anything-which wasn't a surprise considering the level of this show but that didn't stop any grumbling from the other riders in the stable area. The winning score for both the PSG and the I1 were a high 67 on a horse that was showing Grand Prix last season. To put the scoring in perspective, we scored a high 63% in the freestyle. If I were to ride the same ride at home, it would be about a 70%. </span></div> <div style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />What I got from this show is a better sense of what it takes to ride high performance dressage and then successfully compete at it. Our next CDI is in two weeks. David and I are laying out a plan for us and we'll be in a good spot for when we show at Burbank at the end of the month. I'm confident that you'll see us in the thick of things at that show.</span></div> <div style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></div> <div style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Thank you for all the support and words of encouragement while we have been down here in CA.</span></div> <div> </div> <div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAJgCcRcqbfyvmk0L8Aw-3E3nANRFS9Z0CfIoU_k28Pw6UBJMmsloLSiaFN31k4l5X-vqLeQr7xfw4WlZ6s8-KRALJiXmrJ0oxM2P6yQKNLdfF0pbTGwomNj8f2dpA6RFjf3udPd_OBs/s1600/IMG950398.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAJgCcRcqbfyvmk0L8Aw-3E3nANRFS9Z0CfIoU_k28Pw6UBJMmsloLSiaFN31k4l5X-vqLeQr7xfw4WlZ6s8-KRALJiXmrJ0oxM2P6yQKNLdfF0pbTGwomNj8f2dpA6RFjf3udPd_OBs/s320/IMG950398.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584837580709582770" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrjEeWgnEdYafOPrQXrBLAdfJ0gOBHLaBnS_ctx6Od_CcgkLELxruvbd16hieoqN4T6zqJNJkjN0zrzZMJljQEuKFBLuhgQIQF6Jxe6SGbp2GZPzA5x_XCyPs9QpG2Tj4ajeuXwO91Lg/s1600/IMG950397.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrjEeWgnEdYafOPrQXrBLAdfJ0gOBHLaBnS_ctx6Od_CcgkLELxruvbd16hieoqN4T6zqJNJkjN0zrzZMJljQEuKFBLuhgQIQF6Jxe6SGbp2GZPzA5x_XCyPs9QpG2Tj4ajeuXwO91Lg/s320/IMG950397.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584837574576258034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-59825421473459625672011-03-09T21:27:00.000-08:002011-03-09T21:34:34.422-08:00Over Due UpdateSorry for the delay in posting an update.<br /><br />Neo is doing great. We've had some fantastic rides the past week and he is all set up to do well at <a href="http://dressageevents.com/">The Dressage Affaire</a> this weekend.<br /><br />We trailered in this afternoon. Neo has settled in nicely into his new digs for the weekend. Tomorrow will be the FEI vet check and jog. Neo and I will go through a light school in the competition arena to acclimate to the new environment about mid-day.<br /><br />Then Friday we will compete in the CDI 3* Prix St Georges; on Saturday the Intermediare I and on Sunday the Intermediare Freestyle. <br /><br />I'll try my best to keep updates posted on the blog. If I am unable to update via the blog, check my Facebook profile. Or you can follow the scores instantaneously at <a href="http://www.devonwoodscores.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks for the support.Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-13018255280627362002011-02-16T17:14:00.000-08:002011-02-16T17:23:33.221-08:00Rain DelayAfter two straight weeks of picture perfect weather (sunny and temperatures in the 70's and 80's) we are experiencing a couple days of rain which means no riding for a day or two. This is no big deal in terms of Neo's training. We'll just be doing some hand walking and a lot of stretching and massaging.<br /><br />We are in a good spot right now in terms of our training. Neo is becoming stronger which in turn means he is now a lot lighter in the bridle and is really showing some expression in his gates. <br /><br />We are asking bigger/bolder flying changes. Since Neo's changes are almost always straight, the more engaged flying change looks even better. In the canter itself, Neo is more uphill and we are getting truly flowing medium and extended canters. <br /><br />In the trot, Neo is showing his best gait off even more. We now are getting almost effortless medium trots where all I need is a little leg and then proceed with half halts across the diagonal.<br /><br />Over the next couple of weeks, we'll continue working on getting him lighter and also start incorporating more of the Grand Prix movements.<br /><br />I'm hoping that we'll be riding either tomorrow or Friday and continue our good work.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!!Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-24128663151525334452011-02-06T10:15:00.000-08:002011-02-06T21:01:24.436-08:00First Week In CAI've been down at <a href="http://www.wfarms.net/">W Farms</a> now for about 5 days and I've got to say I have been enjoying the weather immensely. Even though it's been cool in the mornings, the days have been sunny in the 60's and 70's.<br /><br />I work really well in a routine and the only big adjustment coming down here is adjusting to a new routine and a new program. Everyone here has been really welcoming and I'm starting to feel more at home each day.<br /><br />Neo trailed down very well. He lost minimal weight and is now at about 80% of his capacity prior to leaving. He's was definitely stiff coming off the trailer and each day he has shown improvement in his body.<br /><br />I have ridden him lightly for two days and rode with David yesterday for the 1st time. For Neo's first "real" ride he went fairly well. Neo could have been a lighter in the bridle, but we did have a couple of good moments. David likes the horse and said that if we can get everything consistent, getting 7's on each movement in the small tour tests is easily obtainable.<br /><br />We'll begin in full work this coming week and I'm hoping by Wednesday we'll be schooling the way we were in Seattle the past couple of months. From there, we'll continue to work on strengthening Neo for the CDI's and start schooling more of the Grand Prix movements.Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-5667471527499070082011-01-31T13:27:00.000-08:002011-01-31T13:34:40.327-08:00Packed And Ready To GoAs the title says we are ready to go!<br /><br />We are all packed up and ready to go, minus a few miscellaneous items. We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning.<br /><br />In terms of training, Neo is in the best possible spot I can have him in. We are ready to take it to the next level in preparation for Grand Prix and polish up the small tour for the CDI shows we'll do in March. Neo's strength and submission are at his best since we've had him. He feels like he can give a lot more. <br /><br />Our goals for the next two months are:<br /><ul><li>Increase Neo's strength and engagement</li><li>Continue to polish up the piaffe and passage so that the rhythm becomes more consistent and we have greater elevation</li><li>Continue working on the 1's so that we can get 15 in a row consistently</li><li>Work on perfecting the small tour tests so that we have strong showings at The Dressage Affaire and The Festival of the Horse shows</li><li>Have fun and enjoy the time in California</li></ul><br />A big thanks to Neo's owner Rebecca Chatfield for this opportunity and to everyone at <a href="http://www.wfarms.net">W Farms</a> for hosting us down there.<br /><br />Thanks for reading. I'll try to keep the blog updated more while I'm down there.Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-53225855414779173162010-12-08T19:17:00.000-08:002010-12-08T21:55:34.430-08:00Heading Down To Cali!I am excited to announce that Neo and I will be traveling down to California for training and showing this winter.<br /><br />The plan is to leave at the beginning of February and return the beginning of April. The primary purpose of the trip is to further Neo's training towards becoming a Grand Prix horse this season. We'll be working with David Wilson of <a href="http://www.wfarms.net">W Farms</a>. I'm looking forward to see how Neo progresses with daily lessons and I'm sure we'll begin to really see him shine.<br /><br />The secondary purpose of the trip is to get some showing in. We'll be showing at two CDIs while we are in California. The shows we will be competing at are The Dressage Affaire and The Festival of the Horse. We'll be showing the Prix St Georges, the Intermediate 1 and the Intermediate 1 Freestyle at these shows. <br /><br />A big thanks to Neo's owner Rebecca Chatfield for supporting us in our pursuit of becoming a Grand Prix combination.<br /><br />I'll keep you posted as we get closer to our departure date and of course our progress when we are down there.<br /><br />Happy Holidays!Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-30230818606906274942010-11-23T11:41:00.000-08:002010-11-23T12:06:29.763-08:00End of the SeasonBeginning this Thanksgiving week I'm taking down the training for all of my horses and giving them a well deserved break. During this time we'll be doing light schooling so we'll be fresh and ready to go for the 2011 season. <br /><br />I'll probably start back up training between Christmas and New Year's but that of course will be dependent on the weather. We potentially could have a rough winter up here in the Pacific Northwest. <br /><br />We ended the season in October and November with some really great training. I finished the month of November with clinics with <a href="http://www.positiveriding.com">Henrik Johansen</a> (Neo and Falcon) and <a href="http://spetersdressage.com">Shannon Peters</a> (Neo). <br /><br />With Falcon we are strong enough to hold a solid 2nd level/3rd level collected trot. The canter is much improving and we've begun schooling flying changes. For this horse, and where he came from, being able to school the changes, and other upper level movements, is truly remarkable and quite rewarding. <br /><br />With Henrik and Shannon's assistance we now have Neo at a completely different level of fitness and strength. We are showing at times the trot and canter required for the Grand Prix and have the basis for the piaffe and passage in place. All we need to do is get the coordination and strength for the passage. The 1's are coming along and right now we can get 7-10 depending on my timing.<br /><br />This is quite exciting taking a horse (Neo) that was out of shape for the FEI and with some bad training habits and bring him along so that we are now on the cusp of riding a Grand Prix.<br /><br />I'll be updating through the next couple of weeks and in the meantime have a wonderful Thanksgiving!Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-37125680670984880082010-10-26T09:44:00.000-07:002010-10-26T09:58:45.745-07:00Busy Couple of Weeks AheadEven with the show season finished, I am still training the horses at show intensity as I want to take advantage of their fitness from the show season and also to be prepared for some upcoming clinics before taking a break beginning in December. All of the horses are having rest incorporated into their respective weekly and monthly schedules.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.donidafarm.com/ShowEvents/DressageThoughTheLevels/tabid/197/Default.aspx">Dressage Through The Levels Symposium</a> (October 30-31): Neo and I will be the Prix St Georges and Intermediate I demo horse/rider for this symposium conducted by Janet Foy and Debbie McDonald.<br /><br /><a href="http://positiveriding.com">Henrik Johansen Clinic</a> (November 10-11): MW Dressage will be hosting Henrik Johansen at River Run Ranch and Rider's Edge Farm. I will be riding Neo and Falcon in this clinic. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.traumhofdressage.com/Clinics.html">Shannon Peters Clinic</a> (November 13-14): I will be riding Neo in this clinic hosted by Traumhof Farm. <br /><br />My goals for these upcoming clinics will be to develop better strength and balance for Neo to improve his piaffe and passage (especially the passage) and to continue to refine the 1 tempi changes. For Falcon, I want to begin flying changes on him soon so I'll use the time with Henrik to develop better collection in the canter. <br /><br />Also, during this period I have been summoned for Federal Jury duty beginning November 1st. I'm really hoping not to be seated on a jury since I cannot afford, both financially and training wise, to be away for an extended period of time. <br /><br />I'll try to have the report for Championships posted later this week-sorry for the delay in posting.Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-55049138339015971832010-10-12T09:46:00.000-07:002010-10-12T09:52:55.063-07:00Dressage Through The Levels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcHvGltxszTfvvmlq1XSjQUQzz8OPtd11yHSXfAVQceWx-otyYGnr9Z-kyc06Hncj77ZKL3V7Yf6LOJ8AlhexZx2nDBvm62Gyu0eIGgvpy47WDtsr4g33_czm_e5eq02veS9NwWDIe1A/s1600/symposium-Main+description.jpg"><br /></a>I am excited to announce that Neo and I have been selected as the Prix St Georges and Intermediate I demo horse/rider for the "Dressage Through The Levels" Symposium conducted by Janet Foy and Debbie McDonald. The symposium will be held at Donida Farm October 30th-31st. Information about the symposium can be found <a href="http://www.donidafarm.com/ShowEvents/DressageThoughTheLevels/tabid/197/Default.aspx">here</a>.<br /><br />I am honored to be selected and am looking forward to it a lot.<br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Matt/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcHvGltxszTfvvmlq1XSjQUQzz8OPtd11yHSXfAVQceWx-otyYGnr9Z-kyc06Hncj77ZKL3V7Yf6LOJ8AlhexZx2nDBvm62Gyu0eIGgvpy47WDtsr4g33_czm_e5eq02veS9NwWDIe1A/s1600/symposium-Main+description.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcHvGltxszTfvvmlq1XSjQUQzz8OPtd11yHSXfAVQceWx-otyYGnr9Z-kyc06Hncj77ZKL3V7Yf6LOJ8AlhexZx2nDBvm62Gyu0eIGgvpy47WDtsr4g33_czm_e5eq02veS9NwWDIe1A/s320/symposium-Main+description.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527202932553137298" border="0" /></a>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-17785214427222855452010-09-21T16:17:00.001-07:002010-09-21T16:35:57.418-07:00Show Season Update: Dressage At Devonwood<span><span>The week after the Champagne Classic was the Devonwood show which meant I was driving to and from the Champagne Classic in the early morning and evenings back home to school Neo and Claudius.<br /><br />Back in January when I was creating my show schedule the Devonwood show was not originally on the list of shows. The reason being was this year I preferred to keep the shows closer to home to keep the traveling stress minimal on the older horses and to avoid the hot conditions that occur at this show.<br /><br />In early March I was looking through the show omnibus and saw the list of judges for the Devonwood show. One of the judges was my mentor Hilda Gurney. Since I left California in 1997 I had not shown in front of Hilda and had not seen Hilda in person since a clinic in Colorado in 1998. I felt this would be a great opportunity to show in front of Hilda with two FEI horses. I spoke with the owners of Neo and Claudius and both agreed to changing the show schedule to go down and show in front of Hilda.<br /><br />I knew that there was a chance Hilda would not be assigned to any of my classes, but I figured at least Hilda would be assigned the Freestyles. When times were posted the only class I would be riding in front of Hilda would be the FEI Freestyle with Neo. While that was a disappointment not to ride in front of Hilda more, at least it was the most important ride of the show. Ironically, I rode in front of Joan McCartney and MacDonald for all four rides. Oh well.<br /><br />On the Friday of the show I rode both Claudius and Neo in the Prix St Georges. In the weeks leading up to this show I had put all my preparation, both in practice and in mental in the rehearsals, into the freestyles and it showed when I rode the Prix St Georges. Both rides were a little sloppy and not as crisp as I could have ridden. While we placed Neo 9th and Claudius 10th with low 60's it was not the best we could do. But what was important was I had both horses in good places and primed for the freestyles on Saturday night.<br /><br />On Saturday, temperatures pushed into the mid to high 90's. Claudius was the first horse to go at 4:30pm and Neo second at 7:15pm. I was excited to be riding the freestyles at Devonwood because of the great venue, good footing, super amenities, and of course the large crowd to watching. I'm always motivated to show in front of a large crowd and try to show the crowd a great ride to watch. Plus, the loud ovations at the end always feel good.<br /><br />I managed Claudius' warm up well with the hot temperatures (hence not riding with a jacket in both rides). Claudius's freestyle went well, with just a couple of bobbles. By far this was our best ride in two years and we still aren't at our best. We placed 5th-at this show they combine all of the USDF freestyle together. We were actually the 2nd best 4th Level freestyle with a 68%. <br /><br /><object width="960" height="745"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/borbHsJ9CVA?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/borbHsJ9CVA?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="960" height="745"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS96lgcMuAbhsjR1Fzj2B9Z4bU62HpsSvkdZeVafDRPER18ZPL-pkTxptQveCOwvep_XXy3ebRHBsJtiI-1eur6qEu40P2VQPQ8zsrtAy1mSApzlQjYBNmM610_AHrKKuSwe95dyMuZk/s1600/2010+Dressage+At+Devonwood+150.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" 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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">For Neo, I knew that moment we started our warm up we would have a great ride. Going around the competition ring prior to being rung in, I felt cool and confident. Everything seemed slow and I knew we had the ride we wanted before even going in. Minus a mistake in the 3's and in the canter zig zag I couldn't have asked for a better ride. In each of Neo's extended trots I could hear/feel a buzz from the crowd. The final halt/salute brought a huge ovation from the crowd. As I started walking away I turned around to catch Hilda's eye and she looked up momentarily with a big grin on her face. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We ended up 4th with a 66.5%. Without the mistakes we would have easily been 3rd and maybe even 2nd. Regardless, being our first time out for the I1 freestyle I couldn't have been any happier. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">After the conclusion of the freestyles and the placings were set, I sought out Hilda and had about a 5-10 minute conversation with her; giving us a chance to do a quick catching up. Numerous times Hilda repeated, "you are looking so good on the horse". Hearing that meant so much to me and will be something I won't forget.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><object width="960" height="745"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gDwffC51r28?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gDwffC51r28?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="960" height="745"></embed></object><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy2IjUcPrbp9B6xot_Im11wBUpYcQbByE10jQr5pIgHSzYq2IllAqk4eO08iG41fM8lsE1cfqE00KScriz0C3pbujqFUieKLap6Sjst8kecjNzkmkKzxNJuRkG8zTwGKXZCkohURrS_g/s1600/DW10-8450+web.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy2IjUcPrbp9B6xot_Im11wBUpYcQbByE10jQr5pIgHSzYq2IllAqk4eO08iG41fM8lsE1cfqE00KScriz0C3pbujqFUieKLap6Sjst8kecjNzkmkKzxNJuRkG8zTwGKXZCkohURrS_g/s320/DW10-8450+web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519511236126290978" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwQozTxiRpnTbic24I3Tt50Lv-L0KfcL6-W1eALZ_lNjkjWvkXJaXb6qdAc3J-hqUFucdILFSf88nlNlhNr3Zi0OyXKYo7hQ3xVIlOdilWU_OdzNdznrlIScv-vykRL_2LXT6qe5apos/s1600/2010+Dressage+At+Devonwood+188.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwQozTxiRpnTbic24I3Tt50Lv-L0KfcL6-W1eALZ_lNjkjWvkXJaXb6qdAc3J-hqUFucdILFSf88nlNlhNr3Zi0OyXKYo7hQ3xVIlOdilWU_OdzNdznrlIScv-vykRL_2LXT6qe5apos/s320/2010+Dressage+At+Devonwood+188.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519511231490541330" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <span><span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297010830977533948.post-82940939367926863412010-09-01T17:24:00.000-07:002010-09-01T17:53:06.716-07:00Show Season Update: Champagne Classic<span style="font-weight: bold;">Champagne Classic (July 17-18)</span><br /><br />For the Champagne Classic I only took Falcon as Neo and Claudius were showing at Devonwood the weekend after.<br /><br />We thought that Falcon had a break through show at Beaujolais but that show seemed like nothing in comparison to this show.<br /><br />The big thing with Falcon is to get him relaxed and then have him be able to mentally handle going forward with smooth long gaits. At this show, he started to show even better gaits. At Training Level he does quite well but at 1st Level with the smaller movements and change within the gaits he does struggle a little bit. Overall, Falcon is showing great promise and really with this horse the expectations continue to grow.<br /><br />On Saturday we rode Training 4 for our first test. Falcon just put in a solid test from start to finish with the only hiccups being in the canter transitions. We won the class handily with a 74.8%. This was a legit score and not a "fluff" score.<br /><br />Our second ride of the day, at 1st 4, also went solid. Falcon put his best 1-4 test to date and was rewarded with a 68.6%. This turned out to be a competitive class where we ended up 7th. However the winning score was only a 72% so with some cleaning up in the canter work we can easily be up there in the standings.<br /><br />On Sunday, we just rode the 1-4 test. We did a better job in this test in many regards, mostly our canter transitions were better-but still room for improvement. Coincidentally, we scored the same score as the day before (68.6%). This time we won the class. A couple of the horses that beat us the day before were not in the class, while the others did not do as well.<br /><br />Coming out of this show my objectives for Falcon changed dramatically. Now I knew I could start asking him a little bit more to show off his gaits better. I'll do this in small steps but I know we have a super horse.<br /><br />For Championships Falcon has a reasonable chance to be in the top 3 or top 5 at Training Level and Top 8 or Top 10 at First Level. Both of these thoughts would be unthinkable at the start of the season.<br /><br />This horse continues to be a rewarding partner to work with. Much thanks to his owner Alanna Danna for the opportunity to work and show him!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAIS-NVQGbVr6cs-mhV6P76uX593yfnaZRNF5CujoC_r86Y-nzRMry7cpyNlGO1I5NU8BwzSv_7RfLYHwtnMg4LHYJ7CMAFhPLDBRUjo3AABkpVyQufTQ2deFqnGgi7r74gh8nfp4MAM/s1600/2010+Champagne+Classic+025.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAIS-NVQGbVr6cs-mhV6P76uX593yfnaZRNF5CujoC_r86Y-nzRMry7cpyNlGO1I5NU8BwzSv_7RfLYHwtnMg4LHYJ7CMAFhPLDBRUjo3AABkpVyQufTQ2deFqnGgi7r74gh8nfp4MAM/s320/2010+Champagne+Classic+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512111781354525234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKabGOy2OJbRmtEAs5sXs9EGsZg-p-2iJGK8hyncA68yLGZ3NL3NJbeS1-kSNCd1IwCmB3ilmUCX3Nju3M6eU0rreQs8irAJfahEUfDFqztA7pmytkj-oAgtfzk7BzoWILNWOcNtxeqh4/s1600/2010+Champagne+Classic+033.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKabGOy2OJbRmtEAs5sXs9EGsZg-p-2iJGK8hyncA68yLGZ3NL3NJbeS1-kSNCd1IwCmB3ilmUCX3Nju3M6eU0rreQs8irAJfahEUfDFqztA7pmytkj-oAgtfzk7BzoWILNWOcNtxeqh4/s320/2010+Champagne+Classic+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512111766764053922" border="0" /></a>Matt Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515428129300334995noreply@blogger.com0