KKM Stables Newsletter Archive
Spring 2007 Newsletter
KKM STABLES
Dressage Training & Instruction
"Enjoy Your Horses More"
January is filled with the activity of creating what the rest of the year will bring. The phone and computer have been very busy as we have calls from owners inquiring to place young horses here for their saddle training to prepare them for competition in the dressage ring - mostly 3- and 4-year-olds. Two Hanoverians, an Andalusian colt, and a Cleveland Bay mare will likely be here as newcomers to the barn.
Our 4-H group is resuming their weekly lesson at 3:30 on Saturdays. This year the group will be composed of youth from various Richland and Knox County Clubs. Most of the students are riding Dressage; a couple will be riding Western.
Reggie continues to be busy working for a living. He is helping 9-yr-old Catherine Berry prepare for her first competition year. After a year-and-a-half of once-per-week lessons (from scratch), she is really beginning to look the part. We are eager to see her in the ring. He is also teaching Maya Wisdom about correct contact (on the bit and round), bending and shaping the horse to the circle, and how to sit the trot. She is adding these skills to her already strong seat and growing confidence. The use of a well-schooled horse is teaching her skills that she will then apply to their several horses at home which she will use in pleasure classes, over fences, on the trail, and, eventually in 3-day-eventing. Reggie has two new adult students this winter. Nancy Smith is brand new to horses and is braving the nighttime hours to learn steering, stopping, posting, grooming and handling. Her bright demeanor always adds to our day and her laugh bubbles generously throughout the barn. In the beginning of learning, it really is our sense of humor that makes it all possible. You have to be able to laugh when you are trying to remember 120 new things at once! Connie Carr is not new to horses, but she is new to lessons and dressage. She pairs up well with Reggie and I think they have some sort of love-thing going on: a mutual admiration society. She, like Nancy, is progressing well as they get stronger, better balanced, and more confident each ride. Reggie is serving as a surrogate for veteran rider JoAnn Fletcher as she is back in the saddle after a knee replacement. He is standing in for her mare Rial while she prepares to rebound from foal-raising. They will both be back at it in a few short weeks. Thanks to Reggie for providing a safe return to the saddle.
Cheryl Church and her handsome and kind partner, Thor (a Friesian gelding), are enjoying the rewards of steady work. Last year, they ventured into the ring at Intro level. This winter she is playing with leg yield, shoulder-in, and tweaking canter departs. They make a very happy team and we are all eager to see them in the ring at Training Level this year. Sarah Mosher stops by occasionally with her large pet and trail buddy, Fuzzy (a Clyde-Paint/TB cross). He is learning about straight, forward, and canter leads. He is quite handsome, and if he can just not worry and not try too hard, he will come along nicely. New to us this winter are Lois Thiergartner and her Morgans Topper and Satin who hail from the Marysville/Bellefontaine area. Lois is very well-read and thinks a lot about her dressage riding. She was already accomplished in her riding when we met. We have worked together to improve her understanding of contact, the correctness of her position, and to keep her intelligent Morgans from getting ahead of our plan. Her sense of humor (she is quite the wit) and her intense desire to understand keep us revving high. Also new to our barn, but not new to dressage or horses, are JC Fitzgerald and Sunny, a Morgan gelding who is quite the character, playful, and beautiful. Despite the long haul from Avon Lake, we are working together to produce a steady connection in contact and through the body for JC and Sunny. He is extremely athletic and she is quite game and has a good foundation so when they have moments of understanding the picture is lovely indeed. When this pair gets on the same page with a consistent approach that they both understand, the possibilities are endless. What fun to be involved in their journey.
Our Winter Weekend Intensives are providing a good learning opportunity for all involved - riding or watching. It is such a pleasure to watch the steady and easily noticeable improvement in the horse/rider pairs. I am so proud of all the riders for following directions so well so that they truly get the benefits of the instruction. It is not easy to understand new things or to even hear what someone is saying when you are busy trying new ways. Hats off to you all for listening, trying, and producing such pretty results. It is gratifying to me beyond words to see your partnerships with your horses grow.
At one lesson per week it is only 18 rides until June's show season. We may be into summer before the snow even flies!