DressageStudents.com

By Rosie Buerkle.
Photographs taken by Jessica Stackhouse and Gillian Goodwin.

I had the opportunity this past weekend to ride in a clinic with Cindy Ishoy.  I had two lessons, and was extremely pleased with the work we did in both. [Editor's note: This was the clinic back in May.] Cindy has a way of quietly pushing you to the next level, so that you don’t even feel as though you’re being pushed.  By working calmly and consistently through increasingly difficult exercises, she improved our basics and in so doing improved everything else.

On the first day, she had us warm up on large figures in trot and canter, keeping an active rhythm, and stressing from the beginning the importance of riding the figures accurately: “a well ridden corner is a suppling exercise” she would say often.  “Change rein through the circle, and make it gymnastic!”  Her emphasis on these points made me ride carefully, making sure to keep the rhythm, balance, and bending through turns.  After this we went on a large circle around Cindy and she had us do trot/walk/trot transitions around her in both directions.  In the transitions she stressed that I can’t throw the reins away – I need to maintain the steady connection on the outside and drive forward through the downward transitions to ensure that she stays active behind.

We then progressed onto 10 meter circles.  “Ride three 10 meter circles down the next long side!”  Going to the left (Prussia’s easier side) she stressed the importance of using enough outside rein to keep her from falling out.  Going to the right she had me bring Prussia’s nose a little more to the inside briefly until she softened, before giving the rein again.  Again she stressed the importance of forward activity, rhythm, and accuracy.

After that we moved onto the lateral work – shoulder in, travers, and halfpass.  We started with shoulder in from a 10m circle to which we got a “Good!” on both sides before moving onto the travers.  Cindy’s comment was “I need you to ride the travers Rosie with not so much of an angle, but more bend!”  Cindy had me driving with the inside leg while bringing Prussia’s nose a bit more to the inside than I had been.  She also emphasized that the outside leg needs to guard to keep the haunches moving over, while not getting so active that the movement becomes leg yield.  She also had me bring my hands more to the inside (so that the outside hand is at the wither, but not crossing it) in order to help Prussia understand the bend.  We were rewarded at the end of this work with some nice fluid half passes, with better bend.

From there we went onto the canter work.  Prussia is a powerful mare and it’s easy for her to get away from me a bit in the canter.  So our canter work was focused on developing better collection – “less ground covering, but with more activity!”  We did 10 meter circles along the long sides of the arena, before doing some baby half passes in canter going from the center line to the wall.  Going to the right I usually find the half pass in canter difficult, but due to the gymnastic work we had done earlier, Prussia was looser than usual on this side and the slight half pass came easily.  Going to the left (which is usually easier), she just wanted to bend her neck and not move laterally, so Cindy had me switch my whip and use it on her haunches in time with her stride to help us over toward the wall.   We counter cantered through the short-side and then up the diagonal in order to repeat the exercise on the same side.

Following this we started preparation for the flying changes.  In all work, Cindy emphasizes that we need to “set the horse up for success”.  So in the preparation for the flying changes we used Prussia’s own tendency to anticipate to make the changes easier for her to understand.  Cindy had me ride in canter down the long side to B or E, where I would then make a small half circle and head back to the track.  Before getting to the track I’d make a transition to walk, and then pick up the other lead.  Cindy was emphatic that these transitions be sharp so that Prussia knows what to expect each time.  Once I had picked up the new lead, we’d circle 10 meters, and then repeat on the other side.  During all the canter work, Cindy continually reminded me that the collected canter is less ground covering, but more active, so during the loops and circles I focused on trying to gather Prussia more, while at the same time keeping lots of jump in the canter.

When the transitions to walk were coming easier, Cindy said “This time Rosie, you’re going to do a flying change, and then you’re going to immediately circle 10m.”  Prussia and I have been schooling changes a bit, but they’re new for both of us and as a result are hit or miss.  As we cantered back to the track, Cindy said “Ready, And, Aid, (right leg) Now!”  Cindy always asks for changes in this way (in time with the stride) so that the rider knows when to apply the aids.  Prussia jumped through the change a bit and was late behind, but it still was better than usual.  We did the exercise twice on each side, before calling it a day.  The changes were leapy and late, but still an improvement.

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