Max Corcoran, a long time friend of EN, is kind enough to bring us reports from the Ocala training sessions, which started yesterday and will run this week. Max, the veteran groom and stable manager at OCET, hardly needs and introduction on EN and I am incredibly grateful that she will be sharing her insights with us. Max is an expert at horsemanship and is even assisting David with horsemanship lessons at the training sessions. Thanks a million Max and thank you for reading.
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From Max:
Greetings from very sunny Ocala! The temps were a very balmy 75 on Sunday with the forecast in the 80‘s for the rest of the week. Not a bad place to be. Ms. Mars’s Meredyth South is simply stunning. She is incredibly generous to host everyone at this great facility.
Day one is done and dusted. The big theme of the day was straightness and making the horse slow down and speed up using your seat as the primary aid.
The group met with David after stable chores for the first lecture of the week. He discussed the German training scale and fundamental basics of dressage. Everyone had a notebook and embraced David’s philophy of being students of the sport.
In the Sunday morning riding sessions there were 2 groups of 3 doing figures in the arena making their way through tennis balls on the ground. Many riders were using their reins to create straightness instead of their legs. David reiterated that the horses needed to be straight before you can ask them to do anything else.
Lunchtime brought a wrapping demonstration (stable wraps, not Eminem type) by David – all the riders had to test their skills under David’s watchful eye. More stable management lessons will come throughout the week.
The afternoon session consisted of the last group of 4, again in the arena – David rode Jennie Caras’s horse and worked on getting him to remain connected in transitions within the gait; ie – working trot slowing down to a more collected trot and then back to working trot. The visual for everyone to see what it should look like and then for Jennie to experience what it should feel like was invaluable. David also sat on Caitlin Silliman’s mare Hoku. He worked on allowing her to take the contact out and lengthen her neck. He used his seat to change her speed creating more freedom in her neck and keeping her straight.
All went off to the Horse and Hound for a welcome dinner – and a shout out to Lauren Kieffer for having a BBQ Saturday night.
Today will bring gymnastics, stable management and temps in the 80’s… more soon!
Max Corcoran
