the newsletter of the southeast virginia dressage … newsletter of the southeast virginia dressage...
TRANSCRIPT
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
Half-Halt The Newsletter of the Southeast Virginia Dressage Association
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
CONGRATULATIONS TO TINA BODNAR AND CHAGALL ON THEIR USDF BRONZE MEDAL!
It is with great humility that the day after my birthday Chagall and I scored a 60.769 in Third Level test 3 at NCDCTA Harvest Moon Dressage. This score completes my personal goal of getting the USDF Bronze Medal. This goal has been incredibly difficult. I started in October of 2005 and got my 1st and 2nd level
scores fairly quickly. But third level is another story. After spending a year working for Jamie Nicolato, getting weekly lessons, and having the opportunity to ride some of her horses I improved my riding skills enough to ride with more tact, feel and looseness. Still, showing 3rd level was hard. Although, in 2010, I got two scores in the 60's under the same judge (to have a valid score you need two different judges). That's when the hard part began. God knew I probably would have gotten a big head about our accomplishment if we had achieved it that quickly. The next few tests were always in the 50's. I was start-ing to not believe in myself. I couldn't work at Jamie's anymore so we did clinics when we could. We worked with Janice Mum-ford, Kris Montgomery, Sue Remondini, Tristan Butler and most recently, Kathy Rowse, who helped me improve some individual test movements, and voluntarily gave me some advice on Sunday. And, Debbie Rodriguez, who
has been someone I can turn to anytime and who, also voluntarily, helped me on Sunday with some test movements. And, I can't forget my new friend, Jennifer Freeland, who started helping me to improve the qual-ity of his gaits and keeping throughness. To all these individuals I owe a debt of gratitude. I never realized how hard this was going to be when l set this goal. We could not have done this without you. If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize, my mind is in a whirl. And, thanks to all the people who were praying for us. As many of you know, I love the Lord and rely on Him for everything. He is my source of peace, strength, courage, confidence, security, patience and so much more. He was with us as we entered that ring. I know your prayers helped us to achieve this goal. And finally, a special thanks to my dear husband Rich. He stayed at home and took care of the other horses so we could go to the show. When I think of how wonderful he is as a support to my "horse" ad-diction, I am so grateful. I could not do this without his daily support. I am so blessed. So, with the support, prayers and technical help of so many I can put this goal to rest. Whew! Next goal, Second level musical freestyle, just for fun.... Peace in Christ, Tina Bodnar and my little hero, Chagall
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
2011 Board of Directors
President Kathy Rowse
Vice President Robyn Nunnally
Secretary Danielle Rowland [email protected]
Treasurer
Shari Cutchin [email protected]
Clinics and Programs
Janice Mumford [email protected]
Awards Chair Carol Gonyo
Juniors Chair Tristin Butler
Licensed Show Chair Donna Rowland
Membership Chair Reeta Edmundson
Scholarship Chair Sandy Johnson
Schooling Show Chair Kristen Tessenear
Ways and Means Chair Diane Rombs
Newsletter and Webmaster Chairs Wendy Murray
Members at Large Mary Winchell and Robin Jones
VADA Representatives
Beth Rippel Robyn Nunnally Sandy Johnson
MEET YOUR 2012 SVDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS!
President - Kathy Rowse Vice Pres - Robyn Nunnally Secretary - Daniele Rowland
Treasurer - Shari Cutchin Awards Chair - Carol Gonyo
Clinics & Programs - Janice Mumford Juniors Chair - Tristin Hardy Butler
Licensed Shows Chair - Donna Rowland Membership Chair - Reeta Edmundson
Scholarship Chair - Sandy Johnson Schooling Shows Chair - Kristen Tessenear
Ways & Means Chair - Diane Rombs Webmaster & Newsletter Chair - Wendy Murray
Members at Large : Mary Winchell, Robin Jones, Grace Williams
VADA Representatives: Robyn Nunally, Beth Rippel, Sandy Johnson
This is the dedicated and hard working group of people who make SVDA the great or-
ganization it is!
We would like to also encourage members to participate and ALL member are always
welcome to attend our Board Meetings. Please contact Kathy at [email protected]
for the meeting schedule and join us!
JR/YR TEAM NEWS
Chick-Fil-A calendars for sale - only $10! Great Holiday gifts, packed with free coupons! Contact Tris-tin to purchase or get yours to sell! Half of the proceeds to go the Jr. team for fundraising. 757-615-4975
Don't forget to set aside items for the Annual Silent Auction Fundraiser held at the SVDA Awards ban-quet in Feb. Horsie items or regular items, all pro-ceeds go to the Jr. Team.
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
Southeastern Virginia Dressage Association
Annual Awards Banquet
February 4, 2012
Grand Affairs @ Virginia Beach: 2036 Pleasure House Road, Virginia Beach, VA, 23455; telephone 757-460-9786.
Closing Date: January 20, 2012. Please mail reservations early.
Organizer: Carol Gonyo, 920 Forest Lakes Drive, Chesapeake VA 23322,
email: [email protected], home phone: 757-436-2374.
Reception starts at 6:00 PM with dinner starting at 6:30 PM. There will be assorted salads, several main courses,
seasonal vegetable, dessert, tea & coffee. A cash bar is available.
$25.00 per person
(Subsidized by SVDA)
During the reception please plan browse the SILENT AUCTION – benefit the Junior Young Rider Fund.
SVDA Awards include:
- Schooling show & Licensed show awards
- High Score for Schooling and Recognized shows
- Bronze, Silver, and Gold Metal Awards
- Achievement Awards
- Excellence in Sportsmanship (you voted for)
- Most Improved Rider Award (you voted for)
- Captain Andy Award for the Junior Rider High Score (Recognized or Schooling shows)
- Bob Snyder Award (voted by SVDA Board Members)
- Oak Haven Farm Perpetual Award
- New: Steel Magnolia Award
********************************************************************************************
2012 SVDA Banquet Reservation - PLEASE PRINT NAMES CLEARLY-
Attending Member Name:_________________________________ Phone:____________
Email:___________________________________________________________________
Address:_________________________________________________________________
Guest:___________________________________________________________________
Guest:___________________________________________________________________
Guest:___________________________________________________________________
Guest:___________________________________________________________________ Total Number Attending_______x $25 = $___________Total
Guest names must be on reservation form.
Please make checks out to SVDA and mail BEFORE January 20, 2012 to:
Carol Gonyo, 920 Forest Lakes Drive, Chesapeake VA 23322-7559
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
SVDA’S “ASK THE TRAINER/JUDGE ” BY: MARTY-ANNA SCHRIEBL
Submit your Questions to… [email protected]
Welcome to Ask the Trainer/Judge Column!
Dear Ask the Trainer, The holidays are coming up (lots of food) and winter is coming so I know my riding may be limited by the bad weather (no indoor ring). Can you give me some tips on how to stay fit and flexible, especially in my core? Signed, Always Dieting in Denbigh Dear Always Dieting in Denbigh, Its hard staying motivated in the winter months, but this is the time to set the ground work for the upcoming show season. Athletes of every kind will take an off season, but will not completely stop training. They will cross train, or set personal strength and conditioning goals in order to prepare for the upcoming year. Your first step is setting a personal goal. Here are some ideas... Be stronger--start resistance training. Resistance training builds muscle that supports our joints. Strong muscles reduce the stress across our joints that will decrease pain, allow us to move through a greater range of motion, and decrease injury. For riding, strength-ening the back, and scapular muscles will help to resist the forward tendency when our horses pull or become strong in the bridle. Stronger hips and hamstrings will help keep our leg position down and back. Stronger abdominals will help absorb the bounce in our sitting trot. Muscles are like shock absorbers, strengthen them appropriately, and you will be able to glide across the diagonal in me-dium trot.
Tips: 1) Gravity is the first weight with resistance training. It is amazing how heavy your arms and legs are when you lift them against gravity.
2) Build muscular endurance first. Gradually work your way up in reps with a low weight, or no weight up to 20 reps (and not sore the next day or two) prior to adding weight. 3) Make sure your core is strong enough to support the added weight you may try to lift. This is true with anything in life: kids, manure buckets and water buckets count too. If you lose your core stability during an exercise and cannot correct it, then you will need to modify down the exercise. For example, in the group fitness class I teach: Fit to Ride, I will add a stability ball to challenge a basic exercise prior to adding weight. This helps activate and challenge core stability during the exercise.
Be less out of breath--start cardio training. Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart so it can work more efficiently. This gives us more energy, allowing us to do more prior to fatigue. Being cardiovascular fit will get us ready to ride in those relentless lessons with-out having to stop due to being out of breath. There are various ways to exercise your heart, but the main thing is to do something that can keep your interest for 30-45 minutes. Bike riding, walking/jogging, swimming, or continuous upbeat dancing are all examples. Tips: 1) Start with 20-30 minute intervals at a low resistance. Build time and increase pace prior to adding resistance (such as on a bike or elliptical) 2) Monitor your heart rate. Your target heart rate for cardiovascular exercise is 70- 80% of your heart rate max. (HRmax=120-age) If this intensity is too high for you to start, begin at 60% and build up from there. Be more flexible--start a stretching program. A tight muscle is not a strong muscle. When muscles become too tight, they become painful and are unable to contract as needed to work. Many times we are tight in one direction and weak in the opposite because we are not able to work into that range of motion. As result, it is important to stretch the tight muscles and exercise the opposite muscle group into end range in order to help maintain your new lengthened range of motion. Tips: 1) A long sustained stretch of 20-30 seconds up to 3 repetitions is an effective way to stretch. 2) Do not bounce into the stretch, it will reflexively contract the muscle you are trying to stretch--counteracting the purpose of lengthening the muscle fibers. 3) Areas to target include:
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
Calves:
Hip flexors: Rock forward until you feel stretch in front of thigh. You can also do this on a stair to avoid kneeling on floor.
Hamstrings
Adductors
or Tensor Fascia Latta/ Iliotibial Bands
Trunk extension
Cross train: Choosing an activity that will challenge your core stability and cardiovascular endurance will be a good choice. Ballroom dancing, Yoga, Pilates, Group Fitness classes are all activities that have can positively challenge you and indirectly improve your riding. They also are activities you do as a group or with a partner. Getting your friends involved will give you the motivation to keep it up, and have fun. If you cannot have fun in your activity, it will not likely keep your interest and motivation to continue. Best of luck, hope this helps you stay fit and flexible in Denbigh over the holiday season! Danielle Rowland, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy, USDF Gold Medalist and program founder of FIT to Ride
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
By Natalie DeFee Mendik Photos: Patricia Worth, WO Equine Marketing Exercises demonstrated by Debbie Rodriguez
Reprinted for SVDA with permission of Debbie Rodriguez
Ready,Set,Get Fit!
http://www.successinthesaddle.com/Ready_Set_Get_Fit.pdf
Being physically fit makes an impact on your abilities in the sad-dle. Learn how to get started with the following helpful tips and exercises. It only takes one look at rider, instructor, trainer, TD and judge, Debbie Rodriguez, to see that she is a person who takes physical fitness seriously. This Williamsburg, Virginia, based FEllevel dressage rider is obviously not one to just take it easy. In addit+on to being a USEF"5" Dressage Judge, USEF "r" Dressage Technical Delegate, and USEF"r" Eventing Judge, she is also an International Sports Sciences Association Certified Per-sonal Fitness Coach. Her journey through the ranks of three day eventing, and later dressage, has been interwoven with an in-creasing awareness of the critical role personal fitness takes in the success and enjoyment of riding. A former event rider, Rodri-guez knew that being fit was critical to a clean and safe cross-country ride, but it still wasn't high on her agenda. "1went kicking and screaming into a fitness regime," remarks Rodriguez. Upon the advice of her eventing instructors, Rodriguez maintained her fitness by running and jumping rope; nevertheless, she struggled with not enjoying the exercise while simultaneously questioning its necessity. "1was a young professional, riding eight to 12 horses a day. I could not conceive that I needed to do something else for my fitness, yet at the same time, I would constantly be corrected in my lessons for sitting crooked in the saddle and hav-ing rounded shoulders," she says. "1didn't realize that my mental focus and desire could not correct that. I always thought that if I would just try harder, I could fix it." Rodriguez's outlook on fitness changed while teaching a longtime student, a Preliminary level event rider who had the same issue of riding with rounded shoulders. "One day she came for her lesson and her shoulders were back," tells Rodriguez. The key to the amazing change: the student had begun working with a core fitness trainer. This was a pivotal moment for Rodriguez as well. "1signed up the next day and never looked back. That was a turning point in my life. I realized my shoulders weren't back because I didn't have the muscle structure to put them back, and riding alone was not going to give me that structure." "You would-n't take a horse from the pasture and expect it to gallop around a cross-country course or do an 1-1dressage test; yet, many of us don't have the same expectations of conditioning ourselves as riders, as athletes - and riders are athletes, whether we want to be our not, by the nature of what we do," comments Rodriguez. "If you are cardiovascularly fatigued and your muscles are not strong enough, you are less able to regain your balance or correct your mistakes than you would be if you were physically ready for that challenge." Rodriguez's fitness regime now consists of four key elements: core strength, cardiovascular fitness, mobil-ity and balance. These elements work hand-in-hand to develop a rider who is ready for the physical challenges in any discipline.
CoreStrength Core strength is a concept riders are familiar with these days, and with good reason; it forms the essential pillar of the rider's position. "If you want your horse to be in self-carriage, you need to be in self-carriage," notes Rodriguez. Having that core strength is what allows the rider to sit correctly and independ-ently. Core strength also counteracts many of the aches and pains riders experience. "If you had an arthritic horse, you would know that you had to keep that horse's muscular strength up to support the joints," explains Rodriguez. "The same thing applies with the rider - if you have a little back pain, simply taking anti-inflammatories is not enough. The more you build up your stom-ach muscles and the muscles that support your spine, hips and shoulder girdle, the better chance you have of relieving some of the pain and therefore enjoying your riding and being a more effective rider. One of the biggest benefits I've noticed from core fitness work is that I have a lot less hip pain, because the mus-cles around my hips are a lot stronger and more flexible."
Balance Proprioception is a term that may be new to many, but the con-cept behind it is not. In proprioceptive exercises, the develop-ment of body awareness is created using muscle memory. Pro-prioception is essentially the feel of where your body is, where limbsare, where your center of gravity and balance are, and so on. This is learned by doing exercises that challenge your bal-ance, so that you learn to engage your core and stabilize your-self. "If you're on the horse and you lose your balance, you inad-vertently grab the reins," remarks Rodriguez. "With these exer-cises, you do exercises that challenge your balance. You train your body to press down through your heels, engage your core, and regain your balance through the muscles that center you." By teaching that habit over and over, your muscles begin to re-act on their own without any outside balancing forces. In new skills, proprioception is learned through repetition, thereby giving us muscle memory.
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
Cardio Cardiovascular exercise is aerobic activity that exer-cises the lungs, heart and muscles. It can take many forms, such as running or swimming. In addition, most core exercises also have a cardiovascular benefit when they are performed as a group of exercises in a dynamic workout. "A lot of people say that they don't want to ride their horse to the point where they need cardio; however, there are very few situations where it won't come into play.
If you are schooling your dressage test and are getting into Second Level, your canter tour is now twice as long as it used to be. I can't tell you how many times I'm teaching someone in a clinic who wants to do Second Level, yet after counter canter and a lengthening, they want a break. You should be able to school twice as long as what's in a test, not half as long. Cardio is a factor," says Rodriguez. "In eventing and show jumping, if you want to be helpful to your horse on course, you need to be sitting up in the sad-dle, being just as ready for the last fence as the first fence. It's not fair that, as the course goes on, you lean on your horse more and more, especially as the horse is also probably getting fatigued. The horse has to then not only carry himself over the fence, but the rider, too."
Mobility Loosening exercises in the warmup phase of exercise gently increase the range of motion without putting stress on the body; at this point, there's not enough blood flow to the muscles for the muscles to have' a good stretch. Stretching takes place at the end of every workout. Activities such as yoga improve the body's flexibility through stretching. Some riders may feel that if they aren't competing, being fit isn't so crucial; yet, physical fitness is a necessity for every rider, regardless of discipline and skill level. For example, a pleasure rider needs core strength to ride balanced and straight in the saddle while facing challenges such as steep hills. If the horse spooks, the rider needs to be able to sink the weight through the hamstrings into the heels so that the reins don't become a point of balance. Trail riders can become uncomfortable in the saddle on a long ride if they're not fit enough, resulting in sitting sideways or shuffling around in the saddle in an effort to redistribute their weight. "Ride is a verb - you are an athlete!" challenges Rodriguez. Creating and sticking with a regular work-out plan increases your energy level and well-being, in addition to helping you get more pleasure and success out of your riding.
Look for Debbie Rodriguez's new DVD workout series custom designed for the rider, Success in the Saddle. These six 20-
minute workout routines can be done in front of any TV or computer without any equipment. "Anyone can commit 20 minutes
a day, six times a week, or 40 minutes a day, three times a week, to improve their health, as well as their ability to be a good rider and partner for their horse," says Rodriguez. These DVDs are
available online at www.successlnTheSaddle.com.
Natalie DeFee Mendik is a freelance writer and amateur dressage rider based in Pennsylvania.
Heart Rate When you are working out, your heart rate should get up into the target zone and stay there for a while. The heart rate monitor is a neat gadget well known within fitness circles. Worn like a watch, this device allows you to monitor your pulse throughout your workout and is a good motivator against slacking. "If you keep your heart rate up from start to finish for a certain amount of time, you get much more benefit from your exercise instead of constantly taking breaks," remarks Rodriguez. According to the American Heart Association, your workout's target heart rate should be within the 50-85% range. To figure your 100% heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Then, scale that figure down to your target zone to see what heart rate you should be aiming for during your workout.
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
VADA
Annual Awards Banquet
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Boar’s Head Inn
Charlottesville, VA 800-476-1988
Reception starts at 11 am with buffet lunch beginning at noon
$25 per person
Banquet reservations must be received by January 25th
, 2012
For more information and a complete list of awards, check out the website.
Name(s) of attendees ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Contact address ________________________________________________
Contact Phone/Email ___________________________________________
(important in case of inclement weather)
Total number of people _______ X $25 = Amount enclosed __________
Interested in volunteering at the banquet? YES/NO
Send your check and reservation form to:
Make checks payable to VADA
Alison Douglas 11909 Halcyon Way Prince George, VA 23875
(804) 339-7495 cell (804) 706-4702 ext 251 work or [email protected]
Remember there are no chapter baskets this year. We would like chapters to bring small
giveaway items to use as door prizes. We will still have the regular silent auction. The
form is on the website. Please fill out to bring with your item(s) or email me the
information before hand.
Entrees on the buffet: Roasted Breast of Chicken Dijonnaise with Fried Onions
Baked Salmon with Saffron-Pernod Sauce
Vegetable Napoleon (vegetarian entrée)
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
Janice Mumford
USDF Bronze & Silver Medalist
USDF “L” Graduate
Clinics & Lessons at your Farm
Judging Dressage & Open Schooling
Shows
Call 757.635.8023
CLINICS | LESSONS | JUDGING
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
About Half‐Halt Half‐Halt is published monthly by the SVDA and provided as a service to its members. News items, show results, calendar of events, photos, classifieds
and services directory are incorporated into the
newsletter.
DEADLINE FOR NEWSLETTER IS THE 25th OF EACH MONTH
Wendy L. Murray Newsletter Editor/Webmaster
SVDA encourages its members to submit articles, member updates, information and pictures for publication,
however, SVDA reserves the right to edit, reject or use
materials as and when deemed appropriate.
SVDA Members: Submit your Show
Scores, News, Stories or ideas for publication in Half-Halt by
emailing Wendy at [email protected]
ELFENRIDGE DRESSAGE SCHOOLING SHOW
Wendy Murray and Judge entertain spectators and receive a 66.200% at their Second level AC/DC Musical Freestyle.
Sacha Ingram and Master Liam get the high score musical freestyle at the Elfenridge sanctioned show
with a 76%.
Family and friends support Anna Curran and Chippy Zip as they earn the high score open at the Elfenridge sanctioned show with a 72%.
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
“Katie's professionalism and expertise are well matched with a love and knowledge of horses that make her services that much
more extraordinary.” ~Wendy Murray
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Bettina Strobach on
winning our Facebook Fan Contest! Bettina
will receive one FREE Partners Package, a
$100 value!
Winner to be
KJ Massage offers several massage therapy programs geared to specific issues and lifestyles for Equines, Canines and, of course, their owners and riders. We are able to offer
services on a mobile basis to Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk and the greater Hampton Roads area based upon availability.
Visit www.kjmassage.net or call 757-287-6832 for more information Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kjmassage
Packages & Discounts Available
Championships are
coming!!
Did you know that most
professional athletes use Sports Massage to help keep their
muscles in top condition for competition?
Visit www.kjmassage.net for more information on how Massage can
help your horse!
Benefits of
Equine Sports Massage Therapy
Enhances muscle tone & increases range of motion
Assists in balancing the body
Reduces inflammation and swelling in joints, helping to alleviate pain and anticipation
Promotes healing by increasing the flow of
nutrients to the muscles and carrying away excess fluids and toxins
Relieves tension in the muscles
Stimulates circulation and releases
endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers
Helps maintain the entire body and mind in better condition
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
Classified Ads
FOR SALE:
German Riding Pants, George Schumacker, 3 pair, full seat, size 32R, front zip, quality breeches, $85 each, OBO. One pair buff color show pants, excellent condition; one pair cream color show pants, wide waist band, excellent condition; one pair brown pants, new. (Must see to appreciate. Show pants seldom used.)
Contact Ann, 757-539-2343
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 27| ISSUE XII
Newsletter of the Southeast Virginia Dressage Association
Wendy Murray
SVDA Newsletter Editor
124 Rockland Terrace
Suffolk, VA 23434
Training Tip of the Day: Horses touch our lives in many ways. They live
forever in the lessons
we learn from them