The
Centerline
Arizona Dressage Association
Vol. 15, Issue 6
www.azdressage.org
June 2015
Put Me In Coach By Susan Downs Parrish, Ph.D.
When Gerd Heuschmann, DMV, stood, ready to begin his lecture on Saturday, May 16, at the Tucson Fair Grounds, he faced at least one skeptic, one tough sell—me. I signed up for this symposium/clinic titled, “A Balancing Act: ‘riding with your horse’s health in mind,’” early to save a few bucks, but nearly missed the event because I didn’t bother to mark my calendar. I ride six days a week and don’t give up an extra day in the saddle for no good reason. Dr. Heuschmann teamed with Charles de Kunffy last year and presented a symposium on art and science in dressage. Last year’s symposium was excellent, but Charles was the dominant force. As I observed this man, standing on an elevated platform with a mic in his hand, I wondered who the heck he was really, and reminded myself I could leave early, and no one would notice. The first words out of his mouth were, “The seat, the seat, the seat.” He didn’t start with a joke, or something about Tucson, or meaningless chatter, he jumped to what was important—the seat. I wouldn’t be sneaking out early. This man had a message and understood time is a limited resource. The following is the first of a two-part essay. In the second part, I’ll summarize my notes. Now, I’m going to pass along what I felt when I implemented some suggestions made during the lecture and rides. I think you’ll be interested, and like Heuschmann, I won’t delay. The event ended on Sunday, and by Monday, I was riding in a two-point seat at the gallop. Wow! Maronda loved the change. She told me by rounding her back for a couple of undulating strides to tell me how good this felt. She also cleared her sinuses a few times. He compared snorting with flowers the horse offers. During the ride, Maronda offered enough flowers to fill every pot with a letter in it—at least twelve bunches. Two observations stand out in my mind: my stirrups were too long to ride in a two-point seat, and Maronda was much more forward than usual at canter. In the lecture, he mentioned that some riders set their stirrups too long. In the clinic he shortened the leathers of several riders. Jennifer Cook’s stirrups went up by three holes. Watching her ride in the new length, I couldn’t recapture the image of her long legs in longer leathers. The change looked great. For my second ride after the symposium/clinic, my stirrups went up one notch. Here’s what grabbed me: 1) my heel lowered, 2) the two-point seat at canter had more energy than the day
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