ADA November Centerline 2022

Arizona Dressage Association

T HE C ENTERLINE

Lessons From Bill Warren

By Beth Martinec

ADA hosted a clinic with Bill Warren on October 15th and 16th at West World in Scottsdale. Bill Warren is an FEI 4* Judge, a USEF ‘S’ Dressage Judge, and a USDF Gold Medalist. He has trained several horses to Grand Prix and works with many FEI riders. Bill, as a part of Warren-McMullin Dressage, has decades of experience training, teaching, and judging. Splitting his time between Mansfield Massachusetts and Wellington Florida, he spends his time training, teaching, and traveling for clinics.

Auditors gathered valuable training techniques as they watched horses and riders of all levels work under the guidance of Bill to address their training goals. Nine riders participated in all: Kate Boyle, Ann Damiano, Rachel Derminio, Sophia Erikson, Amy Jackson, Kadryia Musina-Sallus, Hanna O’Reilly, Paula Paglia, and Krissy Randolph.

For each horse and rider pair, Bill first began by letting the rider start their typical warmup process, evaluating the quality of that warmup and quickly assessing areas needing improvement. He then proceeded to give each rider a series of exercises targeted to address those areas. As the lesson progressed, Bill would gather feedback from the rider to address any specific challenges the rider felt they were facing in their training program. More exercises were then presented so the rider could feel the impact of improvement as they worked through each step of the exercise under Bill’s watchful eye.

As an auditor, it was easy to follow along with Bill and understand the concept of what he was trying to improve and how he was having the rider make those improvements. His focus on developing specific exercises was especially impactful and riders and auditors left the clinic armed with many new concepts to practice. The following sections are just a few of the exercises he went through with the riders on the second day of the clinic.

ADA Board

President: Tania Radda 480.235.7654 t.radda@azdressage.org

1st VP: Kathy Smith ksmith@azdressage.org

2nd VP: Amy Burnett

Secretary: Nicole Zoet-Oostermyer ozranch3@aol.com

Treasurer & Trustee of Records: Cynthia Ganem cganem@azdressage.org

Maeike Zoet mzoet@yahoo.com Michell Combs Susan Skripac Alanna Almgren Heather Lynch Kadriya Musina-Sallus Jarred Sallus

Committees

Awards: Maeike Zoet-Javins m-zoet@yahoo.com

Centerline Editor: Beth Martinec centerline@azdressage.org

Webmaster: Sue Leutwyler webmaster@azdressage.org

Education: Pam Polydoros

Finance: Cynthia Ganem

Fundraising: Kay Lorenzen

Futurity: Susan Skripac

Juniors/Young Riders: Heather Lynch

Membership: Michell Combs

Scholarship: Ann Damiano a.damiano@azdressage.org

Recognized Shows: Kathy Smith

Scores Compilation: Sue Leutwyler

Vendors: Michelle Scarzone

ADA Board Attorney: Wendy Riddell w.riddell@azdressage.org

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Please consider renewing your ADA Membership soon. The next USDF roster report will be for renewals around December 1, 2022. Be ready for show and clinic season!

Your current ADA membership will expire November 30, 2022. ADA has an exciting year ahead. Please help our organization through your support and volunteer efforts.

Take advantage of our online renewal at: https://azdressage.org/2023-ada-membership-application/

How your renewal dollars will be put to work for you:

• Competition opportunities for all levels of riders, including schooling shows

• Scholarship opportunities to contribute towards member’s Dressage education

• Educational clinics and seminars

• The Centerline, ADA’s monthly e-newsletter

• USDF GMO membership (be sure to understand the different membership types if you compete)

Other perks include:

• Discounts at ADA events/clinics (auditing and participation fees vary from event to event), at the USDF Store and at USDF events

And so much more!

I hope you see the value of ADA membership and will renew for 2023. Just $50.00 for an individual membership and you support education provided by both your local and national dressage organizations. If you snail mail the membership form with a check, remember to write my name on the mail envelope so the mail service is kind enough to put it in my box!

As you plan your events, give yourself plenty of time for your renewal because we submit roster updates to USDF once a month.

As always and with much appreciation, Michell Combs, ADA Membership Chair

Continued from page 1

Exercises at PSG Level:

Exercise #1: Flying changes across the diagonal with a 10-meter circle immediately following the change in the direction of that change. Bill had the rider execute three changes, one before the centerline, one after the centerline and one in the corner. The purpose was to teach the horse better balance, better engagement of the hind end, and to not rush forward to the next change.

Exercise #2: Trot transitions with travers and renvers, in medium trot and very collected trot. Again, the purpose of the transitions within the positioning of the movements improved balance, engagement of the hind end, and elasticity.

Exercise #3: Walk pirouettes. The focus was on control of the shoulder so that the forehand comes into the turn and leads the pirouette around. Many times, the focus is on the hind legs stepping and not getting stuck, but what causes that to happen is a lack of focus on positioning the shoulders so that they are free and properly aligned to carry the horse around without interfering with the movement of the hind legs.

Exercise #4: Half steps to improve the half pass. Travel down the long side, working on a series of transitions in and out of trot half steps. When the horse reaches the short side, turn out of the second corner and half pass back to the centerline. The half steps cause the horse to engage its hind end more and take more elastic steps in half pass.

Exercises at 2nd Level:

Exercise #1: Begin in leg yield position down the long side and then slowly change the bend to get haunches-in. In each corner, both before and after each long side, add a 10-meter circle. The idea of this exercise is to focus on keeping the horse in front of all the aids – legs, seat, and whip. The exercise increases the horse’s responsiveness to the aids.

Exercise #2: Canter transitions on a 20-meter circle. Push the haunches out in the walk, and then make a transition to canter. This helps line up the haunches for a straighter canter departure and counteract the tendency of allowing a departure with the haunches coming to the inside.

Exercise #3: To improve the canter to trot transitions in the 2nd level tests, lengthen the canter down the long side, bring the canter back at the letter before the corner and then immediately make a 10-meter circle in the corner. Focus on making the body follow the 10-meter circle and not just the neck. Keep the outside aids engaged to turn the shoulders to the circle. Once the 10-meter circle is completed, transition to trot at C/A. This exercise improves the trot transition without bracing against the hand. The canter circle teaches the horse to sit back and carry itself more so that a transition to trot is easy.

Exercise #4: Walk Pirouette. Begin down the long side in trot, transition to walk for about 10-meters, and then execute a half turn in walk pirouette and continue straight in renvers. The objective is to understand that the fluid movement of the shoulder coming around the pirouette is what is needed to maintain a good rhythm on the hind legs as they step around in the pirouette. Finishing the exercise in renvers emphasizes the engagement of the shoulders.

Exercises at Training Level:

Exercise #1: Canter a 10-meter circle in the corner, then go straight on the long side in shoulder fore. At the end of the long side, ride the corner focusing on the forming the horse into the same arc through the corner as in the 10meter circle.

Exercise #2: Make a baby leg yield from the center line to the rail and then ride more forward on the short side. Focus on maintaining a fluid movement in the leg yield and on a consistent, forward rhythm.

Exercise #3: Ride walk trot transitions on a 20-meter circle and then on a 10-meter circle. Focus on riding the moments after the transition and not just the transition itself.

Exercises at 3rd Level:

Exercise #1: Begin in haunches-in on the long side, then at B/E execute a 10-meter circle and then half pass to G/D. The haunches-in and 10-meter circle improve the half pass, making it more fluid and elastic with more engagement of the hind end.

Exercise #2: Canter a 20-meter circle, then canter that same circle in very collected canter. Come across the short diagonal and make a flying change on the long side before the corner. Medium canter on the next long side and then repeat the exercise.

Exercise #3: Shoulder-in on the long side in trot. Transition to walk, still maintaining the shoulder-in. Execute a half walk pirouette and then trot straight on that line, parallel to the long side. Repeat. This exercise improves the pirouette and strengthens the idea of maintaining a fluid and forward trot in the shoulder-in.

Bill also had a lot of great advice that he sprinkled throughout all the sessions:

· A horse that is quick to your aids will be quick on its feet. Give corrections in each exercise, but then when you repeat the exercise, trust that the horse has learned what is expected of it and allow it to happen.

· Don’t brace against the horse. Half halts do not require bracing.

· A horse must bend and turn. Bend is no good is the horse does not turn!

· If you struggle to do a 10-meter circle, it’s an indication that your horse is too much on its forehand. The whole purpose of the trot warmup is to get the back swinging, so you need a forward, working tempo. Don’t override the trot, but don’t under-ride it either. Transitions are not down or back; they are simply a change to something else.

· Don’t ride a lazy transition! Transitions are not a break. Ride an 8.0 transition, and then take your break.

And one final piece of advice from Bill came in the form of a question. He gave a rider a “pop quiz”, putting her on the spot to ride through her test. The rider had the test read to her and when the test was finished, Bill said it was a good test, but he asked this question of her.

“You rode the test, but did you really ride the horse?” His point was that as riders, we need to know our tests well enough that we can focus solely on riding the horse to the best of our ability. If we don’t know the test, we spend too much energy on just riding the movements of the test and not really riding the horse.

“A beginning rider wants to work on intermediate horsemanship, an intermediate rider wants to work on advanced horsemanship, but an advanced horseman works on the basics. ”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: JENNY JOHNSON, THE DRESSAGE FOUNDATION

TEL (402) 434-

The Dressage Foundation Awards Grant to USDF for Judges’ Clinics

November 8, 2022, 2022 – For over 30 years, The Dressage Foundation (TDF) has provided financial support to the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) and its members, thanks to the generous support of donors. Through its Edgar Hotz Judges Fund, TDF is proud to support the USEF/USDF Judges’ Mini Clinics, which provide continuing education for USEF Licensed Dressage Judges

This was the second year in which USDF hosted Licensed Dressage Judge education activities, as training and education for judges was transferred from USEF to USDF in 2021. TDF awarded USDF a $4,800 Edgar Hotz Judges Fund grant for the six clinics that were held across the country in 2022. A total of 104 judges attended clinics in California, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, Texas, and Virginia. Clinicians included Lilo Fore, Kathy Rowse, Jane Weatherwax, Gary Rockwell, Jeanne McDonald, and William Warren.

Katherine Robertson, USDF Education Director, said, “I would like to thank TDF for their continued support in the education of not only our judges, but the dressage community.”

The Edgar Hotz Judges Fund also continues to provide grants of up to $800 to USDF Group Member Organizations that host Continuing Education in Dressage Judging Programs. Annually, TDF offers nearly $10,000 for the education of judges from its Edgar Hotz Judges Fund.

For more information about The Dressage Foundation or to make a donation, visit www.dressagefoundation.org or contact Executive Director Jenny Johnson at (402) 434 8585 or

The Dressage Foundation

The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non profit, tax exempt, donor driven organization that is dedicated to educating, supporting, and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants to dressage riders, judges, instructors, breeders, high performance teams, nonprofit equestrian

Things are finally starting to feel a bit more normal in the horse world, if not slightly more expensive sadly. Thankfully, horse shows and clinics, have gone well and had good attendance. Congratulations to everyone who competed this year and we’re also super proud of those of you who may not have competed, but met the goals you set for yourself in your riding and other facets of your life.

The USDF Convention is just around the corner and it’s time to set some time aside in your busy schedules and perhaps consider joining us in Lexington, Kentucky. The convention is a great opportunity to network with other dressage enthusiasts, breeders, trainers, riders, and officials. The convention schedule has been posted online at www.usdf.org so that you can start to plan out the meetings and educational sessions you would like to attend. We have gone back to a comprehensive awards banquet, honoring our members’ many achievements and the USEF Forum is always a must do to stay up-to-date on new rule changes and proposed rule changes.

We are hosting a Region 5 meeting prior to the USDF Convention on November 22nd at 7pm. Here is the call information:

Topic: USDF Region 5 Pre-Convention Meeting

Time: Nov 22, 2022 07:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89155825673?pwd=aStSakIyNFBGai9MbVJncWFzbUQ5Zz09

Meeting ID: 891 5582 5673 Passcode: 463870

All members of Region 5 are welcome to join us. This will be a bit more of a working meeting, touching base with our committee representatives and GMOs, as our meeting during the USDF Convention will have some time set aside for issues to come before the Board of Governors and other USDF business.

A reminder that your Participating Member Delegates to the USDF Convention for 2022 are Joan Clay, Cecilia Cox, and Sally O’Dwyer. Please contact them or myself if you have any concerns regarding items listed on the BOG agenda or anything you would like to have brought forward at the Regional meetings before or during the convention.

We’re hoping for some new and diverse bids for the 2024 championships. I’d love to hear from any interested parties as soon as possible so we can get you a list of the information that is needed for those bids. The bid document should also be published soon on the USDF website. All Regional Championships still must be held by mid-October since the winners of all divisions will continue to feed into the Nationals Championships.

Joan Clay and I will be hosting a USDF Region 5 FEI Jr/YR call for 2023 on November 1st at 7pm MDT. We are going to be getting information on who's interested in declaring, but most importantly, what we can do to start fundraising efforts for Michigan.

Below is the call-in information:

Topic: 2023 NAYC Meeting

Time: Nov 1, 2022 07:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81852095858?pwd=dEFCWGZiYjhZSS9UQTRFV3N6aFFVUT09

Meeting ID: 818 5209 5858 Passcode: 848181

I hope to see many of you on our various upcoming calls and please do consider joining us at the USDF Convention!

Till next month!

Heather Petersen

Region 5 Director

ARIZONA DRESSAGE ASSOCIATION

October Board Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 6:04 p.m.

Officer’s Reports:

1. Directors/Alternate Directors Present: Tania Radda, Cynthia Ganem, Susan Skripac, Nicole Zoet, Meike Zoet,.Kadriya Mussina-Sallus, Jarred Sallus

2. Directors/Alternate Directors Absent: Heather Lynch, Michell Combs, Allana Almgren, Kathy Smith.

3. Guests: None

4. Treasurers’ and Finance Report –

Operating Account $ 27,260.24 Debit Account $ 4,331.52 Reserve Account $ 11,660.98 more to reach our goal to cover catastrophic losses Pantano $ 11,732.61 Cash $ 400.00

Total Assets $ 122,063.39

5. Recognized Shows (1st VP) – Fall Fiesta and State Championships are scheduled for November 5th & 6th. Entries are now closed. Western Dressage and Schooling Show at Westworld are scheduled for October 29th at Westworld. Entries are still opened.

6. Schooling Shows (2nd VP) – The annual Members Only Schooling show took place at Westworld. The club still does not have a venue for more schooling shows in our area. We are checking with Westworld for a possible show in February.

Standing Committee Reports:

7. Membership Committee – 257 2022 ADA/GMO Members, 33 new members in 2022-28 adults and 5 J/YR, 212 Members Renewed in 2022, 198 Adults, 14 J/YR- 12 returning Members, 11 adults 1 J/YR. 85 2021 ADA/GMO Members have not yet renewed for 2022. 80 adults and 5 J/YR. Sign up for the 2023 is live and working on the ADA website.

8. Communications Committee – Email with Calendar updates for the 2022/2023 Years was sent out. ADA will be hosting the Regionals next year at Westworld.

9. Education Committee – Bill Warren clinic was a success. Riders and auditors enjoyed learning from Bill Warren, and walked away with new ideas to improve their rides in the show ring. Bill worked closely with the riders and showed them ways to improve their strategy in the show ring.

10. Volunteer Committee – ADA is in desperate need of volunteers. This is an area the club could use more help. We need more help at the shows, as well as within our committees.

11. Vendor Committee – Michelle Scarzone is working with the vendors for the Fall Fiesta.

12. Awards Committee – Awards, neck ribbons, are on order for the championships. Farnam will donate prizes for the show and sponsor the Wash Rack.

New Business:

13. Nothing new to report.

CALL TO MEMBERS –

Members may be recognized by the Presiding Officer and may then address the Board regarding issues of concern to the Association. The Presiding Officer has the right to limit the amount of time that each Member has to address the Board.

Announcement of Next Meeting – Next Meeting will take place in person. Venue TBA. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.

2022 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

AUGUST

26-28: TDC Road Runner Dressage Show I: Pima County Fairgrounds, Tucson, AZ

SEPTEMBER

17: ADA Members Only Schooling Show: WestWorld, Scottsdale

17: NAC Dressage Schooling Show: American Ranch, Prescott, AZ , Judge: Michell Combs

OCTOBER

15-16: Clinic with Bill Warren: WestWorld, Scottsdale

22-23: Amelia Newcomb Clinic: American Ranch, Prescott, Contact Susan Crampton 928-925-6043 for more info

26-27 Debbie McDonald Dressage Clinic: Carefree Farms. Accepting auditor registration. Contact michellcombs@hotmail.com for information.

29-30: Western Dressage Show: WestWorld, Scottsdale

NOVEMBER

5-6: AZ 2022 State Championships: WestWorld, Scottsdale, Judges:

19-20: Fall Festival I & II: Pima County Fairgrounds, Tucson, AZ. Judges: 26-27: New Tests Clinic: Sage Mountain Equestrian Center, Scottsdale AZ. Visit caradressage.com for more information

2023 Dates

January 13-14 CARA Champagne I & II

March 12-13 TDC March Madness

April 15-16 ADA Spring Celebration: WestWorld

June 17-18 ADA Summer Heat: WestWorld September 29 - October 1 USDF Regionals: WestWorld

November 4-5 ADA Fall Fiesta: WestWorld

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ARIZONA DRESSAGE ASSOCIATION PO Box 31602 Phoenix, AZ 85046-1602