Learning Happens On and Off the Horse: Another Great Clinic with Felicitas von Neumann-Cose

By, Paige Zimmerman

From March 24-26, Olivia Steidle Dressage hosted another clinic with Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel at Bailey Ridge Farm in Pittstown, NJ! This was one of the biggest clinics yet, with more than 30 rides over 3 days. It was fabulous to see everyone again and watch the improvements in every horse and rider throughout the weekend.

I rode Ducati on Sunday, after auditing all weekend. It was helpful to have watched Felicitas work with all of the other riders prior to my own ride, because I felt I was primed and ready for my lesson. Often, at least for me, learning is just as much watching as it is doing. Throughout the clinic, Felicitas utilized a neck rope often, which I found very interesting. It was comparable to when we used the polo wrap or the piece of baling twine in the previous clinic in January: she had the riders use the neck rope as an aid to the half-halt. By applying pressure (and a subsequent release) to the rope at the base of the neck, the rider encourages the horse to lift the base of their neck and engage the trapezius muscle. It aids the half-halt so that the rider doesn’t just pull on the reins and get tight. Rather, they focus on their body. I didn’t use the neck rope during my ride, but having that visual of a more mindful half-halt was extremely helpful.

In the first half of my lesson, we focused on the canter work and preparation for the flying changes. Felicitas had me first ride a 20-meter circle, bending Ducati to the outside and yielding his body off of my outside leg towards the inside. It was difficult to get him to yield without throwing either his shoulder or his haunches over Felicitas really had me make sure that he was bending and moving off the outside leg evenly, paying special attention to his shoulders and making sure that they were not yielding less than the haunches. Essentially, I was to create a counter-bend to the outside of the circle rather than a true bend, while also ensuring that he didn’t stiffen up and get rigid on either side of his body. Bending to the outside didn’t mean just throwing the body in the other direction: it still had to happen in balance. The purpose of this exercise (which we first did in the walk) was to ensure that whenever I eventually wanted to ask for my flying change, he was actually supple on both sides, especially in the direction of the new bend.

After working on the counter-bending and suppling exercise in the walk, we worked on it in the canter. On a 15 meter circle, Felicitas had me counter-bend him and focus on his balance on either side of his body. Then, when I was ready and he felt prepared, I was to depart from the circle, go across the short diagonal (maintaining that counterbend), and ride a flying change to the new direction, maintaining the bend after the change. What had been a counter-bend before the change thus became a true bend. This exercise of encouraging the suppleness on both sides of his body was super helpful in making the changes more rideable and “smooth” rather than him stiffening against my aids. It also helped my timing become more clear, so that the changes happened when I wanted them to, without him anticipating, which he often does. Whenever he would try to anticipate, I could just increase the counter-bend, which encouraged him to listen to my aids more closely. However, at first, my changes were a bit short behind. In other words, his new inside hind leg was not coming all the way underneath his body when jumping through the flying change. So, Felicitas encouraged me to ride the changes with conviction. I often feel myself hold my breath for a split second through the change, which I am sure Ducati feels as hesitation. Once I began to ride the changes with a more forwardthinking attitude, we got a really nice and clean one in Ducati’s more difficult direction!

In the second half of my lesson, we worked on the trot. By this point in the lesson Ducati was getting excited, especially after working on the changes. In the beginning of the trot work, he was a little tight and short in his neck, so it was easy for him to get a head of steam and it was hard for me to be effec- tive with my half-halts. To help this problem, Felicitas had me do an exercise that we had worked on a bit during the previous clinic. She had me stand in the stirrups to ask for a downward transition from trot to walk, and then as soon as he walked I was to sit in the saddle and proceed in sitting trot again. At the same time, I was to ask for more stretching of his neck and let the reins out longer. I could still touch his mouth if needed, and I maintained contact, but Felicitas wanted me to be able to ask him for a downward transition without needing to shorten his neck and use too much rein. The goal was to get him to listen more to my body and have him stretch his neck out to a longer contact, maintaining power in the trot but staying focused and relaxed. This challenged me to really use my core as I stood in the stirrups to ask for the downward transition, and it required a lot of fine tuning to the aids, as I couldn’t “cheat” and just use the reins to ask. It felt a little counterintuitive, but the final product is worth the effort. It was interesting to feel Ducati figure it out, and then by the end when I stood in the stirrups and asked for a halt-halt from my core, just slowing my rhythm down, he would walk, and then I could sit and he was ready to trot off. The feeling of the longer neck was great too, since he couldn’t just curl and get stuck, as he has the tendency to do. It was a very interesting exercise and produced great results!

Thank you Olivia Steidle for organizing this wonderful clinic opportunity, and always for your education and support! And also as always, thank you Brenda Curnin for sharing your wonderful and talented Ducati with me. Thank you to Ingrid and Bailey Ridge Farm for hosting us once again. Your hospitality is ever-appreciated. And of course, thank you Felicitas for all of your excellent exercises and vast wisdom. My rides after the clinic have improved in all ways, especially the flying changes, which I am able to ride with more conviction and correctness now. It is so nice to be feeling a breakthrough in our progress and I am excited to keep working.

Jersey Palms Farm

177 S. Stump Tavern Road Jackson NJ, 08527 609.213.5745

KWLYNX@comcast.net www.jerseypalmsfarm.com

Irish Manor Stables

718 Sergeantsville RoadStockton, NJ 08559 908.237.1281 info@irishmanorstables.com www.irishmanorstables.com

Good Times Farm

278 Jackson Mills Road, Freehold, NJ 07728 732.409.2882 gtts@optonline.net www.GoodTimeFarm.com

Rhythm and Blues Stables

108 Old York Rd. Hamilton, NJ 08620 609 306-8221

RBLStables@aol.com www.rhythmandbluesstables.com

Anjelhart Equestrian Center

38 Millers Mill Rd, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514 609.758.7676 lacavacreations@aol.com www.Anjelhart.com

Heart’s Journey Stable

425 Kromer Road Wind Gap, PA 18091 610.730.8016 mmorehouse07@gmail.com www.heartsjourneystables.com

Equisential Equine LLC

111 Snyder Ave Bellmar NJ 08031 717.649.4799 bryner.2@gmail.com https://www.esdcta.org/home/omni-calendar/