Category: Lessons
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It’s up to me to get it right!
In my lessons recently my coach Belinda Trussell has been emphasizing is that I must give with the reins. Give before every half halt, give before every transition up or transition down, give before every movement. The problem I had was that once Biasini was fired up I would give and he would speed up.…
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Simple is not always easy.
Such a simple exercise but not an easy one!
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Pinch that grape!
What does pinching grapes have to do with dressage? Let me explain. My coach Belinda Trussell wants me to half halt without using my hands. She told me to pinch a grape between my shoulder blades. That pinching of a little grape, a small movement but a powerful one, can produce a signal that is…
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Ride like Raffa!
I have been a fan of tennis star Raphael Nadal for many years. It is not only that he has overcome injury and come back or that he is a brilliant tennis player but mostly because of his attitude! Recently I was listening to a radio report on the Australian Open . It was after…
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Watching! Listening! Learning!
“Always keep reminding him he’s doing a super job”
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“There’s a fire behind you!”
This week I learned that there is no time to think. I must just act! “Ride like there’s a fire behind you.” My coach Belinda Trussell said this several times in my lessons. “Ride with more urgency” Ride as if there is a fire behind me? This is not about getting Biasini to go faster.…
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Olympian pretending to be a horse?
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new! Socrates When I was a kid I used to pretend to be a horse. I would be cantering around the living room and occasionally rearing up like the Lone Ranger’s horse Silver! But I…
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Energy in! Energy out!
So much energy needed….!
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It’s all about Perspective.
“It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.” -Thoreau
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Details!
“Details create the big picture.”
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How much more?
“You need your lower leg to be 50% stronger” Belinda said in my lesson. Good grief! That means I have only half of the strength needed now and need an improvement of 100% I pleaded to be let off and said that my physio had cautioned me against doing any strengthening exercises . However when…
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That Goldilocks bend!
“One millimeter more bend. Keep the activity! And the bend! ” These are the words of my coach Belinda Trussell during my lesson on Thursday this past week. One more millimeter? Not too much, not too little, just the perfect amount of bend. Just like Goldilocks’ porridge the bend has to be just right. It…