January 2015 Volume 68

Supporting the needs of equestrians and building

Harmonious horse/rider partnerships.

Dancing Horse News

“If you and the horse don’t swing together, there is no dancing.”

~Dr. Gerd Heuschmann

Calming Taffy’s Fears by DHF President Jen Truett

Continued on page 3

Wow! It's Christmas Eve and I still have TONS of work to do before flying to Georgia tomorrow afternoon to spend time with Lenny's family. Fortunately, thanks to Lenny and online shopping, we’ve been ready for Christmas for a while now.

This is the time of year when I reflect on what the past 12 months has meant to me; lessons learned, friends made, experiences added to my personal journey, assess goals met or not, basically the amazing things that make life what it is. I also spend time in December planning ahead for the following year so that I have clear direction in my decision making that enables me to set realistic goals for my horses, business and personal life. I'd like to use this time to share some of these thoughts.

One of the most exciting things that happened to DHF this year was hiring Kate Springer as my newest apprentice. She has only been at DHF for a couple of months, but in that amount of time, she has folded herself into our family in a way that honestly makes it seem like she's been with us for years, instead of months. Since Kate has experience teaching for the past 3 years and has been a student of my friend, student and clinic organizer, Julie Christie in MN, for several years, she was able to step in and take over Helen Knapke's teaching load when college required more of Helen's time than she anticipated.

A lesson I learned this year was taught by Taffy, of course. He taught me that even though he seemed to trust me enough to allow me to help him through his fear in most situations, the fact that he didn't trust me to help him in every situation was glaringly problematic at Regional Championships this year. Of course, I never expected the 1350 pound prey animal with a highly developed flight mechanism that I choose to ride to stop keeping track of his environment to protect his life. However, I did think that even when those times happened, he would look to me for more support and confidence than he did in the

Rolex Arena. So, I've spent the weeks since building an even stronger relationship with him by giving him ever more options for working through those moments of fear systematically.

Using treat-based encouragement and never pushing him beyond his stretch zone (I avoid his panic zone at all costs), I've been able to build his confidence and trust so that when he is afraid, and he stands quietly near the scary thing, he gets a cookie. Then, inch by inch, he steps closer and closer to the scary thing instead of bolting or shying, getting a cookie for every brave step. When he reaches the scary thing, he now reaches out and touches it with his nose then turns to proudly look at me and ask for his cookie. I've been amazed at the new level of confidence this work has given him, evident in everything he does--even standing in his stall! To really work through this, I've taken us out of the protective bubble I used to work him in so that we could actually get some work done, and brought the scary things right inside the indoor arena.

I now have gobs of flower pots with overflowing flowers of every variety and color, 3' tall flowers, trailing flowers, billowy flowers, grassy flowers, pointy flowers, and some pots even have 1'x2' American flags stuck in them that blow in the slightest wind, or blow of Taffy's nose. Every day, Christina moves the flower pots to different places

Early success! More pics on page 15.

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January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 2

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You will see vehicles with “DHF Spon-sor” stickers on them at DHF from time to time. Be sure to thank their owners for what they do to support Dancing Horse Farm!

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 3

and creates impressive arrangements using my BLOKS and lattice show arena letter holders. We've also brought in a vinyl jump enhancer that looks like a brick wall and at-tached it to a pole that goes horizontally across one of the doors, so that it resembles a banner attached at fence height.

All of these additions have shrunk the amount of time Taffy and I have each day to get "dressage" work done since we spend however long it takes him to be mentally and emotionally OK with his environment. The time in-vestment has proven already to be well worth it because the improvement in how Taffy (and all the other horses at DHF) deal with seeing new, strange things is impressive! Now, when things change, move, blow around, etc, Taffy acknowledges the scary thing and 85% of the time walks (sometimes more boldly than others) over to it and even-tually touches it. Once he can stand next to the scary thing and has enough brain space to do simple tasks like flex his neck left and right and rein back, then I ask him to process it under slightly increasing pressure, first walking up to and past it, then trot, then canter. Once he can handle this series of requests, I am astonished how quickly he be-comes completely okay for the entirety of the ride, each success earning him a coveted cookie, of course!

I realize that he will always be a more reactive horse to external stimuli than another horse, like Sunset, but I feel that this time has given him a new set of options for proc-essing through those moments when the environment seems overwhelming. As long as I can be in the moment with him, at least for now, he is looking to me for more support and guidance proven by the fact that today he quietly and confidently walked, trotted and cantered be-side our big red container that used to send him reeling backwards and sideways if asked to go within 50 feet of it. Whew! Next is testing this work in the show arena in Flor-ida in a month!

As for friends made and experiences added to my personal journey, I have to say my clinics have given me amazing new friends and lifelong memories. As I've said in the past, I am a teacher to my core. Nothing makes me happier than to be able to help a rider improve their relationship with their horse. Over the past year, I've added a couple of new clinic sites to my roster and each one is full of eager riders and auditors who hang on my every word. Yes, I really just said that. People who meet me at a clinic seem to think, "well, of course we do!" but I'm here to tell you that I still think it's miraculous that anyone wants to hear what I have to say because in my mind, I'm just little ol’

me, simply a culmination of my personal experiences, mis-takes, successes, and my personal endeavor to learn eve-rything I can about working with horses. I hope to never get over the excitement of meeting new people and horses, learning about their journeys together and then adding my personal belief on their next steps.

As for goals met or not met, Taffy far surpassed the goals I'd set for his training/competition success for 2014. I'd planned to spend at least the first half of the year at 4th and hoped to bump up to PSG at the end of the season like we did last year (we did three 4th level tests at the end of our 3rd level season). I also wanted to FINALLY (after 19 years of being a hair's breath away) earn my Sil-ver Medal and Silver Freestyle Bar...thank you, Taffy, for those gifts! Sunset met my goal for him to compete at 3rd, but struggled this summer to finish his changes. No prob-lem, we just keep working toward that goal. Sunset is also the strongest and fittest he's ever been, which was an-other of my goals for him.

Lenny and I also had a goal for the farm, that we would have a table full of award recipients at the DLSC banquet. Thanks to an amazing year and lots of supportive parents, Christina had not one but two tables full of proud families of her students at the banquet. Definitely one of the high-lights of the year was being a part of taking 14 horses to a DLSC show and getting to cheer on so many of our smiley kids on their happy ponies. Christina has done an amazing job with our Dancing Horse Dreamers group and has big plans for even more educational events in 2015.

As for my horsey and business plans for 2015, I hope to simply keep up with what we've got going now. DHF is very a busy place full of happy clients (both horses and human). I plan to continue to fill available weekends with clinics, show my boys monthly through the summer, I hope to do my first CDI's with Taffy, finish Sunset's flying changes, learn tons while in FL, host a handful of clinics, figure out how to fit in some personal R&R time into my insane schedule, and in general keep sharing my love of horses with others.

My New Year's wish is that everyone can join me in mak-ing my last goal theirs as well. Horses give a sense of love, peace, healing, comfort, support, and well-being to hu-mans; please give those gifts back to your horses in return.

With my most sincere wishes for a wonderful holiday sea-son for you and yours, -Jen

Calming Taffy’s Fears continued

Go to page 15 for pics of Jen helping Taffy conquer his fears.

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 4

Taffy and Sunset’s Year-End Awards Lafayette HQ (“Taffy”) 2014 Year End Awards

Dressage Horse of the Year: 14th out of 167 who qualified at Fourth Level 69.616 45th out of 492 who qualified at Prix St Georges 68.750

Musical Freestyle

2nd Fourth Level 74.333

Musical Freestyle Challenge

2nd Fourth Level 71.503

Musical Freestyle for the American Hanoverian Society

1st Fourth Level 74.333

Open for American Hanoverian Society

4th Fourth Level Jennifer Truett 69.616 4th Prix St Georges Jennifer Truett 68.750

Performance Horse Registry Silver Stirrup Awards

4th Level Freestyle CHAMPION! 4th Level Open: 6th place Prix St Georges Open: 3rd place

Sunset N 2014 Year End Awards All Breeds Danish Warmblood 3rd Level Open, 3rd place Performance Horse Registry Silver Stirrup Awards 3rd Level, 3rd place

Jen and Lafayette HQ.

Jen and Sunset N.

Things to Consider When Choosing a College

by Working Student Hannah Osborne The equestrian world is a huge multi-billion dollar industry. If you are trying to become a part of this world, choosing a college that will prepare you for it can be daunting and very confusing. There are the usual things to look for in a college such as the cost and location, but for equestrians, it’s a little different. If you own your own horse, you have to look for boarding and you have to check out the facility where your horse will be staying if you choose to bring them along with you. You will also have to look into the type of schooling they provide. Whether they are a more western based or English based can be an important fac-tor in your choice. If you are looking to compete and show while you’re in college, it might be a good idea to look at their different riding teams they offer to their students. College is also a social event for everybody so getting involved in different clubs and activities are an im-portant factor. The amount of out-of-school activities the school offers is a great thing to take into consid-eration when choosing where to go. Choosing a college is scary enough as it is but you have to make sure you choose the correct one. There are many other tips and tricks of finding which college will be right for you but you have to choose the one that simply feels perfect for you and your horse.

“Dancing Horse News” is a production of Dancing Horse Farm, 4080 Weisenberger Rd., Lebanon OH 45036, www.myDHF.com and is copyrighted by DHF. To reprint our articles in your publication, first contact us for permission, then if permission is given, please add this wording, “Reprinted from Dancing Horse News, www.myDHF.com. Used with Permission.”

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 5

Testimonial

I began riding just a short 3 years ago, knowing absolutely nothing about riding or horses. It was something that I had always wanted to do and I figured I wasn't getting any younger. So I began my jour-ney taking lessons on school horses and eventually buying an older Quarter horse named George who was the sweetest and had the kindest soul. I had interest in doing some dressage shows and began taking lessons with Barb Sudomier who encouraged me to take a clinic with Jen Truett who teaches Mary Wanless rider biomechanics. So I rode in her clinic and have now participated in several and I have made tremendous progress. Jen is a phenomenal instructor and leaves you with enough to work on until she comes for the next clinic. I encourage anyone who rides whatever discipline to take her clinics. In October, George began showing signs of age and lameness and I just felt he was saying, "Mom, I’m tired." After several trips to the vet and trying different things the picture was clear to me. Coinci-dentally, Jen posted this beautiful horse named Jubilee on Facebook for sale. So I immediately texted my trainer and told her I was going to contact Jen and see if she thought we were a match. Jen told me

all about Jubilee and said she thought we would be good together. So I called my good friend Jody Dobies and her daughter Bri to plan a road trip. Her exact words were, "ROAD TRIP ON." She told her husband that we were going down to Lebanon Ohio to try a horse named Jubilee at Dancing Horse Farm. He said, "There aren't any horses around here that are for sale." She said, "You don’t understand. We are going to Jen Truett's Dancing Horse Farm." So we made the 4.5 hour road trip and met Helen who showed us Jubilee. I fell in love immediately and knew he would be my next horse. My experience at Dancing Horse Farm was perfect in every way. The farm is beautiful and full of healthy horses and a caring staff. Jubilee’s new home is at Foxgate Farms in Columbus, Michigan. I look forward to the next clinic in April with Jen. Thanks to all at Dancing Horse Farm who made this such a positive experi-ence for me. Debbie Hannaford & Jubilee

Barn Banter by Apprentice Trainer Helen Pianca Welcome back to Sticky Bun and her wonderful family, Tracy, Tammy, Nicole, and Emma! Congratulations to Mallory Thomson on getting the best Christmas present, former lesson horse, Pete! Welcome new boarder Ann Eberenz and her cute mare Destiny! Congratulations to Debbie Hannaford of Michigan on buying former school horse Jubilee Dazzler Protege! We wish you two the best together!

Jen Truett’s 2015 Proposed USDF Recognized Show Calendar

(Jen will likely not do all of these): These are her current plans, but they will be changed as Taffy deems necessary. NOTE: days listed are when Jen plans to show her boys, always arriving the day before except for the Florida shows, where she can just haul in * Indicates a CDI for Taffy 2/1 White Fences Schooling Show in Loxahatchee, FL 2/14-15 Global Dressage Festival “GDF” 6 in Wellington, FL *3/12-14 GDF 10 CDI *3/26-28 GDF 12 CDI Maybe 5/1-2 and 3 Majestic’s Ride for the Roses I and II at Majestic Farm in Batavia, OH *5/21-22 and 23-24 KDA Spring Warm-up and KDA 29th Annual Dressage Show and CDI at KY Horse Park 6/13 and 14 Dressage at Waterloo June I and II in Grass Lake, MI (location of Region 2 Championships) 7/10-12 Dressage at Waterloo July (single show weekend) 8/7-8 and 9 Majestic’s Hotter than Blue Blazes I and II 8/20-21 and 22-23 Dressage at Waterloo Summer Finale I and II 9/17-20 Region 2 Championships at Waterloo *9/29-10/4 Dressage at Devon CDI in Devon, PA 11/5-8 US Dressage Finals hopefully

Upcoming Clinics Mary Wanless at DHF: May 8-10, 2015 Please see our Riding Clinics page for more information. Jen Truett’s Clinics (so far): Jan 10-11: Ronda Hanning, Columbia City IN Jan 16-18: Kelly Vallandingham in St. Paul, MN: U of MN Equine Center Feb 7-9: Mary Osgood in Greenfield, MN: Trinity Creek Farm April 10-12: Kelly Vallandingham in St. Paul, MN: U of MN Equine Center April 25-26: Tammy Shivers, in Columbus MI: Fox Gate Farms Please see Jen’s Clinics Page for information on these locations and how to sign up for the clinics.

Left: A Mary Wanless workshop at DHF. Right: Jen Truett teaching postural alignment in Minnesota.

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 7

When she was 13, Ashley Holden bought Ripley, who was five months old at the time, for $500 at a slaughterhouse auction. Because her dad was in the Army, her family moved frequently and she was only able to get intermittent help with her riding. Ashley and Ripken started in 4-H doing open Quarter Horse and hunter/jumper shows. She started dres-sage at the end of high school/beginning of college. School and career were the priorities in Ashley’s life for years, but now she has time to ride and is glad now-19 year old Ripken is still able to fulfill her ambitions.

Ashley and Ripken’s dressage showing began with Kentucky Dressage Association (KDA) schooling shows. She had vari-ous trainers, but in 2012, she came to a clinic at Dancing Horse Farm. When she saw Jen Truett ride into the ring, she thought, “I want to ride like that!” Although Ashley lives two hours away, she tries to come up at least once a month for a lesson, more often when she can. Thanks to her training with Jen, she started showing in USDF shows in 2012, getting more successful all the time.

During the summer of 2014, Jen posted a link on Facebook to the Dressage Foundation’s Carol Lavell Gifted Memorial Fund. Ashley clicked on the link and realized she and Ripken could qualify for it! She had to write an essay on her goals and what the grant money would be used for. She also had to have two letters of rec-ommendation. She got one from Jen and one from her friend, Jane Proctor, who is the County Extension agent for Henry County, Kentucky. Jen had to write saying she would accept Ashley and Ripken for a week of intensive training in the Spring of 2015. This intense training week is how all the grant funds will be spent.

I asked Ashley what she thought caught the Dressage Foundation’s eye in her application. She replied, “Ripken’s story tugs at the heartstrings.” In her application, she included her scores toward her Bronze Medal at First and Second Level and that she wanted to finish her bronze on Ripken at Third. She had a clear goal and plan, and she believes that’s part of why they chose her to receive the award.

The application process started in late summer, and she was told she won the award in December. She got an email on Jen Truett’s birthday, December 4th, with “Jenny” as the subject. Ashley didn’t know what it was about when she opened it at work. Her co-workers heard her screaming in excitement when she read it!

Jen Truett says one of her students receiving such a grant was the best birthday present ever . She was at the USDF Convention at the time, seated near the “Jenny” who had sent that email (Jenny Johnson). Jenny asked Jen if she’d heard from Ashley yet, because she knew how excited Ashley was and how excited Jen would be. Small world, that Jen and Jenny were together then!

Ashley’s long term goal is to retire Ripken after she takes him to Third Level. The thought of retiring him is overwhelming, but he’s earned it.

One of the grant requirements is that Ashley has to write an article about her experience after her week of intense training with Jen Truett and send it to the Dressage Foundation. The article will

Ashley Holden Awarded Carol Lavell Grant! by Lynda Sappington

Continued next page

Ashley and Ripken

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 8

Video Lessons with Jen! by Lynda Sappington

Have you ever wished you could take lessons with Jen Truett, but you live so far away, it just isn’t feasible? Now it is! Jen is offering Video Lessons! Here’s how it works: You upload a video of you riding your horse, contact Jen and send her the link. She will set up a time to talk with you on the phone and the two of you watch it together, with her giving you tips and pointers along the way, exercises and homework, as well. Then you send her another video showing how your homework has worked out for you and you do another video lesson, getting more homework. She will work on your biomechanics and that of your horse, and whatever other issues she believes need to be addressed. The lessons cost $60 each, payable to Dancing Horse Farm. We take credit cards as well as checks. If you ride with her in clinics, or have wished you could, this is your lucky day!

DHF Birthdays! Happy birthday to December birthday girl, Jen Truett (she was 40!!) and to these folks whose birthdays are in January: Lorene Hall, Jan 17; Lynda Sappington, Jan 31

If I’ve missed your birthday, it’s because I don’t have it on my list! DHF clients, please send your birthdays to me at Lynda@myDHF.com. Thanks!

Ashley Holden Awarded Carol Lavell Gifted Grant continued

include some of her essay (such as what her goals were), and she will write about how each goal was met and what she can take home from that week and work on for the next show season.

Ashley and Ripken’s year (2014) started out badly with Ripken being sick to the point of nearly being eutha-nized. Then he got well, made it to Regionals and was 13th out of 38 at Second Level. And now he and Ash-ley have won this grant! What a great end to the year!

Ashley is an occupational therapist and has a nonprofit called Forward Motion Incorporated. She is a PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) certified instructor of thera-peutic riding. Forward Motion is held on her ten acre farm in Crestwood, Kentucky. Ash-ley is married, has three horses and one miniature donkey (who was a birthday gift for her hubby) and three dogs. Ashley says, “Doors keep opening since I first came to DHF. We’ve been very lucky in finding Jen. It’s well worth our two-hour trips up there. Although it always seems to be either hot or freezing at DHF, that’s okay. We’ll still keep coming.”

Ashley and Ripken

New Horse Owners Class! by Lynda Sappington The next New Horse Owners Class will be January class will be Sunday Jan. 18 from 2-4 PM. The cost is $5 per person, payable to DHF the day of the class. If you pay cash, please remember to put the money in one of the provided envelopes in the office and mark it as required. You can sign up for the class on Schedulicity.com, which you can access on the “Lesson Scheduling” page on our website. If you’re considering buying a horse or have recently purchased one, you’re welcome to join the class. I’ll be happy to catch you up with the others. In our January class, we will be learning about leg and hoof ailments. I’m also accept-ing suggestions for other topics you want covered in the book and classes, so if you

think of something you’d like to know more about, please contact me at Lynda@myDHF.com or 513-933-0343. See you soon!

Show Season in Review by Working Student Allie Morua As show season comes to a close, I'm compelled to look back on all of my great (and some not so great) ex-periences and lessons that competing has taught me over the course of the summer. 1.Winning isn't everything. Competing isn't just about the ribbons and medals. Although it’s not a bad feeling to be handed that blue ribbon, it doesn't mean that if you place lower, or even not at all, that the show was unsuccessful. For me, it was all about getting the experience and mileage. As long as it was a good experi-ence for both you and the horse, you can go home happy and with homework for the next show. 2. Make sure you and your horse are both on the same page. If you know what you're going to do and your horse knows what you're going to do and you're both prepared for whatever may come your way, there's no way you can fail. If your horse isn't prepared to work but you are, you might not ride to your best potential. So prepare your horse ahead of time and have lots of warm up (even if it is mostly just walking and focusing a distracted pony). 3. Be prepared. To make show day as stress free as possible you need to know that you have everything you might need. I always pack everything I need the night before and wake up extra early to double check. I even make a checklist with all of the little things I need that are easily forgotten, just to make sure I know how everything is planned out for the day ahead. You need a clear understanding of what trailer you're going in, what time you need to be tacked up and on, and the actual ride time. When everything is planned out it makes everything a whole lot more stress-free. 4. Don't let what happened previously affect what's next. This could apply to a lot of different situations, from forgetting your gloves at home to knocking a rail in your stadium round. If you make one mistake, don't sweat it, just figure out what caused the mistake, reorganize, and fix it the next time. In eventing, you could start on a poor dressage test but build your score back up in stadium and cross country. You don't need to constantly dwell on the past when the future could be great! For this being my first show season, I'd say it went pretty well. I can't wait to compete again next summer and accomplish more goals with more awesome people.

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 9

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 10

Horsekeeping in Winter by Apprentice Trainer Helen Pianca

Even with cozy barns and enclosed indoor arenas, there is no getting around the fact that horseback riding is an outdoor sport. And in winter, you have to make certain adjustments to your and your horse's routines to ensure that you both stay comfortable and happy when the mercury starts to fall. When it’s colder out, horses can sometimes can be more energetic. Combine that with the limited turn-out that often is the case in winter, and you could have a stir-crazy horse on your hands. You might need to lunge your horse or do groundwork before you ride to make sure that your horse is calm and attentive before you mount. Even if you do not usu-ally have to lunge, some horses can become very exuberant when it is cold out, especially if they are blanketed and you remove the blanket to ride. The cold air on their bodies can goose even the most steadfast animal. Even if you are lungeing to get the crazies out, though, I don't like to let horses go crazy on the line. If you make it a structured part of their working time, you will be more likely to have good focus when you do get on. Frequent transitions and varying the circle size will keep your horse more at-tentive and safer than just letting him gallop in a cir-cle around you. You have to be careful that you don't strain cold muscles, tendons, and ligaments. You will need to adjust your warm-up time for winter rides so your horse has longer to stretch and loosen his muscles. If you plan on lungeing, make sure to hand walk your horse for at least 5-10 minutes before lungeing so that he is warm before he has the chance to run and act silly on the lunge line. Injuries can occur in warm muscles, but they are much more common in cold tissues as they are less elastic and have lowered cir-culation. On the same note, the large muscle groups of the horse may also be stiff and tight from the cold or if your horse had limited turnout. When the tem-perature is low, the horse's metabolism will increase circulation to the digestive system to produce more body heat (This is also why it is important to keep hay available to horses in winter; they can digest it to keep warm). This means that blood flow to the

skeletal muscles is lower, and lac-tic acid can accu-mulate and cause stiffness and sore muscles. A long, slow warm-up will help your horse feel much better about per-forming his job for you. After all this talk about keeping your horse warm enough, it is equally important to make sure your horse doesn't overheat. A horse's natural winter coat is very good at what nature intended it to do: keep your horse warm. But if you are working your horse and he is generating additional body heat, he may become sweaty. This normally isn't a big deal since you can just hose him off and let him dry in the summer, but a sweaty, wet horse in winter is a bad thing. He will begin to chill as soon as he finishes working, and the water on his coat will be slow to dry, putting him at risk of catching hypothermia or a respiratory infection from a compromised immune response. If your horse becomes sweaty, you can use a cooler to help keep him warm as he dries. If he gets sweaty often, you should consider clipping him to keep him drier during workouts. You can take off just a small strip of hair around his chest (this is where most of a horse's body heat is dissipated) or clip everything from nose to tail. It depends on how much he sweats and his living situation. If he lives outside, he will need LOTS of blankets if he is fully clipped. You should only clip as much as you need to keep him from becoming wet during workouts, and no more than that. Once you remove the horse's natural winter protection, he will need additional blankets to keep warm when not being worked. Just as you should dress in layers so that you can tem-perature-regulate during workouts, you can use quarter sheets and coolers to regulate your horse's body temperature when you ride.

Continued next page

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 11

Testimonials Thanks, Jen, for supporting us at the USDF National Finals:

Thank you again for supporting Rizo and I at the finals :). Again- if it weren't for you, I never would have done a freestyle, tried to qualify for regionals (let alone nationals), and so would not have had this whole amazing experience :). I probably would also not have seen my successes as such achievements if it were-n't for you... I've never celebrated them like you have shown me how to do. Thank you!

Julie Christie (one of Jen's Minnesota clinic organizers and clients)________________________________________________________________________________________

About Jen's clinics:

Thanks Jen for a great clinic. I so appreciate your approach and your expertise. I look forward to working hard and seeing you again. Thank you!! Nancy Gerrard (one of Jen’s Minnesota clinic clients)

Does Your Horse Need Training? Jen Truett currently has an opening in her training schedule in Ohio until mid-January, and in Florida from mid-January until April 1. If your horse needs a brush-up on some skills or to add new ones, you can email her at Jen@myDHF.com or call her at 937-532-3108. The photo shows Jen with Lafayette HQ (“Taffy”).

We want our horses to enjoy their jobs, and as much as we monitor saddle fit, veterinary care, training, and nutrition, it is just as important to make sure that they are comfortable with the temperature. The process of domestication has removed a lot of their ability to self-regulate temperature: clipping and blanketing them, keeping them in barns, feeding re-

stricted diets, breeding them for fine or heavy coats, or just riding them. No mustang in its right mind would spend an hour trotting around in a circle in the dead of winter; it would quickly become dead. As the caretakers of our domesticated horses, it is up to us to make sure that our horses are happy and comfort-able in all seasons.

Horsekeeping in Winter continued

Dressage Foundation’s Article on the Carol Lavell

Gifted Memorial Grant If you’d like to read more about those who, like Jen’s client, Ashley Holden, were awarded this grant, the Dressage Foundation has an article about it here: http://bit.ly/1Hhv0hC

January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 12

I have had many wonderful learning opportunities since I began my riding journey with DHF, including my participation in a Dr. Gerd Heuschmann clinic in Indiana this fall. During a riding lesson on my four year old, Zachary, Jen told me there was a last minute opening in the clinic in which she was riding in two weeks. We had just been talking about taking Zack off the farm for the first time since he arrived three years earlier, so I decided that the Dr. Heuschmann clinic would be the opportunity for which we were looking. I had my reservations, as usual, but Jen said he would be fine, as usual. Of course, Jen was right. Jen led Zack to the gigantic four-horse living quarters trailer first and he went right in like a champ. Zen (Emily Bermes’ horse), Sunset and Taffy followed, and then Jen, Lynda (Jen’s Mom) and I were on our way to Indiana for Jen’s first time driving the semi-size rig by herself. All went very well until we got within 5 miles of our destination where the roads were very narrow and all at 90 degree angles, and we came to a Road Closed sign. There was no way this rig was going to turn around under the circumstances but thankfully there was a road to turn onto right before the Road Closed sign, at a tight 90 degree angle. Jen did her best, tak-ing up every available inch of road. The wheels went off the road into the ditch on the right but the big truck pulled the giant trailer out. Next we came to a left turn where Jen only had enough room to miss the road sign on the left and the trees in someone’s front yard on the right by about an inch, no kidding. At least when we got to the Zen Equestrian Center the driveway was wide enough to turn into without so much drama. The barn was beautiful and they had a brand new in-door arena that was impressive but there had been so much rain that the driveway could not be com-pleted so here Jen was with this gigantic rig and not enough gravel to park it. We unloaded the horses and Jen did an amazing job of backing the trailer into a spot one foot from the fence (on the left side) where

we hoped it would not get stuck. The truck sank into the gravel a bit but it seemed ok. A little while later, when we came back from the barn, we noticed the door to the camper was positioned right over a big muddy puddle. So we spent the whole time squeez-ing around the left side and the back of the trailer to get into the mid-tack door and enter the camper through the bathroom (could be a little awkward, right? Especially when carrying tack!) but it went fine. Zachary handled the new surroundings very well. He was a little anxious in his stall but he would settle down when I was with him. It was a new experience for him to have windows to see through in the indoor arena and he was afraid of the bulldozer parked out-side when I lunged him, but he soon learned that it would not come in to eat him and calmed down. Riding with Dr. Heuschmann was amazing and fun. I had audited his symposium at DHF but never dreamed I would have the opportunity to ride with him myself. He is extremely concerned with the com-fort and happiness of the horse and very in tune with the abilities of each rider. He wants the horse’s back to be relaxed and “swing.” He said several times during the clinic that if you don’t have the back, you are just doing tricks in a sand box and not Dressage. He also uses the term “plié” frequently, which means to use the leg to bend the horse before using the rein. I am finding myself beginning to use my leg before my hand more and more often lately and it really does work. Dr. Heusch-mann also teaches to lift up on the inside rein to bring the withers to vertical. He was also tall enough to stand beside Zack (at 16.2) and reach across his neck to hold both reins and show me leg yield while I used my leg to move Zack sideways. I am using the same technique at home and having great success. Dr. Heuschmann had a meeting with the riders before beginning the second day of the clinic to explain his objectives and terminology, and he even drew pic-tures for us! This was a great opportunity to ask

Zack’s First Clinic by Barn Manager Lori Aman

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January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 13

questions and clearly understand his teaching goals. I was very impressed with his openness to all of us. He is a very nice and caring horseman and I really respect his point of view. As with so many opportunities over the past 7 years, I have Jen to thank for making this experience possible for me.

After two fun days of camping out with Jen and Lynda, it was time to go home. The driveway wasn’t big enough to turn the big rig around so Jen decided to back out the curved driveway onto the narrow road. Lynda walked on the left side and I walked on the right and did our best to guide Jen out the drive-way (I had no idea what I was doing). Since Jen seemed to be doing well, I didn’t give her enough

feedback. She backed out and onto the road perfectly and I stood beside the mailbox so she could see where it was. Poor Jen then jumped out of the truck shaking because Lynda and I had not given her as much feedback as she wanted (it didn’t help that we couldn’t hear each other over the diesel engine). I felt badly about letting her down, but Jen came through like she always does. We had a better route to drive going home and avoided the scary, dangerous 90 de-gree turns.

I am very happy with Zack’s first trip away from DHF and looking forward to more traveling learning op-portunities in the future.

Zack’s First Clinic continued

New DHF Jackets! by Lynda Sappington Every year, Jen and Lenny present the DHF Staff with some kind of present to thank them for all their hard work. This gift is often in the form of logo-embroidered outerwear. This year, Jen hit a FABULOUS sale online and bought two styles of medium-weight fleece-lined jackets! Both styles are Moxie Equestrian’s Cavalero jackets. The ladies jacket has fold-up sleeves, three front zippered pockets and a stand-up collar that snaps closed and snaps on the bottom of the jacket for riding comfort. The bomber style has knit cuffs on the sleeves and two zipped pockets. Both styles have a two-way zipper. They’re made of techno-suede, lined with Sherpa fleece and are machine washable! Their ads say shavings don’t stick to this fleece, which is wonderful, especially for a barn jacket! The jackets are breathable, moisture wicking and moisture resistant. The ladies’ jackets originally sold for as much as $80 without our embroidery, the men’s for $110. For our DHF family and clients, you can buy one of either style for $60 (which includes tax) while supplies last. If they need to be shipped, those costs will be extra. Sizes range from XS to XXL and colors available include navy, black, emerald, hunter green (the bomber only), and a very limited supply of medium blue, red and

raspberry (raspberry in S only). Sorry, we can no longer do spe-cial orders. Here are Jen Truett and Lori Aman modeling the ladies’ jacket. The bomber is on the right. Contact Lynda Sappington for more in-formation or to order.

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DHF is having a sale on certain logowear! Supplies are limited, so shop soon! We have a variety of polo and t-shirts, fleece jackets, tote bags, ball caps, etc., as well as DHF logo jewelry. You can see these things in the DHF Observation Room. If you need access to the logowear cabinet, give me a call at 513-933-0343 and I’ll come to the farm and open it for you (I only live a few driveways away—it isn’t a big deal for me to come over if I’m not already there). You can also order DHF logos on your saddlepads for show season (you provide a pad like the one shown and we can get it embroidered for you)! Questions? E-mail me: Lynda@myDHF.com or call me at 513-933-0343.

Order Form for DHF Window Stickers How many stickers do you want? _______ (at $20.00 each, which includes tax). Check which wording you want above logo: __Dancing Horse Farm __Dancing Horse Dressage __Dancing Horse Eventing __Dancing Horse Dreamers Words below logo (Name of rider, or name of rider and horse) __________________________________________________________________________________ Where you want the sticker delivered (tack locker—please say which barn and what name—or mailing address): ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Please drop this form and payment (made out to Dancing Horse Farm) in the payment box in the office, or mail it to Dancing Horse Farm, 4080 Weisenberger Rd., Lebanon OH 45036

DHF Logo Gear

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Tis the Season….for winter blankets! By Apprentice Trainer Kate Springer

We are officially knee deep into winter blanket season, and if you are like me, you have several blankets for your horse. There is no better feeling then knowing that your horse will be covered no matter what the tem-perature is. The downfall to all those blankets is trying to get them all to fit on the blanket bar. In this month’s article, I will show you an easy way to fold blankets of all kinds to help makes them all fit, as well as

make your stall front look neat and tidy. This method of folding blankets works well for storing blankets when not in use as well. (1) Start by laying your blanket on the ground or on a table as shown. If your blanket has a tail flap, you may fold it over so that it stays neatly inside when you fold that blanket. This is a good oppor-tunity to take a look at the inside of the blanket. Check for rips, holes; build up of hair or dirt and anything that could possibly cause irritation to the horse.

(2) Fold the blanket in half the long way, so that the top of the blanket matches the bot-tom. Thinner blankets such as sheets, light weights and coolers can be folded a second time to make them store better. This is also helpful for during the warmer months so you

have plenty of space on the blanket bar for other things besides blankets. (3) Grab the middle of the blanket at the top and bottom and pick the blanket up. It

should now be folded in half. This is how we are go-ing to hang the blanket on the bar. (4) Pull the blanket up from under the blanket bar up toward the top of the stall. When the blanket is half way up the bar, go ahead and fold the blanket over the bar and let it hang. At this point you can adjust the blanket so that it looks nice. If you choose to, you may fold the leg and belly straps into the blanket so that they don’t hang on the floor. I would be careful to make sure that the straps don’t get wrapped around the bar, as this can make the blanket difficult to remove and could result in broken straps (5) Now your blanket will look nice and neat on your stall front. If you are storing the blanket for the season, there are several ways to help get pesky blankets into storage bags. If you have a

bag that has a large opening at the top and zip shut, it helps to roll the corners and edges of the blanket under as you push it into the bag. If your storage bag has a small opening at the top or side, folding the back corners on top of the blanket, then pushing it into the bag can help the blanket slide into the bag eas-ier.

Step 1

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Step 5

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Dreamers Report by Apprentice Trainer Christina Sharkey For those of you that weren't able to attend the 2nd Annual Dreamers Give Back and Potluck event, we had an absolute blast! We were so blessed to have TWENTY blanket makers show up to make all TWENTY blan-kets for FLOC (For Love of Children) in record time! Attendees, thank you all for your hard work; I certainly couldn't have done it without each and every one of you! The food was delicious, the music cheerful, the fleece beards (ahem, Paul) were warm, and the company endearing. We even got a really cool suggestion to make next year even more fun, but you'll have to attend to find out what it is! ;) In addition to the blankets, we also raised almost $200 in additional funds that was given directly to FLOC! Absolutely amazing! Thank you to all who participated and donated for making this fantastic event such a beautiful reality.

Calming Taffy’s Fears continued from page 3

Left and above: Jen helping Taffy conquer his fears.

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How to Get the Most Out Of Your Dressage Show Season

By Working Student Hannah Addington

As another season ends, some of you might already be looking at the next one starting. Showing horses is a fun way to get experience and to meet other people who have the same passion as you. But, if you’re like me, you would like to get more out of the season then just some good conversations and life long memories. Here are some things that I do to get the most out of my showing experience. Pre-Season To be able to show, you have to figure out who your partner is going to be. If you own a horse, then the an-swer is simple. If you are using a lesson horse, you may consider a lease to have consistency through the sea-son. The second most important thing to determine is what test you will be doing. Most people do two dressage tests per show. I, on the other hand, did three and used my first test as a warm up, to see how Skid (my horse) was that day. If you are going to do a hunter/jumper show the next day, I recommend only doing two tests or less so you don’t tire your horse out too much. The last thing you should put some thought in to is which shows you are going to do. Make sure you check your non-horse calendar to make sure you don’t schedule yourself to be in two places at once. You can do shows consecutively or take breaks in between. This season I did the last six shows instead of spreading them out because of my vacation schedule. During the Season Show days go by in a flash. One second you are getting ready, often the night before, and the next second you are, hopefully, coming home with a smile on your face and ribbons in hand. Watch fellow barn mates compete and look at their score sheets afterwards to learn what your judge looks for in a test and see if they are an easy judge or one that judges like they do at a recognized show. I guaran-tee you will see both at some show or another. Get the lay of the land. Ask your trainer when they want you to be ready and arrive 30 minutes to an hour earlier. Find out where the show secretary is and check in and then find other key places at the competition site such as where the makeup arena and your show arena are, as well as the bathroom. Read your score sheets. I know the scribes don’t have the prettiest handwriting, but it is worth the effort to decipher what’s there, I promise. If you know what to work on in your next warm-up or lesson, you can im-prove. Take pictures and video. Watch them later and see how you performed and where the judge’s comments came from. Having eyes outside of the arena is good. Parents, friends and other competitors can provide valuable feedback. Post Season When it’s all said and done and the last scores are in there are some things that you can do to ensure a bet-ter season next year.

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How to Get the Most . . . continued Talk to your trainer. They really do know what they are talking about. Shocking right? ;) They have watched your growth almost every step of the way. They can help you see what you have improved on and what still needs improvment. If you’re really crazy, make a show summary. I’m in the process of making one myself. Here’s a quick look at how I have mine set up. Page One Horses Name/ Your Name Year-Present 1. Date: Show Name Test: points, percent Page Two Place Record Year-Present First Place: Number of first places Second Place: Number of second places Etc. Seventh place and below: Number of no places Other: Any accomplishments outside of placements Page Three Averages Year-Present 1. Year: Test: average percent of all of your tests that year Year End Results Year-Present 1. Year: Test: result Page Four Judges Year-Present 1. Date: Judges name – easy, medium and hard Of course, if you are only showing to have some fun and nothing more, then all you have to do is look at some pictures and remember special moments. Happy reminiscing!

Make sure to let your partner know how they are doing throughout the day

Hannah and her partner, Skid

December 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 19 January 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 19