Journaling

Chances are if you have seen a petite woman taking copious notes while auditing a clinic, you might be witnessing me in action. I have had a compulsion to document and journal my own instruction and that of others over the last 35 years. Having taken instruction with a whole lot of folks in the Dressage world, it was apparent to me that each instructor had their own road to Rome. Understandable during those years. Our instructors were learning as they went too. Consistancy wasn't there yet for our instructors were finding their way. Even today there are definite differences in the approach to warming up a Dressage horse. Having an engineering type mind I have always tried to understand which horses need what style, and to compound the pondering, during the later 80's I actively campaigned two horses in totally different disciplines. It was a necessity to journal in order to be fair with both horses. I was showing a reiner mare and an FEI Dressage horse during the same show season. Talk about stress. I had to remind myself how I trained each one and why the aids were different for the end product of each discipline. I wanted to record the training journey of the reiner, for I might want to take on a second reiner. I had to remain focused to be in the moment which was very hard. Comparing and trying to see if there was a fit that suited both disciplines was consuming.
It hasn't been all in vain however. It has been a passion of mine to put together the truths of my discovery process. I haven't been active on the show scene for almost 20 years, but I have been hyper focused at home. I am just as passionate about dressage as ever. I didn't want to lead people down various paths any more until I did more discovery on what I believed based on several factors. Did it work? Does this aid or correction undo another one needed down the line? Does it hurt the rider to ride with this posture or aiding? Do I as a rider have a recurring weakness? What does the horse chiropractor, body worker and or biofind feedback tell you about the connection that you are striving for? And with the focus small each day, staying in the present I have found a lot of satisfaction in my discovery.
The controversy in the Dressage world about the Rollkur, or hyperflexion of the poll I have documented with the lasers. I noticed recently that one of the veternarians for the gold medal dressage team from Germany believes in the use of the bio find and lasers and partially credits the therapy to the horses continued success. I have used lasers in this discovery process as to how a horse would map out being ridden over round with one chin towards his point of shoulder, deeper than normal and got some surprising results. Anyway, it is my intent to share some of my journey and become active in discussions of what I have discovered. We all have ah ha discoveries and when they match someone else's it is very validating!!!. :) CeeCee