I feel like I‘m a world traveler. I had two horses of Anita Antenucci’s, Kortina and Dreaming of Repent (Jolie), in Wellington, Florida at Katie and Henri Prudent’s Plain Farm Bay Farm for the last couple of months. I taught a couple of Katie’s students on the flat and sometimes I rode some of their horses for them so they can watch them go, and also flatted some of Katie and Henri’s horses. I helped Abigail McArdle a little with her horse Fanta Light B, and a bit ago she won the under-25 on the derby field. It was fun to see their improvement and hopefully I gave her some ideas to think about and some different exercises she can use.
I also rode one of Adam Prudent’s horses on the flat, who was a little stiff and down in his shoulders, and offered what I felt might help. I rode Olivia Chowdry’s horse, Chuck Berry, some, and he won the meter-40 on the derby field. on. I think it was nice for Katie to have someone say the same things she did but in a different way, and to look at horse and rider problems from a different perspective and offer some other solutions.
I got to to jump a couple of horses other than mine, and even jumped a meter-35. Jolie stepped up to the meter-1 class; she’s only been off the track for year-and-a-half, and got some money in the Thoroughbred classes, so I was thrilled with her. Kortina did one week of the meter-1, then moved up to the meter-10 and then meter-15. I rode in a ton of different rings, and you just can’t beat it as an education.
I would spend three and one-half days a week in Florida, and the other days I was home in Virginia teaching and riding and also teaching at Morningside. I alternated that with teaching in Aiken or in Alabama. A couple weeks ago I was in all four states—Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida in one weekend! You do whatever you can to make it work. I so appreciated my ability to get more education myself, and being in Wellington with amazing weather and seeing the best of the best horses and riders, whether on the flat or to the jumps, was an invaluable education.
My riding take-away from my winter of training is that the beautiful feeling I create on the flat has to also be created to the jumps, and I need to ride every stride to create the perfect jump. Riding is hard. Sometimes you forget to have that feel when you jump, and to have it all the way around the course. At Katie and Henri’s, they have so many good riders on the farm you’re surrounded by excellence, and that helped my riding so much.
Meanwhile it snowed a lot in Virginia! Lila rode the horses that were at home around the aisle inside the barn when the weather was bad, and she also took them to Brita Johnstone’s and has dressage lessons. Silvio also came and rode some of the horses, and helped Lila, too.
I also rode one of Adam Prudent’s horses on the flat, who was a little stiff and down in his shoulders, and offered what I felt might help. I rode Olivia Chowdry’s horse, Chuck Berry, some, and he won the meter-40 on the derby field. on. I think it was nice for Katie to have someone say the same things she did but in a different way, and to look at horse and rider problems from a different perspective and offer some other solutions.
I got to to jump a couple of horses other than mine, and even jumped a meter-35. Jolie stepped up to the meter-1 class; she’s only been off the track for year-and-a-half, and got some money in the Thoroughbred classes, so I was thrilled with her. Kortina did one week of the meter-1, then moved up to the meter-10 and then meter-15. I rode in a ton of different rings, and you just can’t beat it as an education.
I would spend three and one-half days a week in Florida, and the other days I was home in Virginia teaching and riding and also teaching at Morningside. I alternated that with teaching in Aiken or in Alabama. A couple weeks ago I was in all four states—Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida in one weekend! You do whatever you can to make it work. I so appreciated my ability to get more education myself, and being in Wellington with amazing weather and seeing the best of the best horses and riders, whether on the flat or to the jumps, was an invaluable education.
My riding take-away from my winter of training is that the beautiful feeling I create on the flat has to also be created to the jumps, and I need to ride every stride to create the perfect jump. Riding is hard. Sometimes you forget to have that feel when you jump, and to have it all the way around the course. At Katie and Henri’s, they have so many good riders on the farm you’re surrounded by excellence, and that helped my riding so much.
Meanwhile it snowed a lot in Virginia! Lila rode the horses that were at home around the aisle inside the barn when the weather was bad, and she also took them to Brita Johnstone’s and has dressage lessons. Silvio also came and rode some of the horses, and helped Lila, too.
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