Longlining & Dressage Clinic

Dear Horse Friends,

Have you ever wondered how fun it would be to work your horse on the longlines? Don’t know how? Let me show you! My ‘Introduction to Longlining’ Clinic on March 6 and ‘Longlining & Dressage: Connecting the Dots’ on April 10 at Felicity Farm, Santa Ynez, CA, will be a great opportunity for you and your horse to get started.

First I’ll show you how to work your horse at liberty using nothing but your body language. Then we’ll introduce you and your horse to the longlines. Once you get the basics down, you can use the work on the longlines to break up your horse’s weekly training routine in the most enjoyable and refreshing ways.

Check out this video clip and see how, once you and your horse have mastered longlining in the roundpen, you can use this fun training tool in the big arena and over poles.



Longlining can help you start young horses, increase their sense of rhythm and balance, build and maintain suppleness and strength, introduce collection and lateral work as well as address problems under saddle. Longline your horse over poles and cavaletti, and help improve your horse’s relaxation, balance, straightness and cadence.

For more information on the clinic please take a look at the information under ABOUT – NEWS & EVENTS on this website. If you are interested in hosting a clinic with me at your place please feel free to email me at katja@gentlesolutionsdressage.com.

Happy Trails!
☺
Katja

Time for Dressage

Dear Horse Friends,

With the card below I am sending a personal shooting star to each and every one of you. Reach for the sky, make a wish and make it come true!


To me, time is one of the most wonderful gifts we can give. I’m thinking about all the precious moments we get to spend with our beloved horses, the treasures we are given each day in the presence of these magnificent beings. One of the most important themes of my riding, training and teaching is the notion “I have time.” For many of us this is not only a useful and effective mantra during each riding session with our horses. It is also a daily, weekly, monthly discipline to actively make time for our pursuit of dressage. Making time for our horses each day, our lessons each week, our preparations for special events, for all the many details and routines that go with this wonderful-yet-time-consuming way of connecting with our horses. It’s more than a hobby. It’s our passion. It’s our life.

2009 has been a very blessed year for me because many of you have shared with me so many precious moments. I am looking forward to many more in 2010. Thank you all.

All my very best wishes for a blissful New Year to all of you and your loved ones!

Katja

PS: In case you wondered, the horse in the card is Tux, and the photo used for the art was taken by Tom Baldwin -- many thanks to both of them!