Rebecca Rigdon shows how to perform the half-halt
Potluck lunch ringside
First of all, if I was a horse and couldn’t stay at home, Arroyo Del Mar is where I’d want to be. Talk about living in the lap of luxury! These horses all looked happy and pampered. Clean, spacious and beautiful, you won’t find it on the web; it’s off the beaten path and difficult to find!! My only complaint would be the electric wire around the top of all horse paddocks and turnouts to prevent “nose contact” of the horses. They’ll be no nicks, cuts or bumps here trying to establish who’s the boss!! It really robs the horses of their need for social interaction with the herd, but hey!!… who wants to show up on the big show day to find their horse has a large chunk of skin taken out of their neck! (At $1,300/month…I don’t think so!!)
The clinic was sponsored by the California Dressage Society San Diego Chapter, (and for all the snobby imagery that might conjure up for some of you, let me tell you, they are a fun, friendly, welcoming group of people who love horses and have a passion for classical training of horse & rider). The clinician, Rebecca Rigdon, (link takes you to a great interview of her on Youtube), was great! She taught in a relaxed, friendly way that made it easy to understand complicated maneuvers. Some things were perfectly clear; and one thing I learn was – spurs!! There is definitely a good reason to be using spurs in dressage and when used correctly, they will enhance your training greatly. SPURS!! Gotta get some! And we all learned much, much more. We couldn’t wait to get back on our horses and try some new things we learned at this clinic! Inspired!!
We had a potluck along the ringside, which made the event even more enjoyable. Potlucks encourage mingling and friendliness! Gotta love the food, too!
For those of you who look at dressage and say “No way, not me! I could never do that!“ I have to say, “Yes, you can!” Anybody who wants to put in the time and effort, can achieve a level of dressage riding equal to that amount of time and effort!! Rebecca Rigdon may have started riding in “the womb”, but I’m just now taking a look at dressage in my mid-life!! It will take work, but it can be done.
“You learn the best when you surround yourself with riders better than you.” – Rebecca Rigdon
(I like her thinking!)
Rebeccas Rigdon
If you missed this clinic, too bad!! We’ll be going to many more. I see the CDS San Diego Chapter has a clinic in September with Jeremy Steinberg in Rancho Santa Fe.
See you there!!
