Gifted Memorial Fund for Adult Amateurs Recipient: Jackie White (Region 3)

Claudia teaching Jackie on Fiddle

Original Goals 

I felt a bit stuck and wanted to use this opportunity to enhance my communication with my horse through better use of my aids. I also aimed to better understand the aids and ridden expectations necessary to compete at Third Level. 

Original Plan 

The training plan included: 

• Four daily lessons with Claudia Tarlov on Don Quixote at Turtle Hollow Farm over five days. 
• A mid-week walk around the farm. 
• Watching other students’ lessons daily (some at Third Level and above). 
• Participating in at least one long lining session. 
• Taking two additional lessons on a Third Level horse (or above). 
• Doing a 30-minute yoga routine daily to stay limber, balanced, and ready to ride. 

Claudia Tarlov is a USDF L Graduate with Distinction, a USDF gold, silver, and bronze medalist, and owner of Turtle Hollow Dressage. I planned to keep a journal of each day’s activities and information presented. 

Report of Activities 

Jambo (show name Don Quixote) arrived at Turtle Hollow Farm on Monday, February 12, 2024, and stayed through Friday, February 16, 2024. He had a lovely large stall at night and was turned out in a private paddock during the day. The facility was beautifully landscaped with a sand arena with perfect footing and mirrors, as well as multiple grass arenas and a round pen. 

I had lessons on Jambo on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, a combination long lining and riding lesson on an upper-level horse, Fiddle, on Wednesday, and another riding lesson on Fiddle on Friday. Lessons were given to others Monday through Friday, except Wednesday, when Jambo and I rode leisurely around the farm to get a better feel of his demeanor in a new place. We had a total of six private lessons, and I watched 15 other lessons. Each day, I did a 30-minute yoga equestrian-based warmup routine (created by Grey Horse Yoga) before riding and kept notes on all the lessons. 

Training Report 

I am very excited to write about this wonderful training opportunity from The Dressage Foundation! My goals to enhance my communication skills and aids to the horse, as well as get a feel for Third Level, were definitely exceeded! Claudia Tarlov worked with Jambo and me on a more foundational level for the first two sessions, which really helped me find a better balance with him (both physically and mentally). He became straighter and more forward, both of which were hindering our progress. 

We worked a lot on neck straightness and not bumping with the leg constantly, but rather Jambo going on his own with little input from me, both of which helped. This included keeping my hands still, a little wide at times for a straight neck, and then back in place, not too high. If Jambo got behind my leg, she encouraged me not to pull on the reins (in any direction) and try to ride straight, off the outside leg with elbows at my sides. Then the focus shifted to leg yielding before transitions and even feeling like leg yielding when we were on the rail (since I normally ride in a pasture, the arena rail helped), especially in the corners. She also noticed he was holding the bit with his tongue and recommended a flash (not tight) to help hold the bit in place. 

In the second two lessons, we worked on the details of the Second Level movements, along with keeping the energy in collection and mediums. We started with shoulder-ins and where my hips, legs, and shoulders were positioned. We focused on using the core for collection and moving my seat a little forward towards the pommel for bigger gaits. She explained the lower core and middle core and how Jambo is very seat-dependent. It seemed like when I got that right, everything followed. We worked a lot to get him coming from the hind end, but nothing big until he was really in front of the leg. We also worked on some of the details of the haunches in and turns on the haunches (e.g., don’t do haunches in back to the line!). We did some half-passes at the trot, and if the energy started to wane or the bend was lost, we’d do a step or two of leg yield and then back to it. For the collection, I learned it was important to keep “bouncing” to keep the energy and not slow the tempo. She also talked about the analogy of not putting one gallon of water in a five-gallon container; and how rein length is used to contain the energy. At one point, it got confusing for the aid between haunches in and canter depart, so she recommended trying a little shoulder-fore or leg yield and asking for canter. It was so helpful to have the lessons all in succession to practice and build on. 

I was also lucky to ride Claudia’s upper-level horse, Fiddle, for a couple of lessons and get a feel for true collection in all the gaits and for what Jambo and I are striving for in some of the lateral movements, as well as test out a double bridle. Lastly, Claudia gave a demonstration of long lining with Fiddle in collection, explaining the equipment, methods of working with the horse, and tips for making it a good experience for the horse. 

In addition to those lessons, I was thrilled to watch so many other lessons for four days! The experience levels ranged from very green to Fourth Level, with a myriad of horses. I took away many useful tips and ideas on how I could apply both the challenges and beautiful moments observed to my riding, as well as observe work on future movements such as flying changes and half-passes. These included how to make the various movements more correct, how the seat, posture, legs, and arms influence the horse’s way of going, keeping the horse’s attitude (stress) and energy (tiredness) in mind, different ways to work on the same issue, and lots of philosophical thoughts and experiences about dressage training and showing. It was especially interesting to see the different natural tempos of the horses and learn that it was best to work with that tempo for the movements. Before one lesson, we talked about horse posture, and to demonstrate the parallels in biomechanics of a person and horse for a rounded and hollowed back, we tried ourselves to lift a leg with both back positions to show how the leg could be lifted higher (more forward for a horse) with a rounded back, as well as there would be less give for sitting trot with a rider’s arched (hollowed) back. While Claudia’s eye is very perceptive and much was accomplished, every ride was kept on a positive note and the horses’ stress levels were kept to a minimum. 

Summary 

This training was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am so thankful to the donors of The Dressage Foundation for providing the grant! I feel so special to have received it and really appreciate all the instruction and extraordinary accommodation made for my week. Claudia Tarlov is so knowledgeable and insightful; she made the experience incredibly valuable! I especially appreciated how she worked with Jambo and me to get us more on the same communication wavelength and strengthen our partnership. Our biggest takeaways were my renewed focus on straightness, forwardness, getting my seat properly engaged, and responsiveness to the inside leg. Everyone at Turtle Hollow Farm was very welcoming and supportive of us. I appreciated that they let me watch their lessons and how Claudia would follow up after the lessons to ensure I understood the various situations and why some of the tactics were employed. I have given just a few tidbits from the lessons but have many pages of notes, a much greater understanding of dressage training at and above my current level, and so much to practice with Jambo now!