2024 Karen Skvarla Fund Grant Recipient: Sarah Sharpe (SC)

Overview 
This grant enabled me to take some time for intensive training with my two competition horses, further improving my skills at the Grand Prix level. My hope is to one day achieve my USDF gold medal on horses I have trained up through the levels. 

The goal at the end of the training series was to debut at Grand Prix and use the skills I learned to enhance my training at home. 

The plan involved taking two lessons a day, three days a week, for three consecutive weeks in Aiken, SC, with Amy McElroy (‘S’ Judge). I trained with Alhambra lxxiv “Amber” (Coves Darden bred 13-year-old P.R.E. mare, shown successfully through Intermediate 2) and Dreamliner “Ritz” (JJ Horses bred 7-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, shown through Fourth Level but schooling some Grand Prix movements). At the end of the third week, I aimed to attempt my first centerline at Grand Prix on Amber. I started dressage with Amy over 10 years ago, making this a special milestone, regardless of whether we scored a 60% on our first attempt. 

Day 1 
After returning from a horse show in Tryon the night before, we drove up to Aiken for our first two lessons of the series. Day 1 was about assessing each horse's current state and establishing a starting point. The focus was on refining my position to follow better, using my seat more effectively, quickening the hind end, and loosening the front to achieve more thoroughness. Both horses and I were a bit stiff, but the changes looked promising. We also worked on passage and piaffe, adopting some of Amy's techniques to improve height and evenness. 

Day 2 
Both horses were less stiff, and we continued refining my position. With Amber, we focused on canter zig-zags, pirouettes, passage, and piaffe. The canter half-passes looked good, but we got stuck during counter changes of hand. Once corrected, it felt easier. The zig-zag was decent, aiming for symmetry rather than steepness. With Ritz, we worked on canter half-pass, trot half-pass, and passage, and piaffe. His passage was reliable, and his piaffe showed improvement with ground assistance. 

Day 3 
We reviewed the first two days' work and ended with one-tempis. I overrode the one-tempis on Amber but had a better setup on Ritz. Amber needs quicker aids without rushing due to her lack of "air-time." Homework included reviewing what we had done and practicing timing for 1 tempis with Amber. 

Days 4-6 
Amy commented on the noticeable improvement, especially in Amber, who looked more engaged and connected. We reviewed half-passes, zig-zags, pirouettes, passage, and piaffe. Amber's passage was more solid, and her neck and topline appeared stronger. Ritz focused on tempi changes, collected walk, and reinback. Observing Fourth Level rides provided insights into asking for more and improving scores. 

Days 7-10 
On Monday, I learned my uncle, who lived near Aiken, had a stroke. After getting more information, Amy helped care for the horses while I went to the hospital. The goal for the last two days was to string movements together and gain more independence in passage, and piaffe. The pieces started flowing, but we left the one-tempis at schooling a few tic-tocs at a time. 

The Show 
I knew we needed to rely on our strengths and do our best in passage, and piaffe. Significant strides were made during training, and Friday’s schooling showed improvement. The show was another learning experience to test ourselves. 

The Saturday warm-up was brief due to the heat. We focused on movements that were easier for us and ended with passage, and piaffe. Amber stayed relaxed and focused, and we performed better than expected in several movements. We achieved a personal milestone with the one-tempis, completing 15 for the first time. 

Our final score was 58.9%, close to 60%. Most movements scored between 6-7, except for passage, and piaffe, which were consistently 5s. This result shows we are not far off and can continue improving with patient training. 

Take-Aways 
While we didn’t achieve a 60%, we made significant progress. I learned new approaches to upper-level work and realized the challenge was attainable with steady progress. The support from friends, family, students, and my trainer was invaluable. On Saturday, I dedicated my ride to my uncle, who passed away that evening. I believe those 15 one-tempis were a gift from him. 

Thank you again, TDF!