July 2019
eQuesterWisconsin Dressage & Combined Training’s Monthly Newsletter Lessons from Olympian, Cindy Ishoy By Becky Bebber-Wells As my lesson drew near, I worried that neither I nor my horse, Andy, When I first considered would be fit enough to ride. Andy riding with Cindy Ishoy, I had five months off previously for was a bit intimidated. After a lameness issue. Sound now, we all, she is a professional were ready to try, and the lesson dressage rider and former commenced! Even though we Olympian, World Cup, and worked hard, Cindy was very Pan Am Games medal complimentary and gave us winner. For those of you breaks, knowing when we should unfamiliar with Cindy, she is stop. She pushed us just enough, Canadian, born in Edmonton helping to hone current skills and and currently residing in raise the bar with new information. Hamilton, Ontario. Cindy She did this all through a variety started taking her first of gymnastic exercises which dressage lessons at the age helps to bend and supple the of thirteen when her father horse and by giving constant was stationed in Germany. feedback. We learned a lot and While still a teenager, Cindy had plenty of “homework” for next won her first Team Dressage time! medal (Gold) representing Canada in 1971 at the Pan The following are nuggets of Am Games in Cail, information from Cindy: Columbia.Debbie Rodriguez Then in 1988, she won a Bronze Individual • “No matter how advanced you medal for dressage at World Cup and was part of the are, spend time on the basics, rhythm, suppleness and Canadian dressage team in 1988 at the summer contact.” Olympics in Seoul, South Korea helping to win team Bronze on her Hanoverian gelding, Dynasty. Cindy has • Walk to trot transitions... ridden in four Olympic games, is a teacher, trainer, “Shorten the reins.” “More contact!” “Shorten more!” coach, mother and writer, recently submitting an article “Don’t throw him away when you trot!” to Dressage Today, February 2019. “Foreword! More trot!” “Create energy not speed.” Fast forward—after watching Cindy teach a dressage clinic at Caryn Vesperman’s Touchstone Farm, I decided • Trotting on a 20-meter circle… I would like to ride with Cindy. After all, she seemed “Bend! More Bend!” friendly, gave positive, constructive feedback, and really “Be exact, be accurate!” (When riding any figure.) packed a lot into 45-minute lessons! Cindy’s “Remember, inside leg to outside rein.” background is the German classical system which is “Bring both hands to the inside to bring horse’s systematic, gymnastic training utilizing the six steps of shoulder around.” the Training Pyramid: rhythm, relaxation, connection, “Foreword, rounder.” impulsion, straightness, and collection. Cindy believes “Bend to giving inside rein. Don’t pull on inside rein!” “a systematic approach allows the horse and rider to “Shoulder blades (mine) together!” keep a positive attitude….It’s regimented, so it builds “Elbows bent!” confidence in both horse and rider because they know what is expected of them.” Continued on page 3 Through the Eyes of a Newbie and her
Aunt/Mentor Having no non-furry kids of my own, I have enjoyed my 14-year-old niece who visited for nearly three weeks in June. I only see Lily maybe once a year as my sister and her husband live in California.
The weeks she was here were fun, as Lily is almost as horse crazy as I was at her age. I knew she loved horses, so when she visited last summer, I arranged for three riding lessons at a friend’s facility that has awesomely patient school horses. Buddy, who she was assigned to, was earnest, safe, and really got Lily excited about riding. That year for Christmas, I gave her a pair of breeches, an extra riding helmet and paddock boots that I had, and I found a place that gave lessons to kids near their home in California. I was thrilled she still was horse crazy when she got here this summer. Her Caryn Vesperman instructors have done a good job in teaching her how to post, and she had Editor some good basics.
I wasn’t sure how far she had advanced, but I let her try out a horse I got All advertisements, who had been a hunter/jumper for years. Lily did a great job with Allie, so on articles and photographs her birthday, which she celebrated here, I gave her the horse. (The question (with photo release) is still up in the air whether the horse joins her in California. And yes, I cleared it with her parents before I gave her Allie.) I’m not saying this should be submitted by because she’s my niece, but the kid has darn good balance and is picking the 15th of the preceding things up very quickly. It helps the journey when the horse knows more than month of publication. the rider. I wish I had known that when I was starting out!
I’ve had a great time giving her dressage lessons and a few jumping lessons. Calendar of events will She’s helped me in the barn, videoed my lessons, and been my groom at a appear in both the dressage show, an away-from-home clinic and a clinic I’ve hosted at my eQuester and on the place. She picked things up quickly, including anticipating what I needed at WDCTA website. the show. She even braided my young horse, Tanqueray MRF, for the show. Now, I’m not a very good braider by a long shot, and I usually pay someone to braid at significant shows; this was an interesting first braiding attempt. Payment for But I didn’t care at all and rode Tanqueray the whole show with her braids advertisements should because there was no way I was going to hurt her feelings and it reminded be submitted via PayPal me of her in the warm-up and during the test. Continued on next page through the WDCTA website (wdcta.org) or mailed with a check made out to WDCTA and mailed to the editor.
CONTACT INFO (608) 455-2208 W1619 King Road Brooklyn, WI 53521 [email protected]
Lily and her new horse, Allie. The smile says it all! Newbie and Aunt/Mentor continued
One of the most touching moments during her visit was when I had to move her horse to a paddock with a run- in shed that was away from the barn during the Cindy Ishoy clinic because I needed Allie’s stall for participants. We hadn’t seen Lily for at least an hour and began wondering where she was. Turns out, she spent the time with Allie because she was concerned she was “lonely” without her other horse friends.
Now that her parents have put in most of the years of raising her and have done the hard part of raising her (although from my own teenage behavior, maybe they aren’t past the hardest part!), I’d like her to stay with me permanently. (But, I’m quite sure her parents would object to that.)
It’s been fun to see my horse world through her eyes and answer questions that I just “know” or take for granted. It’s been nice to have someone help me with grooming, bathing, mucking the barn, going on trail rides, and it’s been satisfying helping her learn.
I got so much joy from these three weeks that I can see how the WDCTA Mentor Challenge (see page 8 in this issue) would be a fun way to get the youth involved. Consider mentoring a kid. You’ll be amazed at the questions and be reminded why this sport has captured your heart and enthusiam.
Lily with my young horse, Tanqueray MRF, at the Silverwood Caryn Show where she was my groom extraordinare. She wore the perfect T-shirt for this job. It stated: “My T shirt was clean when I started.”
Ishoy Lesson continued
• At the canter… “Just sit there and let the horse do his job beneath Besides using the gymnastic exercises and figures to you.” help supple and bend my horse, Cindy had us do many transitions at the walk, trot, and canter. Transitions help • Cantering on 20-meter circle —“Keep outside rein on bring the horse off the front end, setting him back onto when bend- his haunches. ing to inside.” “Keep a little shoulder fore when After my lesson we were both tired, but learned a lot! cantering down th long side.” Cindy helped us go from an OK rider to one with potential!!! All throughout the lesson, I received positive • When making canter transitions… feedback. She corrected me when needed and “All transitions come from a slight shoulder fore.” complimented me when appropriate, never patronizing me. I heard, “good”, “better”, “good job”, “very good” When transitioning to the walk (from canter), “Drive and “nice”, several times throughout my lesson. Cindy forword to the contact. Kick him into contact. Don’t also helped me raise my expectations of how much I throw the reins away!” needed to ask of myself and Andy each time I ride, if I “Remember to put hands down to the withers and ride to want to make progress. I can’t wait until our next clinic the contact.” with Cindy! “Give forward to the mouth not to the ears!” “Quietly, quietly.” Riding Toward the Eventing Championships
hosted their first non- By Mary Barr Mary Barr and Chip recognized event; the Every. Step. Hurt. Sunday morning, place had grown up and overcast and cool, perfect for a it was even more morning run, but my neck felt like it gorgeous than my was painfully cracking away from my memories. There were body in time to my slow cadence. now sand dressage Owww. Ah, the joys of getting older arenas and warm-ups and sleeping in my dressing room (grass was the footing two nights ago. back in the day), permanent stabling, and We had returned from the countless jumps of Silverwood Event in Camp Lake, WI, every flavor and size in the night before and although I had the rolling hills and slept in my own bed, my neck was woods. Otter Creek had complaining bitterly. I trotted gamely just hosted a dressage on anyway, hoping the movement show the weekend would loosen up my crippled (ha!!) before and is the site of body. My dog patiently kept my USEA Area 4’s Adult puttering pace, perhaps because he, Eventing Camp in July. I too, was recovering from the event. am attending that My sister and her pup, visiting from through a scholarship Tulsa, were both still asleep; they from WDCTA Southwest had joined us on our adventure and Chapter—yes, that’s experienced Silverwood with us, right, at the tender age including sleeping in a tent. We of 51, I am heading to could have found more comfortable summer camp!!! I was accommodations, but it was our the most mature of third summer of the challenge of Marlie Nauta’s students “dog-cation”—going on adventures at Otter, as she is a with our dog-children. Pony Club instructor. Her other three students This summer’s adventure was a bit were experiencing more quixotic than the previous puberty, while I was ones, as I had decided to chase the dancing with meno- windmill that was the AECs:the pause. (There IS a video American Eventing Championships on Facebook of me held in Kentucky the last weekend in literally dancing away August. Had I thought this idea my pre-cross-country through, I would have realized how jitters at Otter.) unlikely and expensive this journey and maybe upchuck. Marlie guided would be. I hadn’t evented in over I was a promising 5th after dressage us through our warmup and sent us 20 years, and I would need to have a in the beginner novice division. I had off to the start box. minimum of three events with clear a clear (if not elegant) stadium until cross country rounds. But, no, I the last fence: an oxer, where I My horse, Chip, is 20 and spent the shared this dream with my husband stopped riding and we had a rail majority of his life being a 4H mount (“go for it!”) , my trainer, Marlie down. Dang. Hanging on to 5th for my daughter; he was not Nauta, (who did NOT laugh/snort/ place still. I had walked the winding encouraged to gallop, but he guffaw), and anyone else who might and challenging cross country cantered out and over the first fence ask what I was doing this summer. (I course four times, once with Cathy gamely. Up and over and around am an over-sharer.) Jones Forsberg, who had donated and left now right and shorten the the walk to the USEA Area 4 online stride and yes that’s the fence boy Silverwood was my second event of auction. (I was fortunate to clinic take it now head over this way and the season. Otter Creek, in Wheeler, with Cathy this past spring, in up the hill and over that giant white WI, was my first. I had been to Otter preparation of my journey to the Creek 20 summers ago, when they AECs.) I was ready to rock and roll Continued on next page Riding Toward (Continued) stopped riding. I was disap- better and up and gallop on and pointed in myself, but up! Mary Barr taking a selfie with Chip not my horse. We left Silverwood with a pink And so I entered ribbon—not enough to qualify for Silverwood, hoping to the AECs, but the clear round was redeem myself and at a step in the correct direction! I still least go clean in cross might not make it to Kentucky in late August, but I have been country. Marlie could supported oh-so-beautifully by the not be there, so I eventing community in my enlisted the help of attempts. Trainers Marlie Nauta, Brad Hall, with whom I Cathy Jones Forsberg, and Brad had ridden with a Hall helped me learn how to ride handful of times that my lovely horse, Chip. The spring. We worked on volunteers and owners at Otter getting Chip more Creek and Silverwood created forward/energetic, and gorgeous, generous, and safe our dressage felt good, eventing venues.Friends (new and but I was crushed when old) and family have supported me we were merely tied for in words and deeds. It has been sweet. (Dulce, to keep with my Don 12th. Dang. The only Quixote references.) thing left to do was stay in the moment and What’s next? Fox River Valley Pony prepare for stadium Club Event in Barrington! Breathe, and, right after, cross Mary; you got this. country. (Unlike most events picnic table and ditch and oh no! that take place over two days, Want to know more about the we don’t stop to drink the water Silverwood was “whambam- AECs? Go to the USEA website now jump this one and into the thankyouma’am” one day). The and search American Eventing woods and yes that’s our fence! stadium course had a good flow Championship. He was so very good that when to it, and Chip felt responsive he said, “I’m a bit winded,” I entering the arena. Somehow replied you can trot and that’s we managed a rail down on when the second ditch came up fence 5, a vertical, but no time out of nowhere and he stopped to dwell on that—there was a and I did too, only on his neck. cross-country course to tackle. He stood there patiently (he did Silverwood had experienced a try to graze, but I convinced him lot of rain and, as a result, had a not to), while I slowly put myself modified, weaving course back in the saddle, stunned at through paddocks. Count down our predicament (We had a from 10 in the start box…away refusal! At a ditch?!), attempted we go…that’s our fence boy yes the ditch again with another sir and thank you there’s the refusal (40 penalty points and next one now turn left and oh so close to elimination!), then gallop on oh here comes were asked to step aside while number three come back to me the horse behind us got the right but don’t lose your energy oh of way. This gave me time to get that’s a long spot please don’t my head out of my bum and fall on your face after that bank prepare him better and take the ok now angle right there’s the log-jump option, then the last next one yes I know there’s fence and the finish line. We woods behind that’s where we were not eliminated, but we did are heading yes through that not have a required clean cross gate ooh the footing is messy Mary’s sister lending country round, all because I there let’s try the track to the left support at Silverwood. Aug. 3-4 (Opening Date: July 1) Oct. 5-6 (Opening Date: Sept. Cindy Ishoy Clinics Nov. 23-24 (Opening Date: Oct.1)
CLINIC LOCATION Touchstone Farm W1619 King Road Brooklyn, WI 53521
Just 15 minutes southwest of Oregon, WI or 25 minutes southwest of Madison beltline Cindy Ishoy & Dynasty — Team Bronze Medalists,1988 Seoul Olympics Cindy Ishoy competed for many years on the Canadian team, earning a team Bronze at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Cindy coaches on a daily basis and enjoys teaching those who really want to learn no matter what level they are. One Form Per Horse/Rider
Rider Name______Address______
City______State______Zip______Phone______
Email______WDCTA Volunteer: Yes______Not Yet______
Horse’s Name______Breed______
Age______Level Schooling______Level Showing______
Rider Fees NOTE: Negative Coggins and rider release must be included with this application! Vaccinations must be current. WDCTA Member: $200/ride Non-Member: $250/ride Ride Time Preferences: Saturday_____ Sunday_____ A.M._____ P.M._____
Will you need a stall? Overnight*_____ Day Stall_____ Just In and Out_____ * Stall fee per night: $25 (payable to Caryn Vesperman) Auditor Fees (Can be paid at the door. Bring your own lunch and chair.)