A Clinic with the Connecticut Dressage Association
REPRINT FROM YourDressage.org
Connecticut Dressage Association (CDA) and Sperry View Farm hosted Lisa Schmidt on November 19-20, 2022 to review the updated 2023 US Dressage Tests.
From the Auditor Perspective
After several weekends of balmy, unseasonably warm fall temperatures, many individuals bundled up and were dressed for the cold temperatures that swooped in for the clinic weekend.
Auditor participation topped out at 53 for both days. Lisa Schmidt’s high energy and enthusiasm never waned. Lisa was generous with her comments and emphasized what the judge is looking for and how to pick-up points on movements at each level. In other words, ride every step – every movement counts!
Lisa encouraged the riders to ‘create a reason to let go’ and she emphasized self-carriage in the horse. This is what creates the harmony. Use the calf to ‘lift’ the horse’s back up. The rider needs to follow with their elbows to encourage the horse to chew the bit and this will encourage stretching in the neck. Throughout the rides, Lisa sought questions from the auditors
Many thanks to the demo riders who were well-suited to showcase the new tests and pleasantly repeated movements.
From the CDA President Hanna Calcagni
The CDA really knocked it out of the park! Starting with the original idea to sponsor the clinic, then the planning, selecting the demo riders, the farm preparation, providing rider shirts and saddle pads, promoting the clinic via social media website messaging – it all came together flawlessly. We are grateful to have dedicated volunteers who proved that an educational, professional-caliber clinic can be done at the GMO level.
There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm from attendees and volunteers, and this was reflected in the post evaluations scores of 5 out of 5 and positive comments such as:
“Very informative and well-coordinated” – Linda Roche
“Thank YOU, Hannah and Liz, for all your hard work organizing such a helpful clinic! CDA has a great group of members who all work so well together! We are so lucky to have CDA in our area. Lisa was awesome!” – Bobbi Carleton
