Sue Hughes

(734)455-7273

Cathy Jacob

(513)738-2746

GMO President Contact

Brook Renaud

(440)774-3777

MAY 2008 NEWSLETTER

Bereiters Herbert Seiberl and Rudolf Rostekwill return to Michigan for two separate clinics this summer. www.DressageClinics.org is very pleased to welcome SRS Bereiters Herbert Seiberl and Rudolf Rostek back to Michigan! Here is a chance to see time-tested methods that have been used by the Spanish Riding School for centuries as the Bereiters instruct riders of all levels with horses representing a variety of breeds.

Bereiter Rudi Rostek will be teaching at the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center in Augusta, MI (www.cheffcenter.org) from Friday, July 11 – Tuesday, July 15. There will be a reception for Herr Rostek on Friday evening at a nearby equestrian estate, featuring autographed SRS items available for silent auction. All proceeds from the clinic and reception will go towards the Cheff Center. More information on the reception and clinic are at www.dressageclinics.org.

Bereiter Herbert Seiberl will be instructing at Blue Water Dressage Stables in Bridgeport, MI from Saturday, July 19 – Tuesday, July 22. This clinic has been accredited by the USDF for University Credit, and is sponsored by the Midwest Dressage Association (MDA). MDA members will receive a discount on auditing.

Auditing fees for the clinics are $18.75- $30/day, depending on the number of days auditing and MDA membership. Juniors (under 18) receive 10% off all prices. Auditor registration forms are at www.dressageclinics.org

• how dressage gymnastically develops horses so

• that they are prepared to move up the levels

• how to become a more effective rider

• how to improve transitions, movements, and gaits

• why schooling a horse correctly via classical dressage is important for the optimal physical and mental development of the horse

• classical schooling from Training Level through Grand Prix

For more information on summer SRS clinics contact joriejay@comcast.net or call 616-283-4741 or check www.dressageclinics.org

Longeing Workshop: Saturday, July 19 following the clinic (from approx. 4:30 – 6:30 PM). Join us for a unique opportunity to learn proper longeing techniques and use of equipment from Bereiter Seiberl! The SRS uses extensive longeing to develop their riders, and it shows in the way they ride. See what an SRS cavesson is like, and why the heavy cavessons so commonly used can hurt your horse. Proper longeing techniques will be explained, and common problems that can occur during longeing will be addressed. Longeing exercises to improve rider position and correct faults will be demonstrated using the exercises that have helped SRS Bereiters develop their fabulous seats.

The longeing seminar will be followed by a reception at Pam and Bud Atkinson’s home at Blue Water. This will be a special event where you can talk with Bereiter Seiberl and learn about life at the SRS, ask questions you have about dressage and horses, and meet other equine enthusiasts while enjoying wonderful food. Cost to attend both the Longeing Workshop and the reception is $25. Registration is available on the registration form found at www.dressageclinics.org.

REGION 2 JR/YR BENEFIT AUCTION

You may donate items for the region's online auction to help send our young riders to Colorado for the Platinum Performance / USDF National Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championships. To find out how, go to http://myworld.ebay.com/young_rider_benefit_auction

FEI JR/YR CLINICS

Rider application deadlines to ride with one of these world class trainers is rapidly approaching. Auditors are welcome. REGISTER NOW! rkinstler@msn.com

INTERCOLLEGIATE / INTERSCHOLASTIC MEMBERS AWARDS

There are two awards dedicated exclusively to IMO members! Don't miss the nomination deadlines! Team Leadership Award nomination deadline is May 1st, and the Senior Athletic Achievement Award nomination is due by May 15th.

ADULT AMATEUR SCHOLARSHIPS

The Dressage Foundation has announced that the Carol Lavell Gifted Scholarship has been increased to $900 for the recipients selected in 2008 to train in 2009.

ONLINE SEARCHABLE CLASSIFIEDS ... USDF CLASSIFIED ADS

Post an online searchable ad with USDF! You will get great rates that are easy to use and will reach tons of readers online!

ADEQUAN / USDF CONVENTION SESSIONS ONLINE

You may view a free 15 minute clip of a convention horse health topic from Orlando. USDF members can join www.dressagetrainingonline.com to get a 15% discount to watch all of the education sessions.

JANE SAVOIE ADULT CLINICS - BELIEVE YOU CAN, RIDE THE POSSIBILITIES

Regions 2, 6 & 7 are still to go!

Check dates for rider applications and auditor pre-registration - don't miss this acclaimed clinic!

HEALTHY HORSES WORKSHOP

Join AAEP in Austin, Texas for sessions on strangles, colic, and lameness.

SAVOIE HAPPY HORSE COURSE - BENEFITS TO BENEFIT NEEF

$100 for every course purchased through the USDF site will go directly to the USDF National Educational Endowment Fund. ORDER TODAY!

GMO's / IMO's SHOP AND EARN CLUB POINTS

Friends and family are encouraged to shop online at the USDF online store. Your club will earn points for merchandise to use as year end awards and/or the club library!

LENDON GRAY APPOINTED PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE DRESSAGE FOUNDATION

The Dressage Foundation proudly announced following a special meeting of its Board of Directors, that Lendon Gray will become the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Dressage Foundation, effective September 1, 2008.

"Her appointment grows out of a Management Transition Plan that has been conducted over the past year by the Foundation’s Board and Staff, to replace John Boomer, President and CEO, and his wife, Lynn, Administrative Director, who, as sole staff members, have led, administered and managed The Dressage Foundation for the past ten years," said Major General Jonathan Burton, Chairman of The Foundation Board."And, the Boomers have done an outstanding job, in the opinion of the Board and the dressage community, "Burton added.

John Boomer stated, "We are so excited about Lendon taking the leadership reins of The Dressage Foundation, as she has just piled one high accomplishment on top of another for so many years now, and has deservedly reached an exalted pinnacle in our beloved sport." Boomer and the Foundation Board have assigned Lendon Gray the principal function of leading The Dressage Foundation to a higher plateau, financially and programmatically, thereby enabling it to make an ever-larger footprint on the sport of Dressage.

"I am a bit intimidated to try to step into the shoes of Lowell and John Boomer," Gray said. "For the past19 years through their efforts and contacts with many of dressage’s greatest supporters, The Dressage Foundation has made it possible for so many people of all ages and levels of riding to be inspired, to improve their riding, to elevate their teaching, and to gain appreciation for the challenges and value of dressage. I am however exhilarated by the opportunity to expand on the base that The Dressage Foundation has provided for the advancement of amateurs, youth, and instructors as well as elite riders. Some of my first goals are to create opportunities to educate our instructors in teaching skills and to bring dressage opportunities to riders from other disciplines and ‘alternate’ breeds."

Lendon Gray’s equestrian credentials are outstanding and extensive.

1. As a rider, she has won awards consistently since she was a young rider, rode on the 1980 and 1988Olympic Teams, and won eight medals at U.S. Olympic Festivals in 1981, 1982, 1991, 1992, on four different horses, each trained by her.

2. As a trainer/instructor/coach she has taught clinics all over the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland and Uruguay. Her list of students includes many of today’s best-known dressage riders. She currently operates Gleneden Dressage, a training stable in Bedford, New York, with more than 50 horses and 100 regular students.

3. She has been involved in governance of the sport and continues to be active, through USDF, USEF, USET, US Pony Club, Equestrian Educational Systems, Sweet Briar College, The Dressage Foundation, and Dressage4Kids, Inc., for which she is Founder and President.

4. Gray is a frequent speaker, active writer for equestrian media, and has authored the book "Lessons with Lendon." She has won many awards and as an Olympic athlete was recently added to the list of Congressional Gold Medal Award winners. It is the US House of Representatives’ highest civilian award.

Boomer said Lendon Gray has accepted the position for an open-ended term, without salary or benefits compensation, but with reimbursement for travel and business expenses. Gray will remain at her Bedford, New York base, supervising and working with the Foundation’s two-person administrative staff, located in Lincoln, Nebraska and with its off-payroll cadre of financial, legal, accounting, graphic design, printing, webmaster and public relations advisors. Over the balance of the year, John and Lynn Boomer will be hiring and training their replacements, and will remain with the Foundation until new staff members are seated firmly in their saddles. John Boomer will remain as a member of The Dressage Foundation’s Board of Directors.

"The highlight in this news of Lendon’s appointment is the blending of historic roles of two prominent American dressage pioneer families — the Grays and the Boomers," said John Boomer. "Lendon’s mother was a nationally distinguished horsewoman in her own right and taught horseback riding lessons over national radio from her home in Maine," said Boomer. "And listening in Nebraska was an aspiring young horseman named Lowell Boomer, my father," John added. Lowell Boomer, today 96 years of age, became the founding organizer of the United States Dressage Federation in 1973, then served for twelve years as its Executive Director, followed by four more years as President, and in 1989 established The Dressage Foundation. Like Gray, Lowell Boomer has been honored with many awards, including the United States Equestrian Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The Chronicle of the Horse named Lowell Boomer "One of the Fifty Most Influential Horsemen of the Twentieth Century."

"My wife Lynn and I are moved by the high accomplishments of these two premier Dressage families, and now this long heritage, strengthened in union, can hopefully make an impact on the sport of Dressage that will be large and lasting," said John Boomer.

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For more information, please contact John Boomer at (402) 434-8585.

The Dressage Foundation is a national non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to supporting and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations and awards grants and scholarships to dressage riders of all ages and levels. For more information, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.

SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL BEREITER HERBERT SEIBERL SHINES THE LIGHT OF THE SRS ON MICHIGAN IN JANUARY  by Jorie Sligh, Clinic Organizer

Winters in Michigan can be long and bitterly cold. We never know when we’ll have sub-zero temps and blizzards that make travel and riding virtually impossible.

So the last thing I’d do is schedule dressage clinic in January, especially when the clinician is flying across the Atlantic and clinic riders hauling in to the clinic venue, right?

We-ell, yes and no.

When the clinician is Spanish Riding School Bereiter Herbert Seiberl, the rules change. Bereiter Seiberl comes to the U.S. only twice yearly – January being one of those times.

Herbert’s clear, comprehensive instructing and encouraging style have built up a dedicated following of dressage enthusiasts in the Midwest, so riders and auditors collectively cross fingers that the weather will cooperate

Fortunately, Mother Nature smiled kindly on us again this year, and the temps stayed reasonable and the snowfall manageable.

Herbert commented to me that he really enjoyed seeing the progress made in the horses and riders he’d taught in previous clinics.

The riders saw the improvement, too. Rider Jeannie Talarico said, "What impressed me most was the amazing transformation in each horse after schooling with Herbert. Even with a wide variety of breeds and issues, we saw significant progress with each horse as well as the riders."

Ivan Maystead echoed this sentiment. "The horse I took to this clinic was such a different horse than when he was there the first time. He is so much more relaxed. Herbert was able to give us tools to use in the interim so that we could continue to progress."

Riders taking lessons from Herbert for the first time were also enthusiastic about their lessons.

Said Brenda Aloff of her first clinic with Herbert, ""When he took the reins and had me be ‘the horse’s mouth’ and then showed me the exact timing of the half-halts to the halt, it was indescribable. By changing my timing by a half-a-second, suddenly my halts improved drastically.

"The event that made me swoon and a fan of Herbert’s forever was one of the times when he was standing in front of Topper and showing me exactly the rein aids he wanted me to use. As he was doing this, Topper lifted his head up and nuzzled Herbert’s face. Quite naturally, Herbert laughed and gave Topper a smooch on the nose, and then, without missing a beat, he went right back to instructing me.

"If there was ever a moment that defined how much this man loves his work and the horses he works with, for me, this was it."

In this clinic I rode Pam Atkinson’s retired Grand Prix gelding, Brandenberg. He’s a wonderful horse, but his imperfections also taught me important lessons.

As Alois Podhajsky (Director of the SRS, 1939 – 1965) said, "I must not forget to thank the difficult horses…who were better teachers than the well-behaved horses who raised no problems."

Although not as fit and tuned as in his younger days when he was showing, Branden’s not exactly difficult, but I understand what Podhajsky means.

Branden isn’t naturally forward and will happily lean on the bit and brace his neck. It takes constant diligence on my part to keep him forward, light, and my fingers closed so he doesn’t sneak the reins out of them.

Herbert had me use transitions to keep him light, round, and off of his forehand. Walk, trot, walk, halt, trot, halt… It sounds easy, but the key was making sure the transitions were performed frequently and correctly: Prepare with half-halt, half-halt, breathe out, no pulling!

The few other upper level horses I’ve ridden were forward and light, so I didn’t appreciate the importance of transitions and doing them just so until I had to use them so frequently and precisely with Branden.

Branden is also a great teacher because when the aids are correct, he will do tempis, passage, piaffe, half-pass, etc. And if my aids are a little unclear… well, he lets me (and Herbert and the audience!) know it.

I’ve been sloppy with my legs, especially my outside leg, and getting away with it since my horse is not yet trained to a high enough level that he’s as sensitive as Branden.

In canter, I was slightly pushing with my outside leg for forward, which caused lead changes due to the changing pressure against Branden’s side. And if I let my inside leg slip backward he happily did one tempis, just to make it obvious that I was being unsteady again!

It opened my eyes (again – I’d learned a version of this in the July clinic!) as to just how important it is to be clear and consistent with aids. As Herbert says, "Riding is very easy when you are really clear with your aids."

It was wonderful to see how many auditors turned out to watch and learn from Herbert.

PK Harrison said, "I learned so much. I was an auditor for the full three days and I learned something new EVERY day.

"I love that Herbert is so quiet and always has the horse’s development, proper and classic development, at the forefront of his instruction. That it’s always "no problem" and you know, that it will be NO PROBLEM.

"All of the horses improved so much. They were rounder, more correct and happy in their work. The riders sharing what they learned and allowing the auditors to ask questions was much appreciated. We’ll be back!"

A wonderful treat was the reception at Blue Water immediately following the clinic on Sunday. Janis Cliff, one of Pam’s students, is an amazing cook and party planner, and with the help of Pam’s sister, Penny Kellar, provided a fabulous buffet. It was a relaxing time for auditors and riders to talk with Herbert, ask questions, and get to know him and one another better. Many thanks to Pam and Bud Atkinson, Janis, and Penny for arranging this special event.

In the weeks following the clinic, Michigan received steady snowstorms and cold temperatures, a reminder that once again, we were lucky with our January clinic weather.

The clinic with Herbert a breath of fresh air and inspiration in the middle of our hard winter.

Thank you, Herbert, for coming to Michigan to share your gift for teaching the classical, timeless method of riding practiced by the Spanish Riding School for over 430 years!

We look forward to Herbert’s return in July and hope he continues to be delighted with the progress made in the meantime, thanks to his instruction and encouragement.