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Monday, July 11 2016 / Published in General

Discussing Dressage with Shannon Peters

 Photo by Lahorstman Photography


Photo by Lahorstman Photography

Shannon Peters is a U.S. Dressage Federation bronze, silver and gold medalist, and three-time National Championship competitor. She loves bringing young horses up through the levels, and competes regularly both in Southern California CDIs and other top shows. Shannon is married to Olympic dressage rider Steffen Peters, and together they operate Arroyo Del Mar in San Diego, California. Do you have a question you want Shannon to answer? Send questions to editor@sidelinesnews.com.

How do you warm up you and your horse when you first get on?

It really depends on the horse and their particular needs in the warm up, and also what I’m going to be training that day. I work my horses in hand every week, so on those days, they start with a 10-minute lunge walk/trot/canter in the round pen to loosen them and prepare them for the in-hand work. On most work days, I do at least a 15-minute walk warm up around the property. We have varied terrain on our property for a purpose, as to warm up and strengthen the soft tissue and bone system of our horses, and that prepares them nicely both mentally and physically for the day. It’s very important that the horses learn to go on varied terrain, as warm up at competitions is very rarely like your footing at home, and it should not be a shock for the horses to suddenly be on different footing. The walking is always done on a long rein. As for myself, I generally warm up with my feet out of the stirrups to stretch my thigh muscles as well as hip flexors and psoas. Depending on what I feel like, I’ll also sometimes do trunk rotations to warm up my ribcage and middle and upper back.

Do you lunge your horses?
Yes, always before I work them in hand, and always with a purpose for some horses that I feel benefit from it. I don’t believe in “free lunging” per se, as I’ve seen so many horses get hurt over the years doing this. The proper equipment is key, with a properly fitted lunging cavesson, correctly adjusted side reins (not too short!) and either a surcingle or saddle. Also, you should always have a good lunge whip. Proper lunging can help to address one-sidedness in horses, suppleness and self-carriage, and help to loosen and relax a horse before the rider mounts.

How do you choose what kind of bit to use on a particular horse?

We have a great equine dentist that helps us to choose which bits are anatomically correct for each horse, depending on the palate clearance, size of tongue/mouth and anatomy of the jaw, amongst other things. We’ll often try several, and the horses usually have a clear preference to which one they’re most comfortable in. We look for how quietly they accept the bit/contact, how much foam they have, and if they’re relaxed in the jaw and poll.

What are your general tips for using the whip?

Every horse should be introduced to the proper use of the whip. It’s an aid that reinforces the lower leg, and the “go forward” aid for the horse. Of course it can be used to reinforce or explain other aids as well later on, but on a very basic level, a horse should know that it’s the reinforcement of the driving aid from the lower leg. It should always be used with tact. I was taught a very methodical way to use a whip by Karl Mikolka, which teaches a horse what it means. When you close your calf as a forward driving aid, and your horse is slow to or does not respond, the whip is placed on the horse’s hip so they “feel it” first. Then 3 taps of the whip in succession come with the next leg aid. This is a much more meaningful aid to the horse than what you see most often — one big whack, which usually surprises and scares the horse and isn’t very effective. It often results in a knee-jerk reaction from the horse, often a toss of the head, loss of balance or a brief step forward that fizzles out quickly. Horses should never be afraid of the whip. A horse that properly goes in front of the whip, and connects correctly from the rider’s leg, stays nicely within the circle of aids.

Do you use cavaletti?

I do. Most of my horses jump once per week, and do cavalletti as part of their warm up. The couple of horses I have that do not jump do cavalletti at least once per week as part of their gymnastic work. Cavaletti work has so many benefits in strength training and coordination for the horses, as well as mental focus and balance. Doing them on a straight line really helps to balance the horses on either side of their body, and bring them evenly to both reins. Doing them on a circle really can help to strengthen the horses in the bending exercises, and really teaches the horses in a positive way how to truly bend from tail to nose.

 

 

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Tagged under: dressage, question and answer, shannon peters

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

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Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
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Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

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