Firstview Farm

June 2011

Anna Weniger took Don Derrick to a clinic with natural horsemanship and Mustang makeover trainer Jim Thomas of Pittsboro, NC.  They tackled obstacles of all sorts, worked on ground work, and even cantered with no hands!

January 2011

(Pictured above: Dawn Jensen shows Vanessa Craft how to loosen her pelvis by sitting on the Balimo stool which tilts and swivels.)

Dawn Jensen, a skilled Balimo practioner, put us through the paces in her weekend clinc. Each student would ride, then do a series of body exercises designed not so much as to physically strech or loosen, but instead reactive the brain and nerve paths to various body parts.  Jensen had one student do a head and neck exercise, which fixed the rider's feet!  Another student worked on shoulders, and could sit the trot 100% better.  Very interesting work!

January 2011

Felicitas kept us on our toes during a chilly clinic at North Star Training Center. Felicitas emphasizes lightness and being "fired up behind the saddle and relaxed in front."

December 2010
While the cold rain poured down outside, Firstview Farm students rode in the garage on a simulator brought in for the weekend.  Nothing like a seat lesson where the horse is always steady and the teacher can put their hands on during the trot and canter! Thanks to Beth Collins for bringing her "horse" Amerika.

August 2010

In a mere three shows, Andrew and Indecent Proposal earned the four scores (two at fourth level and two at Prix St. Georges, all over 60%) he needed to earn his Silver Medal! Congratulations Andrew!!!

October 2009

Kathy Connelly was funny,direct and demanding as she put us through the paces and movements for first level.  She said she saw no reason we shouldn't get 8's on everything!  That is a hard standard to live up to, but we'll try.

May 2009
Dawn and student Vanessa Craft made a road trip to Seneca Valley, MD, to ride with Mary Wanless, author of the "Ride with Your Mind" books and videos.  Mary uses visualizations like "chewing gum" and "bamboo" to access the muscle groups each rider needs to correct their biomechanics.  Mary sets the standard that we ride the horses back and body 90% and the head and reins only 10%. Derrick and I found new ways to gain collection and increase straightness.  Vanessa found ways to unstop her bear down and increase her horse's forward.  The results and understanding are truly remarkable. We plan to join up with Mary again in Atlanta this fall.

As a treat, the clinic organizer gave us a vaulting lesson.  We vaulted on and off, we stood (way harder than it looks), we kneeled, we "clicked" our feet behind the horses back and generally just had a total blast long into the night (hence the dark photo).  I brought back my new skills to Anna, who is totally engaged in the process and has been tumbling all over Emily's back every since I got back. 

 I am about to swing my legs up over the croup,touch my heels together, then vault off and land running.

August 2009

The Weniger family and three students, Donna King, Anna King, and Krystol O"Rourke, make the trek to Ireland for the annual Connemara show in Clifden and some amazing pony trekking.  We galloped on the beach and in the surf and over the grassy meadows and around the bogs.  We all highly recommend this trip!

April 09

Lisa Wagner, who has studied Mary Wanless' "ride with your mind" system for eight years, came to Firstview to fine tune our biomechanics. Many a rider came through with burning thighs but great success in improving their horses' backs and connection!

April 09
I highly recommend riding the mules into the Grand Canyon.  Our guide told us 5 million people a year visit the Grand Canyon, but only 1% make it to the bottom.  If you think the Canyon looks huge from the rim, it seems like you ride through 4 or 5 canyons just as vast.  As you turn around each peak when riding, it seems like another huge canyon opens below you.

View of the Colorado River over the mule ears. At each rest stop you would turn your mules head over the edge of the trail so his tail was pretty much against the wall behind and his front feet on the edge of the drop off, ears and head in space!

 Weather ranged from 70 and sunny to blinding snowstorm!

 This trip is not for those afraid of heights.

 The pictures don't begin to show how grand was the scenery, or how steep the drop offs were.  Look just above Andrew's saddle horn and you can see a bit of the trail below him that we just came up.  We do have some amazing video showing the trail edge!

Our little cabin at the bottom for the overnight.  I may ride many hours a day at home, but the effort of going seriously downhill for five hours was exhausting.  I loved that bunk bed that night!

August 08

The family vacation to Wyoming to see Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone was much fun. We rode way into the mountains!