September 2013

Take Contact!
ICCcds.org
Inland Communities Chapter of the California Dressage Society
September 2013
Published Quarterly
Vol. 2013-3
DEEANNE GUNNEMANN IS ICC’s REP
Southern Adult Amateur Clinic
By: DeeAnne Gunnemann
GUEST COLUMNIST
My chosen dressage partner is my Friesian mare, Jil v
Monting. I was especially thrilled to be the Inland
Communities Chapter (ICC) rider at this year’s Adult
Amateur Clinic because of clinician Sabine Schut-Kery’s
Friesian expertise.
What I Learned: I learned that my lovely and
trustworthy horse has been faking me out with her nice
frame and alleged connection! Apparently Friesians are
experts in this deception - due to their ability to set
their neck, head and body in the right place, without
actually coming from behind and connecting. A very
pretty picture, but does not allow real progress beyond
low level movements. Because I take lessons and then
train Jil myself, it was easier for her to keep me fooled.
Sabine was able to cut through Jil’s façade quickly. She
showed and taught me HOW to get Jil coming through
from behind and truly on the bit.
On Sunday Sabine took the reins for the first half and I
rode the second half of our time. Although Jil had to be
temporarily over-flexed to get the point and feel across
to me and Jil, it taught us how to achieve the same
results in an appropriate frame and head-set. During the
Sunday solo session I was able to feel Jil’s energy cycling
through both of us. It felt like I sucked down and was
glued to the saddle - as Jil’s back came up and she truly
engaged her hind legs and connected to the bit. It was
so much easier to sit correctly and use my aids when I
was anchored into the energy cycle. Sabine also
explained why the nose band should be tightened to
allow just two fingers, and how the lack of a flash strap
was allowing evasion.
I rode the next day instead of resting, to make sure
Sabine’s instructions were fresh in my mind, and the
feel of true connection was fresh in my body. I was
delighted that Jil also remembered, allowing us to pick
up where we left off at the Clinic. The changes to her
bridle aided her responsiveness and connection,
without over-flexing.
Please see AMATEUR
Page 2
2013 Inland Communities Chapter
Board of Directors
Kathy Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter Chair
Nancy Franklin Lebron . .Treas. & Show Office
Susan Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Secretary
Ruth Corrao-Harris . . . .Volunteer Coordinator
Sara Mosqueda . . . . . . . . . Juniors Coordinator
Kathy Pavlich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . At Large
Jil with DeeAnne
Jil with Sabine
Kris Schlatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . At Large
Vol. 2013-3
Take Contact!
Page 2
AMATEUR
Continued from front page
My trainer, Kathy Pavlich, was unable to attend the
Clinic with us since she was taking a well deserved
vacation through Alaska until early July. The day before
the Clinic we had a lesson with the other trainer at our
barn, Sarah Lockman. Our next lesson with Sarah was
just three days after the Clinic. Sarah was excited to see
our obvious progress – commenting several times that it
was hard to believe we were the same horse and rider
from the previous week!
The weekend after the Clinic, we rode First Level Tests 2
and 3 at the ICC-CDS show. Noteworthy improvements
in the judge’s comments included: lengthened trot was
“developed late.” Now you might think that is not a
good comment, but compared to never developing the
lengthening at all, and just “running,” this improvement
was big for us! We avoided the past comment of
“needs more energy.” Our scores improved in several
previous problem areas, including, leg yield and canter
transitions.
Thank You To:
Sabine Schut-Kery - for making herself available to all of
the amateur participants, for sharing her wealth of
dressage and breed specific knowledge, particularly
helpful to riders and trainers of Iberian breeds and
Friesians. I appreciate Sabine for asking the organizer to
allow me a half-hour individual ride instead of a shared
hour on Sunday – this change made all the difference in
the world in how much my mare and I gained from this
opportunity.
Sandy Harper - for organizing the event and for being
patient and helpful. Susan Peacock - for hosting the
Clinic at her beautiful Eastvale Equestrian Center, and
Susan’s students for being willing to let us take over
their stalls. CDS - for their dedication to the
development of Adult Amateur riders - of all levels.
ICC-CDS Chapter - for their sponsorship of my ride and
stall.
Delaney Seeburger - for being a most excellent groom.
Dr Lori Johnstone - for donating pre-clinic acupuncture
for Jil.
Tom Pavlich - for offering to loan his trailer if needed.
And especially Kathy Young - for her generous donation
of her time and transportation to and from the Clinic. I
was touched by the encouragement and support from
ICC members, before and during the Clinic, which not
only allowed us to go to the clinic, but also made this a
good experience.
Other Highlights: I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know
the other participants, grooms and auditors at the
Friday Pizza Meet & Greet. I enjoyed hearing the “love
stories” of how each person met their favorite horse. I
have gotten additional benefit of Post-Clinic refresher by watching my DVD footage, which allows me to “see”
what changed or needs to change in my position and
use of aids. I appreciate that Sabine and Sandy were
very receptive to allowing my husband, Rob
Gunnemann (FunToDanceWith Productions), to video
for any rider who wanted a DVD of their rides, so we all
had the opportunity to re-live and learn. I got maximum
benefit from the Clinic by auditing the other riders, plus
listening to comments and stories from the judges who
audited the Clinic. I find it inspirational that we have
dressage judges who continue to be enthusiastic
students of our sport.
Conclusion: Today was the first time my trainer got to
see us in action after the Clinic. I had told Kathy that Jil
and I had a major breakthrough at the Clinic, and that
she might not recognize us. She naturally had her
doubts about the magnitude of our improvement
before our lesson, but she was indeed impressed with
our progress. She was able to take our new abilities and
add pointers for our continuous development.
Riding in the Adult Amateur Clinic with Sabine was the
opportunity of a lifetime; the lessons learned will
benefit me always. I encourage all ICC-CDS members to
take advantage of auditing their region’s Clinic. If you
are an adult amateur - don’t wait until it is your turn to
ride. I am amazed at how few members take advantage
of the opportunity to audit this Clinic. I learn so much
each time I audit and will continue to audit every year awaiting the next time my name is drawn….
Vol. 2013-3
Take Contact!
Page 3
Chair Message:
Greetings All -
Happy September!
Where has the summer gone? While I
love good riding weather, I do NOT love
the heat and we've had our share of
humidity to go with it. To my recollection,
the humidity started in May when we had
our first rated show, though seems to me
March was a bit warm, too.
Frankly, I'm looking forward to cooler
weather--as I type this message, my
radio has just "beebled"--the noise it
makes when there is a weather warning.
It's another flash flood warning for
Central San Bernardino County, which is
where I live.
Of course, I'll be the first to complain
when it gets cold.
Anyway, Inland Communities is lurching
into the fall with our eyes on two things:

Elections for the ICC Board for 2014;
AND

Our October 26 schooling show at
Shadow Ridge, costumes optional all
day. Our judge is Tracy Young.
If anyone wishes to run for the board,
submit your name and intent to me by
email before our board meeting, which is
September 11, 6:30 p.m. at Nancy
Franklin LeBron's home in Highland. Call
me for directions if you'd like to watch
your board in action.
Good luck to those ICC members who
are headed to the CDS Championships
September 19-22 at the Murieta
Equestrian Center up north.
And good luck, too, to our ICC Junior
Team headed to the championships at
Del Mar Fairgrounds September 13-15.
I'd say your chapter is winding up the
competition year in fine style.
We've got some other activities planned,
so stay tuned for updates. And enjoy
your horses.
Happy riding!
Kathy Young
760-953-8682
ICC Calendar
September 13-15, 2013
CDS SOUTHERN JUNIOR YOUNG RIDER
CHAMPIONSHIPS
September 19-22, 2013
CDS CHAMPIONSHIPS/GAIG USDF REGION 7
FINALS
October 26, 2013
ICC SCHOOLING SHOW at Shadow Ridge
(Costumes Optional)
Take Contact!
Vol. 2013-3
Page 4
Once Upon a Pas De Deux
By: Michelle Stevens
TC GUEST COLUMNIST
Someone once said to me, hey we should ride a Pas
de Deux sometime. I shrugged and said sure, shining
the idea on, and continued on with the daily primping
and polishing of my horse as I said to myself what I
had said for years, “I’m not riding a freestyle until I
can do the ‘cool stuff’; piaffe, passage, flying changes,
etc. ”
Soon after this conversation I found myself riding to a
variety of music, supposedly “just for fun” to get an
idea of what we might ride to for that pas de deux
sometime in the (what I thought would be very
distant) future. There was music for every gait, and
being one that always rides with my iPod, I thought
this was great fun.
In the end surfer themed music was the winner. Now
that I think back, I don’t seem to remember much
about the decision making process, most likely
because I spent most of the meeting dancing in the
saddle (much to the annoyance of my horse) and
trying to figure out the difference between Hawaii 5-0
and Miami Vice.
Time passed and the next thing I knew I was handed a
piece of paper etched with what looked like the plays
for two basketball teams and one football team
across it. Arrows and lines went everywhere, but as I
studied the pattern I started to notice some
similarities and symmetry in the movements. And
then it dawned on me…we are really doing this! What
had I gotten myself into?! Who would want to watch
a pas de deux when it wasn’t Guenter Seidel and
Elizabeth Ball riding to Phantom of the Opera? How in
the world am I supposed to remember a SECOND
test? I can barely remember my own test at a show!
But somehow I was convinced (persuaded? coerced?
I’m still not sure) that we would have fun. Well, ok, I
thought to myself, no getting out of it now. Good
thing I don’t have a fear of commitment...
And thus the journey began. Well, really more like
continued on I should say, as I started to realize the
beginning was back a few months when someone
said those fateful words that began my story.
Fortunately Lori, my faithful partner and now fearless
leader, was not new to the world of musical freestyles
and therefore she led the way. First she was able to
decipher the pattern and direct me (No! Go THAT
way!!!!!) through as we attempted to ride together.
5 Lessons I Learned For
a Successful Pas De Deux
1. Choose your music wisely, you will listen
to it A LOT.
2. A little bling goes a long way.
3. Choose a partner that you don’t mind
clinking irons with.
4. Always carry your whips on the outside
when you are riding side by side.
5. A freestyle at any level can be fun, even if
you’re not a member of the Olympic team.
One might ask, “So it’s just like riding a normal test,
right? “ Well, let me explain. Yes, of course, just like
riding a normal test, you must keep your horse round,
soft, over the back, in front of the leg, on the bit,
heels down, eyes, up, use your corners, inside leg to
outside rein, sit up, eyes up, good geometry, more
bend, less angle, and of course, don’t forget to smile,
all while riding exactly opposite another horse and
rider team attempting the same process. Essentially
organized chaos.
See “Pas De Deux” on page 5
Take Contact!
Vol. 2013-3
Page 5
ICC Juniors Get Gold Medal Advice
By: Susan Williams
TC STAFF WRITER
didn’t have any juniors and
ICC was allotted two
positions.
Ryan Johnstone and Hope
Chacon were among 10
lucky kids chosen to
participate in this year’s
CDS Junior Clinic. USDF
Gold, Silver, and Bronze
medalist Christiane
Noelting led the clinic at
beautiful Spirit Equestrian
Center in Somis.
The clinic began on Friday,
Ryan Johnstone and Hope Chacon listen to
July 26 with a welcome
pizza party. Ms. Noelting, advice from Christiane Noelting
The juniors rode on
Saturday. The weather was
great, unseasonably cool
with a nice breeze. Moms,
trainers and some dads
looked on as the future
Grand Prix riders listened
and worked intently.
Riding in groups of two,
they worked on leg yields
of Vacaville, came armed with a truckload of
information to discuss, but narrowed it down to those
important basics of dressage, riding with the seat and
“back to front riding”.
and did a lot of transitions on the circle, stressing use
of the seats rather than the hands. Ms. Noelting also
developed individual exercises for the participants to
help them work on their particular needs.
Hope, Ryan and their eight compatriots were chosen
by their local CDS chapters. And while nominally each
chapter is allowed a single participant, some clubs
Ryan reported that he really liked Christiane, and that
he learned a lot and would enjoy working with her
again.
Pas De Deux
thought I would have taken, but in the end I wouldn’t
have traded the experience for anything.
Continued from page 4
From what I understand, this is exactly what those
around us seemed to think after watching our
“practices”. After we rode many people noted, in very
surprised tones, how we were able to pull it off. They
almost seemed surprised. Apparently our earlier
sessions appeared a little shaky to those on the
outside; our trainer even mentioned something about
American’s Funniest Home Videos….
Show day came and in the end I found that I was
wrong all along (a very rare situation in my case); I did
have fun, even without a passage. We managed to
pull it off, looking as if we had done this for years. We
even walked out of the ring following our final salute
to a resounding applause. This was a journey I never
And for those of you are wondering, we are available
for booking, just speak to our manager.
The author and her partner Lori are all smiles after their
award winning performance.
Take Contact!
Vol. 2013-3
Page 6
ICC Riders RAAC Up Good Showing
Four Chapter members participated in 2 Regional Adult Amateur Competitions this year—
the Southern RAAC and the Central RAAC.
Southern RAAC—June 29th
Central RAAC—July 28th
Training Level Novice:
- Michelle Hill/Grand Espoir—3rd
Training Level Elite:
- Lori Johnstone/Panama Joe—1st
Prix St. George Elite:
- Judy Howard Lister/Wobelisk—4th & Roses FEI
Elite
- Susan Williams/Komo—8th
First Level Elite:
- Susan Williams/Loyal—1st & Roses Training/First
Elite
- Lori Johnstone/Panama Joe—3rd
Michelle Hill on Grand Espoir
with trainer Sarah Lockman
Susan Williams with Loyal aka
Fabulous Fabian
Lori Johnstone on Panama Joe
with son Ryan
Vol. 2013-3
Take Contact!
Page 7
WOW, Does That
Bring Back
Memories!!
Cleaning out our old horse trailer the
other day we ran across this old, stained
list of ride times from over 13 years ago.
In some ways it seems like only
yesterday—but in other ways it’s a
lifetime ago.
How many of these riders and horses do
you remember? How many are still ICC
members? Who was the judge? Is your
name on the list? Your horse?
Send us any updates and we’ll be happy
to publish them.
A Couple of Updates
TC has knowledge of a few of the
horses:

Lemon Ice - formally retired from
competition earlier this year in a very
nice ceremony held at Flintridge.

Lexington Ky - is spending his golden
years at his long time home in
Moreno Valley as part of the Harris
family.

Jimson - whiles away the hours
entertaining the ladies in the upper
barn at Shadow Ridge.

Komo - still occupies the #1 stall in
Shadow Ridge’s upper barn. He is
training his 5th rider in the FEI
movements .
Take Contact!
Vol. 2013-3
Page 8
Inland Communities Chapter
2013 Sponsorships
GRAND PRIX SPONSORS
2013 SHOW CLASS SPONSORS

Kathy Pavlich—Shadow Ridge Equestrian Center


Dr. Lori Johnstone—Veterinary Acupuncture
Dr. Bari D. Boersma—Canyonside Veterinary
Practice
 Training Level—3; May Rated Show

Sarah Lockman Dressage

Cindy Hancock—Absolute Movement Equine
Therapy

Charlotte Le Vecque
 Intro A&B; March & October Schooling
Shows

Karla Mason
 First Level—3; All Shows

Michelle Stevens
 Second Level—3; One Show

Kathy Young
 Two Classes

Jesse Jayo—Farrier
 Western Dressage; One Show
INTERMEDIARE SPONSORS

Sunset Hills Equestrian Center

Tammy Cox—Tammy-N-Touch Massage

Rob & DeeAnne Gunneman—Fun To Dance With
Productions
PRIX ST. GEORGE SPONSORS

Mark Harris—M&R Pool Service
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Sponsorships are available for general
expenses, class sponsorships, High Point
Awards for shows, Junior Championships
and much more
For information on how you can be an ICC
sponsor, please visit our website or email
Nancy Franklin [email protected]
Take Contact!
Vol. 2013-3
For Sale
Page 9
Horse Cats??
$2,999
“Hey, lady...wanna buy a saddle?”
This guy works at Thrifty Horse in
Norco.
G & F “King” Size Trailer
2 Horse Trailer with Ramp
Susan Williams - (909) 794-9187
This is the Flintridge clubhouse
cat. She couldn’t help falling
asleep at the Custom Saddlery
display at the show in May.
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TC office cat, Ernie Williams,
thinks this girth is neat-o!
Editor’s Note:
Take Contact! is published quarterly. It is intended solely
for the entertainment and enlightenment of the Members
and friends of the Inland Communities Chapter of the
California Dressage Society. While every effort is made to
assure the publication is error free, mistakes do happen. If
you find needed corrections, factual errors or have other
comments, please direct them to:
Dusty Williams, Editor-In-Chief, Email: [email protected]