ESDCTA Clinic at USET Headquarters in Gladstone

Weekly business for Cesar Parra is not only teaching clinics, but also riding in them. The trainer - student opposition is interchangeable and a rider never stops to learn, even if he's a trainer.

On Saturday October 30, ESDCTA organised a comprehensive clinic which dealt with training dressage horses, from young horses to Grand Prix level. Clinicians Betsy Steiner and Anne Gribbons discussed each horse from the viewpoint of trainer and judge. A small but enthusiastic audience had gathered in the indoor arena at the USET Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ (a stone's throw away from Whitehouse Station) for this clinic.

Cesar saddled Galant du Serein to demonstrated the way a Grand Prix horse's gaits are balanced, rhytmical and uphill. This contrasted much with Marilyn Payne's four-year old Hanoverian who was just green broken and showed no balance so far in his movements.

The co-operation amongst Piaffe Performers at Gladstone was a pleasure to see. Michael Shondel trailered the horses to Gladstone, Jen made sure they were all ready for transport and tacked up for the clinic, Thomas helped her, Katie was present to co-ordinate all the rides during the day. "Isn't this great, six people helping me just for one horse," Cesar said. "I'm so happy and honoured to have such great people working for me."

Text and Images copyrighted Astrid Appels/Eurodressage.com. No Reproduction Allowed

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