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There be Dragons Farm
Fall Show 2010
We celebrated our second fall show on October 24. The idea was to give everyone the opportunity to ride a test in front of a judge, even if they had never tried before. We were fortunate to have Leslie Kornfeld as our judge and she watched 8 competitors ride their test(s) in costume. Among the dressed up crowd there was a bumble bee, a superwoman(/girl), a Phantom of the Opera, two men from the British Isles, one crazy Brazilian, an eighties rocker, The Bride (Kill Bill), a witch, an English girl from the 1800's, a Creek look alike, and someone who looked like she came straight out of the Genghis Khan army! Everybody had brought food and had a great time. The show participants had memorized their tests and, despite their nerves, did a wonderful job! Hope to see you all next year!
Clinic with Bettina Drummond
On September 12 and 13, 2010, Tommy Jensen and Annemarie Field took their horses Belladonna and Samurei to a clinic with renowned trainer and breeder Bettina Drummond. Bettina trained for over 17 years with dressage master Nuno Oliveira in Portugal and performed her first Ballotade at the age of 12. She became Oliveira's exhibition rider and earned her degree as a master horse trainer at age 21. She teaches the classical French system and is particularly skilled in training Iberian horses.Bettina is incredibly knowledgable and very generous with sharing her knowledge. She liked the beautiful Belladonna, a 4 year old Lusitano mare, and worked on exercises to help her straighten. She gave Samurei one look and said "He's Dutch? Of course he's very emotional and thinks too highly of himself!" With lots of humor and encouragement, she put both riders and horses through the wringer and after two days of hard work we could clearly see improvement.
Show results 2010
On August 8th, Paula Adelson competed at T.H.E. Farm with her horse Liam at Training 1 and 2. This was the first time they rode a test with canter in it at a show! They did very well and took fifth place.
Juvenal rode Georgia's Way at Apple Knoll Farm at one of their summer shows. Georgia's Way was formerly a racehorse and Juvenal restarted her to learn dressage. They took home a second and third place at the Intro levels.
Tommy took the Lusitano mare Belladona to her first shows. Belladonna is only 4 years old and took immediately to liking the show ring; they ended up with the reserve high score at Training level at the NEDA show in Millis!
Leslie, Tommy and super Nini
discussing her test.
Tommy and Belladonna are exited
on their first day with Bettina Drummond.
Littleton, MA — On January 8th, 2003, at the Littleton Town Hall, Ms. Jensen discussed horse behavior in her lecture entitled The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Topics of discussion were normal horse behavior and temperament; equine intelligence and thinking; horses' relationships with humans; nonverbal communication and body language; and common equine behavioral problems.
In addition to the lecture, there was time for questions from the audience and answers from Tommy discussing such topics as:
• Why is my child's pony displaying erratic behavior in the arena?
• Why does my horse ride well Western and not English?
• Should my new thoroughbred stallion have a cohort in the paddock?
horse behavior in Littleton, Massachusetts.
Tommy Speaks to Local 4-H Club.
Littleton, MA — On May 14th, 2003, Tommy and her Hanoverian, Solo, discussed and demonstrated Dressage principles with a local 4-H Club. Tommy explained that Dressage is a training process that develops the athletic and mental abilities of horse and rider by increasing the strength and balance of both including the harmony between the two. Over time, dressage training presents a supple, responsive and willing horse ridden by a sensitive, attentive, and balanced rider. Tommy and Solo demonstrated a series of exercises that create awareness in the horse of his own body through progressively difficult movements.
The participants also found out why Dressage is so important--regardless of what discipline for which a horse or pony is being trained. Tommy explains that Dressage exercises increase a rider's biomechanical awareness of the horse. In other words, dressage teaches you how to "talk" with your body and teaches your horse how to respond to what you say. Horses that are relaxed and flexible are easier, safer and more fun to ride. In addition, Dressage training increases a horse's strength, soundness and fitness no matter what discipline you wish to pursue with your horse. Tommy states "Dressage makes you and your horse stronger, more relaxed, more flexible and more balanced. That means you can make tighter turns, jump higher jumps and more importantly, stop fighting with each other!"
Following the lecture, there was plenty of time for questions and answers including lots of time for saying hi to Solo and the other horses and ponies in the barn. Tommy even went so far as to ride a very green pony--who can be a bit ornery at times--to show that you don't need a "dressage horse." Dressage exercises can be done with any equine, from a Shetland to a Selle Francais.
HORSE
BEHAVIOR, the GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY
A Lecture by G. Tommy Jensen
"Why does my daughter's horse occasionally spook for what seems
like no reason?" was just one of the many questions that speaker
G. Tommy Jensen, of There Be Dragons Farm, fielded during her lecture:
Horse Behavior, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on January 8th. Topics
included: Equine Intelligence and Thinking, Horses' Relationship With
Humans, and Nonverbal Communication and Body Language. Over 50 horse
enthusiasts gathered at the Littleton Town Building in Littleton, MA
for this fun evening of lecture, learning, and socializing.
Ms. Jensen opened her lecture with the game childhood game Telephone,
and used the game to illustrate some fascinating points about human
to horse communication. How many times does what we think we are telling
our horses get distorted in the actual asking, i.e. are you really asking
your horse to move forward from your leg if you are simultaneously catching
him in the mouth? "Many people have heard or read about Natural
Horsemanship but few have a good grasp of the underlying principles
of learning and communication that make Natural Horsemanship effective."
says Ms. Jensen, "This is important information and can really
help people understand the “why” behind horse behavior and
effective training."
When asked why she began lecturing, Ms. Jensen explained that she first
noticed her students' need for more information and soon realized that
many horse enthusiasts shared a craving for horse knowledge. Soon, what
began as private talks for students grew into public lectures with waiting
lists! “There is often not enough time during a one hour lesson
for someone to work on their riding and speak to their instructor about
other questions or concerns they might have. "The lectures are
a great forum in which to impart knowledge and people are always invited
to discuss their issues either during the lectures or one on one with
me afterward," says Ms. Jensen.
Ms. Jensen's knowledge of horses was extensive and impressive. She has
over 25 years experience riding and training horses, and over 12 years
teaching horse enthusiasts of all disciplines about the benefits and
joys of classically-correct riding. Ms. Jensen is intensely focused
on how the bodies of both horse and rider work in harmony with each
other to enhance communication and performance, resulting in lightness
in riding.
Ms. Jensen has also started taking her lectures on the road. Most recently
she traveled to Equestrian Village, a state of the art riding facility
in Rochester, NY where she spoke to a room full of horse owners, employees
and friends. One Equestrian Village employee declared, "Tommy is
the best speaker we have ever had, she was really able to engage the
boarders." Following the rave reviews Ms. Jensen has already been
invited back to Equestrian Village in the early summer to do a two-day
clinic.
By the way,
the spooky horse was determined to be the result of an ill-fitting English
saddle that was only used occasionally.
Horse Behavior, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was one in a series of lectures that G. Tommy Jensen, of There Be Dragons Farm, is giving in Massachusetts. For information about the lecture series please email bedragonsfarm@aol.com or call 978.337.1520.
Article by Kathryn St.Clair
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