Liana Antanovich Dressage

Home     Services     Resources     Riding Club     Friends and Sponsors     Contact Us      
Riding Club 2012     Riding Club 2011     Riding Club 2010     Riding Club 2009     Riding Club 2008      
Riding Club Dashboard
News, stories and testimonials                                                                      
April 2010
Evgenia Stenberg conditions a 17y.o. TB mare on the flat, combining exercises from Conrad Schumacher's DVD "Prepare to Win" - "Basics".
Her focus is on riding corners with proper balance, flexion in the poll and bend.
 
 
 
 
March 2010
Cervantes made it to "Flying Changes", equestrian magazine in the Pacific North-West.
 
February 2010
Cervantes has outperformed himself rising the bar and schooling the First level Musical Freestyle at Karen Robinson's Clinic at Bear Creek Farm on February 6th. That is his 12th week under saddle. See more pictures on the Sales page. Click left image to see the video.
  
 
January 2010
Mark is back from a week-long business trip, and rides "long and low" just to stretch Onyx and get his feel back. Checking a symmetry of the posture and horse's frame in arena mirrors is a huge help to a dressage rider. While Katya in Moscow (see images below) shares the arena with another 15 or so riders, 17.2hh Onyx enjoys a private arena time sharing the space only with Mark's daughter Alisia. What a luxury... Envy? Check out the View Ridge Farm.
 
Ekaterina Maximchuk     exercises young sale horses at the training stable at the Ramensky Hyppodrome, Moscow Region, Russia. Head trainer Olga Fedulova trusts her the finest dressage prospects. "Katya is great, she handles young ones quite nice," confirms Olga.  
 
 
 
Vinzor is just a few weeks under saddle, that was a first day of somewhat balanced canter departs for him. While canter depart was our objective for the clinic with Vinzor, we did not focus just on canter depart, but used a set of specially selected for the horse exercises in walk and trot to gradually prepare him for a degree of collection necessary for a smooth canter depart. Watch how it happened. For both horses I recommended lunging to help improve their frames and acceptance of the contact faster.
 
 Short stories 

"Musical Freestyle" 

I trained and showed GP. But I have never done a Musical Freesyle. Equestrian's Institute email announced Karen Robinson's Spring Freestyle clinic, and I decided to jump on it with my current partner former show-jumper Oldenburg Cervantes. To my surprise the clinic was already sold out, but I was the first in the waiting list - and... got in!

 

Day 1 was a lecture. Day 2 was all about measuring the tempo (bits per minute), and fitting the music to the horse (and not vice versa). While not yet steady on the bit and in the gait, horses' talent and potential to develop a steady performance at this level can be already noticed.

 

Day 3 was mostly about choreography. Despite his only 12th (!) week in dressage training after 2 years of doing very little to nothing, Cervantes was "upgraded" to the First level Freestyle choreography. His suppleness was remarked at once. "He is a very honest boy", sais Karen watching Cervantes "trying on" some First level movements.

 

Cervantes is boarded and trained at the Phoenix Farm, Woodinville, WA. See more on the Sales page.

 
 
 "Cantering on the water"
When I received in email the scanned copy of this painting by Ariel McGrail, picturing me (somehow from shoulders down)aboard Luigi cantering on the water with a night city on the background, I was touched to tears. Can say no more. Luigi was trained and sold to a great home, and Ariel entered an art school in LA this year. Have a great time at school, Ariel!
 
 
"Passage aids"
Once a dressage trainer in Moscow, Russia, approached my student, young rider Ekaterina Maximchuk     who passaged around on a coming 5 y.o. Trakehner gelding and asked her how does she do that. "Well, replied Katya with a spark in her eyes, by balancing him between my seat and my lower legs in a slower rythm and greater definition of aids." She definitely could keep a horse at her seat on the lightest rein. Later Ekaterina made me very proud by placing with that horse at the Moscow Regional Championship.