Lightness Foundation November 2013 Newsletter The Lightness Tournament was a Great Success! The 1st Lightness Tournament was held on Labor Day wee

LightnessHeader4 15px-1

Lightness Foundation November 2013 Newsletter

***
 KAT1820

The

Lightness Tournament was a Great Success!

The 1st Lightness Tournament was held on Labor Day weekend, at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado.
We had a supportive and enthusiastic group of participants from Colorado, Arizona and Utah.

We had 13 pass Level 1 Lightness, and the highest overall score for Level 1 was a brilliant ride from a 9 year old Bria McGrath, from Carbondale, on her Fjord.
Want to know more?
Click here to read the article by Juila Anderson

***
 KAT4173

Results from the 2013 Lightness Tournament in Colorado

Click here to see the results from the Lightness Tournament!

***
0 intro

Article of the month

.

Light,

.....Lighter,...

...........Lightest

Abstract of Manuel Trigo's Lightness: Proof of Balance Seminar

by Kip Mistral

.
I would have replied that you were dreaming if you had told me the December morning of Manuel Trigo’s first Phoenix, Arizona “Lightness” clinic, that before day’s end my P.R.E.
stallion would be cantering from halt while taking the correct lead with reins dropped, only my seat and legs for aids. But with Manuel’s coaching, all of us horse/rider teams were
doing it in short order that afternoon. As we then sat our horses and looked at him in various expressions of amazement, he smilingly told us “Lightness is for every horse and rider.” And that means lightness is for you!

Why Lightness?
So rarely is a horse ridden in lightness today that one may well return to history to witness what such a horse looks like. François Robichon de La Guérinière, Click here for the article on Manuel Trigo's Lightness seminar

***

Thank you to the recent members of the Lightness Foundation!

We are proud to have the following new members of the Lightness Foundation:

 KAT5439
Alanna Hamill
Angela Seda Garvin
Annie Bolognino
Barbara Bryant
Beth Beymer
Betsy Tismeer
Bria McGrath
Camryn McGrath
Dallas McCullough
Debra Whitman
Dree Ward
Elena Langan
Elizabeth Prucka
Elna Campbell
Ginny Furness
Julia Anderson
Kerry Picken
Kris Ahlberg, DVM
Maree McAteer
Sheri Prucka
Tina Huston
Tracy Pursley
The Iberian Connection
Wendy Dinnerstein

***

Q&A of the Month

We asked a few questions to Manuel Trigo we thought would be helpful.

Q: If I want to organize a Lightness Tournament in my area, what do I do?
A: Contact the Lightness Foundation (LF) and the LF will give you the support and structure to make this opportunity a successful reality. We have had several requests for 2014 and since we are still young, we can only do a few at a time.

Q: In Level 1 Lightness, exercise #2 and 8, circle with only the outside reins at the walk or trot, should the horse keep the bend to inside of the circle?
A: Of course, yes. The idea is to bend the horse without the inside aid (rein), using only the inside leg. Both legs have to make 2 walls and the seat will be pushing the horse between the 2 walls. The horse needs to be bent between these 2 points. If the horse has been trained correctly (only with the inside leg) the horse should be able to bend the spine and the neck. Don't forget the goals of the exercise: 1) bend the horse with the inside leg, 2) avoid abuse of outside rein, 3) Train rider to control himself, controlling the instinct that's telling him to force with the outside rein. If the rider does that, the horse will immediately bend outside and try to go in the opposite direction.

Q: How do I get (send) my music to the Lightness Foundation for the Lightness Tournament?
A: The music has to be sent with your entry forms before the deadline of the show. Your music should be emailed or send on a flash drive in MP3 or apple audio format. Your flash drive will be returned to you at the show. Please label the title the following way:
3 digit class number and class name example: 100 Lightness 1
Your name
Horses name (if you are riding more then 1 horse)
All the music will be loaded on a computer. When you want the music to start for your class, raise your arm.

***
 KAT4314

MEMBER OF THE MONTH

For each newsletter of the Lightness Foundation, we will spotlight a member. We are very happy to start with a true gem. Annie rode Whiskey in the 1st Lightness Tournament and she passed her Level 1 & 2! We are all so proud of her.

Want to know more about Annie? Click here

***
IMG 1168

HERO OF THE MONTH

Kerry Picken has been working like a crazy tireless organizer of everything for the Lightness Foundation and then for the first Lightness Tournament. She has been the hub of the huge wheel that has been set in motion to create this Lightness Foundation and Tournament.

Click here to read about this month's hero.

***
LightnessFoundationLogo-1

Visit our website to learn more about upcoming events, clinics and tournaments.

www.LightnessFoundation.com

1px