Start Also to give another hit when someone is searching for Dale Irwin, there is precious little info, and I kept given an old COTH thread, so here is a new one, people visiting from google land.
So who is Dale Irwin? C&P are my friend
Dale Irwin is an Equine Canada Level III dressage and eventing coach. He has trained with world class dressage and eventing coaches such as Willie Schultheis, Herman Dueckek, and Cathy Wedge. Dale has coached/trained several students and horses that have gone on to represent their countries at the Olympics and World Championship
So who is KBC? and old fat rerider, who had a major accident 3 years ago, has been gradually coming back with the help of two solid safe gelding, who went crazy last year and bought a Red Headed mare to progress on…only we progressed backwards for a while, to the May 10th melt down, where I was sat crying and shaking in the middle of the arena, threatening to sell her. My coach convinced me to stay on, and start over with her, and after a month we would list her if I still was struggling. That was our low point, and the turning point, we have just built up from there. So here we go, an international coach, and me!
So first thought, riders of international calibre are a heck of a lot fitter than this old bird, I had to dig deep to keep going, especially as it was hot…
He uses a headset so it is beautifully easy to hear him, and he is very clear and concise in his explanations.
He pitched everything at a great level for me, asking first can you leg yield, before starting the exercise, and apart from a little to much hand, a familiar issue it went well.
I also liked that when I was warming up, he came over and said “can I stop you a minute, tell me about your horse” I was drawing breath to reply, when he said " actually I know this horse, she used to belong to a young person rode at X place, I had her in a jumper clinic" He later said that we have done a great job with her so far, he remembers her tendency to go from giraffe with head in the sky, to pill bug, with nose curled below her chest, he liked that we have her more in the middle.
I told him before we started that we had been doing canter work, but had stopped back in May, and were just picking it up again. So the first transition wasn’t great, I hadn’t set her up for it, and she rushed into the canter, and he was very quick to explain, “OK let her go, you just took her by surprise with your request, do it again”
I found him supportive and helpful, and the lesson was pitched right at my level, while stretching me just enough to make me think and work. It was also nice that it was just a progression from what I have been working on with my coach, tells me that she is doing the right thing!
So I had a great day, I feel inspired and keen to work on our partnership…Dale is coming this way again in September and I hope I can get another lesson…need more saddle time between then and now, both horse and stationary bike!
[IMG]http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb198/rm185western/Horses/Fergie/Dale%20July%205.jpg)
