10 Things to Do in Omaha During World Cup

In the late 90's, I lived, worked and rode in Omaha (a transplanted Pittsburgher). Omaha is a fascinating mix of buttoned-up Fortune 500 culture, a cutting edge arts scene and traditional western ranch culture. Add to this a ton of sunshine and a lot of nice barns, and you've got a truly hip destination for the 2017 Equestrian World Cup. Here are some things I think all horse lovers won't want to miss between events at Century Link Center.

1. Go out for a legit Omaha steak dinner.  Just as you can count on a high standard of seafood in coastal cities, so you can expect to be served a surpassing piece of beef in Omaha. Nebraskans are serious about steak. Most people know their butcher by name and certain meat counters in town have fierce followings. Go for a traditional Omaha steakhouse like Gorat's (established in 1944), where Warren Buffet is a regular. Or just order beef wherever you're dining. No chef in Omaha is going to let you down.

2. Head to Bushwackers Saloon and dance with an actual cowboy. And you will too, because no sooner than you and your girlfriends get a Bud Light in hand, someone will walk over and ask you to dance. This is a traditional western dance hall. There will be line dancing, western swing, two-stepping and a boatload of hats, buckles and pressed Wranglers. The atmosphere is real and wonderful. Think Urban Cowboy circa 1980. Bushwackers is a short Uber ride to Ralston, just south of Omaha.

3. Henry. Doorly. Zoo.  No, you do not want to miss the zoo. This is one destination most articles and interviews have mentioned as an Omaha "must do," and they're right. Remember the Sunday evening Mutual of Omaha broadcasts of nature shows in the 1970's? Mutual is still headquartered in Omaha, as are several other large, civic-minded companies who put their considerable financial heft behind creating a world class zoo. You will walk through a rain forest and into a desert dome. You'll see herds of gazelle and swimming polar bears. You don't even need kids as an excuse to go, because you're an animal person already. Don't miss the zoo.

4. Walk to the Hot Shops right from the venue. And bring your farrier, because he'll love the sight of white hot glass. This collective space of artists studios and shared galleries takes up a former warehouse and is just a few blocks walk from Century Link Center. Glass and metal artists will be at work (hence the name). You can watch a molten blob become a delicate art glass object. You can shop for a one of a kind artwork to bring home and class up the lounge.

5. Hang in the Old Market. Laid out on the same cobblestone streets where commerce was once done by horse and buggy, the Old Market is pure charm. Dining options will appeal to everyone in your group. There's seafood, steaks, vegan, Persian, Indian, Italian, BBQ, French, casual American and fancy tablecloth and candlelight dining. Tons of shops from candy stores to leather goods to boutique fashion are on every block in this safe, walkable area. And you might still see a horse and buggy. Try not to judge!

6. Look Up. It's the Western sky.
There's something about it if you've never been. The clouds seem really far away and high up. You get this expansive feeling, like you could run a 50,000 acre ranch no problem. Grab your group and get a giant selfie with that Western sky. You'll find the ceiling looks a lot lower at home.

7. Sip a single malt at the Dundee Dell. OK, I won't be partaking in that, but if you enjoy checking out where the locals go and love your single malts, Dundee Dell is a top destination for connoisseurs of peat. There will be bearded hipsters and CEOs. There will be whiskey.

8. Catch a film at Film Streams.  Ever since Alexander Payne (an Omaha native) shot Election here, Omaha has served as the production locale for most of Payne's work (recently, Nebraska) and a host of other directors who enjoy working with a community of film making professionals and film lovers based in the city.  Film Streams is a non-profit community theatre specializing in independent and art cinema. It's just a few blocks from Century Link Center.

9. Buy a huge diamond at Borsheim's the flagship of the upscale Regency Court shops. Bill Gates bought Melinda's diamond here. Just saying. This Berkshire Hathaway holding is known for its competitive prices and knowledgable service. For guys, the watch collection is extensive and ranges from one to beat up at the barn to Patek Philippe. Tip: You can have your rings cleaned while shopping, and gift wrapping is complementary and gorgeous. If you're a high roller, head straight to the round case in the center of the store.

10. Visit Dehner Boots. They'll be right in the World Cup vendor area, so you won't have to go to their original factory and fitting room in Omaha's midtown, where you sit in a red velvet chair to be measured. Dehner is a third generation family business with no doubt third-generation bootmakers in their employ. If you see a picture of Ronald Reagan on a horse, he's probably wearing Dehner's. You'd expect a lot of cowboys this far west, but Omaha has always been a hub for hunter/jumpers, and has its own foxhunt, The North Hills Hunt, established in 1965. That's a lot of custom boots.

I can't wait to do all of the above at World Cup. Also on my personal list is an autograph from Carl Hester and a selfie with everyone I've ever ridden with. We'll see how far I get with that!

Homework and a Longstanding Goal Reached

Hot and I have had a great 3 weeks since our return from Fireside. I've taken the idea of really formalizing our weekly schedule so that I'm sure we're getting a good program of cross training. For Hot now it's Monday off, Tuesday checking the basics, Wednesday is the Walter Zettle series, or as much of it as I can successfully accomplish. I'm not sure which book or article I drew this from, but it's posted on my locker at the barn, and it's a riding plan that never fails to bring Hot and I into really nice, harmonious work. We ride many systematic transitions, maintaining schwung and activity. I follow it to the letter as best I can. Thursday is a lesson or a lunge lesson with Andria, who is wonderful at keeping my position on track. Friday is off. Saturday is focused on questions from the week -- what didn't go well or needs work. Sunday is a hack. Hot is learning to enjoy carrying me up hills and this gives me an opportunity to encourage him to use his max trot capability because the tall grass gets him high in his suspension and really up in his back and powering through the neck. It's a great feeling. I've always loved conditioning work and hill work. It's mentally refreshing for my horse and a chance for me to focus on keeping a rock solid tempo (I play music or a metronome tempo on my iPhone) and improves my balance for ring riding.

We just completed a clinic over the weekend with "S" judge, Anne Cizadlo. It was great to get a judge's perspective on our progress. I've got some great homework for this week, including counter canter work and shoulder-in to medium on the short diagonal. I'm going to focus on exploiting the engagement created through shoulder-in for a more engaged medium trot, and then exploit the energy I created in the medium for a really fancy corner and short side in collected trot. My focus will be on how I finess the ride between the movements. Am I relaxing and letting all I've created go, or am I using each movement to build quality in the next? Great concepts from Anne.

My really big news is I've FINALLY gotten to a three year old goal, which was to design some cool tees for the dressage rider. I spent many a late night the past two weeks designing, putting an online store up and at last, getting the word out.

I've had a great reception and it's been exciting to see some sales coming in arleady.  I have so many ideas, and am just looking forward to designing more and seeing what happens. It's all good when I follow my instincts, and in this case especially, I've felt an insistent voice telling me to do this for some time. Check it out.

Hot Finishes His Week with an Impressive Trail Mate

At 7:45am on Saturday, the final day of our Gifted Fund training week, I was on Hot, confident in the quality of our warm-up and ready for our last lesson. The warm up is now characterized by:

• Free walk through the topline and out of the withers, stretching and overtracking, respectful of the aids.
• The trot is not rushed, not chasing him around trying to get more energy that dissipates, but methodically pushing into the bridle for firm, even, elastic contact. I'm thinking about disciplined figures, checking suppleness to both sides.
• The canter transition is through the bridle from the first stride, markedly in front of the leg and IMMEDIATELY through the neck. Two tracks on the right lead (straight) will feel like haunches in. Two tracks on the left lead will feel almost like counter bend. 

His fifth straight day of work, our goal today was to touch on all the concepts we've established:

• Activation of the hind end through trot/walk/trot transition.
• High expectation of response to the lightest aid. Leg off.
• Immediate soften and reward for the half halt and increased engagement
• Establishing marked jump in the canter. Ability to add energy without lengthening frame.
• Light aid asking for the change when the canter feels correct (got an easy, lovely change right to left on the first try, and on the second attempt left to right.
• Finish the movement, then stop to reward and praise.

My homework is to firmly establish that canter. Patti says that I should feel free to ask for a change if I know I've got the canter, but promised that even if I don't work the changes but work with focus on the canter quality (straight to both sides, jumping through and engaged, forward off the leg), that will be excellent progress. He will not forget the change and will be better prepared for it.

As our lesson concluded, Freedom was brought in for Patti, who joined me for a hack on the inviting grass lanes around the Fireside Farm paddocks. It was a gorgeous spring morning, and the horses marched on happy and relaxed with the sun blazing off their coats. I looked over at Freedom's beautifully developed musculature and thought of Podhasky's quote that the increasing beauty of the horse is the truest indication of correct progression in the training. In that moment, I felt that I not only achieved my training goals this week, but that I was about to leave Fireside deeply inspired by our sport, and by what systematic methods, dedication and consistency can achieve.

A tiny part of the large trophy hall at Fireside Farm honoring the achievements of horses, past and present.

Hot and Jean (left) and Patti and Freedom (right) head out for a final hack at Fireside.

What a great way to cap off  the week. 

Two Bluebirds of Happiness and More Changes

Thursday we focused on the trot work (here's a short clip from Thursday's lesson, showing the trot to almost walk exercise), bringing Hot more together, more in balance and continuing to reinforce his enthusiastic, immediate response to the "touch" of my leg. I get such a great illustration of this core principle watching all the rides before me, both training rides and other student lessons. Each horse, no matter his level, is held to the same standard. He gets a chance to respond to a tiny quiet leg aid ("a touch") or he gets a strong corrective kick forward, then a retest of the lightest aid. The keys for me are to be 100 percent consistent in the application of the aid, and in my expectation for the response. Black and white. And it won't do at all if I noodle around with my leg meaninglessly at say, the free walk during warm up, then suddenly pick him up and now my leg is all business. Leg off, or leg used purposefully. No moving the goal post -- not fair to the horse. Looking at the video myself last night, I was so disappointed to see that in spite of working hard to fix a wobbly right lower leg and a tendency to get my shoulders behind the vertical at trot, there was the evidence on video that I haven't tackled these position faults yet. Recently I read "believe the picture, not the feeling." It's hard to watch video of myself riding, but it was just what I needed. I resolved to study Patti's biomechanics on Friday and "be her" for my next ride. We hacked out after our lesson on the beautiful grass paths around Fireside Farm and saw a pair of bluebirds flutter up to the canopy right in front of us. I don't know if Hot smiled, but I did. They were beautiful.


Friday's ride: Hot now swiftly responds to the "touch," and over the week, we've created a reliable "go button." Today in our lesson Patti said "Now you can mold the clay." This is exciting! Now that I  have the energy, and a muscle memory of what a powerful horse feels like when he's through to the bridle for third level (feels like sitting on a strung bow that's ready to shoot an arrow), we can start refining this response to the half halt. We worked on that today, sending him forward, closing the hand and then giving. Repeat, repeat, repeat. So I keep assessing the energy, keeping the tank nicely topped off instead of creating energy and riding it until it wanes and praying!

I rode a nice change right to left and eventually got one left to right after several wobbly approaches and some over aiding. Here's what I want to remember.

• You know when you have the canter now. It's the rolling through the back, super energetic and into the bridle feeling. That's the canter you can ask from. When he gives you the change clean, go to the wall first and then walk and pat him. Don't stop as soon as he changes.
• Stay sitting tall and just bump with your new outside calf. Don't throw yourself in the new lead direction or do anything with you hips. Stay centered and firm in your core and firm in your contact.
• You should be able to tap him in canter without him throwing a change. Be sure to keep the bend and tap for activity if you need to. I think we'll sort this out -- he seems a bit confused and annoyed. Frankly, he's always been a little tantrumy with the whip, and I'm a very light user of my whip. He may need to get over that.



I like our balance here for third level. Got to get my sternum forward.



My eyes and head should be looking straight ahead. Hot is lowering his haunch and giving me a nice solid contact and plenty of energy here.

• .

An Important Mind Body Lesson on the Flying Change

Today I learned something very important. The aid for the flying change is only the split second I ask for the change. It doesn't start at K, go though the corner and continue on the diagonal. On my approach, all I should be thinking about is riding the canter with quality and jump. My first change today, I started worrying as soon as I departed in canter, mentally focused on the change for stride after stride. I made my horse anticipate and worry, and he offered a few changes ahead of my aid. Once I was able to forget the change and focus on the canter only, we got changes easily to each side.

At one point, Patty asked me to tap Hot to straighten his haunch and he immediately threw a change. I then had to tap him several times until he A) stopped changing and B) Stopped kicking out. This was hard for me, because I felt he thought I meant for him to change when I tapped him, and was trying to please. Amusingly, during this tapping, he gave several clean changes on a circle! He's certainly showing himself capable. Now the task will be to make him confident in my aid, and have that aid never change.

Another thing I want to remember from today was a training ride I watched where Patti rode collected canter. The horse had terrific energy and he barely covered ground. I'm putting that picture of contained energy waiting on the rider in my mind. Also want to remember that the level of energy I want to create with Hot is the same one he gives me with ground assistance. It's a lively, powerful, electric feeling. In the canter, I want that clear three beat canter, and the second I feel less, I touch with the leg. I always need to bring his left hind under his body, so cantering right lead, I'll be straight by thinking haunches in. Cantering left lead, I'll be straight by thinking a little renvers.

Whew! I'm so excited for tomorrow. I hope Hot is resting well. He broke quite a sweat today. Will get some riding pics or video tomorrow!

Hot dried himself off with a good roll in his shavings

Making himself right at home.

More clockwork: The aisle is sprinkled with water before its final sweep at 3:30.

Off to a Flying Start

Arrived at the barn close to 7:15am to be sure I could catch Patti riding Freedom, the stallion on which she usually starts the day. This being Tuesday (first day back to work for all the horses), most of the rides consisted of basic work such as checking responsiveness to the aids. Freedom is held to a high standard on the latter. I make a note that I must be consistent in my own expectations of my horse's responsiveness. Not strict one day and lax the next (guilty!). Always the same aid and the same expectation. That's a basic I've heard many times, but watching Patti and Freedom illustrates the concept.

My own ride is at 12:45, so I have a few hours to watch lessons, graze Hot on the spring grass and check in with the saddle fitter. Everything runs on a schedule at Fireside, and everyone is on time. A marker board lists the rides and lessons for the day and Patti goes at intervals to check off horses done. I keep checking my watch to be sure I enter the ring five minutes early.

Our lesson was also a "Tuesday" lesson, but Hot was so generous and good feeling that we were able to do a lot of good work for the first day. Here are my notes:

Warm up: I shouldn't spend every warm-up bringing him from 1st level to 4th. He can stretch but he needs to carry himself more from the start. Even as I pick him up in the walk, I should feel activity behind and willingness to go honestly to the bridle. A strong contact is OK and expected right now until he becomes stronger in his carrying power. Shorten my reins and when I think they're really short, then shorten then once more. Keep my elbow bent and my hand closed on the rein.

Trot: We went large at sitting trot and brought him almost to walk then right back out to trot. He was to respond immediately to a touch with the leg, and I was to maintain the frame and keep the tempo. He came more and more under and felt so powerful. I could feel in this trot that a transition to medium would be right "on tap." This is the trot I need for my daily work at home.

Canter: With Patti assisting on the ground, I asked Hot to become active behind in canter with a touch of the leg, then take my leg off. I kept my contact, engaged my core and didn't allow the new energy coming from behind to turn into a strung out horse. Hot, bless him, was right on board with this. I had the canter quality I needed to try a change. On my first try, I threw him away before asking and he was late.  Sort of a panic on my part. Patti said that as I come across the diagonal, I need check a few things before attempting the change: Is his straight? Is he together? Is he waiting for my aid (not jumping ahead) and ONLY THEN should I ask. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with finishing the diagonal and counter cantering and trying again. We finished up the lesson with a clean change in each direction and much praise for Hot. Praise too for Andria Pooley, who did a great job of keeping him happy and relaxed in his change this winter. We are off to a great start!

Finished the day watching a few more training rides while Hot enjoyed the sun on his back and a roll in the paddock. Very excited for tomorrow, and grateful to be here. Miss my family so much

You mean I can spend ALL DAY at the barn? 

Hot  enjoying some horse time.

Like clockwork: As the last training ride finishes, the arena is groomed for the next day.

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A Rainy Day of Hauling and a Spa Day for Hot

Hot and I rolled out of Iowa around 11am under a cool drizzle. Scott installed a new camper lid on the trailer dressing room just in time for our trip, keeping all Hot's tack and blankets dry. My duct tape repair job lasted longer than I'd hoped, but an Iowa winter will take its toll. The old lid flew off in a high wind. Note to self: Always close the camper lid.

Leaving from Shellhaven Farm in Mount Vernon, we took scenic 151 through Iowa dairy country and into Wisconsin cheese country. We passed tidy farm after farm, saw a hand painted sign "Pray for Donald Trump" (open to interpretation) and a field with some folk art sculptures of dinosaurs and a UFO. It pays to keep your eyes open on Midwestern highways.

We pulled into Fireside Farm at 3:45, passing flooded fields and lakes perilously close to homes. Hot settled into a stall in the beautiful main barn, surrounded on all sides by happy dressage horses warm in their sheets and enjoying Sunday off.  Jackie kindly helped me unload my gear, and Brit showed me how the retractable ceiling-mounted wash stall hose operates and where to put my laundry. I appreciated the kind welcome after our long haul.  I washed Hot's legs and "undercarriage" with a small soft scrub brush and blue Dawn Liquid -- a treatment learned at Jodie Kelly Dressage in Destin (another fabulous home away from home). Hot stood relaxed on the cross ties, the steam rising off him. I toweled him dry and led him to a grooming stall for more spa treatments, wanting him to look his best for his first day of training. I blunt cut his super thick mane, thinned out the edges and trimmed his fetlocks, coronet bands and bridle path. Tomorrow, I'll give him a full bath and polish all our tack.

So begins our Gifted Fund week with Patricia Becker at Fireside Farm, an opportunity I'm honored to have thanks to a grant from The Dressage Foundation. The Gifted Fund, established by Olympic Dressage rider Carol Lavell in honor of her horse, Gifted, awards scholarships to adult amateurs to support a week of training away from the pressures of home and work. Speaking of family, I miss mine already. I'm going to work that much harder to make the absolute most of this time they gave me and Hot.

Carol Lavell and Gifted

Hot at the BP in Dubuque. Cloudy weather is good for hauling : )

Loved having a locker to organize all of Hot's gear for the week.