Leslie Morse and Tip Top

[skallywag]

Leslie Morse lives next door to my best friend. There is a community dressage arena directly to the rear of both their properties.

Yesterday, I was watching as my friends were riding in the dressage arena. We look up, and there they were, Leslie on Tip Top, in his 'prance' (I don't ride dressage so don't know the right words for the moves) about to enter and join us... We stood in total amazment, mezmerized at the sight of this magnificant horse, and the champion rider aboard his back, 'float' into the arena, come down the center line, stop, still prancing, turn, 'waltz' to the other side of the arena, and "dance"..

I was spellbound! I have never seen a {World} Champion Dressage rider and horse work before, and I tell you, standing in the arena and watching them literally took our breath away.. It was AMAZING!!!!

When Leslie is not touring to competions, she trains in this arena the one my friends ride in and luckily for me, I get a first ring side treat in watching them..

AWESOME!!!!

[skallywag]

Passage-A very collected trot with prolonged period of suspension,the horse moving forward slowly. There should be an accentuated flexion of the knees and hocks as in piaffe.

Piaffe-A highly measured,collected and elevated and cadenced trot on the spot.

Pirouette-When the hindlegs stay in almost the same spot and the forehand move around them,either in a collected walk or a high degree of collection in canter.Can be performed in a quarter-turn,half-turn(demi-pirouette),or whole circle.

^^^^^
I had to find the right terms in order to describe correctly what we were watching, so all of you who know Dressage, would understand what I was seeing and trying to describe..

[J-Lu]

You know, I think I knew what you were talking about in the first post. :) Floating, prancing, waltzing...yes, i can envision the ride through your words. I really like Tip Top and like his whole line. Lucky you to get a "master class" in training for free! You need to visit your friend more often.:winkgrin:

[skallywag]

You know, I think I knew what you were talking about in the first post. :) Floating, prancing, waltzing...yes, i can envision the ride through your words. I really like Tip Top and like his whole line. Lucky you to get a "master class" in training for free! You need to visit your friend more often.:winkgrin:

Yes. I am so lucky to get to watch this..

[Coreene]

Not nitpicking, but not ever a world champion.

[skallywag]

Not nitpicking, but not ever a world champion.

I stand corrected.. and have removed the word "world"...

A very, very impressive resume and rider... though. I think most of you can see why I "assumed" she was a World champion after seeing her and reading her website..

http://www.lesliemorsedressage.com/

[Mardi]

Not nitpicking, but not ever a world champion.

You're not nitpicking, it's the truth, and needed be corrected.

[Fixerupper]

Jeez guys...you are nit-picking...here's a 'non-dressage' rider entranced with dressage...yay!!! and all you can say is 'she's not a world champion' :no:!!! Lighten up and go with the spirit of the poster...
I'm also old, used up and bitter :lol: ...but I LOVE IT when someone puts fresh eyes on the sport

[mbm]

dear OP - thanks or reminding me why i love this sport so.... it is all about the *feel and emotions * of it after all :)

Jeez guys...you are nit-picking...here's a 'non-dressage' rider entranced with dressage...yay!!! and all you can say is 'she's not a world champion' :no:!!! Lighten up and go with the spirit of the poster...
I'm also old, used up and bitter :lol: ...but I LOVE IT when someone puts fresh eyes on the sport

:yes::yes::yes:

no wonder dressage has a hard time attracting spectators - we are a bunch of anal know it all kill joys ! we all should spend more time connecting with the beauty and emotional aspect of our sport and allow the joy of it all show thru - and i for one will be thinking of the OP as i ride tomorrow and i will try to channel some of that joy :)

[slc2]

Ah.

Girls, girls, girls.

To the original poster - it's very common when people are new to dressage that all the titles, team awards and different competitions look like one big long blur. Don't worry about it. It's like me making sense of all the track and field events. It just looks like one long blur to me...and I don't need to know all that to look at all the fit, healthy young people running like the wind and feel very, very happy.

And you can call it a waltz and a prance all you want. Be my guest. To be perfectly honest, I think that's where it came from in the first place - a human being's desire to turn a living creature in to a natural, living work of art.

With eyes like you have, that find joy in watching a great horse and rider work as a team, I don't think anyone should really have a problem. :)

I've met very, very few people who can do what you do, so just keep valuing that you can do that. Carry on, and just keep seeing and enjoying.

For the rest of you Phillistines, try reading Rainer Maria Rilke. ;)

[Classical DQ]

What a wonderful opportunity for you!!! Soak up as much as you can. It doesn't matter that you are not riding at this level. Everyone needs to have tapes of correct riding in the their head. Notice how quiet her seat is. Watch her hands. Where does she put her legs? If the horse shies or gets tense, how does she handle it? But first and most important..........ENJOY!!!

[quietann]

To the original poster - it's very common when people are new to dressage that all the titles, team awards and different competitions look like one big long blur. Don't worry about it.

This reminds me of when I was a very new re-rider who'd been out of the horse world for 25 years, and thought the "Bronze Medal" trainer who lived down the street from the friend whose horses I rode was an Olympic bronze medalist, not a USDF bronze medalist! :lol::lol:

[esdressage]

How amazingly wonderful to get to see that! I love how you had no idea "technically" what she was doing but just knew it was beautiful and you wanted to share! That's the beauty and that's why so many of us are drawn to the sport.

[skallywag]

Thank you to all who understood what I was trying to convey... It really was spellbinding.. I actually have walked away from those few minutes of watching them, being so close that I could hear Tip Top breathing as he was going through his gaits, with a total different view of Dressage.. I have always watched the lower levels, and thought them to be boring.. But, watching what I saw the other day.. well, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind..

Some people don't care much for Leslie.. She isn't the nicest person, and seems to have issues with some (many) people.. A few weeks ago, she was actually rude to my friend when he was working in the arena.. What that boiled down to, was frankly, she didn't want to share it.. I watched her that day, and she did basic moves, nothing impressive. So I didn't give her much thought.. However, the training and practice she was doing the other day, was incredible. She made me stop and really, really think what a Dressage rider should strive to be.. Minus the attidude..

[skallywag]

dear OP - thanks or reminding me why i love this sport so.... it is all about the *feel and emotions * of it after all :)



:yes::yes::yes:

no wonder dressage has a hard time attracting spectators - we are a bunch of anal know it all kill joys ! we all should spend more time connecting with the beauty and emotional aspect of our sport and allow the joy of it all show thru - and i for one will be thinking of the OP as i ride tomorrow and i will try to channel some of that joy :)

MBM: THANK YOU!!

[MistyBlue]

If Coreene and Mardi are Philistines..does that make slc a Babble-onian? :confused:

[TheHorseProblem]

Some people don't care much for Leslie.. She isn't the nicest person, and seems to have issues with some (many) people.. A few weeks ago, she was actually rude to my friend when he was working in the arena.. What that boiled down to, was frankly, she didn't want to share it..
:yes:

[snoopy]

Some people don't care much for Leslie.. She isn't the nicest person, and seems to have issues with some (many) people.. A few weeks ago, she was actually rude to my friend when he was working in the arena.. What that boiled down to, was frankly, she didn't want to share it..



Leslie, rude????!!! Never, not Leslie!;)

[TheHorseProblem]

Where is this shared arena, anyway? Are there arenas in Beverly Hills?

[Mardi]

Jeez guys...you are nit-picking...here's a 'non-dressage' rider entranced with dressage...yay!!! and all you can say is 'she's not a world champion'

How interesting to be knocked for agreeing that a statement be re-worded so it reflects the truth. A truth that we all know is valid. If the OP had described Tip Tip as a gorgeous Appy, would everyone have stayed silent ?

I'm not discounting the OP's amazement while watching the beautiful movements of Tip Top. I've seen Leslie and the horse in person many times; they're a great pair.