I've always said my life is full of amazing opportunities from living in Aiken and this day was proof of that. I had the chance to watch, listen and soak-in the expertise of Oded Shimoni and Capt. Mark Phillips during a USEF training session at Three Runs. I missed a few of the morning sessions but got to see Shimoni instructing Stephen Bradley, Allison Springer, Will Faudree and Will Coleman. I was able to catch Phillips with Lillian Heard and Doug Payne. They concentrated on flatwork and each of the horse/rider combinations had their own things to work on. It was nice to see riders at such a high level occasionally having a bump in the road. It made me feel better about my riding!
Allison Springer was an incredibly accurate and quiet rider. Her horse was very responsive and by the end of the ride was simply amazing to watch. I learned a lot from watching Doug Payne because his horse is so similar to one of my old horses. He too had a great session and by the end the horse was in a lovely frame, balanced and cadenced within his gaits. I'll stop blubbering on and let you enjoy the photos.
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