ST Instructor Rebecca Gilbert from the UK passed the Groundwork Grade 4 Touchstone with her 19 y/o mare Milly. Congratulations!
In this post, you can view the whole video, and read about Rebecca's insights concerning her Grade 4 journey:
Rebecca's Insights
"What an amazing journey ST has taken me and my herd of horses on.🎢
I am lucky to spend time with a herd of 5 beautiful horses. Ranging from a Shetland pony Toffee to a 28 year young Charm, 16-year-old PSG Udo, 5-year-old Nico and 19-year-old Milly. 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴
ST is enabling each of the older horses to remain strong and sound despite physical issues such as arthritis.
Over the years I have seen the reaction of folks many times when their beloved horses have been diagnosed with arthritis. Often they see it as needing to retire the horse, but one saying that deeply resonates with me is that 'rest rusts' and I see that first hand if my horses aren't trained as much, they are stiffer as a result for sure.
ST helps them keep supple and strong, and it's crazy what they're able to offer when their muscles are developed, and their mind, heart, and soul are in it.
For my younger horse Nico, it's beautiful seeing his development. Lightly backed now, I look forward to slowly develop the ridden pillar with him.💚😍💚
In the photo, you see a snippet of Milly and my Grade 4 lab. She is looking and feeling out of this world due to the amount of training and really digging deep into the necessary details at Grade 4. 👌👍✨
When I teach, students often hear me teaching how to train as if at liberty. This is totally where I'm at with Milly at Grade 4 too.
She is strong enough to do the sequence of ST exercises in canter and to really develop her sparkle, spirit, majesty and round frame I have to do all pillars as if at liberty. Only then does she really shine and you can see the performance arriving not just on a physical level but on an emotional, mental and spiritual one also! ☀✨
Working on Grade 4 isn't working on anything new from Grade 1, you're still widening, broadening and deepening the foundations. It's just that by now the base of the pyramid allows us to reach higher and stretch and go beyond what was possible before. ⭐👌🐴
ST is such a beautiful path. Definitely not easy but full of discoveries to enrich your and your horses live if you can remain open and eager to grow and develop. 🌱💚✨"
~ ST Instructor Rebecca Gilbert, UK
Full video: Groundwork Grade 4 Touchstone
Here is the video link to her fourth submission for which Rebecca and Milly received a 2-star score:
For more information, click here:
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