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Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved spending the holidays riding, even if it meant getting dumped in the dirt. I have a wonderful (well mostly) Christmas Day memory riding my horse Achilles. I must have been 12 or 13. We decided to go trail riding down the dirt road. Everything was going well, but on the way home, I decided I wanted a little more excitement.
I held Achilles back behind the other horses so he would get more energy. Then, I let him go. You can guess what happened next… I felt his back lift up, the energy swelled in his body… he bolted, bucked, I was left in the dirt, and a kind man pushing a stroller caught Achilles for me as he trotted down the middle of the road.
I learned a good lesson that day, and I still, to this day, love riding on the holidays. Horses and riding is magical, it is wonderful, it brings me joy and happiness and many wonderful life lessons.
As I reflect on memories from my childhood, I also reflect on this past year. I still have the same passion for riding and for horses, and I am so grateful for that. I still have a passion to learn and to improve myself as a rider, and as a person. I love that I can share my passions and my love for horses with you, through this incredible community.
Thank you for being here. I am looking forward to the year ahead!
0:00 Happy Holidays
1:32 Mystery Exercise Trivia
7:18 Final Thoughts
source
the peppermint-spiral circle
Merry Christmas 🎅 to everyone ❤
Call the Spiral Circles the “Gumdrop”—they are bigger at the bottom and smaller at the top!!! Merry Christmas!
Mercurio is the best!!!😊
Just beautiful! Thank you!
Going to ride shortly! This will be great for training on my own ❤ I think spiral circle could be peppermint swirl!
spirals are Peppermint Swirls 🙂 Love the lights & jingle bells. Epic
Fun. Love the lights and bells
Love all the patterns but actually most the spiral circle becaus I now learned with my new trainer to do this with my seat and not only pulling his head into. 😃
Thank you so much for this wonderful video and for your care and help in teaching us things for a better dressage ride! I love all the exercises and use them all the time! Happy Holidays to you and all your horsey family too!
You are so creative and fun! I LOVE it.
Spiral circle looks like a Lollypop or Christmas cookie.
So magical, almost makes me emotional!! Thank you for doing this for us.
Beautiful! Good Mecurio!
I like the 10 metre trot circle 20 metre canter circle . Thanks Amelia!
Thanks Amelia for doing this for us. I have never seen something like that.
Merry Christmas to everyone! What a great and fun idea! Thanks for sharing!
This is fabulous!! I love the lights!! My mare loves her bells too! Merry Christmas!
So cool! What a good boy! The spiral circle could be a Christmas wreath. Was that Levi laying inside the 10 meter circle in the overhead view of the Snowman?
Was amazing. Looks like so much fun
Dreidel for the spiral exercise. Love the video
This was so beautiful! I especially liked being able to see your rein placement better because of the lights. What a special horse!
The Poinsettia – spiral circle 🥰🎄
Sweet Mercurio! This is beautiful. Thank you.
Love this! Call the spiral The Snowball!!
so beautiful! thank you!
I ride in the dark almost every day in the winter, I've been called crazy and told I'm putting my horse at unnecessary risk. So it's inspiring to see a professional at your level riding in the dark!
Thank you very much for this video. Everything was awesome.
Your PRE was quite the champ. Impressive in the dark with Christmas lights wrapped all around him. The spiral circle to get symmetry in bending and flexion . Yielding is helpful in getting your horse to move foreward and engaging the hindlegs. Thanks Amelia
Loved this! Happy holidays!
Holiday name for spiral circle = cinnamon roll : )
What a fun and unique video! I’m pretty sure my horse would be terrified so I won’t be trying it but it sure was fun and inspiring to watch!!!
It looks like a bullseye or dart board the spiral circle
This was beautiful, such a great idea and Mercurio was wonderful 💖 Happy Holidays to Team Amelia..
This is so cool!