The recent presentations on Deep Practice Journaling made by Allison Brunelli during the 2011 Adequan/USDF Convention and Lendon Gray's EDAP is catching on.  Here's what a few riders have said about the presentations, unsolicited:

"One of my favorite lectures (at Lendon Gray’s EDAP) was Deep Practice Journaling by Allison Brunelli.  It was very interesting to see different trainer's techniques on what information should be included in your journaling. I learned many different ways that I can take notes after my ride."

- Asia Rupert, EDAP auditor

"I have been an educator for almost thirty years. I retired three years ago, moved to Montana and bought a horse. I have had some good riding instructors and some not so good. My experience has been that many riding instructors are good riders and good horse trainers, but this does not always equate to being a good teacher. Many times the most gifted people in a discipline have a hard time teaching the discipline to others because it comes so naturally to them. Effective teachers in the classroom use journaling as a strategy to help their students reflect on their learning.  As an educator and amateur adult rider, I am very excited to see the use of Deep Practice Journaling as a learning strategy that allows riders to construct their own learning through the use of reflection and writing. Journaling helps the learner (rider) to process the experience and store what is learned in the memory."

- Dr. Marg Watson, 2011 Adequan/USDF attendant

Note:  The USDF recorded the presentation on Deep Practice Journaling and will soon make it available as a podcast inside their e-track website to USDF members.  Also, the upcoming learning center at Barnby Notes will offer a comprehensive video classes on Deep Practice Journaling and other related topics on how to effectively keep a training notebook and brain-based learning strategies for learning to ride.  

Note:  Deep Practice Journaling is a style of journaling that results in high degrees of learning concepts, skills and feel in return for the time spent while journaling... as opposed to different styles of journaling that result in lesser degrees of learning.

written by Founder Allison Brunelli

One day last November I sat down to my email and unlike many days when I expect a lot of click, delete, click, delete, click, delete... I came across an email sent by trainer Meredith Crawford.  I savored and saved it.  (see email below)

It's a marvelous testimonial, representing much of what I'm working toward (with the help of Lendon Gray and other affiliates) with Barnby Notes -- encouraging teachers and students to get more involved in working side-by-side with their training notebooks.  Meredith does not know anything about this award, but now she will. She deserves it for going out of her way to walk the walk toward helping her students learn new techniques for learning.  She'll receive $100 toward teaching equiptment or supplies and three handsome Barnby Notes hardcover notebooks for personal use or to give to worthy students.  

Hi Allison!

It's been awhile. After receiving the Barnby Notes newsletter today, I wanted to write in with my own thoughts on encouraging students to journal...

Inspired by what I saw transpire at the Region 6 Youth Camp last July (when you presented on how to keep a training notebook and the kids were significantly and surprisingly excited), I came home and started giving composition notebooks and pens to my full-time students. Inside the front cover flap, I insert a copy of the attached document (which outlines several ways to keep good notes with a web address to barnbynotes.com). I don't just give them out to my students who already know how to ride and have their own horses; I also gave them out to those learning to ride for the first time. Now, I tell perspective students that I expect them to keep a journal and as soon as they express interest in a second lesson, I give them a journal and say, "Start writing." The results have been...huge.

Each week, I see exponential growth in my students. A concept introduced in one lesson will be grasped and implemented in the next. Moreover, I watch how journaling has inspired students to thoroughly engage in the learning process and make it their own. It helps them to sort out what they learned during the lesson and what questions they have or what they didn't quite understand. On one notable occasion, I had briefly introduced weight as an aid and assistant in lateral work during the lesson; the next week the student came back and told me how after journaling, she began to experiment with using her weight and seat as an aid, discovering on her own how to classically use her seat to control her horse's tempo (!). 

Finally, since the Donida Farm webmaster started linking my Barnby Notes entries on the website, people have called me about instruction because of the entries... Couldn't get much better than that!

-Meredith Crawford, Trainer at Donida Farm, Barnby Notes Public Notebook Author

Note:  This testimonial also inspired me to develop a preferred program for trainers where they can purchase softcover, composition-style training notebooks for students at our cost and it will include a Barnby Notes stylized guide for keeping good notes.  The guide will feature tips by learning specialist Dr. Kathy Kelly who is soon to be featured in our upcoming learning center where she will offer mini video classes on learning how to learn and related topics (learning styles, etc).  The preferred program for trainers will be available when the learning center launches.  Stay tuned! 



"Journaling is one of the greatest and most underused learning tools in a rider's tool kit," says Rachel Saavedra, a USDF Senior Faculty Member and FEI trainer.  Rachel, a passionate journaller, has inspired many of her own students to journal. How she inspires them so naturally, so gracefully, so thoughtfully, so artistically, is the subject of this news post.  

In our interview, Rachel tells us she waits for the right moment to suggest journaling to her students.  That moment is when the student is asking for clarification of something that almost requires writing to remember....it could be the first lesson, but often is when the relationship is further established.  "I don't push journaling, I invite it.  Not all of my students do it and we don't do it all the time.  We do it when we are inspired.  and the more we do it, the more we are inspired."

Because Rachel leads by example, we decided to create a sponsorship called the Saavedra Journaling Sponsorship.  Her student Laura Dwyer is the recipient and is now journaling in a public online notebook at Barnby Notes.  Rachel comments on Laura's entries.  Their dialogue is information rich, engaging, thought-provoking.  In fact, it triggered founder of Barnby Notes to schedule a road trip for two lessons with Rachel.  

Rachel's participation at Barnby Notes does not stop with Laura.  She has also entered into a professional dialogue with one of our first public notebook authors, Jessica Rattner. The dialogue takes place inside Jessica’s notebook. 

We wanted to know more about how Rachel does it.  How she inspires others to journal when journaling is often viewed as too time consuming.  And in our interview she explained her approach.  Rachel brings up journaling when there is a particularly interesting bit of theory, an exercise, a drawing in the sand, a demonstration, or a story. “I look for something that seems to resonate with the student-- a special breakthrough feeling or realization. That is when I encourage the student to write it down.” By writing it down, Rachel explains to the student, she will remember it better.  “I also tell her not to worry if she can’t remember exactly what I said. I say, ‘Just write down what you remember in the language that works for you.’ ” The record can be in sentences or pictures, thoughts or outlines. By writing it down and checking the journal entry before the next ride, she tells that student that it will help her to remember about the good stuff, and remind her to ask questions about those things that were less clear.

The journaling process with her students is a two way street. Rachel will often journal about the lesson herself, and use that entry as a basis for starting a discussion at the beginning of the next lesson. “Sometimes my students bring me their journals to read and check for clarity. Sometimes I copy the pages in my journal about a lesson and share them with the student. It is a way to model journaling. It’s also a tool for me to teach the subject again in a way that might work better for the student.” And if once is good, twice is even better. “I encourage a rewrite so that in the second pass the student will be able to fill in more details and trace how we moved from one thing to the next.”

When Rachel is working with trainers and teachers as students, such as those in the USDF workshops she teaches (for the USDF Instructor/Trainer Certification Program), Rachel also encourages using journal entries both as a means to create exercises to be used in lessons and to clarify concepts to call upon when teaching. “The journal is, for them, a place to describe their lessons and through repetition and revision, develop a concise version of each lesson segment.” Rachel has developed a shorthand for herself for many such segments, and a logical order in which to utilize them. “Once that happens, a teacher can journal about her lessons more concisely by just referring to segments in shorthand, and only noting the interesting or unusual results of the individual horse or student.”

In regards to the sponsorship, Laura will journal every six weeks for one year and Rachel is pleased that this formal project will offer a greater incentive to really focus on journaling both for her and her student.  Laura was her choice for the scholarship because they have been working together for a long time and, though Laura is a dedicated journaller already, she has difficulty finding a flow for her entries.  "I think this project will be a good incentive fore us to work together on her journaling skills so that her journal entries come as easily as the conversations that we have after the lessons."  says Rachel.  Readers will have an opportunity to experience the challenges, explorations and breakthroughs with Laura as she develops the Grand Prix work with her Oldenburg stallion Laitin.

Barnby Notes sponsors the newly launched Emerging Dressage Athletes Program.  Founded by Lendon Gray, Olympic veteran, founder of Dressage4Kids and an educational partner at Barnby Notes, this program is designed to "find, help and educate talented youth to become the international riders and trainers of the future." Joining Lendon in running this program are Olympians Courtney King-Dye and Robert Dover.  The EDAP is modeled after the successful U.S. Hunter Jumper Association's Emerging Athlete Program.

The Founder of Barnby Notes, Allison Brunelli, offers all participants a complimentary online notebook and one financial comittment to one of the top selected riders who applies to write in one of our public notebooks.  Allison also makes herself available to speak at the event if the agenda can accommodate a presentation on how to effectively use a training notebook.  Allison spoke at Lendon's Weekend Educational Program in January 2011 and is speaking at the USDF Convention in December 2011.

"I will always seek to support advanced educational programs especially those led by Lendon Gray,"  Allison says.  "Most, if not nearly all, advanced learning systems from traditional school systems to premier dressage training barns make writing or note-taking a part of their learning and I am honored that Lendon would allow me the opportunity to support the riders of the EDAP." 

July 5-7 marked the weekend of the 2011 ODS/USDF Region Six Youth Dressage Overnight Camp hosted by DevonWood Equestrian Center.  This exceptionally run camp was the perfect environment to help young riders learn the value of using a training notebook.  Allison Brunelli, founder of Barnby Notes and now a like-minded colleague of DevonWood's Head Trainer Jessica Rattner, was invited to speak and touch on three key strategies for using a training notebook : 1) write down three simple bulleted notes; 2) write down what happened, what worked, what didn’t and why; 3) use strategy one or two and add “feeling words”. Together, Allison and the campers explored stories about Olympians Courtney King-Dye and Lendon Gray as well as trainer and professional rider Jessica Rattner, all of whom have colorful histories with keeping notes and journaling -- when they started, why they started and what strategies they used.  

The new online training notebook at Barnby Notes not only has more features, those features are free.  Try the new My Notes, My Goals Reminders, My Thank Yous.  To add the original writing template called My Journals, use your USDF promo code and member number at Sign Up or subscribe for only $19.00 per year. (My Journals is available temporarily with a two-week free trial)

My Notes is your basic writing template which offers pre-set categories to help you organize your notes.  Categories include Lessons, Shows, Clinics, Vet, Student A-C, and Videos.  My Goals Reminders is best used for your top priority goals.  You can write down what you want to remember, set a time frame you want to remember it and how often you want to be reminded by email.  My Thank Yous offers a collection of beautifully illustrated equestrian e-card designs you can send to someone you are grateful for.  These notebook sections will also be available soon in a mobile version so you can jump off, jot down and remember everything, even while juggling other tasks at the barn!  The original My Journals offers a premium writing template with a video and photo upload, excellent for saving day to day photos and video journaling.

  We are honored to host Courtney King-Dye mentoring Geena Sturzebecher and Rachel Edwards for the sport's first Notebook Training Mentorship Program.  This is how it works:  Geena and Rachel use their online notebooks to think more deeply about and resolve their training challenges.  Courtney reads their entries and mentors them using the online notebook's comments section.  Geena and Rachel may reply and ask more questions and/or take Courtney's mentoring back to the arena. Videos and photos are posted by Geena and Rachel to enhance this educational experience for all those following.

Beginning 2012, we will continue to pair Courtney with aspiring riders once a year.  Each selected rider will enjoy this three month mentorship which also includes some additional stages of learning -- with reading and journaling exercises -- prior to the actual mentorship with Courtney.  

During the past 18 years, Courtney filled nearly 30 of her own notebooks with experiences about her riding. She believes her writing helped her to become a 2008 Olympian.  Courtney King-Dye’s coaching philosophy is simple: Writing down lessons helps riders become better, more efficient students. She believes that using a notebook helps riders contemplate what they did in the saddle to see what worked. And it gives them the opportunity to reflect on what didn’t and why. Courtney also believes it’s important to find humor along the journey. 

“For me, it is fun to write and it can be playful," said Courtney. "I want to help riders discover things they would not have without a training notebook. But I’ll also be sure that the riders I work with learn that it is equally valuable to find humor in their journey.”

You can follow this one-of-a-kind program by going to our Training Community page and reading Geena and Rachels entries. You can also catch the highlights by signing up for our newsletter below.  If you believe you are a candidate for this program, please contact allison@barnbynotes.com. If you would like to read more about Courtney's colorful history with journaling, please go to our Training Community inside the members section and click on Pro Notebooks.