to live in this world you must be able to do three things to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go. – Mary Oliver Ghosty was originally purchased for my mom. I […]
2015 Recap
It was great to finally be back in the show ring after spending most of 2014 on the sidelines due to a riding accident. As always, my students never cease to make me proud. Sarah Borns earned her First and Second Level scores for her USDF Bronze medal on her pony, Cordelia’s Dreamgirl. I also […]
Long Lining with Richard Malmgren
Early this month we were lucky to have a very talented friend of mine, Richard Malmgren, come to the farm to do a long lining clinic. Richard has studied with Bo Jena, of Flyinge Stud in Sweden, and in addition to being very talented in address straightness and connection issues, he is also very kind […]
Welcome Home, Mouse
Last week, a wish came true for me: I was able to bring my old horse, Mouse, back to me to spend the rest of his days. Mouse came into my life when he was 6, he is 22 now. But make no mistake, he is still sassy as ever. Mouse saw me through many […]
Taking Responsibility for Your Own Education
I recently had a discussion with a fellow rider and trainer about teaching. We both recognized that our most successful students (“success” defined as progress in their ability/education, NOT strictly show ring success) have one thing in common: they take responsibility for their own education. Before I start, let me first say that yes, of […]
In Pursuit of Mastery
Recently, I watched a TED talk by a woman named Sarah Lewis that I found to be particularly relevant to dressage. The talk is called “Embracing the Near Win”, and it discusses the differences between success and mastery. As all of us who participate in this discipline know, in dressage we are always striving towards […]
PVDA Sugarloaf Show Recap
Students Allison Stork and Shera Solomon were awesome at the PVDA Sugarloaf Show yesterday. Allison rode Im a Driftin Dude at Intro A and B. She has been diligently working on retraining “Niko” all winter (he was originally a western horse) and her hard work is paying off. They were third in Intro B with […]
VADA/NoVA Summer Show Recap
Katie King and Shine had another great show this past weekend. With solid mid-60s scores at First 2 and First 3, Katie earned her second USDF/GAIG qualifying score at First Level. She is now completely qualified for both finals shows. And last but not least, they won their First 1 class on Sunday with a […]
VADA/NoVA Spring Show Recap
Katie King and her mare Shine kicked off show season in style. They qualified for the CBLM Finals at First Level, received their first GAIG/USDF qualifying score at First Level, and earned the required First Level scores towards Katie’s long term goal of earning the USDF Bronze medal. Additionally, they placed in all of their […]
Dressage at Lexington
I took Amy Stika’s Routinier (“Roo”) to Lexington again this year. This is one of my absolute favorite shows: wonderful staff, professionally run, and a great time! Roo and I did the I-1 on Saturday, and we had our best ride ever to score a 69% and change. So tantalizingly close to breaking 70! One […]