Ultimate Dressage Experience

16/05/2024

Ensuring your horse's well-being is crucial, and one way to do so is by checking the body for tight muscles and sore spots. By regularly assessing your horse's physical condition, you can tailor your training exercises to target specific areas that may need extra attention. Prior to riding, take the time to feel for any tense or sensitive areas on your horse's body. This proactive approach will allow you to adjust your training regimen accordingly.

Pay close attention to your horse's reactions during these checks. If you notice your horse pulling away, raising its head, or showing signs of discomfort, it may be an indication that you are applying too much pressure. On the other hand, if your horse starts yawning or chewing for example these are positive signs that he/she is experiencing a release and relief.

By regularly assessing your horse's body and being attuned the responses, you can ensure that your training methods are appropriate and effective. This level of awareness not only benefits your horse's physical well-being but also strengthens the bond between you and your equine partner.

13/05/2024

How to ride with steady hands!!

How to ride with steady quite hands in trot, creating a soft continuous contact to the horses mouth. Fed up trying to keep your hands still or keep your hand...

05/05/2024

Why trainers PUSH horses TOO FAST

Klaus Balkenhol explains, "Although breeders have created a better horse, the market has created a demand for a stronger, healthier, more powerful horse. It's easier to sell a horse that looks
like a carefully developed eight-year-old, and not like a three- or four-year-old just beginning his career. If you force it, you can get a three-year-old to physically look like a developed eight-year-old. Too many colts remain stallions which, if approved, promise breeders higher prices as three-year-olds. Now 250 to 300 young stallions are presented each year, when only 40 or 50 will be approved.
Few breeders have the sense to geld the yearling stallions and leave them on the pasture to mature naturally. Instead, yearling stallions are brought into a stall, fed too much grain, and at three, look like six- or seven-year-olds. They have muscle mass, but not enough bone structure to support it. They look mature from the outside but aren't . . . and when started to work, degeneration sets in. Competitions also create pressure to push horses too fast as competitions are now scheduled throughout the year without any breaks."

Common Mistakes In Pushing Too Fast
Tightening the noseband: "A horse resists by sticking out his tongue. Tightening the noseband too much puts pressure on the nose and on the poll. If it is necessary to tighten the noseband very tightly, then something has gone very wrong in the basic training of the horse. The horse cannot be relaxed, the first step on the training scale," warns Klaus.

Specializing too early: "Drilling every day in the indoor arena is too intense for the young horse. It's very important, especially in the first two years of training, not to specialize the young horse. Training should include a variety of activities, including trail riding, which is good for the mind as well as building strength with hill work. It should include jumping, either free or low jumps under saddle, including small natural obstacles on the trail, and cavaletti. A variety of work will allow the horse to stay mentally fresh and to enjoy his work. Only when the horse is happy can dressage become art."

Not checking tack frequently: "Saddle and tack need to be checked constantly for proper fit and adjusted as the horse's body changes with growth, and as his fitness improves with the
training. If the noseband gets too low, for example, and the skin between the noseband and the bit is rubbed and becomes sore, this causes the horse discomfort and loss of relaxation.
Regularly check for sharp edges and bit problems in the horse's mouth and teeth."

Working too long: "The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller.
Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse."

Riding when the horseman is tense: "Horses are particularly sensitive to the rider's mood. A rider shouldn't ride if she is under undue stress or doesn't have the time to ride. If the rider has a bad day, give the horse a rest day or go for a relaxing trail ride; don't work in the arena. The horse mirrors the rider's mood."

Not praising the horse enough: "The horse must perform from joy, not subservience. Praising a horse frequently with voice, a gentle pat, or relaxing the reins is very important to keep the horse interested and willing. If the horse offers piaffe, for instance, because he's excited, praise him for it. You shouldn't stop the lesson at that point nor make a big deal out of it. If you don't want piaffe, quietly urge him forward into trot, but you should NEVER
punish him for offering the piaffe.

23/04/2024

Congratulations Ger 🙌 🎉 so well deserved. All your hard work and dedication paying off. Very inspiring comeback to your dressage career.
Follow Ger’s dressage journey Ger McNulty Dressage TheGrassrootsGazette

After a hiatus of thirteen years, Irish dressage rider and coach Ger McNulty made a striking return to the competitive dressage scene in May 2023. His

30/03/2024

The guest column of this week is by Angelika Fromming, retired international dressage judge, and Hannes Müller, former head of the German Riding School in Warendorf and chair of the German Professional Riders Association. Both are highly esteemed clinicians.

26/09/2023

Wow Sophia Doheny, huge congratulations on winning the Grand Prix Kur at the Dressage Ireland National Championships. Amazing achievement 🎉👏

Winner Winner!!

Sophia Doheny absolutely nailed her Grand Prix freestyle at the Irish National Championships to bring home a convincing win.

Get this….she is only 15yrs old….read that again….15!!

To watch this young lady ride the powerful Enrico, so tactfully, accurately and seemingly effortlessly was an absolute privilege and makes me feel positive about the future of our sport - she may not be team GB but she is one I will be excited to watch progress.

26/09/2023

Wow Sophia Doheny, huge congratulations on winning the Grand Prix Kur at the Dressage Ireland National Championships. Amazing achievement 🎉

Thank you to Sandra Blake Farrell of the Ultimate Dressage Experience for sponsoring the GP Freestyle in memory of her lovely horse Saint Emilion 2. Ultimate Dressage Experience

27/05/2023

We should always strive to seek the correct frame. Great article on the effects it has to our horses when ridden behind the vertical.

Twenty high-level dressage horses and 20 high-level showjumpers were used in the study in Portugal.

23/05/2023

Its amazing how horses adapt to their surroundings! Falco was once a sound sensitive horse, clearly not any more 😆 Not a flinch out of him as the Matterhorn Express whizzes past and teenagers screaming out the window 😳 he has settled well into Swiss life 🇨🇭 between cow bells and trains 🚂 he takes it all in his stride 👌

09/05/2023

I always get so excited when I do training online. I honestly feel like i am standing right there in the middle of the arena. I’m riding in every step with the horse and rider 😆
This morning using Zoom I was in Isreal working with the fabulous rider and trainer Susanne von Dietze. It’s an honour to get to work with Susanne as she is known world wide for her equestrian knowledge, books and dressage clinics.
Alexandra Margalith I have to thank you for including me in the training of your amazing horse Sinatra. The few zoom and WhatsApp video sessions have been great fun as we brainstorm together in his training. The power of the internet helps me to be part of this amazing team and the journey. Thank you both 🤗

18/11/2022

So true 🤣

Fact

08/11/2022

For this week’s tip I’d like to share with you how to develop your self confidence. Many riders aren’t pursuing objectives out there because of self limiting beliefs and their fear of the judgment, defeat and embarrassment.

Self confidence is not something that you inherently have or don’t have! Self confidence has nothing to do with talent. Many of my students in clinics think that self confidence comes from the achievements and basically having proven that we are good at riding having achieved a certain level or earned certain awards. But I want you to consider that many riders don’t pursue things in the future or don’t set challenging objectives for themselves because they don’t yet have the experience to be good at riding at a certain level. But how can you reach that level if you don’t even attempt to try things you haven’t done before?

Self confidence doesn’t come from experience nor talent, but comes from our willingness to experience vulnerability. It comes from our willingness to experience judgment from other people, failure and embarrassment at a show, at a clinic or at your barn. We are worried ahead of time about the emotion on the other side of that attempt, we don’t even want to try because we don’t want to feel such negative emotions.

I made a shift in my life by applying the following process: instead of avoiding feelings of failure or embarrassment ahead of time, preventing me to put myself out there at a show, a championship, a symposium or even posting a video of myself on social media and exposing myself to critics...I rehearsed ahead of time what I would feel if I would fail and actually be embarrassed. Having a bad score, a bad ride, having people criticizing your riding, or even worse: your horse, are things that will happen to any rider at any level. There is an army of people waiting to tear anyone appart behind their phones. Regardless if you are an Olympian or a backyard rider. This is a circumstance we can’t change nor control, and it is nothing personal to us.

What hurts and holds you back is only what you make it mean for yourself. The fact of getting a bad score at a show is harmless, the only thing that makes it painful is what you make it mean.

By rehearsing the worse that can happen in any given situation, in my mind, I realized that what I was actually afraid of is the judgment from other people of me making that attempt and miserably failing. But what I also noticed is that none of those people really matter in my life. None of those people truly support me, and genuinely care about me. None of those people we are anticipating judging us are true friends, mentors or family.

The secret to develop more self confidence and allowing yourself to grow and chase your dreams as a rider is to stop anticipating opinions of people that don’t matter to you, and more importantly starting to have your own back. We are terrible support to ourselves! We actually are the first ones to beat ourselves up for a failed attempt. The key is to develop the willingness to have your own support. Regardless of what happens to me at a show, a symposium, a clinic, I don't make it reflect bad on myself as a rider or a trainer, I create a soft landing for myself. Even if I fail miserably, I only make it mean that I tried my best and that I will get back up. The same way, I will never be disappointed in a student putting himself or herself out there trying and failing. They have to go through the process of failure and defeat to build their own self confidence, get out of their comfort zone and grow as a rider. Self confidence is not a talent, it is something you can create in your mind to fuel your journey towards whatever success you envision for yourself.

Photo credit: Susan Stickle

06/11/2022

05/11/2022

Reposting to help riders steady their hands! Set new muscle memory fast for new habits to form. Also helps promote a deeper seat! Quick and simple remedy! Would love to hear how you get for those that try this exercise.

27/05/2022

Thinking of my beautiful boy St. Emilion on his 1 year Anniversary 💙 a special horse that is dearly missed 💕

20/11/2021

When it all began 😍 Just came across these pic’s of myself and my one and only pony Trigger. Fun times riding ba****ck and bridleless, not a care in the world 🐴

06/10/2021

Welcome to Switzerland Falco 🇨🇭after a week of travel he is finally here 😆 Looking forward to spending time with him and continuing our dressage journey together. Thanks Alexandra Margalith for always supporting us and Rebecca Keane, Tara and Fiona Hayes for looking after him so well 💕

18/09/2021

Thank you Dressage Ireland.
I’m so delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor the Grand Prix Freestyle Championship and have a perpetual trophy in memory of Emil 💕🐴

Best of luck to everyone competing at the Nationals.
Hope you all have a great show 🤗

Dressage Ireland National Championships will be held from 24th to 26th September 2021 at Barnadown Stud, Gorey, Co. Wexford.

We would like to thank Sandra Blake Farrell for kindly sponsoring the Grand Prix Kur in memory of her horse St. Emilion.
Sandra has commissioned the St Emilion Perpetual Trophy.

The Saint Emilion II Perpetual Trophy is in memory of an exceptional dressage horse that loved to dance.

Emil should be remembered for his kindness and enormous heart. His willingness to please and desire to give more made him a very special horse. His upbeat attitude and ability to perform every movement made him an amazing horse to train and ride.

He was an ambassador to dressage in Ireland, he loved demonstrating his talents at clinics and displays.
Competing and training him for 15 years was such an honour. We competed at grand Prix for many years giving us National Championship Titles. Competing and winning twice the GP Freestyle was undoubtedly his favourite Championship. He grew an extra hand when he heard the music and off he went doing his thing.

He touched the hearts of many people, those that had the pleasure to ride and learn from him he touched them even more.

He was an excellent schoolmaster bringing so many firsts to every level student especially in the Ultimate Dressage Experience lessons. He taught riders the feel for half passes to experiencing tempi changes including their first experience of piaffe and passage.
He took a young rider from Preliminary to GP level in 3 short years creating National Championship Titles along the way.

He made dreams become a reality making the impossible feel possible.
He knew he was a special horse and was very much loved.

To honour his giving nature and remember his uniqueness I hope this trophy will do just that for many years to come.

I will always be grateful to Rolf and Ulla Seidel for entrusting me for so many years with this one in a million horse.

Thank you both and thank you Emil for all the cherished memories ❤️

Sandra Blake Farrell.

26/05/2021

Equine brains are built to experience emotion (the amygdalas) without evaluation (the prefrontal cortex).

This architecture creates an emotional but non-judgemental animal.
By nature (and intentional creation) equine brains have the capacity to heal human wounds.

Horses have one of the most expressive faces of all species using a combination of 17 distinct movements (that yields over 355 trillion possible combinations) to communicate and read each other.

Horses also read human facial expressions - not only in real life but also in photographs.

In a study done by Amy Smith et al in 2016, horses avoided photographs of angry human faces and displayed a rapid spike in heart rate upon seeing them.

Photographs of relaxed, smiling humans did not elicit any avoidance and did not alter heart rate.

Horse’s emotional intelligence is why there’s about 900 certified equine therapy centers in the US helping to treat PTSD, anxiety, disorders, substance abuse, trauma, grief, or just a bad day.

Everyone needs a horse in their life. 🖤

Horse Brain, Human Brain: The Neuroscience of Horsemanship
Janet L Jones

Research article:
Functionally relevant responses to human facial expressions of emotion in the domestic horse (Equus caballus)
Amy Victoria Smith , Leanne Proops , Kate Grounds , Jennifer Wathan and Karen McComb

05/05/2021

27/04/2021

Reposting this video for all the horses that have back problems. Especially helpful for horses with Kissing Spine.
It’s so important to ride light and carry our own weight to protect the horses backs from injury and discomfort. Being in balance ourselves creates balance in the horse 😃