Connected Dressage NZ

16/08/2024

Why we need to let horses to move in their natural position!! It’s so important for their health and wellbeing 😭😭❤️

16/08/2024

Slowly getting back into our routines.

Luna is feeling quite good. 10 weeks off hasn’t affected much else except her hooves. Not much movement and winter really has done it’s job to take us back a couple of steps 🤦‍♀️

Eli x

15/08/2024

Hi guys, some exciting news 🎉

My services will from now on also include barefoot trimming 🐴

I have been trimming horses just over three years of which two of them religiously learning, studying and trimming under supervision.

I now have some space to take on couple more clients horses.

My qualifications include

2018 : trimming to shoe, shoe on/ off - Finland
2023 : Holistic hoof care and trimming course - Finland (from the founder of the flex hoof boots)
2024 : David Landerville Hoof builders - in person course to come in November.
2024 : Hoof school - AUS - ongoing.

Feel free to drop me a message if your horse needs a trim, for any questions or feedback from existing clients.

Eli x

13/08/2024

A pretty cute little helper today on our lesson ❤️🐴

Eli x

11/08/2024

Happy Sunday! 🐴

I am quietly looking for a fourth horse to join our herd! Ideally a short term grazer or schooler - until I find second horse to buy.

This could also be a good opportunity for some affordable schooling! I could take on a sane horse for couple of months to train while she/he keeps company to Luna.

Open to chat about different options!

Eli x

09/08/2024

Here is a well written article on the hot topic, I think.

I’m glad people keep sharing images and writing articles. It is so important that we keep shining light to the issues we have in the equestrian sport. Because while there are a lot of good things happening - there are also imperfections. It’s not personal. It’s just for the welfare of the horse. We can all do better.

Eli x

Good news/bad news y'all. The wine has been opened. Let's talk about the Equestrian Olympics. time.

First, at the risk of beating a dead horse (I feel like in the current climate I have to specify *NOT LITERALLY*) I'm not sure there's a lot that I can add to the discourse.

Let's start with some positives. The caliber of horse on display in all three disciplines was simply outstanding. The breeders have clearly done their work, and are creating fantastic athletes with varied bloodlines and histories. There were a few highlights for me in the riding - Michael Jung is so precise in everything he does. Justina Vangaite has an amazing, inspiring story, and clearly has an undeniable partnership with her horse. Henrik von Eckermann, despite actually falling in his individual ride, and the unbelievable King Edward overcame a lost shoe and a broken martingale and still completed two clear rounds. Pauline Basquin, a rider from the Cadre Noir at Saumur, showed us Dressage that was elegant, flowing and with stylized but natural gaits. She gave me some hope.

Now, on to the inevitable despair. From my home country we saw several athletes across disciplines who attended the games with recently purchased horses. These partnerships looked anything but concrete, and the tension on display was frankly embarrassing. Why in the wealthiest nation in the world, are we unable to afford good enough EDUCATION to actually produce our own top level horses? If this Olympics taught team USA anything I hope it's that we need to develop young riders, but more importantly trainers, to produce the level and quality of horses here at home. We cannot rely on buying our wins, regardless of how talented and shining some of the horses are. (And, I should add, this is not just the US, nor is it *all* of the US riders, but we see it in fledgling, wealthy, emerging equestrian countries as well like the UAE, for example).

As anyone who follows Dressage and hasn't been living under a rock will know, just days before the games Charlotte DuJardin was torpedoed by a several years-old video showing her beating a horse with a whip, where she can be heard to say, "This whip is so sh*t at hitting them hard." flippantly, like she'd done it 1000 times before. She was basically drawn and quartered, abandoned even by her longtime mentor Carl Hester who claimed he had *never* seen this side of her before - this from the man who gave her the nickname Edwina after Edward Scissorhands. And so after her "voluntary" step down from the games, business continued as usual.

Despite Charlotte's public shaming, some of those doing the shaming competed on horses with blue tongues in the run up to the games - including Isabel Werth, Lottie Fry and Patrik Kittel. And now .tv is sharing that the veterinary team onsite reviewed images from the Dressage competition, and found several riders to have performed in the Olympics on horses with blue tongues, including now silver medalist Werth and top 10 finisher Kittel. BUT, despite this intervention, no change in the standings will take place, and no suspensions, even though this is a clear violation of the FEI's own purported welfare policies. They had a meeting with the riders to "warn" them of future suspensions...if you can do this in the Olympics on the world stage, when all eyes are on you, how can we possibly expect there to be repercussions on the more local level, when the biggest names and deepest pockets have almost unchecked influence?

Though I am more able to forgive the extreme bitting and harsh spurs in jumping, at least they were willing to ring out riders who were putting themselves and their mounts in danger. In Dressage, even what was awarded top honors was pretty questionable.

Beyond Werth and Kittel's blue tongues, there were quite a few broken gaits, trailing hind ends, lateralized walks. Individual gold medalist, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl who is generally one of the softer riders, showed a passage toward the end of her individual test that lost all semblance of 2 beat rhythm/diagonalization - it was as if the hind end was performing 1 tempis while the front was still in passage. This level of disunited movement from front to back would, in a normal horse, indicate severe neurological issues. Steffen Peters and Mopsie (Suppenkasper) were eliminated from individual competition when, in the qualifier, he was supposed to perform piaffe he performed something closer to a sideways moving 3 legged jambette/canter. I was honestly worried his horse had been grievously injured. We saw plenty of behind the vertical hyperflexion, and at least one instance of absolute elevation from Helix and Adrienne Lyle.

And yet, even when the ground jury vets intervene (albeit after the fact) nothing changes? We are supposed to accept all of this as normal?? The "moment in time" argument falls away when we all are watching the same livestream...

Honestly, the emperor has no clothes. We will not be gaslit into normalizing what we saw on display there. It is obvious that the FEI is totally incapable of separating itself from the riders and judges it's supposed to be regulating, playing favorites and throwing others under the bus as it sees fit - to the wolves at PETA. It offers the lip service of the theme of this Olympic games "A bond like no other" but doesn't actually support that goal. Give me all the cooling tents and matted boxes you like, but if you aren't willing to go to bat and take medals away when riders have ridden with hands so harsh as to remove the blood supply to the tongue, I'm sorry, what is your purpose?!

At the end of the day, we are going to have to change this ourselves. We are going to have to keep shaking the saber, publishing photos, and writing articles. We are going to have to demonstrate and teach proper contact, kind, ethical, educated training. We are going to have to be the change. No one is coming to save horse sports. We have to do it ourselves, or languish in the demise of what we once loved. The time is now.

Edited to add an article published on Reuters with quotes from the head vet: https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/equestrian-governing-body-finds-blue-horse-tongues-dressage-review-2024-08-06/

(enjoy this image of a nice piaffe from Pauline in the warm-up at Paris, to feel a little better about the state of things, photo credit to Cheval Magazine )

06/08/2024

Huh! After too many hours of travelling, cancelled flights and lost baggage - we are finally back 😳😅🇳🇿

Let me get my life sorted and then I’ll get back into the horsey things!

Eli x

28/07/2024

Last week in Finland ❤️ what an incredible holiday we have had 🥰

Can’t wait to get back to the ponies 🦄

07/07/2024

A little horse time in Finland in between the lake swims and saunas.

I went to see a clinic with Mari Faria Carvalho.

Great weekend and lots tips to take on board 🦄❤️

Eli x

10/06/2024

LOW WIDE HANDS WHILE RIDING.

It’s so common to see yet people seem to think it’s somehow better than pulling the horses head down. Whereas in reality it’s nothing else than just “human arm”-version of side reins.

I am sorry this might come across harshly but it really annoys me that some trainers are still teaching riders to lower their hands if the horses head comes up. So low their hands are close to their thighs. Is it really still all about getting the head down? I thought we have passed that 😭.

Let’s go back a couple of steps. Why does the horse bring their head up while riding?

Here is a list of possible reasons:

1. Your horse is in pain. Yes, surprisingly many horses are.

2. Your horse feels uncomfortable of what ever you are doing and he is trying to communicate something. If you are pulling the horses head down - you are simply blocking the communication.

3. Your horse is out of balance. The head will naturally and voluntarily come “down” when the horse is in balance. Riding the head down with straight hands is not helping your horse in anyway. It will only help you look “pretty” for a short amount of time. Most horses will forever fight the contact when ridden to the bit this way.

4. Your horse does not understand the rein aids. Perhaps they have never been taught but just assumed the horse will understand them.

5. Your horse is trying to fight the pressure of the bit and rein - perhaps the contact is not very stable/ consistent, rider’s seat is not independent or the hand is too harsh.

Most horses will lower their head when hands come down as there is simply nowhere else to escape the pressure. Anyone can do it. What most people can’t do is ride their horse balanced and that way ride the horse towards the contact. It’s much harder and takes so much longer. It also includes a proper education of the horse from the ground.

Remember the straight line from the bit to elbow!!

Eli x

27/05/2024

Migration to the winter paddock with the ponies ❤️
We loose the sun for three months fully in winter so horses move with the sun ☀️. 🦄

Eli x

24/05/2024

Don’t rush the basics!

This is such a cool picture by Instytut Jazdy Konnej (I couldn’t tag) 🤦‍♀️which illustrates well where it all starts.

Vertical and horizontal balance, neck extension and seeking the contact, nose in FRONT of the vertical and open at the throat.

From this comes everything else!

If the basics are not there you will certainly hit problems later!

Eli x

17/05/2024

What’s been happening the last weeks.

Countdown to Finland has started 🇫🇮 I’m pretty stocked to escape the winter this year with the baby learning to walk. Will make my life a little more stress free and avoid a few meltdowns while trying to add the fourth layer of clothing 🤦‍♀️😅 no one told me how much babies hate dressing up! 🤷‍♀️

Few lessons here and there 🦄

Luna progressing slowly but surely.❤️

Forever chasing the sun☀️

The goat 🐐 showing up suddenly, settling in and then ‘kah- boom’💨 gone ✨🔮

Biomechanics course and some lovely feedback: “Thank you so much ! I am super pleased I can go back through these videos. This time with a note book xx I certainly will be recommending your course to ALL 🐴 thank you for sharing ❤️”

Eli x

12/05/2024

Ok, it seems like this goat has migrated to live in with my horses.. 🤦‍♀️

How do I get rid of it before it escalates and he invites all his mates to join too? I really don’t want him to move in 😭🐐

P.s I won’t kill it so there has to be a better option.

11/05/2024

Happy Mother’s Day ❤️💜

Whether you are a mama to one of the furry ones or some little less so 🤷‍♀️🦄

02/05/2024

It’s been four layers of clothes cold the past couple of mornings ❄️🥶 ❤️

I find it funny how lots of people stop riding here in the winter.

Do you? If yes, why? 🤔🤷‍♀️

Eli x

29/04/2024

Seriously the best money I have spent in a long time is David Landerville’s online hoof builders membership. It only costs 10usd a month and you get access to so many videos. It’s great value for any horse owner even if you are never planning to trim a hoof in your life!

Highly recommend!!

Eli x

28/04/2024

Three different ridden frames of which I use all equally when riding Luna.

I count her as “young, establishing basics horse” because all of the breaks we have had the past years. I don’t ask her any “rounder” or more “collected” frame at this stage. It will come later. Now it is just important that she has a healthy relationship to the contact, she understands the aids for lengthening and shortening the frame and that she is actively seeking the bit.

It has been really cool starting to ride and train her a bit more 😍 fingers crossed there isn’t another issue waiting around the corner 😅

Eli x

22/04/2024

I have one more lesson spot free in Alex or Cromwell Saturday 4th of May.

Riding, classical in-hand work, ground-work and problem solving ridden issues like balance, contact or straightness issues.

This is the last trip before winter!❄️

Eli x

20/04/2024

Interesting…. These “unlucky” situations are becoming more and more common.

“Just a tiny bit of blood”. There should not be any blood. Ever.

Just look at the horses expression, look them in the eye when you see “good” riding and then make the call whether it’s good or not.

The mirror into their soul cannot lie. ❤️

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/dressage/dressage-world-cup-final-855772?utm_content=horseandhound&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2tyXU4wKJqMDei7TvHI-CB29bnINnX1NXDRuR5I2YgThy--yJo0AYoNdo_aem_AenRJsW0nC_GZo_sNz-19FrTEk5D8lcsJAyC9cYU7xPzTGYNtL0uV8llOi8YBjRLkRXl26hhHZ7EXtqvhpGTvRlF

Lottie Fry was eliminated from the dressage World Cup Final after a small amount of blood was spotted in Everdale’s mouth before the freestyle

18/04/2024

Replace the ‘no’ with ‘yes’.

I challenge you to praise your horse next time you ride her and say “yes” when she does something you asked. Instead of punishing her or telling her what she does wrong.

See if it makes any difference in your riding. 🙏

Eli x

16/04/2024

A recent feedback from the biomechanics course ❤️

“I am finding your online course excellent Eli. I keep going back and rewatching. It has given me plenty to think about each time I ride and inspiration which will help keep me going over the winter months.
Thank you.”

Wether you have never heard of biomechanics or you are quite familiar with it - this course is made for you. It’s easy enough to understand for complete beginner but also gives a lot of information to experienced riders and trainers also!

Eli x

14/04/2024

One of the many things I have learnt from riding this horse is to let go of my expectations and plans if necessary. It really doesn’t matter what you were able to do yesterday, if the horse isn’t up for it today.

My great plan today was to ride poles and even go over couple of jumps. The first half of the ride I wasn’t ready to let go of my plans even though Luna was very tense and clearly not in a state to do anything challenging.

It’s funny how the human mind works sometimes 🤦‍♀️

Only after I had finally let go of that thought what we have to do, Luna was able to relax as well.

Man, horses must think we humans are just nuts sometimes with our plans, expectations and aspirations 😅🤦‍♀️

Eli x

14/04/2024

So, I might have mentioned I have got 'slightly' hoof obsessed during the past year. 😅 And although I still have a way to go with Luna - its safe to say we are heading to the right direction.

First photo is taken in November 23 and the second photo today. I cant wait what another 5-6 month will bring!! 🦄

Eli x

08/04/2024

End of an era.

Rosa left today to her new home 💔 and although I couldn’t possibly find a better home for her - it still feels very unfair thing to do. Just like that. New home. New friends. New beginning.

I know we can’t possibly keep them all and very often it’s a financial reason to sell a horse but I still wonder why we have a tendency to buy horses only for a certain job. As soon as the horse isn’t capable anymore or the rider gets too big or horse is having issues, we wanna change for something better. The industry is slightly disgusting. We, humans, are disgusting.🤢

Rosa was never my horse but it certainly feels like I have sold one of mine.

I know she will have a great home and she will be loved and looked after. I just still can’t help but wonder how unfair it is for all the horses around the world who will have to face the reality of changing homes multiple times in their lifetime. It’s just nuts. 😔🤯

I am lucky that she is not going far at all. But that’s just lucky for me so I can feel better and go see her. I don’t think it makes her feel any better at all. X 😔❤️

A big piece has gone with her, which only time will heal.

Eli x

06/04/2024

We had some great lessons yesterday in Cromwell and Alex in addition to amazing weather and getting slightly sunburned ☀️😅

I will be back once more, Saturday 4th May, before heading over to Finland for the winter. 😍

I also gotta give a shoutout to my partner, Adam, who entered his first ever jiu-jitsu competition and got second while solo parenting all day yesterday as I was teaching!! 💪

And thanks Sam for borrowing me the Batman hood last week 🦇 made a big difference with Luna! 🥰

Eli x

03/04/2024

I have one more lesson spot available for this Saturday either in Alex or Cromwell. 🦄 I can travel to you. Pm for more details!

Eli x

01/04/2024

Some Easter lessons on Saturday in Mossburn and Gore.

Here is a quite a good visual of the progression in one of our lessons and super good work from the rider!

We started off with a bit of short stepped, tense and closed movement(picture1) and ended up with beautiful lengthening. (picture3)

If horses are moving or seeking behind the vertical position - we do need to teach them out of that first, so that they can reach for the contact correctly. That means you often have to let them lift their head up and ride in a more open frame for a bit (picture 2). And man that can be hard and scary as we are often so ingrained to ride the head down 😳 it’s especially hard if someone is watching. I have been there too. The pressure to get your horse moving nicely is real.

Happy Easter !

Eli x

21/03/2024

Luna my unicorn. 🦄

Brick by brick. One step at the time. I feel like we are taking steps to the right direction.

I haven’t felt her move this well in a very very long time! 🤞just so relaxed and happy. ❤️❤️

She is also in season since.. I can’t even remember when.

The general rule seems to be two steps forward and one back but as long as we are moving - I don’t care. 🥂

Eli x

20/03/2024

I will be in Gore on Thursday 28th. Two more spots left!

Eli x