Katie Erpel Dressage

09/22/2025

Some little clips playing with different genres of music from our Educational and Inspiring Intensive up in North Carolina at this past week ⭐️

I love these little 2 day Intensives because it gives me the time and space to focus on just my 2 horses, Levander and Fernando, and learning! It also provides a clear structured path to work towards my goals and homework that I have the time between trips to digest and really improve upon.

The themes were of course the training scale and good basics!
Forward (in front of the leg), engagement and activity of the hindleg, rhythm, balance, and up in the shoulders out to the bit on the vertical while remaining supple and elastic in the back.

Levander is working on all of the Third Level with some very nice halfsteps and piaffe developing to help balance and activity. Fernando improving upon our Intermediate-1 and also refining the piaffe work.

I'm greatly looking forward to practicing all of my homework and sharing my insights with my students and their horses 📚

Super proud of my boys who handled stepping it up to the next level of throughness and rideability 🦄

Thank you Stacey for your wisdom and hospitality at your lovely farm 💕

And of course, thank you to the Verne Batchelder Instructor Fund and The Dressage Foundation whose grant helped fund my trip and further training 🙏

09/15/2025

My boy, Levander, this week 🙌
Every horse and human has their on timeline, and that’s ok!! Keep learning, growing, and going 💜

Maxflex Saddles - CAS Equestrian LLC

09/02/2025

I had to reshare - another horse setting world records BAREFOOT 👏🙌

08/31/2025

STRAIGHTENING the horse is - to many - one of the great mysteries of dressage and a precondition for success in any equestrian discipline. Here the HDV12 on the WHY the horse is crooked. The HOW is described in subsequent chapters:
"The influences used by the rider to align the forehand with the haunches are called straightening. The straightened horse—moving on one track—should always align the longitudinal axis of its body with the track, irrespective of whether the track is straight or curved. Only then, the driving power of the hindquarters acts in a straight direction and fully affects the forehand.
The fulfillment of this requirement is made difficult by the peculiar tendency of most horses to carry themselves crookedly. As a result of this crookedness, front and hind feet do not track up. The fact that the horse is narrower in the forehand than in the hindquarters further contributes to this crookedness.
With rare exceptions, it is usually the right hind foot that the horse finds harder to place straight forward under the body......"
http://www.horsewellness-store.com/products.php?cat=61

08/22/2025

❄️ One Partial/Full Training/Sale Stall Coming Available in Winter 2025 ❄️

🔹Quaint, boutique training facility offering personalized care and training with USDF Silver Medalist, Katie Erpel working alongside and managing the farm with her mother, Shirley Rumpel, USDF Silver Medalist and 40+ year horsewoman.

🔹Located conveniently off of Charleston Highway just 15 minutes from Downtown Aiken on the Windsor/Williston line

🔹20X60 Regulation Dressage Arena with Mirrors and GGT

🔹5 acre Cross-Training Grass Field with Cavalettis

🔹Safe, No-Climb Fencing and Electrobraid Paddocks

🔹Owners live on-site

🔹Katie offers a lifetime of knowledge and experience. Her passion and joy lies in tapping into the talent of each individual horse no matter the breed and helping develop each horse to reach their athletic potential through a methodical Classical Dressage training program that utilizes a focus on horsemanship, ground work, and quality, back to front riding. Katie’s approach has been described as patient, yet effective. Katie is also passionate about teaching and enjoys developing riders with a focus on enjoying the journey and process of learning.

🔷 Katie has successfully trained and shown an array of breeds of horses and ponies from starting under saddle to developing to the FEI and training the upper levels, as well as being a brave/feeling intuitive rider to handle the more sensitive types.

🔷 Trailer-In Lessons Welcome for Katie and Shirley - Limited Availability for Travel Lessons/Rides

🔷 Short Intensive Training/ Bootcamps Available

🔷 Inquire about our seasonal stall availability as well as RV hook up - daily, weekly or monthly basis

Feel free to text/call for more information or to visit the farm 3057785336 🦄

Enjoy the collage of photos to see just some of the fun horses we’ve had over the years!

08/13/2025

Thank you Rose Gallegos for these sturdy cavaelttis and cross rails - here’s to more cross-training 🙌

02/19/2025

I have learned through the years of working with many Iberians that these horses have a strong sense of what’s just and demand respect. If you treat them unjust, they will let you know and if you treat them fairly and thoughtfully, they will give you all their heart and ride into battle for you, like my dear Fernando 💜

This topic has been in my notes for a long time, but I have been in doubt about how to approach it in writing... It is very important to me, and I feel that we owe it to our formidable Lusitanos to speak of this 🙏 Because when Lusitanos - and probably also Spanish horses to a degree - get into the hands of people who are not aware of this, it can be the cause of massive challenges ✖️

I will stay on my own track, and only talk about the Lusitano, but maybe you as the owner of another Iberian breed can recognize some of it:
Lusitanos are not Warmbloods 🐴 There are the obvious physical differences, but my point here is that they don't think or act like Warmbloods.

We know this from dogs; you should familiarize yourself with the breed you are acquiring and whether it suits your lifestyle. We understand that if you want a minimum of training and activation, then a German Shepherd will probably not be an optimal choice 🐕‍🦺 We understand that some dogs are designed to chase things that move, while others are designed to make noise, guard or something else.

Lusitanos are bred with the purpose of facing a raging bull 🐂 To move around it in quick, light movements and turn on the spot. That task requires a courage that typically shines through in everything the horse does, and a 'bullfighting horse' does not put up with everything 💪
They are infinitely cooperative and are able to adapt to an unimaginable variety of living conditions, people and needs, but once you hit the limit of their goodwill, you get into big trouble.

It breaks my heart when I hear about people who experience completely unnecessary difficulties with their Lusitano 😔 Often they get 'help' from trainers who have never handled Iberian horses before, and who hit the wall when they cannot get the little Portuguese horse to 'surrender' to the usual methods. It quickly becomes a vicious circle, and I can only encourage any Lusitano owner who finds their horse to be uncooperative, fearful or aggressive, to seek help from someone who knows the breed 🇵🇹
It may seem overwhelming if it involves a long drive or perhaps a slightly higher price, but there is a good chance that a trainer who knows Lusitanos can help you in a very short time, just by educating you on how your horse functions mentally ❤️

Should you read this, and think that a Lusitano sounds difficult, I will end this by reminding you that the Iberian horse was the favorite for both art and war for centuries, and that today's Lusitano can be found in GP dressage as well as the biggest, most spectacular horse shows in the world. You will never meet a better partner 🥰

Don't fight with any horse, regardless of breed... but if you go into direct combat with your Lusitano, then you must expect him to fight back - exactly as he was bred for ⭐

Photo: Liz da Raia (Riopele x Hostil x Spartacus), 10 y/old

02/11/2025

This 🙌
I remember having a coach many years ago that was an exceptional world class rider, but when I asked this person - “how?” they responded by saying, “ I don’t know, I just do it.”
I learned by watching this person, but did not walk away with a deeper understanding of how nor a methodical system. Though this moment really stuck with me, that I never want to be that kind of coach, and that there is truly a huge difference between a talented trainer and that being a gifted, passionate teacher is often times another calling. Learning to teach in a methodical structure that horse and rider can understand is an art in and of itself.

I truely believe that riding ability and teaching ability in dressage (or any equestrian discipline) are distinct skills, though they can complement each other.

Riding Ability: A skilled dressage rider has great balance, coordination, feel, timing, and an in-depth understanding of the horse’s biomechanics. They can effectively communicate with the horse using subtle aids and produce harmonious, correct movements.

However, being able to ride well doesn't necessarily mean they can explain *how* they do it.

Teaching Ability: A great dressage instructor must be able to break down complex ideas into understandable steps, identify each rider’s individual needs, and communicate in a way that makes sense to different learning styles. They also need patience, adaptability, and an understanding of both horse and rider psychology. Some outstanding teachers may not be top-level riders themselves but have a deep theoretical knowledge and the ability to analyze and correct others.

The best trainers ideally have both—strong riding skills and the ability to teach—but some world-class riders struggle to articulate what they do naturally, while some exceptional coaches may not ride at the highest levels but can develop top riders through their teaching.