Chesapeake Dressage Institute

07/23/2024

In the heart of Italy, where tradition and history intertwine, there exists a remarkable breed of heavy draft horse known as the Rapid Heavy Horse, or

07/23/2024

07/23/2024

07/22/2024

07/22/2024

Carl Hester reflects on competing at a record equalling seventh Games and the pressure of representing his country at the Paris Olympics.

07/22/2024

07/22/2024

Don’t assume that every horse with a high poll is correct, and don’t assume that a horse that is low and round is incorrect. You have to look at the state of the horse’s *back* to truly judge how correct it is. The horse’s back should be relaxed, swinging, and elevated under the saddle, rather than still and hollow. When the horse’s back is properly “up” (arched upwards under the rider’s seat,) he will be correctly seeking the connection. And this can be achieved with many different relative heights of the horse’s neck. Never forget that it is equally as damaging to horses to ride them with a high head and neck with hollow back as it is to ride a horse cranked down in Rollkur.

07/22/2024

The feature documentary is executive produced by Robert Redford, Patti Scialfa Springsteen and Jessica Springsteen

07/21/2024

A 700-acre horse park that features dozens of barns, over one hundred paddocks, hundreds of stalls, and two large, dirt race tracks was just sold to a company registered to the same family that owns the...

07/20/2024

So, what about the Individual Final? The top 18 scorers from the Grand Prix qualify for the individual final on August 4th, of course the precision with which we can predict Grand Prix scores is about 1% - on the assumption of no "mistakes". The uncertainty bars indicate exactly that, uncertainty, although the flag is plotted at the "predicted" score based on history and trends.
On the figure I highlight the 9 or so riders who might be competing for the 5 places from 13-18. This plot does not show how things might go in the Freestyle, but just how the qualification for that Individual Final might go!

Technically it is a bit more complicated than that given the group structure of the startlist…. More later

07/20/2024

07/20/2024

“When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.” - Winston Chuchill

07/20/2024

Steffen Peters, Christine Traurig, Hilda Gurney and Charlotte Bredahl-Baker share their top dressage training tips.

07/20/2024

Our veterinarian says there are many factors owners should consider when deciding whether to use a fly sheet in hot, humid weather.

07/20/2024

Where entire breeds can go off track is when some one feature becomes so popular that breeders get so focused on that single piece to the neglect of the real deal basics such as soundness, temperament and general athletic ability.

Examples might include the way some Arabian breeders focus on a distorted looking dish face, some Quarter Horse breeders on extreme musculature, some race horse breeders on intense early speed, some Morgan breeders on a high knee action trot, some color breeders on specific color, any one piece of the whole that leaves other more important features neglected when decisions are being made about which stallions to breed to which mares.

Why does this happen? Probably because of ignorance about overall horsemanship that fails to take into account that horses should be sound, sane and athletic if they are to be useful to the average rider or driver.

But fads have a life of their own. One breeder produces it, some judge rewards it, and before you know it the aberration has become so popular that that’s where the money goes, and we all know the saying, “Follow the money.”

And once that starts it can so easily become a runaway train, and another breed is in trouble. And it started with some fad made popular through ignorance of basic horsemanship.

07/20/2024

The shift away from horse-drawn carriages is being hailed as a tourist-friendly alternative and a nod to animal welfare

07/20/2024