Whitehedge Farm, LLC

12/17/2024

I meant to post this earlier and I accidentally reposted Karl Cook’s Noelle Floyd article 🤣 but John Madden’s and McClain Wards response on the importance of training riders positions are much more in line with my beliefs and training! Please take a look at this post below ⬇️

12/05/2024

We always love to do a big barn get together at the Grand Prix in Ft. Worth! Please join us  in supporting our awesome show jumping community here in Dallas Fort Worth!!

Be on the edge of your seat as you watch top equestrians from around the world compete in heart-pounding show jumping!

11/27/2024

***Fourteen WH (Fabriano VDL/Cabalito/Acobat II/Corofino)

Our newest Oldenburger Pferdezuchtverband licensed stallion.
I thought I would share a little glimpse into “Hugh’s” daily life and what he has accomplished so far as a 3.5-year-old!

Hugh has two foals on the way for 2025 that we are very excited about and he will be available for cooled and frozen semen breedings this year. Look to him to be a great match for larger mares that may need improved movement and stride and ride ability- and his temperament is absolutely top! (And no, he was not heavily schooled to prepare for this class. He had only jumped a handful of times over some single jumps and never a full course like in the video before except the day before the class) Amazing training and riding on this young stallion Macy White!!

****We are offering a very special deal on 5 free frozen semen breedings to qualified mares for 2025 only. Please contact me for more information or to see if your mare qualifies! *

➡️Video in comments from his recent win in the $7500 3/4 yr old freestyle sponsored by Olde Oaks Farm ❤️

11/20/2024

One of the hardest things to learn and to teach but I feel one of the most important! Sympathetic and soft contact with the riders hand on the horses mouth in order to establish true connection. Thank you for another great post Bernie!

When there is contact, the control with the hands can be precise.

Riding on “Contact” — by Vladimir Littauer

The contact between the rider’s hands and the horse’s is not established by the hand being moved to the rear. Just the reverse should take place; that is, the horse, moving forward with sufficient impulse stretches his neck and, due to the rider keeping a correct length of reins, the horse’s mouth feels the rider’s hands. Instead of the rider’s hands pulling back on the mouth, it is the mouth which gently pulls the rider’s hands forward. If the horse lacks natural impulse the rider’s legs must create it—this is the general rule.

Riding on contact can also be called “riding on the bit;” the latter expression means that the horse accepts the bit and moves forward boldly as if there were nothing in his mouth. I personally reserve the expression “on the bit” for a more energetic form of riding on contact, but this is a detail. The important thing is that the horse must accept the bit with the neck and head stretched forward.

When riding “on contact” the rider must follow with his hands and arms (through the air), the balancing gestures of his horse’s neck and head. It is obvious that when holding the reins by the buckle one doesn’t have to worry about these gestures, for the neck has enough room to move at will. But if after the contact is established the rider’s hands remain fixed then the horse will continually jerk himself against immobile hands. I don’t have to talk about jumping—everyone knows that in one way or another the horse’s neck then must be given freedom to act; but it is surprising how many riders neglect this point at a walk and particularly the gallop.
— Schooling Your Horse. Pg.17

Vladimir Littauer trained me practically my entire junior career, and continued to advise me for many years. A riding master and remarkable horseman, he was incredibly influential to my career and education. Follow the Forward Riding System and continue the lessons on equestriancoach.com. Specifically, you can learn more on this topic with my lesson “Developing Good Hands”:
https://equestriancoach.com/courses/developing-good-hands/
-Bernie Traurig

10/13/2024

USEF Medal Finals on live now ! Again this year great commentary by Ava Sterns and Sissy Wickes! Highly encourage all of our riders to watch and get some free riding lessons this Sunday morning!! 🐴🐴🐴

Pennsylvania National Horse Show - 2024 - watch our live stream on ClipMyHorse.TV. Your equestrian sports TV.

09/17/2024

This is a great lesson and video for any of our students who are just starting to master this very important skill to learn I would highly recommend watching it!

08/27/2024

We would like to warmly welcome and introduce Danielle Kaiser as a member of our team! Danielle has been with us this summer helping with riding, teaching and holding down the fort while we are away at shows! I’m just now getting to updates!

 We are super excited to have Danielle with us and she brings many many years of valuable industry experience!

 ***please check out Danielle ‘s bio below to learn a little more about her!**

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and started riding when I was 8 and immediately caught the horse bug! I was fortunate to start with a great program with great trainers that also instilled a solid foundation in horsemanship that set the tone for my career.

Shortly after aging out of the juniors I went to work for a large, well established barn in St. Louis where we regularly took 30 horses on the road. While there I learned all the logistics of having so many horses on the road and the organization it required with that many riders. After six busy years of training and showing I decided to open my own business in Wildwood, Missouri.

There I leased a facility with 30 stalls on 25 acres. My business grew from young riders discovering their love of horses to a large base of adult riders as well. Twelve years later and only ever having lived in St. Louis I found myself wanting to venture out and expand my knowledge so I took a leap of faith!

I have always been a student of the sport so I moved east. There I was fortunate to work with some of the top Grand Prix riders, Laura Kraut and Margie Engle. What an incredible experience that was!

My first love has always been the hunters and equitation so I was off to Buffalo, NY to work at SBS Farms for Susie Schoellkopf. I was truly in “hunter heaven” as GG Valentine was in her prime and the extraordinary string of hunters there. My time spent there was amazing but the weather was not! Working for Susie opened up an incredible opportunity for me in Katonah, NY. at Heritage Farm with Andre Dignelli. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with one of the most prestigious programs in the country. We routinely took 50 horses on the road 3 weeks every month. The team work and village it takes to prepare that many horses and riders successfully is second to none! The camaraderie of the trainers, grooms, parents and riders was truly a highlight of my life.

After so many years on the road I got tired of all the travel and decided I needed to take a step back. I got a “real job” and moved to Arizona where I continued to ride and show my own horses for eight years. The “real job” became boring and sitting inside all day had never agreed with me so after the break and feeling refreshed I joined my family in Texas. Once settled in McKinney I began riding and teaching at some barns in the Dallas area.

I’m very excited to join the Whitehedge team and to get to know all my new two and four legged friends!

08/05/2024

☀️☀️Current summer sales list !☀️☀️

Both horses can be tried at Traverse City Horse Shows through Aug 10th then Kentucky Horse Park through Aug 19.

**Cadillac W** (Carbadino/Rio Grande) 16.1, 11 yr old WB gelding

Super fancy sweet guy and the hack winner! Miles in the 3’3’s and National Derbies and now showing in the 2’6 Adults.
Best suitable for a Jr. rider that can take a feel. Needs the right match of rider and some prep so is offered in the upper 5’s. Fantastic quality for a good riding kid on a budget!

**Caymus Calling** (Cabalito/Chaelon)
16.1 4 yr old Oldenburg Gelding

Beautiful mover and jumper. Will be ready to win in the baby greens next year. Priced below mid 5’s - a good investment to grab now while he’s still affordable!

08/02/2024

Team final on now !

Time to get to work.

Watch live at 8am/ET on Peacock TV.

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08/02/2024

Such a beautiful course !! Good luck today team USA !!

07/01/2024

Looking for top quality young hunter prospects? We have several available to choose from in North Texas and would love to show you them to you!

We have young horses available by both proven hunter stallions Cabalito and Cabulous WH . All of them have fantastic brains and will be easy for juniors or amateurs to bring up in a good program!

*4 yr old baby 16.2 Oldenburg gelding by Cabalito . Great start Undersaddle and over fences! 30k
*3 yr old 16.1 chestnut mare has introductory training under Saddle and out of a top Show mare. 22k
*2 yr old 16.1 chestnut mare by Cabalito 18k
*1 yr old c**ts by Cabulous WH 14k
*weanling c**t by Cabulous 11k
All are out of proven show mares ! And all have good manners and handling !

*considerations given to great show homes! We are motivated to make some matches happen this summer !

We also offer long-term board and training on any of our babies! — at Whitehedge Farm, LLC.

06/10/2024

Congratulations to our student Lili Castresana on the purchase of her pony Divide’s Fantasia “Maddie”!
We are so thankful for Whitehedge Farm, LLC to be a part of her journey !!
Thank you to Jordan Mallard for the opportunity to have this wonderful pony in our barn!

***Reposted from her mom, Jeannine Castrasana :

A little under a year ago we fell in love with the most amazing pony! We began our journey with Maddie as a one year lease and decided to keep her FOREVER! Thank you to Granny & Pau for helping us purchase Maddie.

We’ve seen Lili grow tremendously since she started riding Maddie. These two are the perfect pair - mostly sweet with a side of sass! They work incredibly well together and are going to be lifelong pals.

Lili aspires to be the “best rider in the world” and with her determination I’m pretty sure we’re going to see some big arenas in our future.

Thank you to Whitehedge Farm, LLC for helping us find Maddie and providing amazing support to Lili in and out of the ring. We are so happy to have such a great barn to call home!

06/09/2024

Wishing the happiest of birthdays today to Macy White! Everyone at Whitehedge Farm, LLC is so lucky to have your dedication, organization, true love of the horses, amazing feel and talent with us every day !! From the babies to the Grand Prix what a year you have had 💕 Here’s to another ahead !! Thank you endlessly for all you do 🙏
When I grow up I just want to be as cool as you !

06/09/2024

Congratulations are in order for Hollis Hagen on her wonderful new horse Mazzletoff MV 😍

*Thank you to Fairway Farm for all your help in making this match happen!

*Thank you to Krystal Hess for trusting us to show and market Mattzo for you. We are so excited for this pair and look forward to seeing them at the shows soon !

*Thank you to Macy White for all the great rides on this guy and getting him ready for his new partner 💕

06/08/2024

“Undressed” 17.1+ 7 yr old Warmblood gelding available in N. Texas 😍
Beautiful, impressive guy that is a super mover and jumper. Recently Reserve Champion in the 3’ Hunters and great ribbons in the 3’ Greens at the Tyler shows!
Could go either the Hunter or Equitation route, great lead change. Will do the 3’6 easily. Brave to the jumps. He is still green so will flourish in a good professional program and he would be great for a good riding Junior to bring along! Full set good X-rays available! Mid- upper 5’s.
Text/Call Anne Hedge to set up a time to come see him!
940-594-9275
Video in comments 😊