Salado Creek Riding Club

09/05/2024

Classical Dressage in Your Pocket!

Deirdre Dressage Online Academy

09/02/2024

08/14/2024

Mindfulness is a powerful concept that has gained significant traction in recent years, particularly within the equestrian community. At its core, mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, without judgment. For dressage riders, this means tuning into both the horse and oneself during training and competition. By cultivating mindfulness, riders can develop a deeper connection with their equine partners, enhancing communication and performance. READ MORE......

Mindfulness is a powerful concept that has gained significant traction in recent years, particularly within the equestrian community. At its core, mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, without judgment. For dressage riders, this means tuning into both the hors...

08/11/2024

Looking for Online Dressage Lessons from the comfort of your home arena?

08/10/2024

Introducing a one-of-a-kind dressage clinic experience tailored just for you and your equine partner! Are you looking to elevate your dressage skills while also focusing on your equestrian fitness and nutrition? Look no further! Our dressage clinics offer a comprehensive package that encompasses all these aspects right at your own farm.

Our clinics are designed to provide you with expert guidance and personalized attention to help you achieve your dressage goals. Led by an experienced dressage trainer, these clinics offer a unique opportunity to fine-tune your riding skills, enhance your horse's performance, and deepen your understanding of dressage principles.

But that's not all – we understand that a successful dressage journey goes beyond the saddle. That's why we offer optional equestrian fitness and nutrition sessions as part of our clinic package. An International Sports Science Association Master Personal Trainer will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan that complements your dressage training, helping you enhance your strength, flexibility, and overall well-being.

If you're ready to take your dressage journey to the next level, don't hesitate to reach out. Click on the link below to contact us, and our team will be delighted to answer any questions and assist you with scheduling your personalized dressage clinic experience.

Elevate your dressage skills, prioritize your equestrian fitness and nutrition, and embark on a transformative clinic experience – all in the comfort of your own farm. Join us today and unlock your true dressage potential! Contact us now to reserve your spot.

In person clinics with Deirdre Dressages featuring dressage lessons, rider nutrition and fitness, and mindset training

08/10/2024

Mastering the art of sitting a horse in dressage requires more than just sitting in the saddle. It demands a deep understanding of balance, alignment, and creating a harmonious connection with your equine partner. One crucial aspect of achieving this connection is the concept of hovering – allowing your pelvis to float above the saddle as if the horse is not even there...
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The “Sitting” PositionMastering the art of sitting a horse in dressage requires more than just sitting in the saddle. It demands a deep understanding of balance, alignment, and creating a harmonious connection with your equine partner. One crucial aspect of achieving this connection is the conce...

08/01/2024

What does it mean when your horse is "not on the bit"

The head and neck are your dashboard. The head and neck act as a warning light system that goes on when there is a problem in the engine... a check engine light. When the head comes up it is just a symptom of the problem and not THE problem.

If the check engine light came on in your car, you would not take it to the shop and ask them to turn the light off. That would not fix the actual problem. Pulling the head down with the hands is the equivalent of turning the check engine light off. We have to address the real issue to get the light to turn off...to get the head and neck to relax.

THE problem is in the core and hind end. That must be addressed for the "light to go off"... the head and neck push forward and down towards the bit. This can be done by lifting the horse's core and withers with the legs and seat while re-engaging the high end into the hand. This is what true "on the bit" means. Read More on how to turn the check engine light off....

What it means to be "on the bit" and how to accomplish it.

07/05/2024

Salado Creek Riding Club 4th of July trail ride at our beautiful farm.

06/03/2024

06/03/2024

06/01/2024

Delicious Horse Treats is at our farm today from 9:00AM till Noon. Stop by the farm and grab yours today!!

05/21/2024

05/09/2024

THEY DON’T KNOW THAT IT IS NOT FOREVER.

Horses are not futurists. They can’t see into the future or read our minds and intentions. So when we ask a horse for something the very first time, they don’t know if or even when it will ever stop.

THEY DON’T KNOW THAT IT IS NOT FOREVER.

Let me give you a few examples.

When we first fit a saddle or get on a horse’s back, it does not know whether the saddle will ever come off or whether we will ever dismount.

When we pick up a horse’s foot for the first time or put a bit or a dentist's gag in its mouth how does it know life will ever return to normal?

The first time we load a horse into a trailer or tie a horse to a post or put it into a yard can it ever know it will be given its freedom ever again?

The first time a horse has any of these experiences a large part of the panic they can cause comes from a horse’s lack of understanding that the experience is temporary. It’s not forever.

It takes time and repetition for a horse to figure out that being taken away from its buddies is temporary and it will be with them again soon. Or that if they pick up their foot for us, it will get to stand on 4 legs again very soon and there is no need to panic. Or the discomfort of the saddle or hobbles is not permanent and there is no danger.

These are things we all know. But these are also things we sometimes forget to deal with compassionately. These are things we forget the horse doesn’t know.

For example, some people throw a saddle on a horse for the first time and let the horse buck until it gives up in futility. The horse gives up because it works out nothing is going to get this hunk of leather off my back and now I’m stuck with it forever. That’s a terrible mindset to leave a horse with – helplessness and futility.

To avoid this we must break lessons down into tiny incremental steps. Introduce new things in layers and for short periods of time, gradually building on each layer as the horse grows in confidence, trust, and understanding.

Let’s think about trailer loading as an example.

Loading a horse into a trailer for the first time comes from teaching a horse to lead brilliantly.

Confidence in trailer loading is the result of dozens of in and out exercises, asking the horse to stay in the trailer for longer periods as it feels more comfortable for the horse.

Teaching a horse that standing on a moving platform in a tin box is an okay experience starts with loading a horse in a trailer and driving for 20m, then letting it out. Repeating that enough times to take the worry out of it before driving for 100m and then 1km and then 20km.

The same principle can be applied to the early saddling, the first rides, the first tying-up sessions, the first time a foal is removed from its mother – or whatever lesson you can think of.

Ease a horse’s worry about a new experience by making it very brief. So brief that the horse doesn’t have time to figure out he should panic. Life is not coming to an end and things will return to normal very shortly. This is how you can give a horse confidence and avoid extreme responses and feelings of helpless futility.

I know we all know this principle. But I also know we don’t all practice it.

Photo: This is the horse's first ever ride and is from a c**t starting competition in Australia a few years ago. I'm pretty sure in the 4 or 5 hours preparation the horse had had before this moment, nobody had explained to the horse that the rider was not going to stay on his back forever.

05/06/2024

Meet our newest Lesson Horse, Midnight Lilly! https://www.ddressage.com/midnight-lilly

04/26/2024

04/23/2024