Legacy Dressage Center

11/21/2024

❤️

At first glance, we see the horse as a student.

In reality, the horse is the teacher.

The horse teaches us our limitations.
But, it also helps us overcome them.

The horse unveils our weaknesses.
But, it also helps us build new strengths.

The horse sees us at our worst.
But, it also helps us become our best.

The horse challenges us to be present.
But, it also makes us look forward to the future.

The horse demands a lot from us.
But, it also gives us more than we could ever return.

The horse is one of the greatest teachers we will ever have—if we allow ourselves to slow down long enough to be good students.

11/14/2024

❤️

10/24/2024

❤️

Klaus Balkenhol, the renowned dressage master. Shares several words of wisdom .

1. On horsemanship:
“Good riding is about doing as little as possible, but as much as necessary.”

2. On training:
“You cannot force a horse to do anything, but you can teach him through patience, consistency, and fairness.”

3. On respect for the horse:
“The horse is always willing to give us its best; it is our responsibility to treat it with the respect it deserves.”

4. On balance and harmony:
“Dressage is about harmony, not domination. The horse must be willing to offer you what you ask for without force.”

5. On a rider’s approach:
“True dressage is not just about technical skill; it’s about understanding the horse and building a partnership where you are both equal partners in the dance."

09/06/2024

Peaceful ❤️

09/06/2024

Beautiful September morning ❤️

08/10/2024

Lovely story ❤️

This is a lovely story to come out of the Paris Games - such a good equestrian story to tug the heart strings.

From a post by Thoms Lehmann at Nordrhein-Westfälisches Landgestüt, · Warendorf, Germany (Translated)

Life writes the most beautiful stories, but some are almost too beautiful to be true.

Once upon a time a little 14-year-old boy began his service at the Warendorf Landstudüt. The former state stallmaster Bresges soon recognized the special talent of the young stud keeper and sent him to Vienna at the end of the 50s for training at the Spanish Horse Riding School.

When he returned, he was entrusted with a beautiful, noble mold stallion - his resounding name RADEZKY. The young stud keeper let RADEZKY ride the horse to the Grand Prix.

The couple fascinated experts as horse lovers of their time equally, but since state horses were never allowed to be used in tournament sports (competitions) at that time, this remained forbidden for riders and horses.

The two were among the best of their time and many saw a hopeful Olympic couple in RADEZKY and his rider, but they were not given that chance.

The rider became the main saddle master, i.e. the highest ranking stud keeper. He was famous for his arts and his calm and soulful treatment with stallions.

When he retired, he took care of his grandchildren's first riding lessons - as a grandfather should. Today his grandson became Olympic winner in Paris, in probably the hardest (showjump) jump in history, with absolute calmness and feeling, as his grandfather taught him as a child.

Those who knew the proud nature of chief saddle master Franz Kukuk knows - today the always white polished buttons would have been blown off his service uniform!

His grandson Christian has today realized the dream that his grandfather was denied - Christian Kukuk is an Olympian for eternity.

His winning horse named Checker has a remarkable pedigree. In the ninth generation of his pedigree there is a stallion named RADETZKY, the horse that his grandfather loved so much.

Above the white clouds of Versailles, a proud grandfather and a white stallion are celebrating today —- probably the most beautiful story of their lives.

(Picked up from the Australian Dressage Discussion page, thankyou.)

08/08/2024

❤️

Why do we bother with the Olympics? Every four years, humanity comes together all across the globe at huge expense, great sacrifices, and often big disappointments…

I for one am an Olympics lover. I adore seeing sports I’ve never watched before - just yesterday I saw men’s kayaking (awesome), women’s rugby (amazing), judo (super impressive) and surfing (what? Surfing is in the Olympics and it’s in Tahiti? So beautiful.) And people from so many countries coming together in joyous celebration of the amazing human body’s abilities and the human spirit needed to accomplish such things.

And I’ve really enjoyed watching the dressage. So many beautiful performances, many from those you would expect - Carl Hester, Jessica Werndl, Catherine Dufour. But also I saw some folks I’d never heard of who rode so beautifully - William Matthew of AUS, Rita Ralao of POR, and Becky Moody of GBR showing what an incredible lifelong partnership looks like, to name just a few.

Like many of you, my social media feed has been full of many “controversies” and all the chatter to go with it. I think a few things are happening. There’s some serious “common enemy intemicy” going on, to quote Brene Brown. This is what I think of when people feel connected because they hate the same things and people. You despise a horse going behind the vertical? You’re in my tribe! We can connect and feel good about ourselves because we can screen shot bad moments from peoples’ rides and point out all their faults. This makes me crazy because it’s connecting with others only through negativity. People start to feel an identity by what they hate together rather than what they DO want. And guess what, it’s a lot easier to point out faults than to show an example of “excellence,” however you might define that?

There’s also a lot of “purists” getting lots of air time. I think purists in any realm are dangerous, because they can never be truly satisfied. They want to harken back to a time before when things were done “properly,” but there was never such a time. Humans are always fallible and also always striving to be better. If riding with a beautiful seat and quiet connection in a double bridle is wrong, is riding in a snaffle the “one true and right way?” Or bitless…. Or not riding… Or not keeping horses in fences at all?? No one can ever be pure enough for these folks.

But mostly what’s happening is that the social media algorithms are really working. They’re making you spend more time on their platforms. They’re outraging you. They’re making you outraged at the outrage. They’re making you want to check back and see the new comments. They’re the only ones winning here.

So pay attention to what you’re paying attention to. Is it true that there’s “so much horrible riding?” I don’t see that if I watch the actual rides. Is it true that “everyone is so negative?” Go watch Steffen Peter’s beautiful video of him grazing Mopsie and pouring his heart out, and see that 99% of the comments are loving and hugely positive.

Don’t feed the beast. Ignore the troll accounts that are only there to stir up hate. Don’t comment on others’ obnoxious comments. And if you don’t like what you’re seeing, please share something better, more beautiful, more “correct” in your opinion. I don’t agree that people are not allowed to have an opinion if they themselves can’t produce a perfect Grand Prix ride, but show us what it is we SHOULD aspire to. Because most everyone I’ve met in this sport, is trying really really hard to do right by their horses and ride better. Always better. I’ve never met anyone trying to do it badly. This sport is so hard. It’s SO hard. Let’s keep trying to be better for our horses.

Congratulations to every rider who has made it this far and are willing to put themselves “in the arena,” both literally and figuratively. Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together!

07/12/2024

"New Home Syndrome"🤓

I am coining this term to bring recognition, respect, and understanding to what happens to horses when they move homes. This situation involves removing them from an environment and set of routines they have become familiar with, and placing them somewhere completely different with new people and different ways of doing things.

Why call it a syndrome?

Well, really it is! A syndrome is a term used to describe a set of symptoms that consistently occur together and can be tied to certain factors such as infections, genetic predispositions, conditions, or environmental influences. It is also used when the exact cause of the symptoms is not fully understood or when it is not connected with a well-defined disease. In this case, "New Home Syndrome" is connected to a horse being placed in a new home where its entire world changes, leading to psychological and physiological impacts. While it might be transient, the ramifications can be significant for both the horse and anyone handling or riding it.

Let me explain...

Think about how good it feels to get home after a busy day. How comfortable your favourite clothes are, how well you sleep in your own bed compared to a strange bed, and how you can really relax at home. This is because home is safe and familiar. At home, the part of you that keeps an eye out for potential danger turns down to a low setting. It does this because home is your safe place (and if it is not, this blog will also explain why a lack of a safe place is detrimental).

Therefore, the first symptom of horses experiencing "New Home Syndrome" is being unsettled, prone to anxiety, or difficult behaviour. If you have owned them before you moved them, you struggle to recognise your horse, feeling as if your horse has been replaced by a frustrating version. If the horse is new to you, you might wonder if you were conned, if the horse was drugged when you rode it, or if you were lied to about the horse's true nature.

A horse with "New Home Syndrome" will be a stressed version of itself, on high alert, with a drastically reduced ability to cope. Horses don't handle change like humans do. If you appreciate the comfort of your own home and how you can relax there, you should be able to understand what the horse is experiencing.

Respecting that horses interpret and process their environments differently from us helps in understanding why your horse is being frustrating and recognising that there is a good chance you were not lied to or that the horse was not drugged.

Horses have survived through evolution by being highly aware of their environments. Change is a significant challenge for them because they notice the slightest differences, not just visually but also through sound, smell, feel, and other senses. Humans generalise and categorise, making it easy for us to navigate familiar environments like shopping centres. Horses do not generalise in the same way; everything new is different to them, and they need proof of safety before they can habituate and feel secure. When their entire world changes, it is deeply stressful.

They struggle to sleep until they feel safe, leading to sleep deprivation and increased difficulty.

But there is more...

Not only do you find comfort in your home environment and your nervous system downregulates, but you also find comfort in routines. Routines are habits, and habits are easy. When a routine changes or something has to be navigated differently, things get difficult. For example, my local supermarket is undergoing renovations. After four years of shopping there, it is extremely frustrating to have to work out where everything is now. Every day it gets moved due to the store being refitted section by section. This annoyance is shared by other shoppers and even the staff.

So, consider the horse. Not only are they confronted with the challenge of figuring out whether they are safe in all aspects of their new home while being sleep deprived, but every single routine and encounter is different. Then, their owner or new owner starts getting critical and concerned because the horse suddenly seems untrained or difficult. The horse they thought they owned or bought is not meeting their expectations, leading to conflict, resistance, explosiveness, hypersensitivity, and frustration.

The horse acts as if it knows little because it is stressed and because the routines and habits it has learned have disappeared. If you are a new human for the horse, you feel, move, and communicate differently from what it is used to. The way you hold the reins, your body movements in the saddle, the position of your leg – every single routine of communication between horse and person is now different. I explain to people that when you get a new horse, you have to imprint yourself and your way of communicating onto the horse. You have to introduce yourself and take the time to spell out your cues so that they get to know you.

Therefore, when you move a horse to a new home or get a new horse, your horse will go through a phase called "New Home Syndrome," and it will be significant for them. Appreciating this helps them get through it because they are incredible and can succeed. The more you understand and help the horse learn it is safe in its new environment and navigate the new routines and habits you introduce, the faster "New Home Syndrome" will pass.
"New Home Syndrome" will be prevalent in a horse’s life until they have learned to trust the safety of the environment (and all that entails) and the humans they meet and interact with. With strategic and understanding approaches, this may take weeks, and their nervous systems will start downgrading their high alert status. However, for some horses, it can take a couple of years to fully feel at ease in their new home.

So, next time you move your horse or acquire a new horse and it starts behaving erratically or being difficult, it is not being "stupid", you might not have been lied to or the horse "drugged" - your horse is just experiencing an episode of understandable "New Home Syndrome." And you can help this.❤

I would be grateful if you could please share, this reality for horses needs to be better appreciated ❤
‼️When I say SHARE that does not mean plagiarise my work…it is seriously not cool to copy and paste these words and make out you have written it yourself‼️

07/04/2024

😔 but do true

This is a hard post to write. I thought about sharing this news in a purely positive way. But I think I’d rather be 100% honest. And I’m happy if this leads to a discussion on how our industry can change for the better?

I’ve decided to stop leasing the gorgeous farm where I’ve been for the past few years. I’m no longer going to have horses in full training (which for those who know me, you know that is my absolute love) and just be a freelance instructor teaching a couple days a week in the area.

I sat down and did the math on what my finances would be like if I just taught two days a week and had no expenses outside insurance, my car, memberships, etc. I would make MORE working that little than I do right now. And I run a pretty great program - my barn is always full with a wait list, about half super nice young horses and half FEI horses. My students and I compete a lot, very successfully. But the cost of running a program like this is so high, that even though I am “successful”, I barely make a living wage. I pay my wonderful assistant trainers more than I make (because they 100% deserve that salary and more!) And of course I could raise prices even more, but I think I charge an awful lot, and at the end of the day, I just feel awful about expecting people to pay SO much for a luxurious hobby.

Of course, people don’t go into this business with a dream of making a big profit each year. And that is a legitimate argument - you do this for the love of horses and riding. But when the costs and the stress of running a big barn start piling up, that argument gets pretty tired pretty quickly.

By far the biggest struggle I’ve had over the last few years is keeping good employees. And I know all my fellow barn owners and trainers are struggling as much as I am. I have a few AMAZING employees (endless thanks to Kate Tackett & Nicole Wilbur) and right now my best workers are 15, 16, and 22. So the argument that “kids these days are awful” is not true. But the instances of employees quitting with no notice, being offended at having to physically work hard, having incredibly low standards for the work they do, and outright lying have been more and more and more lately. It’s exhausting, and the fact that I’m paying $20/hour, run a great program, and am STILL getting these kind of workers makes me feel no optimism for the future. 😞

In the past I didn’t pay hardly anyone. I just had working students who worked off their housing, board and training. And that worked much better. But that seems to be a thing of the past? People now expect all that AND $600+ a week. And if my business made so much money that I could do that, I would love to. But the math just flat out doesn’t work.

My social media feeds are FILLED with barns begging for good help. I don’t know what the answer is. But I know I’m at the point where I would like to have the time to look at what else life has to offer. I’ve done this professionally for 20 years (and for fun since I could walk.) It’s a huge deal for me to imagine that I won’t be riding every day here on out. But it’s also incredibly exciting to imagine my life without these stresses. What if I didn’t have to get up at 5:30 and feed and muck because the weekend worker quit at 10pm the night before? Maybe I’ll start a hobby. 🤪 Or maybe I’ll just hang out with my wonderful husband and beautiful kids and have a coffee at the table instead of racing down the road in my car…

06/05/2024

Morning chores help wanted and /or Working student position.
Private training facility in Burlington WI
Very friendly atmosphere.

06/05/2024

Dantes 1st attempt in jumping 😀 and reward from me and Zorro ❤️

05/24/2024

Dante
2016 Hanoverian gelding by Danciano
Standing 17hh
Located at Legacy Dressage Center in Burlington, WI

Dante is a handsome Hanoverian gelding with loads of potential for a successful dressage career. He has three beautiful gaits with lovely suspension in trot and a super walk. He is a forward moving horse but not hot. Dante is very well bred on both sides.

Dante has been in a professional training program since he was started, but he has had inconsistencies in his training through no fault of his own. He is well-started on the basics and would be suited for a professional or amateur in a professional program to bring up up the levels.

Stands for the vet/farrier. Good feet and has been kept barefoot. Up to date on shots and dental.

Asking low/mid fives
For more info and video please PM