Jessie Paine Dressage

04/07/2025

Congratulations to JPD Sales Clients Anne Rainey and Deby Ross-Harrison on their purchases of Keaton and Kavan last week!! What an exciting week it was!

04/03/2025

Just love this!

I was maybe 21 or 22 when I had a lesson that’s stayed with me ever since.

It was one of those early spring days when the arena was still cold, but the sun was shinning.

My horse, a spirited youngster, was tense, and so was I. We were both fighting each other, me trying to hold everything together, him trying to escape everything I was holding.

My trainer at the time was soft-spoken, but her feel in the saddle was sharper than any words. She called me into the middle with just a glance.

She didn’t say much. Just walked up, took the reins from my hands, and held them for a moment.

Then she looked at me and said,
"You’re holding your breath. And you’re holding the reins the same way."

I laughed awkwardly, because she wasn’t wrong.

“Okay,” I said. “Soften my hands. Try not to die. Breathe. Got it.”

But she shook her head.

“No, it’s more than that,” she said. “The reins are the breath of the ride. They should move like breath. Expand. Release. Flow.”

I don’t remember the rest of the ride. But I remember sitting in silence at the end of the day, thinking about what she said.

Back then, I didn’t fully get it. I was too focused on outline, on contact, on “getting it right.” But over time, the lesson kept echoing back to me. Especially in the harder rides, the ones where nothing seemed to click.

And I started to notice:

When I held my breath, I held the reins.
When I was soft and present, so were they.
And when the reins breathed, so did my horse.

The reins aren't tools of control.
They’re a shared inhale, a shared exhale.
A rhythm not made of sound, but of feel.

Now, years later, it’s one of the first things I feel for in every ride:

Are we breathing?
Are we listening?

Because that space, the space between pressure and release, between ask and allow,
that’s where the magic lives.

That’s the breath of dressage.

04/01/2025

ISO: Dressage working student in Conestoga, PA. Please note this is not a riding position and you need your own horse for lessons.

What you get: work off an apartment, stall for your horse, and training with USDF Bronze/Silver/Gold Medalist Jessie Paine. Gain a wealth of experience working at Kynynmont Farm in Conestoga, PA.

What you do: this is not a riding position. You’d be working off board, training and rent with elbow grease: mucking stalls, turnout, feeding, general barn chores, possibly some grooming and some night checks. Ideal hours are Tuesday - Saturday 7-4pm (we will work out time for you to ride your horse so hours may wiggle somewhat).

Repeat: this is NOT a riding position and you need to have your own horse to get the dressage training.

For more info on Jessie, her program, and the facility please visit www.jpdressage.com.

Must have experience with horses, be self motivated, work well with others, and be reliable. Must be able to lift 50 lbs. This is a busy farm and you’ve got to have hustle! Nonsmokers only.

If interested please email the following to [email protected]:

- Name and contact info
- Horse experience
- When you would be available to come for an interview and when you could potentially start
- Resume and references
- Tell me about your horse!

03/27/2025

It’s time to get messy!

If how you’ve been riding hasn’t been working, change how you’ve been riding. Deconstruct. Straighten up. Try new ideas on for size. Adjust your mindset.

Warning ‼️: it will definitely feel messy, and might even look messy. But if you are going to bake a cake, the kitchen is going to get a bit messy, and if you are going to take your riding to the next level, the same may happen.

PC: Rachel Collomy

03/25/2025

Write. It. Down.

Takes notes after each and every lesson. Don’t wait to do it when you get home and risk your mind being cluttered by grocery lists and work to-dos.

If it’s safe to do so, pop out your phone while cooling out your horse and start writing the big takeaways from your lesson. It’s great to use any lingo your trainer said that really resonated with you, but it’s also helpful to use your own words to describe what you felt in your body and what clicked in your brain.

Review your notes before your next ride (ideally before you start to groom your horse, so you have time to really think it over). Repetition is key. And this is very important if you and your trainer are working towards improved rider biomechanics.

Some of my students create a Shared Note with me so I can review their lesson notes (that fortunately are brief and to the point 😉). It’s really helpful to read what stood out for them, and it’s something I can review before the next lesson.

03/21/2025

Your homework this weekend: when you start putting yourself or your horse down, say this phrase out loud: “thoughts are not facts.”

03/18/2025

You need to stop.

When in a lesson (or frankly, all the time!) stop apologizing that you or your horse isn't
"better.” Stop putting yourself or your riding down just as you put your foot in the stirrup. Stop making little digs to yourself about what you screwed up.

To make your lessons better for everyone involved, be nicer to yourself. Yes, we lesson to learn what we can do better. Yes, we dressage riders are often our own biggest critic (and that’s not a bad thing). But just as your trainer is (I hope) giving you constructive feedback, you need to do the same for yourself. Focusing on what you perceive as a negative or a problem doesn’t make space for the solution.

Even if you feel that being “tough” on yourself is best, it absolutely is not best for your horse. Your energy sets the tone. You want the tone to inspire, not deflate. And frankly, it’s much harder as a trainer to teach a rider who constantly puts themselves down.

Even if you feel that you just suck and that you bounce around on your horse like a jack in the box (which you almost definitely do not, even if you tell yourself you do!), dig deeper and find praise. You have a million other things you could be doing, but you showed up. Own that. Embrace that. Celebrate that.

03/18/2025

Excellent points! Mindset matters!

Many riders believe success hinges on external factors—like buying an expensive warmblood from Europe or working with a top trainer. However, research reveals a different truth: the key to progress lies within us.

In a recent Dressage Progress Survey, adult amateur Sally O’Dwyer asked dressage riders to answer questions about their path to progress and roadblocks they experience.

Some striking statistics emerged from approximately 100 respondents. Check out what’s frustrating other riders, the power of goal-setting and mindset, and some great techniques to improve your successes in and out of the ring here: https://yourdressage.org/2025/02/24/and-the-survey-says/

You can stay connected with other Adult Amateurs by joining Dressage Amateurs Rise, an online community started by Sally for support, encouragement, tips, and education for dressage riders.

03/17/2025

You have to honor your horse.

Part of that is being realistic with what they are physically capable of and show the mental aptitude for. Aliza is a wonderful pony and showed through Second Level, but she never seemed the happiest in the dressage arena (at least, with a rider on her back!). So this winter at a friend’s suggestion, I started teaching her how to drive. It’s amazing how trusting the horses have to be once the blinders go on! I am by no means a driving trainer, and I’m probably doing a 100 things incorrectly in this video, but … we are having fun 🤩

03/15/2025

Never get on your horse with a grudge from what happened the day before.

Give both you and your horse the gift of a fresh start every time you swing your leg over the saddle. Even if you fell off, your horse didn’t try to intentionally hurt you physically or emotionally. And if you are still scared/worried/pissed off and let those emotions narrate your ride, it’s going to affect your horse and you negatively.

✨Do analyze what happened but when you are off of your horse.

✨ Do make a game plan ahead of time in the event the same issues arise.

✨ Do seek out resources like a Mindset Coach or books about sports psychology to build your mental toolbox.

But please, don’t get on with a grudge.

No matter what yesterday was like, birds start the new day with a song. Aspire to start every ride with fresh energy, an inquisitive attitude, and a smile.

03/11/2025

We all know that how someone says something, or when they say it, can make all the difference in how our mind processes the information and how our body reacts to it. When your trainer hits the jackpot 🎰 and says a phrase that really resonates with you, let her know it! It’s so helpful to know what “shorthand” phrases are most helpful to my students. Likewise, if something doesn’t make sense - whether it’s a concept or an analogy your trainer is using - politely let your trainer know.

03/10/2025

Teagan’s first time introduced to the surcingle and girth went so well! She’s such a trusting mare. 💕

03/09/2025

Wonderful weekend auditing the L Program presented by DVCTA - Delaware Valley Combined Training Assoc. Finished the weekend with a couple great lessons in Chester County. Such a great time learning and sharing.

Here’s a picture of Megan sitting so beautifully on her big moving mare. 💕

03/08/2025

You are a guest on your horse.

Always remember what a privilege that is. Honor your horse’s generosity by riding with empathy and mindfulness.

03/06/2025

Your horse won’t forget.

Breaks from training for the cold winter months won’t cause your horse to unlearn what you’ve created together.

Kynynmont Teagan had a lot of groundwork in the Roundpen in the Fall of her two-year-old year. As we prepare her for the next phase of learning, she was introduced to the indoor arena for the first time. She was inquisitive, polite, calm, followed my body language and even remembered that tarps are not something to be scared of!

She remembered all the lessons from the roundpen - it’s ok to investigate, but you have to control your flight instinct and listen to your two-legger all the while being in a new environment.

03/04/2025

March is here, and if you are like me you are chomping at the bit to get back to a regular training routine and take lessons and ride in clinics. March’s will be dedicated to getting the most out of those lessons.

The only way to lay the proper foundation for where you want to go is to know your intended destination! You and your trainer need to be on the same page when it comes to that destination and the roadmap to get there.

Have a discussion with your trainer about your short, seasonal, and long term goals and expectations.

If you have specific show goals for this season, sit down and study the tests you aspire to show before discussing with your trainer. Rate each movement 1 to 10, 1 being you don’t know what the word Travers means, 10 being you and your horse could ride an extended trot today for a 10. If you have a lot of movements in the 1-5 range, that may tell you that you need to adjust the short or seasonal goal. At a minimum, anything in the 1-5 range needs to be discussed with your trainer.

If showing isn’t your jam, every few months sit down and really consider what aspects of your ride need work. Try to not overgeneralize (suppleness) but rather break it down (with your trainer) to determine which parts of the puzzle you need to focus on (better rider alignment to allow and encourage better balance for the horse, educate your horse about the seeking responses, helping your horse lift his back, etc.).

This is also an opportunity for your trainer to weigh in, so be prepared for that. For her, it’s an opportunity to be frank with you (if you invite that) about your expectations. She might think that Buster needs more joint maintenance if he is going to help you get your Silver Medal, or that you need more time working on your seat on the lunge line before you officially bump up to Second Level.

Expect to have this conversation as part of your dedicated lesson time to show respect for your trainer’s time and schedule.

03/03/2025

Fail your way to success.