Straton Sporthorses

12/09/2024

“…dressage is not just for every horse, but for every person.”

11/16/2024

My favorite saddle ever!! The Trilogy Verago❤️ Look at those beautiful colors someone designed 😍😍😍 Just had to share!
Trilogy Performance Saddlery
Courtney Peiffer - Trilogy Saddles

10/25/2024

“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles.”
― Wayne W. Dyer

Art Credit: Frédérique Lavergne

10/16/2024

Love this! 🙌

Every perfect movement you watch in dressage is the result of hundreds of imperfect tries, of riders who never gave up, and horses who slowly learned to trust. Celebrate every crooked halt, every almost-there half-pass, because they are the real victories. The path to excellence is paved with mistakes, but also with perseverance and love.

10/14/2024

Walk, walk, walk!

Horse management things that are now forgotten! Part 2.

The old books ALWAYS told you that you must walk the first and the last mile of your ride to warm your horse up and bring him home cool, dry and calm.

The Army reckoned on horses marching at 4 miles per hour so that's 15min of walking OR 13-14 laps of a 20x40m arena at the beginning and end of each training session.

They were onto something. The science now shows it takes 10min of continuous movement for the joint fluid to become protective of the cartilage and 20min for the blood vessels in the large muscles to open up and fill the muscles with blood, increasing power and elasticity and reducing risk of injury.

That's quite some walking eh? Do you do this?

10/12/2024

Wherever you are, it’s the place you need to be.”
– Maxime Lagacé

Art Credit: Gretchen Almy

09/22/2024

09/03/2024

Always 🖤🐴

08/10/2024

Eeeeee, my new boots from The Distinguished Rider are here! I certainly love them 😉❤️🤗 Check out https://thedistinguishedrider.com/ to design your own custom pair!

08/05/2024

07/30/2024

“Surround yourself with people who push you to do and be better. No drama or negativity, just higher motivation, good times, and positive energy. No jealousy or hate. Just simply bringing out the absolute best each time.” –Anonymous

Let’s talk about barn atmosphere…

It’s not only important that your barn is a good fit for your horse - it should be a good fit for you as well.

A barn could have all of the bells and whistles,
the biggest accolades,
the prettiest tack rooms,
and the best footing…
But is it a positive environment?

It is so important for both you AND your horse that you surround yourself with a barn family that encourages you, supports you, and wants to see you succeed.

Life is too short to waste time on negative energy.
Most importantly… Our time with our horses is too precious to waste on a barn with bad vibes!

Make sure your barn is preparing you and your horse to be the best version of yourselves 🩷🐴

𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚!
🩵 𝑱𝑱 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒆

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www.teamtateacademy.com |

06/03/2024

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”
– Aristotle

Art: Frédérique Lavergne

05/30/2024

I’ve always loved this quote because I think it can directly relate to our relationship with horses:

“Never blame anyone in your life. Good people give you happiness. Bad people give you experience. The worst people give you a lesson. And the best people give you memories.” -Zig Ziglar

The way I see it…

Never put blame on a horse.
The horses that are a ‘good’ match for us bring us happiness.
The horses that challenge us give us experience.
The worst rides give us the lessons we need.
The best horses give us memories.

Any interaction with a horse is a learning experience. There will always be difficult lessons and hard days, but it is what we learn from those experiences that make the good memories that much sweeter.

How lucky are we to get to have horses in our lives?! This sport is a gift and I am grateful for it every day. 🩵🐴

𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚!
🩵 𝑱𝑱 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒆

🐴: Denali
📸: Richard Malmgren

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www.teamtateacademy.com |

05/19/2024

Occasionally someone will ask me, "What is dressage?" To this question I say, dressage is the correct gymnastizing, careful training and development of a horse using the Training Scale. Dressage empowers a horse to become more athletic and beautiful in his natural movements, and to learn to carry a rider in a more healthy and balanced way. Classical dressage training will result in a horse that is stronger, more flexible and better able to use his whole body in a supple and powerful way, but at the same time will feel light and adjustable to the rider. It is the fundamental training needed for all varieties of the horse sports, and is also an Olympic sport in and of itself. A well trained dressage horse is a joy and privilege to ride.

Dressage training should be free of force, with the goal that movements can be summoned in any place at any time because the horse is in proper self-carriage and in harmony with the rider. As the horse's training progresses, he will respond to the most subtle aids of the rider, which are invisible to the observer but clearly understood by the horse.

Dressage training should never be limited to the dressage arena. Dressage should be taught in conjunction with trail rides, small jumps, turn outs and free jumping. In the fall, fox hunting behind the hounds and ground work are wonderful additions to dressage training. Proper dressage training will create a sustainable and rewarding relationship between horse and rider. "Airs above the ground" such as Levade, courbette, Capriole, ec. are special movements of the High School.

Dressage is a journey - one to be enjoyed at every stage. A good dressage rider never skips a step in the horse's training in an effort to reach a specific goal, but instead relishes in the daily work, the daily discoveries and tiny bits of progress that the horse generously offers. The rider should ride to the horse's limit, but never over, so that the horse learns, but does not lose confidence and trust in his rider, and therefore the horse gives his whole heart to his rider.

That is why I am, and always will be in love with dressage. Walter

05/18/2024

A horse is never just a horse 🖤🐴🖤