Cherry Ridge Dressage

03/30/2025

Keep raising that bar! When you know better, do better.

“Maybe you don’t realise how good you are doing because you keep raising the bar”

03/19/2025

Happy 5th Birthday to the handsome Hopper Doodle!!! 🎉🥳

03/18/2025

03/18/2025

Unlike humans, horses don’t have collarbones. Their shoulders are held to the rest of their skeleton via a sling of muscles and ligaments instead, often referred to as the “thoracic sling.”

Why is this important? We often ask our equine athletes to perform complex movements that require tremendous strength and coordination, and horses carry the majority of their weight in their front end. Therefore, it is imperative that the bulk of the muscles that support the front end are kept healthy and conditioned, and the horse is trained to use their “motor” — that is, engaging the large hind end muscles as much as possible to avoid excessive weight bearing on the front end.

If the front end of the horse is consistently overweighted or not at an appropriate level of fitness, repetitive biomechanical stresses get transferred down the leg to the smaller ligaments and tendons that were not designed to bear this weight, which can then lead to injury.

Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

03/18/2025

03/15/2025

This is the reason that I love to give my horses a snack of Triple Crown Feed Stress Free Forage before their rides, and they certainly enjoy it, too!

Remember when your parents used to tell you to wait 30 minutes after eating before going for a swim? Unlike us, horses can actually benefit from eating forage before they exercise, as it may help reduce the risk of gastric ulcers.

While a variety of things can contribute to the development of stomach ulcers (medications, diet, stress, etc.), one train of thought is that these areas of irritation result as a consequence of the acid of the stomach splashing against unprotected parts of the stomach lining. When a horse eats forage, the hay can help absorb some of that acid and thus reduce the risk of ulcer formation.

It is important to note that a forage meal (one comprised of long stem hay) provides the most benefit, while eating large volumes of concentrate feeds (such as oats, corn, or other cereal grains) can actually increase the amount of acid within the stomach.
As always, please be sure to consult with your vet regarding further diagnostics and treatments if you have concerns that your horse may have gastric ulcers.

Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

03/09/2025

She grew up knowing that strength isn’t just in muscle but in patience. That leadership isn’t about control but about trust. That kindness and grit go hand in hand.

She learned to stand tall, face challenges head-on, and carve her own path. To break barriers, lift others up, and change the world—one stride at a time.

Here’s to the women shaped by four hooves and a soft nose. May we know them, may we be them, may we foster the next generation of them.

03/08/2025

It's the funnest night of the year!!!! 💕

It's here, it's here, it's here! The livestream link is here!

Remember: There is no better way to experience the fun and excitement of attending the Challenge of the Americas in person and the money raised from ticket sales goes directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through our partner, Play for P.I.N.K.

If you can't attend and want to watch via livestream, go to gdf.coth.com/article/2025-challenge-of-the-americas. As you enjoy the event online, please donate by voting on your favorite quadrille team, winning an auction item, or donating directly at www.playforpink.org/event/cota-2025. Or consider hosting a Pink Party (more about that later today!).

Please join us! We need your help to achieve our goal of eradicating breast cancer through valuable research as we .

03/06/2025

In the middle of a cold spell? Weather changes can cause colic and upset stomachs in horses due to them drinking less, moving less and possible stress. Adding warm water to your horse's feed or Triple Crown StressFree® Fortified Forage are great ways to ensure your horse consumes more water when temperatures drop.

My horses LOVE their Stress Free mashes all year long!

03/02/2025

Almost all of my horses receive Triple Crown Feed Balancer Gold to ensure their nutritional needs are met without feeding them excess calories. It is one product that I absolutely could not function without!

What do you feed to ensure vitamins and minerals are covered? Your answer is one of our Triple Crown Ration Balancers! The balancers are low-fat and packed with EquiMix®, an original blend of yeast cultures, organic minerals, prebiotics, probiotics and digestive enzymes that are vital to your horse’s hooves, coat and overall health. A sandwich bag filled with a ration balancer is all you need to feed PER DAY to your 1000lb horse! Pick up our 30% Ration Balancer or Balancer Gold to help provide adequate nutrition for your horse and complement any hay diet!

02/25/2025

Please share with your horsey friends!

02/24/2025

Looking to increase the fat in your horse’s diet? Add Triple Crown Rice Bran, Golden Ground Flax or
Essential Omega Blend Oil today! Learn more-
https://bit.ly/TCsupplements

I have found that Omega 3's can help to reduce inflammation in the horse's body- something our competition horses especially can really benefit from!

02/22/2025

I've been utilizing some exercises from Jec Ballou to break up the winter boredom and manage some cross training within the indoor. This one is harder than it looks! I'll admit there was some celebrating for finally nailing this.

If you're not familiar with Jec, check out her books, videos, and clinic schedule here: https://www.jecballou.com/

02/17/2025

Handsome Hops has been working hard this winter, gaining strength day by day. Can't wait for warmer weather to continue strengthening and exploring on more varied terrain and for show season 2025 to commence!!!

02/16/2025

Merch alert!!!

I've got a few of these Cherry Ridge Dressage custom C4 belts, black with faux fancy stitching and subtle CRD logos available for $40 each. Let me know if you'd like one and I'll bring it to your next lesson. These are both classy and super comfy!!!