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Monday 8am - 6pm Tuesday 8am - 6pm Wednesday 8am - 6pm Thursday 8am - 6pm Friday 8am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 2pm

Dunlap Dressage

Dunlap Dressage Kelsey Dunlap is a USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist and USDF Certified Instructor thu 4th level

02/26/2025

Time flies when you’re having fun! What a productive month of bootcamp with Heirendale and Carol’s beautiful mare, Leia. Thank you to Christopher Hickey, Katherine Bateson, and Christian Garweg for the excellent training - we have lots of homework! And I’m so grateful to not only have great barn help and family to keep the farm ticking over, but also clients who are so supportive and understanding of me going away to get my ass kicked for a month. It was nice to be able to continue teaching almost every day via video so we are all still ready to rumble in March 🤩
And of course HUGE thank you to Molly Paris for letting me invade your slice of heaven again ❤️❤️
Till next year!

01/26/2025

Special day getting to reconnect after 7 years. I love the horse world! Thanks for having me Jennifer and Jurgen! So fun to visit Hof Kasselmann. Till next time ❤️

12/21/2024

What seems impossible today will one day be your warmup.
My other favorite - learn to love your least favorite exercise and you won’t have any weaknesses 💪
So many pieces coming together on this one ❤️

Owned by

10/29/2024

Reminder to learn from every horse you sit on. Miss this boy so much but grateful for everything I learned with him!

10/16/2024

USDF Region 1 Champs 🥳

It was a rollercoaster…Anne came down with Covid and had to scratch. We were so looking forward to getting Fiona out again 😔

Heirendale tried his best to scratch also but my super farrier showed up within two hours of being called and worked some magic. We decided to stick him on the trailer anyways and see how he’d feel…ended up sound just in the nick of time but having several days off before showing in cold weather meant unscripted flying changes and cantering in trot half passes 🤦‍♀️ oh well…only 1.5 points behind 1st, he feels wonderful, and I loved being able to get him in the ring. Thanks a million Dillon Crane!!! Plodding our way towards GP ❤️

Kasper put in consistent tests and left for his new home right after. It was emotional and I miss him so much. Thank you SO much to the FireballSyndicate for going on this adventure with me, we’re looking forward to the next one!!

Still trying to figure out the recipe for success with Jinx. Quirky horses will put you through some mental gymnastics (and wine).

It was exciting to see Jenn and Margot figure out a more elastic connection. They’re becoming a real team - just need to hold off on the flying changes at First Level 😂

Kristin Layton really brought it home for us on her self made DHH, placing in big and competitive 4th and PSG champs. Hard to believe her first dressage show was only 5 years ago in a jump saddle! She is the definition of hard work AND consistency.

Thank you Christopher Hickey for the tough love and hand holding, all at once 😝

And to Matt and Oliver Telford for the endless entertainment.

What a week. The horse show hangover was real. Can’t wait for next time!! 🤪💀

07/10/2024

Have so enjoyed feeling Kasper blossom this year and I’m so grateful to the Fireball Syndicate for going on this journey with me! He is now being offered for sale because we can’t keep them all unfortunately- PM for info on this elegant, 16.3, 2015, Danish gelding. Competing PSG with lovely extensions, easy lateral work and pirouettes. Sports car type that I’m going to keep enjoying while I can 😜❤️

06/17/2024

It’s so rewarding to feel how much Kasper’s confidence has grown since his last show. 2nd time out at PSG and he’s finding his way around the test with so much more fluidity - can’t wait to add the power some day. Still need to get rid of the unnecessary one tempis on centerline 😂

Anne and Fiona went, saw, and conquered. Those two are made for each other and I love being a part of their dressage journey.

Already looking forward to the next show in a few weeks ❤️

04/05/2024

“If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested in, or open to your feedback. Period.

There are a million cheap seats in the world today, filled with people who will never be brave with their own lives, but will spend every ounce of energy they have hurling advice and judgement at those of us trying to dare greatly.

Their only contributions are criticism, cynicism, and fear-mongering.”
-Brené Brown

02/24/2024

Uberstreichen to test self carriage. Inching (and at times - millimetering) our way closer to Grand Prix and loving every up and down that comes along with it. At the end of the day, teaching horses to move more beautifully and in harmony is what it’s all about!

01/16/2024

USDF FEI Trainer’s Conference Notes with , Sven Rothenberger, and Lilo Fore - Day 1

- Go forward without speeding up and come back without slowing down. Tempo control!
- you should always feel the extension in the collected gaits (pushing forward tendency) and collection in the extended gaits (sitting and carrying)
- the “ideal” rein aid is just closing the ring finger around the rein. But horses are not 100% on the aids, 365 days a year. You then need to turn the wrist in and sit in.
- how many times should you do an exercise? As many as it takes for the horse to gain some clarity - even if it’s a tiny amount. For some horses, it was 3 times. For others, it was 10 times.
- the neck is the easiest part to over bend and the haunches are easy to push out. The ribcage is the hardest part to access. Focus on being able to yield the RIBCAGE between your legs. Nose should not turn past the point of shoulder.
- riding with both reins in one hand allows horse to come out to your hand and makes you ride from the seat more.
- reins are for receiving and recycling energy, not supporting balance.
- in haunches in, BOTH shoulders should be pointed up the line. Don’t allow the outside shoulder to point out. This ensures quality of bend.
- For tense/sharp horses: it’s important to take all of the time required to establish relaxation. Otherwise, everything you teach the horse will be built on tension.
- it’s always good to end on a note where you know you can do more, because the horse is willing and understanding, but you choose not to. ❤️

Not going to lie - I woke up at 4am wanting to throw up from the thought of being put under the microscope in front of 300+ people. Ended the day thrilled with how much Heiren tried for me and I’m so happy to let us all learn from things that aren’t “good” - passage that’s too slow and out behind, canter without enough jump, trot-piaffe transition that isn’t forward thinking enough, slow timing, etc. Things can always be better, that’s what makes it fun! Thanks to the clinicians and USDF for an educational day, looking forward to tomorrow!

Address

Indian Trail, Indian Trail
Indian Trail, NC
28079

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm
Friday	8am - 6pm
Saturday	9am - 2pm

Website

http://dunlapdressage.com/

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Videos

The dressage world is basically burning to the ground…meanwhile, @olivertelford has made a tongue in cheek video explaining some common competitor woes. Enjoy a Non-Horsey Husband’s take on why you didn’t get a 70%. 😝. For more entertainment- the link to his How-to-Piaffe video is in the comments. #nonhorseyhusband #horsehusband #horsetraining #dressagetraining #feidressage #dressage #dressagehorse #horsesofinstagram #horses #piaffe #pferd #pferde #dressagehorsesofinstagram #tongueincheek

Great to school with Bo Jena again. It’s been so nice to see that while everyone has their own style, the concepts and goals are all the same. Hind legs that push AND carry, longitudinal and lateral suppleness, a contact that receives and recycles, clear and consistent aids which can only come from a good seat, and of course lots of praise and walk breaks. The work is intense but brief and no drilling. Both the boys feel great, loving bootcamp! #feidressage #roadtograndprix #dressage #dressagetraining #piaffe #passage #pirouette