Dressage riding and training from a natural, thoughtful horsemanship approach. Mattalyn Hughes focuses on Dressage and with a "Thoughtful" approach.
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Needing recommendations for pasture retirement board for a very well behaved gelding. Preferably near Chattanooga but open to options. If anyone is looking for a companion horse or a babysitter he would be excellent for that job! He loves friends and doesn’t get buddy sour. He’s also absolutely gorgeous so that’s a bonus. He is NOT riding sound! His owners are kind and responsible and we are not going to risk losing track of him and someone trying to ride him.
100-X order time again! Please let me know if you need Gut-X, Osteo-max, or regen-x!
It’s that time again! Kids going back to school means I need barn help! Weekends especially. 10-20 hours for the right person.
"To correct your seat and posture, imagine your pelvis as an old-fashioned goldfish bowl. To maintain your posture while you ride, keep the water in the bowl level. If your pelvis is tipped forward, the water will pour out onto the horse’s withers. If your pelvis is tipped backward, you will pour the water out onto the haunches." — Janice Dulak
🎨: Sandy Rabinowitz
Please read this! River Glen Equestrian Park needs our support or at least needs us to be informed! Mattalyn has a quote at the end! Thanks to Hellbender Press for the coverage of such an important matter that directly affects our community.
Katie Fleenor of Mattalyn Rogers Dressage rides training horse Asa at Dressage by the River 2023 at River Glen. Courtesy Mattalyn Rogers Dressage Nonprofit’s plan to purchase equestrian property faces opposition and raises important future farmland issues NEW MARKET — Knoxville Area Rescue Minis...
We LOVE a success story!
Fame has gone to her new home and has settled right in! I had tears in my eyes seeing how much they have connected in such a short time. Fame is thriving and I’m just so grateful to all the people that helped get her a happy ending! 💜
Remember we have several more horses looking for their best match, so send us a message if you’re looking!
Last night, a gorgeous c**t was born and we are all so excited!
Please be respectful of momma and baby and allow them to bond in peace. You are welcome to visit but please do not enter the pen and be mindful of mommas stress levels.
Post will be coming introducing him once we’ve all gotten some rest!
Stunning sales horse, Arden, gets a lot of benefit from our complimentary PEMF treatments for all horses who come through our program. This helps ensure these athletes get the best start possible as they regain/build muscle. Warding off soreness and spot treating problem areas.
Every horse who comes here comes with a baseline. PEMF/ Chiro and then on to saddle check with our amazing Trilogy saddle fitter, Jennifer Jarnigan! We are always so impressed by the wide variety of horses our trilogy’s fit! From big draft crosses, to slender thoroughbreds to our lovely warmbloods and Spanish crosses ❤️ we love our Trilogys!
We can’t wait to show you more about this sweet girl.
Mariposa just gets lovelier and lovelier, despite the shades of bay she decides to douse herself in 🫣
Mariposa is really getting back to where she was, solidifying her first level work and developing her canter again. Transitions are becoming more prompt, she’s developing strength to hold her canter better, and starting to offer more periods of stretchy work.
The Spanish crosses are so fun to work with, Mariposas ideal person would be someone who had low level dressage goals. She’s laterally easy, she’s comfortable to sit, she’s responsive to the leg and fun to trail ride. She’s also barefoot and an easy keeper!
It takes the time it takes and the horse never lies. Olive said that today would be a good day. Despite the wind, the squeaking roof, the imminent storm, pasture horses running rampant.
Olive was calm, despite her theatrics in the field. She was thoughtful and curious. We ground work to check in with her, we lunge to engage her, none of this done with the intention of expelling energy but to have a conversation in where we both are mentally.
Hi. What would you like to do today?
Olive said, today would be nice for a ride.
The horse never lies ❤️ She was calm, cool and collected for her 7 minute ride where she was a total rock star. Katie has been an incredible assistant and we are lucky to have her. Just as we are lucky to have Olive, who now has a very bright future ahead of her.
As Olives training goes forward, she will be listed for sale once more and someone is going to be very lucky to have this sweet pony, who is small but mighty. Who today, proved, she is actually very brave ❤️
Olive lunged in a saddle and bridle today and we couldn’t be more proud ❤️❤️ Olive is a faux German Riding Pony 😂❤️ Actually, we have no idea what she is. But she has lovely gaits and a sensitive temperament.
Olive is going to make someone a lovely project, we are hoping to give her her first ride shortly. Olive will be added to our sales list, we have 5(!) for sale right now and each will get their own debut!
Stayed tuned!
New sales projects are coming in!
We are happy to announce that Fames owner loved her so much she’s deciding to keep her ❤️ there’s never a better compliment than an owner deciding a horse is too perfect to rehome.
We have a few listed now and a few that will be listed shortly! So stay tuned 😍
While Mattalyn is still out with her broken leg, and we miss her so much!!!, the horses are continuing to work thanks to Katie Fleenor and Jessica McChesney!
This lovely girl is our newest training horse, a draft cross who is in for some continuing education. Every horse starts off on the lunge line to make sure there are no missing pieces to their education. We move all the parts of the body, assess their weaknesses, evaluate the gaits and make up a fitness/training program to help them become their best selves!
This girl gets an A+ for effort ❤️
Katie and Jess took two ponies out cross country and for an off property school! Jess riding her own lovely horse, Chance, and Katie, riding the training horse Fame.
Today was lovely, the horses were so relaxed and Chance and Jess killed it over some relaxed starter fences.
Fame focused on making the experience positive, as she was worried that we were going to jump. Her goal was to trot around and NOT jump but to go around the jumps with a positive attitude. Which she demonstrated wonderfully!
So proud of both of these ladies. Jess and Katie killed it today 😍 thanks RiverGlen for letting us come play!
Sometimes the Spanish comes out 😂 good riding today Katie! Mariposa is wearing a martingale but not using it in these pictures, sometimes they offer some stability if used on the upper rings to help guide the horse back to the connection.
Mariposa is very safe, we were experimenting with the martingale and found it really wasn’t useful in this instance. Though she did decide to show Katie that canter COULD mean medium if she wanted it to 😂😂
See the second two pictures in the change in posture, the one with the nose reaching forward and the rider allowing is the goal! The focus of today was changing the horses posture to follow the hand. A fun refresher for both Katie and Mariposa. Followed by some trot and canter on a loose rein to reaffirm leg aids and steering through the body.
Miss Fame is doing so well under saddle 😍😍 right now we are working on developing the contact as she finds strength, encouraging her to seek the bit and not posture her neck instead of using her body. We are restarting some laterals as she find strength but the gaits are truly lovely ❤️❤️
She’s comfortable to trot and canter, she’s such a brave girl and she’s lovely to work with. If her owner doesn’t decide to just keep her, she will be available!
Looking for groom/rider who would be interested in exchanging rides for dressage lessons.
Needing someone with availability at least 2-4 days a week, who would like to help ride green horses, jump, and groom. Must be fast paced, self starter with reasonable experience.
This would include catching and tacking multiple horses, helping cool down and warm up horses, lunging and untacking.
FEI dressage instructor, lessons or possible compensation in exchange for the right person. Show oppertunities, multiple clinics, room to expand. Open to ambitious young rider. Would be great for a college student.
Rosie and Fame say, we love getting body work done 😍😍
Chilly day and so many lessons! Pulsing is just another part of keeping our athletes happy and healthy. We also had our wonderful Trilogy saddle fitter out here checking on some of our guys to make sure we are set for this up coming schooling show.
Having a rep that is not only knowledgeable but RESPONSIVE is such a key component. We ❤️❤️😍😍 love our trilogy saddles.
Mariposa is being listed for consideration!
Lippizaner cross with no papers. 13 years old, 15.1, smooth gaits and a pleasure to ride. Mariposa is currently teaching beginner lessons all the way through 1st level and would prefer to have her own person or only give the occasional lesson.
She is schooled in shoulder in and leg yields, stretches and comes on the aids. She’s more a kick ride.
She needs mild maintenance, easy keeper and barefoot with no issues. She trailers well, she is great at shows, she stands in the cross ties and is not complicated. She does best in solid board/woven wire fencing as she will test electric.
Mariposa is a lovely girl looking for her person! Mid four figures. Located in Knoxville TN.
Tip
Looking for a super medium with scope and bravery?
🟣 13.2 | 2008 | registered half welsh | gelding
Tip was the favorite—retained for the hopeful eventuality that the grandkids would come into horses and enjoy him but never did. He is still owned by the loving breeder, who is hoping he can find a kid or small adult to be friends with and go on adventures! Only ridden sporadically since being started between then and now. Very low miles—been in dressage training for a bit over six months now getting fit and learning how to use his body. Just started over fences in the fall and started jumping XC recently and loving it! No soundness or body issues. This dude is good to go! He wears front shoes but had been happily barefoot until coming to the land of rocks (thanks, mud 🙃) and could easily return to barefoot if desired.
Super cute mover, knows about the leg yield, shoulder-in, started on haunches-in and walk pirouettes. Canter has become very balanced and rhythmic. This pony would kill in eventing! Great in the field for gallops or leisurely rides—alone or in company. He has traveled off the farm extensively and is absolutely no drama. Will load, stand tied, go in a stall, graze or whatever you want. When you’re ready to ride he’s good to go.
🟣 Knoxville, TN | lowest ✋🏼 figs
Cooper is coming back into work and looking so good doing it 😍 Being a trainer, it’s hard to ride your own with a roster of horses needing ridden! Thankfully, Ava has taken on the challenge of getting this sweet boy back into shape!
A lot of the work comes easily to Cooper, so keeping him engaged by lots of changes of direction and transitions without drilling and without getting greedy is the key.
Fame is quickly becoming a favorite for her easy going temperament when it comes to scary things and yet her ability to turn on the flare and really move! She’s going to be an incredible horse for a dressage rider or an eventer!
She has a fantastic ability to sit and she’s super light on the front end. She’s also got an amazing canter 😍😍😍
Fame was wonderful at River Glen and continues to be wonderful here at home! Enough so that her mom just might want to keep her 🤔
She’s such a chill girl. Doing things the right way is not the fastest in the beginning but you are leaps and bounds a head in the end!
Busy highway? ✅
Horses running in the field ✅
Never jumped these jumps ✅
Perfect pony? Also ✅
Tipper is participating in pony school 🤪 where we lope around trees, randomly jump obstacles and then do a little field dressage and a gallop. To say he can take an joke is an understatement.
Knoxville, TN
37920
| Monday | 9am - 8pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 8pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 8pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 8pm |
| Friday | 9am - 8pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 8pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 8pm |
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Magic 💜 #mattalynrogersdressage #thoughtfulhorsemanship #dressage #colt #oldenburg #warmblood #gov #usdf #usef #fei #dreambigdreams
We LOVE a success story! Fame has gone to her new home and has settled right in! I had tears in my eyes seeing how much they have connected in such a short time. Fame is thriving and I’m just so grateful to all the people that helped get her a happy ending! 💜 Remember we have several more horses looking for their best match, so send us a message if you’re looking! #mattalynrogersdressage #thoughtfulhorsemanship #dressage #connection #usdf #usef #fei #eventing #usea #horses #mares #warmblood #oldenburg #trilogyperformancesaddlery #jenniferjarnigansaddlefit
Cooper is coming back into work after some time on the back burner! Bringing the horse back into fitness means touching on the basics and not jumping straight back into where they were, checking in and making sure the horse is physically capable for everything asked before moving onto the next step. It takes a year to develop a good topline! Slow and steady wins the race!
Tipper doing tree-barrel racing and jumps at the end 🤪 be careful letting dressage people control your jumping! Crazy ideas sometimes ensue… #forsale #eventersofinstagram #eventerinthemaking
Tips first time through water and showing awesome scope over some larger fences 😍😍 #forsale
One of our amazing students at the River Glen schooling day working on developing the canter in the circle, maintaining the connection, balance and rhythm. We love to show different examples of the same exercise so everyone can see that the path does not look the same for every horse. We adore Jess and her amazing ottb Chance who is laterally so awesome 😍😍 more to come on that! #dressagehorse #eventersofinstagram #dressage #ottb
Working on consistency in the connection, off property, in the Nalanta bit less bridle. Sending the horse into consistent hands while not increasing tension in the body. Easier said than done!
Fame in the trot.
One of our boarded horses taking advantage of the services we offer here. PEMF therapy and foam pads to stand on help the horse tell its body story of what could be ailing it. Even if nothing is outwardly wrong, it never hurts to take time to listen and see if aches and pains align with inconsistencies in the work.
Ava working through moving the shoulders with Jim Koford. Wow these lessons were awesome ❤️❤️ wish I would have gotten video of everyone! They all did so well with their rides. Jack, while learning contact, has gotten to the stage where he almost wants to set his head. We don’t want a horse to go around in a ‘frame’. We want him to be elastic. Jim talks about mobilizing the shoulders, Ava is instructed to leg yield towards and away from the wall. Also bending on a circle, GIVING the outside hand to take from the inside to bring the shoulders to the outside rather than falling in. Jack says, This is hard!!! Good riding Ava. Thanks Jim ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #dressage #BendOrNah? #dressagerider #ottb #ottbdressage #horsetraining #dressagehorse
Schooling the trot to work on swing and developing the rhythm. #dressage #lusitano #lusitanohorse #lusitanodressage
Thank you so much Jim Koford for all your help! We loved our lessons with you 😍😍 if you’ve never ridden with Jim, you’re missing out on some super helpful exercises and amazing insight. Mattalyn schooling Half Steps with a young horse. A Lusitano gelding, this is a wonderful example of part of the training process. Here, the horse struggles to compress so he wants to swing his hip to the outside. We try and help him accept the compression of the half steps while keeping the relaxation. Honor tries many things, shoulder in, offering a Spanish walk, allowing him to be curious. It’s all part of the process!
Guide to Belly lifts, planks and butt tucks.
Step one to Topline health is completely free to do and takes about 10 minutes! Belly lifts and butt tucks. Here, Ava displays how to do a belly lift and what that looks like. Some horses have very little lift and the goal is not to create an arch in the back. We want the topline to lift, maybe an inch or two, or however the horse performs easily. Then, encourage the horse to hold the ‘plank’ for longer and longer. Start small with 20 seconds. Working up to a minute as your horse develops fitness. Do this three - five times. You do this by taking your fingers in a scrunched position, then pressing your finger tips to the sternum. Scrub back and forth, pressing upward, start with very little then slowly scrub harder until you get even a little lift. Some horses are very tight and have little lift. Some arch up like a cat! Next, do butt tucks. Taking two scrubbing fingers, start at the top of the croup and work your way down in parallel lines to be level with the tail head. This should make your horse crunch his butt. These we do not plank on, we allow the horse to relax, keeping track of if the horse moves a leg away or curls to one side. Alternate pressure to help the horse tuck their butt straight. This will take practice! This helps identify weaknesses as well. Stay tuned for corrective exercises and then next, lunging! #dressage #horsetraining #dressagehorse #newtoplinenovember #lessons
When horses get heavy in the canter, it is usually a fitness issue though some horses have learned to lean or think they should be carried. It’s not a matter of thinking in terms of ‘backing them off’ Here, Ava schools a little bit of counter flexion, also focusing on moving the ribs and not just the neck. Softness means nothing if the body is stiff. She then schools transitions and works on developing the trot before picking up the canter again. Cantering more often for less time gives more opportunities for praise and let’s the horse practice. A rushed trot doesn’t make a soft canter, which means schooling constant transitions from tension only creates worry and more tension. Canter. Canter often! But don’t canter endlessly on an unfit horse. Also, look inward. Are we making sure to give? Or are we pulling? What makes a horse heavy? What could be better in your dressage work? #dressage #horsetraining #dressagehorse #ottb #training #dressagehorsesofinstagram #legyield #lessons #lessismore #coreday
Stay tuned for discussing horses who get heavy in the canter! #dressagehorsesofinstagram #dressage #dressagehorse #horsetraining #ottb #training
Two leg yield examples on two different horses. Both ending with the same ‘issue’ in that they lose the shoulder and lose the connection. The most common issue In the leg yield is too much inside rein, throwing the horse on the outside shoulder and focusing on the sideways rather than focusing on the actual point of the exercise; more outside rein, remaining parallel to the wall, will help to achieve more lateral suppleness, while measuring the response to the leg. #dressage #dressagehorse #legyield #somuchsideways
Training horse Gunner trotted under saddle with a rider and was cool as a cucumber 😍😍 when horses are started correctly, there is usually very little drama. This guy is about to graduate kindergarten and we couldn’t be more proud of how he’s come along. We feel passionantly about starting horses calmly, correctly and allowing them to be present in the process as opposed to shut down and fearful of consequences. This doesn’t mean not having boundaries, this means explaining to the horse the expectations in a way he understands without punishing him for guessing wrong. We have one spot open for a training horse ❤️ how can we help you achieve your goals? #dressage #assistanttrainer #dressagehorse #babyhorse #horsetraining #horsesofinstagram #appendix #tallboy
Vee BLM training - Equine training
Newmarket
