Cessna Stables, LLC

12/30/2025

Over flexion, LDR, rollkur - is not only an issue in competitive dressage - it can be found very commonly in the western world and particularly Western Dressage where riding on contact in leverage bits is commonly seen at the lower levels. Something that is not allowed in regular dressage. Also very commonly seen in driving horses or horses that are controlled early via leverage instead of being taught properly how to interact with a leverage bit. Once a horse learns to break at the third vertebra it is very hard to undo. This is why I do not believe in forced flexion and instead teach creating release at the poll via lateral flexion.

12/25/2025

Happy Christmas wishes from Thelwell.
Not to be opened until Christmas

12/19/2025

Your first version of anything will suck.

So will your second. Probably your tenth too.

This isn't a bug. It's the price of entry.

Go look at anyone you admire. Find their early work. It's bad. Rough. Stiff. Amateur.

Now look at what they're doing now. Completely different person.

That gap isn't talent. It's reps.

Here's what nobody tells you: The goal of starting isn't to be good. The goal of starting is to start. That's it. That's the whole assignment.

Perfectionism disguised as "waiting until I'm ready" is just fear with better marketing.

The people winning right now? They published garbage for years while you were still planning.

You don't get good, then start.

You start, then get good.

Ship the bad version. It's the only way to unlock the better one.

12/19/2025

Farm life lesson of the day: always expect the unexpected
You can plan all you want… and the farm will still throw a curveball. This weeks surprise? A hydrant that decided it needed attention.

At least it’s warm out because fixing water stuff in freezing temps is a whole different kind of character building.

12/18/2025

Romanticising the yard in winter so we don’t have a breakdown

We tell ourselves it’s magical before we even open the car door.
That’s step one. Commitment to the lie.

The cold hits immediately, straight into the lungs, like it’s got something personal against us. We decide it’s “crisp” rather than deeply offensive. We stand there breathing out little clouds and pretend we’re in a gritty rural drama, not people who forgot their gloves again.

The yard is quiet in that suspicious winter way. Everything is damp. The air smells like hay, mud, and mild regret. We walk carefully, partly because the ground is lethal, partly because if we move slowly enough we can call this peaceful rather than exhausting.

The hot beverage of choice is essential. Two hands round the mug. Steam on the face. This is not a drink, it’s emotional support. The gate sticks, as it always does, and we shoulder it open like it’s an old relationship we’re both tired of.

Our horse is at the far end of the field. Obviously. We romanticise the walk. We tell ourselves it’s grounding, not a trek across what feels like a failed civil engineering project from HS2.

When they finally arrive, they’re cold and unimpressed. We put a hand on their neck and wait for the warmth, because that bit is actually lovely and we will defend it with our lives. Steam rises. We nod like yes, this was worth it.

The light disappears far earlier than is reasonable. The head torch comes out and suddenly we feel powerful. Capable. Like people who have their lives together. This lasts about four minutes. Our fingers stop working. The horse sighs. We take it personally.

The tap is frozen. Again. We laugh because crying feels like effort. We make do, spill half the water, and tell ourselves this is rustic and character-building rather than deeply annoying. Our sock now soggy.

By the time we leave, we smell like hay, our hair has given up, and our bodies hurt in a way that suggests we’ve done something meaningful, even if that something was mostly not falling over or trying not to

We sit in the car for a moment with the heater on full, replaying the whole thing in kinder terms.

This is how we survive winter at the yard.
Not by loving it.
But by romanticising it just enough to come back tomorrow.

12/14/2025

Faustina ESF PRE

12/12/2025

12/05/2025

At least it’s pretty.

12/03/2025

11/28/2025

The cases are located in Lancaster County. There are no known links to the WPRA outbreak.