Dreaming Tree Farm

07/31/2023

Oh…Good afternoon sweet boy.❤️🐴

05/02/2023

01/28/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=716530469836504&id=100044386720835&mibextid=qC1gEa

It is with a very heavy heart that I am sad to announce that we lost Shutterfly this morning. He was a unique and irreplaceable part of our lives.

I was lucky enough to spot Shutterfly as an immature and gangly talent at age 6 during the show in Rastede. He came to my stable a few months later. I was fortunate enough to share the next 24 years of his life with him. We just recently celebrated his 30th birthday.

Shutterfly aka “Petey” started as a doubtful, unsure youngster and blossomed into one of the greatest horses to ever live. He won 3 World Cup Finals, 2 Top Ten Finals, the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, amongst many other prestigious titles. He brought me to the top of the World Ranking list, as the only women ever, where I was able to enjoy #1 for 24 months. Shutterfly won the Preis von Europa in Aachen against the best in the world at age 18, just before his retirement ceremony there in front of his adoring crowd.

We will miss the kind and sweet-hearted Petey who stuck his nose in the baby carriage and softly nuzzled my daughter Brianne just days after she was born. I am sure that caress gave her the passionate love for horses she has today.

I will miss you my friend and I appreciate every moment I had with you. You were the greatest partner anyone could ever have. You will never be forgotten Petey. Rest in peace my love. ❤️

11/23/2022

07/20/2022

I vividly remember passing the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation exit off Route 206 in Gladstone, New Jersey, as a child. My parents never stopped there, but my heart yearned to see the magnificent equine athletes that resided inside. Although I loved ...

07/16/2022

05/21/2022

Work hard, play harder.

BY PONYMOMAMMY Being a mom, and an amateur, and a pony mom comes with a unique set of challenges, but it also comes with an amazing perspective. My pony-kid has recently turned a corner in her riding, and without my own riding experiences, I don’t believe I could fully appreciate the amount of wor...

04/14/2022

Though Maddie Tosh is the only child of Hunt and Mandy Tosh, she wouldn’t consider herself the “golden child.” In the Tosh household, that distinction belongs to Cold Harbor. “He’s basically the golden child of the family,” Maddie joke...

03/22/2022

By Ashleen Lee Good riding requires you to be both physically and mentally fit. You must be able to feel your horse and move with him. It is important for you both to control them and get out of their way. This, in itself, requires you to be physically fit. Good riding requires consistent thought. [...

03/17/2022

By PONYMOMAMMY    I don’t care how avid an enthusiast someone is for their tennis hobby; it’s just not the same as being a rider. You know how when you meet someone new and you are trying to have small talk to feel out if this could be a potential friend, or if you should […]

03/15/2022

Ain’t that the truth!

For all the riders who have not learned distances, here is a simple list.

What we do is to take a tape measure, and a roll of duct tape, and put a piece of tape at the edge of the barn aisle every 12 feet, until we run out of aisle.

Then, walk it, over and over, until we get four of our paces per piece of duct tape, in other words, each stride is three feet.

So, the math:

A one stride in and out is 24 feet, 6 for where you land, one 12 foot stride, 6 for where you take off.

2 strides=36 feet. 3 strides= 48 feet. 4 strides=60 feet. 5 strides=72 feet. Beyond five strides, many riders just ride off their eye.

Now, sure, not every horse lands in 6 exact feet, takes one or more exact 12 foot strides, and leaves the ground an exact 6 feet in front of the next fence, but that is the usual assumption that course builders use, so you need to learn it.

For gymnastics, like what Bert De Nemethy is doing in this picture, trot poles or cavaletti will be roughly 4 1/2 to 5 feet apart.

A bounce will be anywhere from 9-11 feet. A 1 stride, 18-20 feet. A 2 stride, 30 to maybe 33 feet. These distances are shorter, because the horse enters the line at a trot, not at a canter.

Any jumping rider who wants to get to be any good at the craft will spend hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours in a jump ring watching, studying, walking, setting jumps, learning all of this.

This intense interest ALWAYS differentiates the people who are serious from the dilettantes. It is absolutely your choice which you want to be.

02/05/2022

Most young riders—and let’s face it, most grown riders—would happily spend all day in the barn. When you can’t spend the night with your favorite horse, the next best thing is a horsey bedroom. These equestrian inspired designs will delight horse lovers of all ages!

01/27/2022

BY RANDEE BECKMAN Buying a pony or horse is hard work! You have to know what you want, but be prepared to be realistic with the budget accompanying your wish list. A seller needs to have available a good conformation photo, current videos, and show/training information. It’s not too hard for a pro...

01/20/2022

“Want to hit happy hour after work tonight?” “I can’t; I have to go to the barn to ride my horse.” “Again? Didn’t you just go there yesterday?” This is an actual excerpt from a recent conversation I had with a man asking me o...

01/20/2022

Though the undersaddle is only one class, it can be a big contributor to your overall results. Hear what the judges have to say about how to perform your best in the undersaddle.

01/02/2022

Beth White Euler

Special ribbon boxes make colorful accent furniture for your home. Plus, they give plenty of room to stack piles of glorious satin. But you don’t have to get expensive furniture for this look. Check out this Target lantern that’s now loving new life showcasing ribbons. Or you can utilize glass j...

12/15/2021

12/13/2021

Take a look at the farrier’s area at some of the biggest shows in the country, and you’re likely to see a line of horses waiting to have their shoes pulled at the behest of riders and trainers looking for the slightest advantage in under saddle c...

12/07/2021

BY LAUREN MAULDIN Here are some things you can commonly hear come out of my trainer’s mouth (often during my own lesson): Don’t rock your hips like that. That’s so ugly! Stop that! You’re ruining my horse! Of course you can’t sit the canter well, you brace in your stirrups. Pat your horse,...

12/02/2021

Several much-anticipated changes to the U.S. Equestrian Federation's so-called

12/02/2021

On Dec. 2, U.S. show jumper McLain Ward announced that Clinta, his parter for team gold at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (North Carolina), has been retired. “It’s with some disappointment that I have to announce that after a year of gre...

12/01/2021

Whether you’re in an intense jumping lesson with your trainer or casually hacking on your own, we teach our horse every time we sit on it. What’s important is that we use this super power for good! It’s just as easy to train your horse bad habits as it is good ones, and these often […]

11/30/2021

BY CHLOE HARDGRAVE I was tired. I wanted to go home. I was covered in sweat and tears from the round before. My horse had pushed me past the point of a bad show round. I wanted to give up.  Now, this was not a one time thing. This was an every day, every lesson […]

09/14/2021

Must be a show week..🤷‍♂️🐴😆

09/09/2021

Pretty accurate.

07/04/2021

Happy Fourth of July from all of us at Dreaming Tree Farm.

06/17/2021

Emerson and Dream Come Blue winning the USEF Pony medal today in Aiken at The Aiken Summer Classic.