Keystone Training

10/25/2024

From WDAA and AQHA World Champion Rachel Ory, an insightful debut memoir: Horses Take Us Higher - Available now for purchase!

Horses are a large part of the lives of many. In them, we often find our own selves reflected.

From lifelong horsewoman and multiple World Champion (WDAA & AQHA) rider and trainer Rachel Ory comes a fascinating debut memoir, Horses Take Us Higher, a story of self-awareness and its development, and of the inner evolution in which all equestrians will see parts of themselves.

Through the telling of her personal journey – starting with a pony in her snowy backyard growing up in Michigan, to traversing the country training and producing reining horses, to eventually becoming Western Dressage World Champion and earning her USDF Silver Medal – Ory invites readers along on a retrospective journey through time.

A deeper understanding of the training and relationship-building process is necessary during any transformative journey. Intertwined with Ory’s personal narrative are a series of foundational training pointers, giving physical form to her belief that there exists an opportunity to produce a horse in a balanced manner. Ory encourages readers to practice intentional awareness to achieve a deeper understanding of the connection between one’s personal and in the saddle transformation.

In total, Ory has produced a story, enriched with technical expertise, that proves the meaning of life is to receive the lessons we, as individuals and as horsemen, must learn in order to evolve. Personal transformation is a cumulative journey that will always be “in progress”, as Ory’s story demonstrates through the stages of her own life. Only through the development of awareness and a desire to change and draw from a deeper well can you truly be taken higher.

From WDAA and AQHA World Champion Rachel Ory, an insightful debut memoir: Horses Take Us Higher Horses are a large part of the lives of many. In them, we often find our own selves reflected. From lifelong horsewoman and multiple World Champion (WDAA & AQHA) rider and trainer Rachel Ory comes a f...

08/02/2024

“If our training is done in a logical, consistent progression, with a kindness in our heart, the bond between horse and human can become quite unshakable. First, we teach the horse where to be. Once they are trained, we remind them where not to be. Through this process, some horses get to the point where they know precisely where to be for the right balance and economy of motion…” Read more about the phenomenon known as Emergence: ⬇️

If our training is done in a logical, consistent progression, with a kindness in our heart, the bond between horse and man can become quite unshakable. First, we teach the horse where to be. Once they are trained, we remind them where not to be. Through this process, some horses finally get to the p...

07/19/2024

Dressage trainer Eliza Sydnor Romm and professional artist Susan DiFelice were first introduced decades ago, when Sydnor’s family hired DiFelice to paint a portrait of her horse. Some 20 years later collaborated on a dressage training video for DiFelice’s website Allpony. In this new “Drawn T...

05/03/2024

Here’s a new blog post for your perusal; have a great weekend!

The gap between where we are in our equestrian journey and where we want to be can appear tremendous. Most riders have busy lives, and finding enough time to get to the barn every day can be difficult. It's sad to see riders express a negative thought pattern; the narrative in their head goes, “Th...