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...

10/06/2023

“My biggest takeaway from the adventures that Veronica and I have been on, from reining to western dressage to classical dressage, is that good horsemanship isn’t discipline-specific. Good riding is good riding. We can learn something from everyone, especially if they are at the top of their game, but it’s up to us to figure out how it fits into our own program…”

In the latest exclusive, a rider who was introduced to dressage through western dressage shares about her journey which has culminated in her earning her USDF Silver Medal. Read it here: https://yourdressage.org/2023/10/06/dancing-is-universal/

09/29/2023

Here’s a recent article published by Eventing Nation on Jagalicious aka. Veronica and our journey; it seems fitting as we write the next chapter 😎 Thanks to World Equestrian Brands for sponsoring!

Florida: the land of watercolor sunsets, beach-side show jumping, and, of course, the infamous Florida Man phenomenon. It’s also the state that transformed reiner Rachel Ory’s riding career forever. Rachel has been starting colts alongside

09/01/2023

Congratulations to Roo Jr, ridden by Rachel Ory for owner Deena Dunkle, CoChampion NH Open L1.

08/28/2023

“Look carefully around you and recognize the luminosity of souls. Sit beside those who draw you to that.” - Rumi The luminosity of souls. That is an interesting thought. If we are paying attention, we see glimpses of it in the people who we are drawn to; they have a certain sparkle in their eyes...

07/29/2023

Happy Saturday 😎

Horses are present moment thinkers, and for all of us working with them, it means putting our internal stream of thoughts on pause to get something accomplished with them. The goal of any good horseman or woman is to tap into the horse’s nature and influence it. To teach it to become a more brilli...

07/23/2023

“When things quit working, we have a choice. If we look at the situation from a place of honesty, it seems that we owe our horses the common courtesy of taking responsibility and continuing education. We should seek out other responsible horsemen and women who also make understanding the horse a priority. In the words of Gandhi, we have the opportunity to ‘be the change that we wish to see in the world’.” You can read Rachel’s full blog post below:

There are two very different skill sets between being a competent rider of trained horses and a competent trainer of green horses. My mentor Frank Barnett tells a story about a concert pianist that could play the piano beautifully. One day his teacher handed him a pile of wood and asked him to build...

07/22/2023

Groundwork clinic at Hidden Hill Acres LLC today - working to connect the dots between starting out to the dressage ring, and to better understand how important balance is to our horse’s physical and mental wellbeing. Thank you Betsy Howell Scheuerman and co. for having us! 😎 Rachel Ory & Tom Pierson