Rivendell Dressage

09/03/2024

Hi, My name is Connie Stevens and I am pleading for everyone’s help to raise funds, s… Connie Stevens needs your support for Frank Waters Horse Show Announcer

09/03/2024

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Hi, My name is Connie Stevens and I am pleading for everyone’s help to raise funds, s… Connie Stevens needs your support for Frank Waters Horse Show Announcer

08/31/2024

De Pavie showing that she is already VERY GOOD at wearing a bridle! Katrin Herr

08/31/2024

Bheatrix (Benedetto x Welcome S, bred by Mo Swanson) and her egg with legs, Leonard (2023 Louisville HTF x Bheatrix)

08/31/2024

Patchouli ISF, 2020 Glamourdale x Kandyrouwe by Toto Jr

08/31/2024

De Pavie (Damaschino x Christ, bred by Katrin Herr). This is her first day in the arena and in a bridle! (She thinks I am a bit of an idiot)

08/29/2024

I failed to be a proper canine appreciator yesterday and did not post photos of my adorable floof crew for National Dog Day. I hereby remedy my failure. Though they are not all still here with me, they will always be in my heart. "I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are an evil." J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

08/27/2024

One day, I will be as gorgeous and fabulous as these women. What amazing humans--so smart, so curious, and so much fun!

08/26/2024

Home from a really lovely show at New Jersey Horse Park, where there are TREES as well as excellent footing and stabling. The management was friendly and efficient, and the judging was thoughtful and horse-positive. And I got to volunteer Saturday afternoon, which was really fun! The gents are now ready for regionals at I2 (Hobbit) and 4th level, 4th level FS, and PSG (Orange). Thanks, as always, to Andrea Woodner for letting me repeatedly appropriate her wonderful horse! She gets extra thanks this weekend for caring for all the dogs and half the horses while I was away. Thanks to Cara Kettenbach for supporting Orange as he paddles his way into deeper waters and learns to be brave! He has come so far already. Finally, thanks to Diane Carlson for working with me to help Hobbit even while she was recovering from surgery and to Teresa Rochelle for always supporting us--no doubt to the point of eye rolling :p -- and helping me trust myself and the work the horses and I are doing together. Broadfields 121 Grand Meadows The Horse of Course Biostar US American Equus Andrea Woodner

So fun that my friend Dara and her daughter Seyla were able to trek to the wilds of NJ on Sunday to watch. This sport can seem a lot cooler seen through the eyes of people who don't live it all the time!

07/22/2024

Thanks to Andrea Woodner for yet another weekend lost to horse showing. Hobbit loves it when his mom comes!

07/22/2024

When we get it right, he is truly gorgeous. American Equus Biostar US Grand Meadows The Horse of Course Poulin Grain

07/22/2024

When we get it right, he is truly gorgeous. American Equus Biostar US Grand Meadows Poulin Grain The Horse of Course

07/11/2024

Halt #1! What a good boy. Broadfields 121 American Equus Biostar US The Horse of CoursePoulin Grain Grand Meadows

07/04/2024

Happy 4th of July! Thank you to Heertje and Manfred Nettek who gave me the chance to ride the inimitable Amidala.

06/30/2024

Orange's FAVORITE PART of the Dev PSG--big trot at the end! Cara Kettenbach Broadfields 121 Biostar US American Equus Grand Meadows Poulin Grain The Horse of Course

06/30/2024

Here she is, the heart and soul of Rivendell and her mischievous brother from another mother, the Haflinger Hairball. Andy loves EVERY horse, she tirelessly grooms them all, cleans up after them, and gives them tons of treats. In this business, you meet many people who love to ride and they enjoy horses for that reason. Very few people love horses for horses, and Andy is one of those amazing few.

06/26/2024

Getting stronger and more correct after several months of deconstruction! Trying to put it all back together is an interesting challenge, as I am sticking with my conviction that the more correct version is the only version now. So we have a lot of repetition while we get it right, but it is really worth it when we get it. Mind you, we are doing this in unseasonably warm temps, and his fitness continues to astound me.

I want to thank Biostar US for the supplements that keep this handsome boy feeling his best: Ligatend supports his soft tissue, TheraCalm works to regulate cortisol production under stress, Sunn-E provides high bioavailability Vitamin E, and Circuvate enourages nitric oxide production to support the circulatory system. I am a firm believer that athletes are only as good as their nutrition, and BioStar makes that nutrition great!

06/23/2024

When it is hot, be like Leonard! Stay hydrated and play with your food.

06/21/2024

Since returning from Florida, I put Hobbit back in the snaffle to address some connection and throughness issues that were preventing us from making correct progress. It has been SUCH interesting work, removing the duct tape and band aids I had applied to "get it done" and taking everything down to the foundation. He is now much more correct and able to combine expression with throughness and acceptance of the connection rather than using tension to produce power. We are also a better partnership for having worked through all of this together. There were definitely days that felt like hostage negotiations with an irate toddler wielding Molotov cocktails (I wonder what he says about me?!), but now we are mostly speaking in quiet voices and getting very close to doing all of it without words. Welcome to year 6 at Hogwarts, where the spells are non-verbal and the work keeps coming! SO MUCH FUN TO DO THIS! Thank you to Andrea Woodner for allowing me the opportunity to work with her wonderful horse.

06/14/2024

How did he get to be 1?! Hard to believe Leonard Cohen turned one yesterday. Less hard to believe that I am a bad mom and just posted his birthday today. Bheatrix would no doubt have posted on time, but her hooves wreak havoc on keyboards, especially now that she has shoes again.

Big thanks to Bhea for delivering this c**t and raising him--she adds that all character flaws are my doing or the fault of his sire.

Big thanks to Paul Mountan, DVM, who is amazing in all ways.

Thanks to Biostar US for the Alixir that rehydrated Bhea and took this c**t from FLK to frolicing in under two hours.

Hilltop Farm, Inc.

06/11/2024

😂😂😂

To edit: we don’t advocate fear based training in any way.

06/07/2024

Alixir is a game changer--and in the age of climate change, it is the product we all need. To prevent and alleviate shipping dehydration, dehydration related to work or temperature swings, and even treating minor colics, Alixir is an effective, affordable, and palatable option. Perfect for rehydrating and rehabilitating horses after hard schooling sessions, during horse shows, cross country schools, and horse trials. Even my vet carries it now! And you can BET Hobbit had his Alixir after sweating it out at the Challenge of the Americas.
Biostar US
https://www.biostarus.com/products/alixir-eq?_pos=1&_sid=bd048404a&_ss=r&variant=12256150257771

06/04/2024

Had the best day training--no braids, no photographers, just good progress for everyone. Grateful for these horses and this life! Biostar US American Equus Poulin Grain Broadfields 121 Grand Meadows The Horse of Course

05/31/2024

Hard to believe he is almost a year old...until you see him towering over a fence board he used to always go under. Leonard Cohen is still adorable, and he knows "he's your man". Hilltop Farm, Inc.

05/25/2024

And then, we grew up! Wohlstadt 121, aka the big Orange, is officially an FEI horse. Thank you, Broadfields 121, for the chance to develop this lovely boy! The judges' praise for his correct training and talent for collection made me very proud. Looking forward to tomorrow! Biostar US American Equus Poulin Grain The Horse of Course Grand Meadows

05/23/2024

Not all those who wander are lost...Throw back to the amazing benefit for the Ethel string quartet in 2021, when Hobbit was just learning passage! And then a passage photo from this winter, in which he looks so much stronger. Big shout out to American Equus. My left ankle is in full view in both photos, and I owe my continued ability to work all day to their amazing stirrups. They make awesome gloves, too!

05/17/2024

What a difference 4 years can make! thank you, Andrea Woodner, for the chance to work with the Hobbit.
"The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Thank you to Biostar US for the Ligatend, Circuvate, TheraGard, TheraCalm, and Sunn-E that keep him strong, healthy, and ready for new adventures!

05/05/2024

Bettina Drummond was able to make the journey on this cold Irish day to come and see Orange and immediately zeroed in on the piece I have been struggling to improve--unlocking the connection between his shoulders and the withers/base of neck. I am so grateful for her help today and over many years. Bettina, it is always an honor and a privilege. Broadfields 121 thank you for allowing me to develop your incredible horse. He is extraordinary.

04/28/2024

Congratulations to gremlin and gremlin jockey, CrissCross ICF and Harper King for their terrific job at the MLC Farm h/j show today. We now have conclusive proof that gremlins can fly! This was a lovely competition--friendly, great courses, and well organized--thanks to Michelle Clopp for hosting us.

04/27/2024

Thanks to Sharon Santandra for helping me get Patchouli ISF (Glamourdale x Kandyrouwe by Toto Jr) started on her riding horse life! Iron Spring Farm bred a nice one here. And thanks to Biostar US for their wonderful Equilibrium, which makes breaking in during hormone season and cold snaps a lot more pleasant for everyone!