AA & JR DB Sport Horses LLC

10/30/2024

How cute are our lesson kids?! We just love how much they love our horses!

Thank you again, Mady Wendell for taking such beautiful photos!

10/22/2024

📣Junior Rider Shoutout!📣

This fall, our riders have been working hard to reach the goals they’ve set for themselves! Through the end of the year, we’ll be sharing some of their achievements.

Learning to canter is a big step for our young riders. This little one has been working so hard to build her skills and confidence to be ready for her first canter. She is a ray of sunshine in the barn, and always up for a challenge in the saddle! We are so proud of her!

10/19/2024

A HUGE thank you to Mady Wendell for bringing her photography expertise at the farm today! She hosted mini photo sessions for several of our young riders and fabulous lesson horses.

It was a flurry of situating kids and horses, and then getting ears up and smiles on before someone fidgeted, but we made it happen!

We can’t wait to see how the photos turned out!

10/16/2024

Four of our young riders participated in a LandSafe - Reducing Rider Risk clinic a few weeks ago. As equestrians, we take the risk of a fall each time we get in the saddle. LandSafe teaches riders how to manage that risk to help reduce the risk of serious injury in a fall, and to increase safety education for riders and their support systems.

The kids were eager participants! They learned the importance of their arm “cage”, and how to roll on gym mats first, then progressed to practicing a few types of falls off of the simulator.

Thank you to Keli and Danny for your patient, focused, yet fun coaching for our young riders! And thank you to Michael Willham Eventing for hosting the clinic at your beautiful facility!

We’re already looking forward to next year! Mark your calendars for mid-late September. The youth clinic is open to riders between the ages of 6-11, and the adult clinic is for ages 12-60. With enough interest, a Senior clinic is also possible.

09/29/2024

Junior rider shoutout!! What do you do when you’re challenged to be your best? You rise to the occasion! That is exactly what our riders did this weekend.

This weekend, two of our junior riders had the privilege of riding at the Dressage4Kids Lendon Gray clinic hosted by Flow Equestrian Center! This was both riders’ first clinic of this type, and they both really pushed themselves to improve in their riding and knowledge.

Dressage4Kids is a unique opportunity, as the young riders stay for two full days at the clinic- riding, auditing other lessons, and attending educational seminars. This weekend, the girls learned so much! In the saddle, Lendon encouraged the girls to think critically and make tangible changes in their riding. On the ground, riders were tested on horse anatomy, made horsemanship and riding goals, and attended several learning opportunities. Guest speakers/ educational opportunities included a presentation from Bits of Balance LLC, a private tour of Meridian Equine Rehabilitation and Wellness, a fabulous vaulting demonstration, a barefoot farrier(Brandy!), and helmet fitting discussion with Sarah Freeman.

It was incredible to see so many talented young riders this weekend. Not only did they display strong riding skills, but the girls supported each other throughout the weekend- helping with braiding, wrapping, and making new friends in between activities. They demonstrated teamwork, responsibility, and a strong work ethic!

Thank you SO very much to Northern Ohio Dressage Association for putting on the clinic, and Tracy Browne for being such a wonderful host!

09/12/2024

Do you recognize this pony? USDF is featuring Welsh Ponies and Cobs for the month of September, and our Rosiemai is featured!

“In the winter of 2021, I began working for a local dressage trainer, who graciously encouraged me to build her youth program. We started small, ‘leasing’ rides on horses in the barn for our initial lessons. In the dressage world, lesson horses are often few- and far-between, and our program was no exception. We were lucky enough to have an FEI schoolmaster, but at 17-hands, he wasn’t a great fit for our youngest riders.

Over the next year, DB Sport Horses’ Junior Program grew beyond our expectations, and it became time for us to find a dedicated kids’ lesson pony. Enter, Rosie Mai!”

In our latest exclusive story, an assistant trainer from USDF Region 2 tells us how she was tasked with building a youth program & eventually filled the pony-sized hole in their operation with a highly decorated and hugely loved Welsh Cob. Read their story: https://yourdressage.org/2024/09/04/rosie-mai-the-super-pony/

This story is part of our celebration of Welsh Ponies and Cobs as our Breed of the Month.

08/20/2024

DB Sport Horses LLC made a splash(literally!) at the NODA rated show this weekend!

It’s so rewarding when the hard work from home transfers into the show ring, especially with our young horses and young riders.

It was a weekend of accomplishments-

Draco attended his first big show, and rode a lovely 4 year old test on Saturday! He continues to impress us with his adaptability to the horse show environment, and we can’t wait to continue to watch him grow!

London and Danielle returned to the show ring and laid down two fantastic tests, even after a storm delay and in a sloppy ring. They qualified for Regionals at Second Level!

Captain and Betsy attended their first rated show together, earning the first score towards her Bronze.

Lily and Captain made their Leadline debut and smiled the whole way down centerline! She has been practicing so hard at home, and remembered every step of her pattern in the show ring!

Thank you Northern Ohio Dressage Association and volunteers for running another great show! A HUGE thank you for finding a way to get our young rider in the ring despite all of the rain delays!

We can’t thank our incredible support team enough…

Thank you Shawn Nelson, Gwendolyn Samuels, DeeDee Duffy, Adrienne Johnson, and Katie Close for keeping our horses feeling their best!

Thank you to everyone who came to watch us, even in the pouring rain! It’s always wonderful to see our team come together- junior riders, friends, and family all showed up to support our horses and riders.

07/28/2024

“Somewhere in this barn, there is a little kid who wants to be just like you someday. You owe it to them to be the best you can be.”

We had a wonderful weekend of showing at the Northern Ohio Dressage Association Schooling Show! A huge thank you to all of our supporters- young and old- who came out to support us this weekend!

Stay tuned for more photos and videos from the weekend…

07/26/2024

Our Junior program is feeling inspired by the summer Olympics! Many of our riders have been incorporating different games and challenges into their riding lessons lately.

Outside of the barn, we’ve got another Olympic challenge for you!

Parents of Junior riders- check your emails for an Olympic Scavenger Hunt, OR anyone can send us a message to receive a copy of the worksheet!

Every young rider who completes the worksheet will earn a prize. We’re hoping our young riders can take this opportunity to enjoy watching and learning from some of the world’s greatest equestrians.

07/20/2024

It takes a village to keep our horses in tip-top shape! From our babies in training to the old schoolmasters, everybody in the barn appreciates a visit from DeeDee Duffy and Shawn Nelson! It’s even better when their schedules align so we can collaborate to keep the horses as comfortable as possible.

07/13/2024

Happy Shawn Nelson! Thanks for all you do to keep our herd sound and happy, and for always taking a moment to teach the next generation.

07/09/2024

We’ve had a busy few weeks at the farm!

Our June summer camp was a blast! It was a day full of riding, painting horses, and trivia relay races.

July Leg Up groups focused on what it takes to care for a horse. Older students learned how to stock an equine first aid kit, while our younger group focused on tack and equipment. Both groups brainstormed together and created collages of supplies they might need. Thank you Big Dee's Tack & Vet Supplies for supplying your catalogues for our project!

In addition to camps and Leg Up, our young equestrians have been busy in their riding lessons and have been challenged to visit one of our many local horse shows this summer!

06/28/2024

Calling all horse-loving kids!! We have just a couple of slots available in our July Leg Up Program! This ground program is designed to increase confidence and understanding of horsemanship for kids ages 9-12 years old.

This month’s session is on July 2 from 6-7:30pm.

Send us a PM for more information or to join the group! Our younger kids’ Leg Up group is currently taking waitlist spots.

06/21/2024

It’s so exciting to see young riders taking an interest in dressage! We had a fun afternoon at Lake County 4H camp! For the first time, dressage and western dressage will be classes at this year’s Lake County Fair! Today, we had the opportunity to share an introduction to riding a dressage test and the flow of a dressage show to 4H members. Thank you to the 4H advisors, and their club members for having us out! Everyone had such great enthusiasm and questions!

06/19/2024

We highly recommend this clinic for all of our junior AND adult riders! You’ll see Betsy there again this year!

06/05/2024

Our Leg Up program is off to a great start!

Our younger riders started off with an introduction to equine body language, then they practiced arena etiquette and gentle rein aids by steering each other and leading Rosiemai. The older group put together a barn safety plan and list of rules, learned how to give a show-quality bath, and worked as a team to figure out how to put a bridle together!

We’re already looking forward to next month’s adventures!

05/25/2024

Our young riders had a blast at HorseFest last weekend! We had the opportunity to watch several different demonstrations, including an obstacle challenge, driving, drill team, and more.

Thank you to Lake Metroparks Farmpark for putting on such a great event! It’s such a privilege to be able to witness the wide variety of disciplines in the horse world.

05/07/2024

Introducing our “Leg Up” Program! We’re looking ahead to summer for this exciting new program.

What do horses eat? How do I know if my horse isn’t feeling well? What does it take to care for a horse?

The Leg Up program helps answer all of these questions! It is designed to introduce young equestrians to the unmounted aspects of horsemanship, including ground work, horse care, and basic first aid.

Leg Up sessions are divided by age group, and take place monthly beginning in June. This program parallels the HorseSense Learning Levels curriculum that we have introduced in our riding lessons.

A few slots remain in our 9-12 year old group! This group takes place on the first Tuesday of the month from 6-7:30pm.

Our 6-8 year old group is currently full, but we will take waitlist requests.

Send us a message if you have a young equestrian interested in joining the program!

04/19/2024

Our riders are enjoying the spring sunshine!