Serendipity Dressage

12/02/2024

I have been dying to share this - I am so honored to be one of the recipients of this grant from The Dressage Foundation! I look forward to sharing our progress with you as we get the privilege of working more consistently with Kathy Connelly.

Do you know why this means so much to me? Because I didn’t stop trying. I didn’t stop applying. I didn’t stop believing in myself when they didn’t see me. That’s it folks - there’s no magic button, there is no formula besides doing the work and being grateful.

This could be YOU! 🙏😊💪🏻

11/22/2024

Ahhhhh…❤️

Yep.

11/22/2024

I couldn’t have had a better day for this to come out than the last day of Teacher Training with my amazing coach Mary Wanless!

Mary has given me so much information over the years, and this year was no different.

Very happy to help continue to put her work out into the world - while we each add our own piece to the puzzle, it all comes back to the RWYM basics!

Contact me to learn more about good rider biomechanics, and how you can get on my calendar for 2025!

DRESSAGE SOLUTIONS: To help you stay stable in the saddle while still allowing for your horse’s movement …

When you sit on your horse, imagine that you are the center tower of a suspension bridge. You have cables that stretch both forward and backward to various points on your horse’s topline that allow for movement between you and the cables. This helps to create balance, self-carriage and collection in your horse while you remain stable in the saddle.
~ Stephany Fish Crossman

Crossman is a USDF bronze and silver medalist as well as one of only nine accredited coaches for Mary Wanless’ Ride With Your Mind Biomechanics System in the U.S. Currently is based in Okeechobee, Florida, Crossman also cohosts our Dressage Today Podcast.

🎨 Sandy Rabinowitz

11/19/2024

I am really excited to have been included in this publication! Generally rider biomechanics is thought of a tool more in the dressage world, but rider balance and attachment is universal. Thank you to The Plaid Horse for putting this information out to the hunter world!

By STEPHANY FISH CROSSMAN When I look at horse and rider combinations, whether it is a dressage pair or a jumping pair, I see the two parts of the whole as a separate sets of levers and pulleys. How one set of levers and pulleys is working inevitably affects the way the other set of levers […]

11/12/2024

Well said, Mark!

11/11/2024

Getting over a tough spot in riding is the same - whether it is learning a new movement, working with a new horse or getting through a tough spot with a familiar horse, it all can feel difficult.

Know who doesn’t have the frontal lobe to figure this out? Your horse. So giving them grace while you are working out the details is a good plan of action. Make sure they feel the reward for the slightest try, and give breaks often for them to process. Working in this way is more likely to ensure their cooperation than beating them to get up the hill.

The hill? Oh, that’s your ego. 😉

Wise words. - BID staff

10/25/2024

I am really excited to have our ranch house AND our barn be a part of this new horsey endeavor! Stay for a weekend or a week, bring your horse to ride the numerous local horse friendly parks or tune up your game with lessons with me! Check us out!

Search filters: big rig access, dog allowed, stallions allowed, housing provided by hosts, and much more!

10/23/2024

This is so important - they are not “winning” if you get off. They are able to see you, your energy changes when you are not on top of the 1200 lb scared torpedo, so much good can come from this!

Get off the horse.

When they’re struggling, when you’re having a bad ride. When their antics are scaring you.

Don’t be afraid to get off.

You aren’t “letting them win” because the horse is not your adversary.

It is not you versus your horse.

It’s you and your horse versus the problem.

And many times, getting off and going back to groundwork can be incredibly beneficial for helping your horse through their struggles.

If they’re scared, having you there beside them on the ground instead of on top of them can bring them confidence.

If you’re scared whilst riding them, getting off the ground lowers your anxiety and likely, also your horses.

The “ride through it” mentality is primarily for human ego and negates the benefit of groundwork.

You don’t need to ride through it.

Sometimes doing so is stupid and dangerous.

Sometimes doing so is traumatic for the horse.

So, don’t be afraid to get off.

Don’t be afraid to take a break.

Don’t be afraid to work through the issues on the ground.

You don’t need to be “tough” and ride through it.

Softness and patience have value and merit.

Oftentimes, the last thing a stressed flight animal needs is toughness and force.

Giving them patience and remaining by their side as a supportive companion is more beneficial than you might imagine.

The mentality of always riding through antics and always getting back on after a fall is a harmful one.

There’s a quote “you’re either going to the hospital or getting back on, hospital or on” that I’ve seen many proudly share.

You can be injured without needing a hospital visit.

Your horse can be fried and not in a place to learn following a fall.

Honouring your horse and yourself by having the humility to know when to stop is a strength, not a weakness.

So, don’t be afraid to get off your horse.

“Riding through it” is not the flex people think it is.

10/19/2024

A little more baby cow spam - she is so precious!!

Thinking since her mama’s name is Maisie, and she is a beautiful silver color, I might name her…Graycie?

10/17/2024

I am bursting to announce - I am a GrandMoo again! Maisie took advantage of the cooler weather to pop out her first baby, a beautiful little girl! Minerva and Zoe were enthralled as well!

10/10/2024

Good Thursday morning!

We have weathered the majority of the storm, and while I cannot explain it, we still have power at this ranch! 🤷‍♀️🙏🏻❤️

The winds are still really kicking - I couldn’t get the front door open (thought it was locked!) and realized it was the wind! To be fair, I was half asleep…Rain comes and goes, but the wind is high and steady.

Horses are ready to be done with this 💩 but they are safe and moving around in the pasture. I had an extra prayer yesterday to keep Otti from eating anyone and so far so good!

Praying for all those that have been in the path of this storm, for safety and no damage, and for those that were affected that there is help and rescue quickly! Thanking God today for the many blessings he has bestowed on us. 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻

09/28/2024

While I don’t love everything about this article, I think the idea of “just arrived” is brilliant - we hold onto an interaction in a negative way yet we expect the horse to not answer us negatively - how can they, when we have bad energy?

My ‘Just arrived’ theory

One of the big problems in the horse world, whether we want to admit it or not, is human ego. We easily get offended by something the horse does and treat them accordingly for the remainder of the session, the day, even the week.

Someone asked me recently how I managed not to get angry at a horse that kept trying to kick me, and it got me talking about my ‘just arrived’ theory:

You see, the horse doesn’t know why you’re being mean to him, 30 minutes after he tried to bite you. You’re only doing that for your own ego, sorry to say. My just arrived theory is very simple. Treat every interaction as though you just arrived at the yard/stable/arena/show.

If he tried to kick you, correct that behaviour by all means, but then draw a line and treat it like you just arrived.

If you had just arrived, you wouldn’t have a vendetta against the horse. You wouldn’t be mad at him or hold a grudge. If you keep acting as though you just arrived you would treat every interaction as a blank slate, not judging the horse on his previous attempt.

‘He tried to kick me, so the next time I asked him to back up, I got my stick and hit him on the chest’. That’s only going to antagonise the horse. There’s a time for more pressure, but often, aggressive intentions will be reciprocated. If you go in with the intention of bullying a horse, don’t expect the horse not to fight back. If you go in with gentleness, you might just find gentleness on the other side.

‘He was lazy last time, so I used more leg’ - but that will only dull him to the leg. When you ask a horse to do something, your first ask sets the base cue for that movement. If that first ask is heavy, the horse will be heavy. Don’t judge him just because he was a little sluggish on the last attempt. Treat him like it’s the first time you’ve put your leg on that day.

‘The last few times I rode, he’s been really strong, so I’ve put in the bigger bit’ - then he won’t have the opportunity to get light even if he wanted to.

- If you treat each bit of communication with your horse like it’s the first thing you’ve asked of them all day, you’ll find that you become incredibly consistent. And consistency is one of the most important things when training horses.

Next time you find yourself becoming frustrated. Take a breath. Disassociate yourself with whatever just happened and imagine you’ve just arrived… oh look! There’s your horse.

Have a great day!

Supported by:

Total Horsemanship Natural Equipment
Ariat Europe
Equestrian’s Choice
West House Trailers

09/26/2024

Joy!

It is an undefinable quality, it is ephemeral and fleeting, it is easily overlooked. It shows up and then wanders away quietly, a little heartbroken that it was ignored, its glitter and fairy wings missed, the flash of sunlight or starlight that it brought unnoticed in the wake of a phone call, a text, a deadline or conversation that swallowed its beauty like a raptor.

Why do we choose to ignore Joy? Why do we shuttle it aside instead of embracing it? We should hug joy like a child, like a favorite niece that we are amazed by; we should put our hands on the cheeks of joy and look deep into its eyes and say “thank you. I see you. I know you.”

But instead, we push joy aside, or mutter inanities to it, giving it half hearted acknowledgments that we SEE it but we simply do-not-have-time-for-this-right-now. We squander joy rather than savor it, for the one simple reason: we know that joy is temporary and we fear its leaving. We cannot tolerate the pain of its passing.

Be brave, be faithful! Know that joy, once found, will return. The more you seek it the more you will find it, however temporary each glimmer might be. Savor the sight of a new baby, the passing touch of a lover’s hand on your back, the creamy bursting flavor of a bowl of berries covered in cream. For each of these is joy, and brings joy, when you linger in the moment with it. These will be the glimmers that you can reach back for in years to come, when joy may be in short supply, when death and lack are closer and glimmers are harder to see.
❤️

09/24/2024

It’s here, it’s here!!!

The new Dressage Today podcast is out, with Aviva Nebeskyand I interviewing Amy Marie Bradley!

I have to say I felt a little awkward at times, but it sounds better than it felt - hmmm, what else do we know feels like that?!

Take a listen, let me know what YOU think! 🥰🦄❤️