Martin Arnold-FEI Dressage Trainer

09/18/2025

The last sentence is especially poignant. When we are striving for big things, we rarely feel ready. It's easy to keep pushing things back. The words "some day" can be our worst enemy and our biggest limiting factor when working to achieve goals

Even heading into the shows I've done the best in, I've rarely felt "ready" because this could be better or that could be better.

Sometimes we have to take that leap of faith and believe without knowing.

09/17/2025

I haven't seen Cupcake much recently probably because it's still 105 out every day, but she let me know with clarity that she has not appreciated the lack of attention and chin rubs.

09/15/2025

*Apostol MEX*

Fun nine year old Andalusian gelding is looking for a new home!! Apostol MEX is a joy to work with!

He is forward thinking with a great work ethic and is extremely honest. He has easy changes and is a pleasure to ride. I look so forward to riding him every day!

He has shown through 3rd level and is schooling 4th with FEI potential. He has multiple IAHLA championships.

He is owned by his breeders Walter and Judy Henslee of Rancho del Lago. Rancho del Lago is one of the most prolific Andalusian breeding operations in the country that has produced a significant number of top quality Andalusians. As he has only had one owner and has been trained by one dressage trainer, there will be no mysteries about his history!

I have taught lessons on him and the owner's grand daughter has ridden him and shown him, so you know he's a good boy!

Owners have a set of clean X-rays on file that were just taken.

Please inquire for price. Just a disclaimer, if he does not sell in the near future, he will be sent to a sales barn at which time his price will increase, so jump on this lovely gelding now!!

Located in Central Texas.

Apostol schooling video:

https://youtu.be/rFtdgkSfji0?si=jMIcKrE-1wpCIXXM

09/15/2025

Creating stability in our hands is so important to create an elastic connection. While there should be a nuanced conversation with the horse's mouth through the ring of the bit (not the "steel of the bit" as Charles de Kunffy would say), we must first learn the art of silence with the hands. Any involuntary jarring of the hands breaks the elastic connection and causes discomfort in the horse's mouth. When Jenna Stern-Arnold - Dressage Trainer/Instructor and I teach, we often have riders grab the bucking strap or stabilize their hand/s on the saddle or saddle pad to learn how to quiet the hands.

There is nothing wrong with applying this method as a means to the end of creating independent hands. Your horse will thank you!

Please share with your horsey friends!

09/15/2025

It was another wonderful weekend teaching at Heidi Wright's lovely Long Meadow Farm! I look forward to being back up in November. If you're interested in riding in the clinic in November, let Heidi know!

We won't discuss the Notre Dame game. At least it was entertaining 😂

Now hopefully American Airlines maintenance can get my plane fixed in a timely manner 😬

09/09/2025

A really lovely pair to watch. Enjoy!

08/26/2025

It was a great show for Team Concordia at the HDS Laborious Day Show this past weekend! All of the riders and horses had major highlights from the weekend.

Teresa Hurley and her mare Rosie rode 2nd level test 3 this weekend and they scored into the low 60s qualifying for the SWDC 2nd level championship class. In addition, Teresa earned her last 2nd level score to earn her the USDF Master's Challenge! Congratulations Teresa!

Dianne Young rode her gelding, Sig, in the first level freestyle classes throughout the weekend. They made consistent progress throughout the weekend scoring up to 68.5% and earning SWDC and GAIG qualifying scores!! It has been very satisfying to see this pair really come together!

Laura Akin Whitfield and her gelding Percy did their 3rd level freestyle and scored up to 66.65% picking up a GAIG qualifying score and picking up both of their SWDC qualifying scores!! This pair continues to make consistent progress in the show ring!!

Danielle Aymon and her gelding, Max, did their second level freestyle this weekend scoring up to 70.36% and earning their SWDC and GAIG qualifying scores! Danielle does a super job piloting her super sensitive Max through his tests!

Lastly, I rode my gelding, Illusion, and Barbara Hutchinson's gelding, Romeo.

Illusion and myself danced to our 1st level freestyle scoring up to 72.8%. Romeo and myself did Training Level Test 3 and scored up to 69.8% earning SWDC and GAIG qualifying scores! Both of these young horses were so well behaved and have really bright futures!

Jenna and I are so proud of all of our students and horses for the great work they did this weekend! Success at these shows is the culmination of months and months of hard work and dedication.

I want to give a special thanks to Jenna Stern-Arnold - Dressage Trainer/Instructor for designing Laura's, Dianne's, and my freestyles and as always, she did a fantastic job.

Also, thank you to Idylwood Stables for their support. We are so lucky to have such a great home!

Thank you to HDS for putting on a great show and thank you to all of the volunteers for helping the show to run so smoothly. We'll see everyone at Regional Championships!

08/19/2025

Charles would allude to this often in his teachings and writings. The physical part of working with horses whether from the ground or the saddle is but a tiny part of the game. We must become firmly in control of our thoughts, emotions and behaviors before we can have any positive influence over the horse.

Horsemanship at its core is truly a spiritual practice. The key word is "practice." We never truly arrive!! Embrace the journey and embrace the growth!

“Horsemanship is the art of mastering our own movements, thoughts, emotions and behavior. Not the horses.” ✍️