Tristan Oaks is a beautiful dressage training and boarding stable located near Tampa, Florida. The owner and head trainer is USDF gold medalist Jill Hardt
(22)
This page is meant to help celebrate and spread fun and exciting news about Tristan Oaks Dressage and the dressage community in general. Please keep comments positive and considerate of people's feelings and privacy. Enjoy!!!
 Catching up on some of the fun things I have been able to do lately. Last weekend I was also able to catch the Master Class with Jessica von Brendon-Werndl at Global with one of my favorite people, Melissa Jackson AND to watch the last CDI Freestyles of the season with another most dear friend and coach, Kathy Connelly. I owe them both a debt of gratitude as they also each put me up for a night as I had a most instructive and fun weekend. Time to get back to work!
A few weeks ago my new friend Michelle Davis Klasing contacted me and said she owned a horse named Merlin who is very special to me. She invited me to come see him canter down the centerline at Grand Prix before she retires him this year. I was so grateful for the invitation and had tears in my eyes as I was reunited with him after over 10 years. It is such a blessing to find that a horse you parted with has been loved by someone else as much as you love him! Merlin was my first Grand Prix horse. It was the first Grand Prix for both of us when we came down the centerline! I am thrilled that he has gone on and helped many people achieve their goals. Special congratulations to Michele who earned her gold medal this season on him. Honestly, I think he has gotten better with age! Huge thanks and grateful appreciation to all of those who have been involved in his life and absolutely delighted thanks to Michelle for inviting me to be a part of his retirement season. Congratulations Michelle, and thank you for giving him a forever home. I’m always here for Merlin should you need me!
Great fun at Tampa SDCTA show. Thanks Becki Orze for these pictures!
Everyone rode well and we had several winning rides. We can check off a few of our to do boxes now and plan for the next show. It is really fun to see these three girls together showing again. They who’ve been friends since before JR High. LOVE IT.
A bit late but we had quite a time in Kentucky at the Nationals. I am honored to have had the same groom for the entire career of my current GP mount. Becky Kickliter has seen us from our first show at training level all the way to the GP. Erivo was at Nationals for both those levels and Becky was with us then and is still standing! Thanks Becky, we haves shared another journey and I’m so grateful. . .
We were in the top ten both years we made the trip. Couldn’t have done it alone!
Thrilled to be at WEC again. And even more excited to have placed 4th in the CDI in the GP. A big day for us. Thanks to the Tristan Oaks Staff for the fantastic help. Thanks Melissa Jackson for your eyes on the ground and support. On to the special . . .
Two of my favorite guys. It’s not ALL about the horses . . .
Fun, just plain fun, to ride this big red beauty. He is coming along and I am grateful for the experience. We are getting there together! Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way. Especially Kathy Connelly who always believed in him.
Such a nice moment in the morning. Simple pleasures!
Such a treat to ride Forrest Nymph when Nataly Pacheco, her current rider, brought her over for a few lessons! I have known Nymph for a long time from her breeder: Lesley Feakins, first owner: Lynn Simpson, and through her journey with Beth Davidson who has managed her career with such wisdom and care and notably had her campaigned by Sinead Halpin. Being around Nymph, of course, brings back memories of her VERY special sire, Forrest Flame, who we trained and showed for years for Leslie and who was purchased and ridden and loved ferociously by the Richards family. Morgan Richard’s scored a regional championship on him and I don’t think I’ve ever had a much happier horse moment than that day! It is wonderful to see this mare thrive and continue do what she clearly loves to do. Really excited for Nataly Pacheco and proud of her recent success at Chat Hill. Love being a part of this journey. Thanks.
Fantastic job! Emma Mitchell and Jordan Gandy are the gold standard for working students. Both showed 3rd level (Jordan for first time!) got wonderful scores from excellent judges and managed to keep our 30 horse facility running between their classes!! WHEW! What a busy weekend but we’ll worth it! Special thanks to Star Pettijohn Lewis and Jennifer Burch for helping us out as well. Couldn’t have done it without you.
You can make a lot of excuses or you can just keep overcoming obstacles as they arrive and that is what this gal has done.
Becki has a demanding full time job over an hour away and isn’t a millionaire! She doesn’t even own a horse! LOL But she has managed to train one to PSG. This weekend at PSG for the first time for both of them they earned a 58 and a 61%! Modestly she always says she has had a lot of support and help, and we are thrilled to have been here for her, but no one does this sport alone and she has really DONE it. For anyone who thinks you HAVE to be really wealthy or you HAVE to have a European bred horse this should be huge encouragement! Becki works at the farm two nights a week cares for SAM like he was her own and has slept on my floor or in my trailer countless times in order be to take an extra lesson or sneak in an additional ride. It has taken HARD work and sacrifice. Also, we know what to realistically expect from Sam (now 20 years old!) and we don’t blame the judges when he doesn’t score like like an Olympic hopeful. We were not shooting for “perfect” but to arrive at our destination intact and correct with a healthy horse. I AM SO PROUD OF THIS PAIR!
A BIG change of pace for me! From “corner work” to “cow work”! From Dutch warmbloods to American mustangs! Wow.
So much fun in Wyoming and learned A LOT! But I think I’d better stick with my day job. Those cows are smarter than I am. It’s a good thing my mustang Mighty Mouse was a western school master!!
1051 Cowart Road
Plant City, FL
33567
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Tristan Oaks Dressage posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Tristan Oaks Dressage:
Fun, just plain fun, to ride this big red beauty. He is coming along and I am grateful for the experience. We are getting there together! Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way. Especially Kathy Connelly who always believed in him.
Video of Adonis' I-1 test in the main ring!
One more this morning. This is Our girl Pikka Dream HU. I bought "Dreamy" from Anne Sparks of Horses Unlimited. Her debut at GP last season was wonderful. What fun she has been! Anne has been so supportive, stopping by at shows and encouraging us along the way, thanks Anne!
Here is Erivo. He is my little is my little "Eager Beaver"! ALWAYS trying hard "Can we do more, Mom? Please? I can do more . . . !"
We spent Wednesday and Thursday at Claudia Tarlov's beautiful farm working with Henk Van Bergen. I always get so much from my lessons with Henk. Big thanks to,Becky Kicklighter. My amazing groom who had 4 horses (!!) and me to get cleaned up and into the ring on time both days! Glad I only had to ride!! I thought I'd share a video clip or two here. This one is of Mary Pat Adams' fantastic stallion Habanero LVI. WHAT FUN HE IS! Mary Adams
