Matt McLaughlin Dressage

10/17/2024

Now in the northern Atlanta area!

10/10/2024

Good morning! Just a quick update: all is well. We have power, and the horses are all fine. We have lots of cleanup to do, but all things considered, we're all good.

10/09/2024

Lincoln is exhausted after hurricane prep...

09/27/2024

We’re very thankful that this is the worst of our hurricane damage: one big branch on the path.

09/18/2024

08/19/2024

Matt McLaughlin Dressage in St Cloud, FL, is looking for a FARM WORKER or a WORKING STUDENT!

The right candidate will:
-Lug and divvy out pre-processed hay and grain
-Muck out processed hay and grain
-Doctor, groom, bathe, turn out, dote on, cookie-fy, and snuggle the hay and grain processors
-Mow and w**d eat what the ponies don’t (if you’re a farm worker)
-Speak fluent sarcasm

Benefits depend on whether you’re a farm worker or working student and include:
-Lessons with Grand Prix trainers who have turned countless hooligans into Grand Prix crossy prancy show offs and helped riders all over the US work their butts off to earn $0.50 ribbons and nickel-sized lapel pins
-Depending on your level/ability (and whether you’re a farm worker or working student), which will develop while you’re here, the chance to ride our horses and learn upper-level movements
-Pay - varies based on whether you’re a farm worker or working student

Extra benefits:
-Watch and learn and try your hand at it as Matt teaches piaffe and passage. Seriously, he’s the piaffe king!
-You’ll have no need for a gym membership. This is essentially paid cross fit!
-You get to learn cool, more unique things, like long lining and teaching tricks
-Be part of our amazing, super-supportive barn family, including the best clients
-We have 0 complete A-hole horses...(we all have our moments...).
-Get kisses from one real-life Breyer horse and hilarious looks from another: no joke - two of our horses have Breyers made for them!
-You get all the pupper snuggles you can handle.
-Popsicles. So. Many. Popsicles. It’s Florida.

Interested? Email your experience, goals, and contact info to [email protected] or text Carly at 813-294-7258.

Not interested? Please share, so we can find someone to share all our popsicles with!

08/08/2024

It’s puzzle day! The McLaughlin household has two new additions! The first is Alfred, a ‘31 Model A. You have to deduce the second…hint: look at what we are holding!

07/16/2024

MMD riders had quite the weekend at WEC!

John McEvoy took his Holsteiner, Tempest, out at training and first levels. Tempi was a bit overwhelmed by the air handler in one arena, but John handled the tension well, they had lots of great moments schooling, and they earned scores up to 62.6 at their second outing—and their first time at WEC!

Montana Zito rode Laughing Bobby, Jeff and Sonya Reed’s thoroughbred, in training and first levels. With scores up to 68.6 and lots of ribbons—including a blue one, they finished qualifying for regional championships at training level and earned their first qualifying score at first level!

And Carly took Barbara Nagle’s Lusitano, Forcado CL, out for her first Grand Prix rides. She didn’t put together a test that earned a gold-medal score, but she learned a ton and had some beautiful schooling rides! Thank you for your incredible generosity sharing your boy, Barbara!

And thank you to Barbara for taking care of everything in the show barn and always being so helpful!

06/17/2024

MMD had a great weekend at Grand Oaks!

Matt and Barbara Nagle’s Lusitano, Forcado CL, had their best weekend yet at Grand Prix, earning a 67.39 on Saturday and an even better 69 on Sunday, which made them FEI Reserve High Point! We love this super horse, which Jorge Gabriel bred at Casa Lusitana.

John McEvoy took his new Holsteiner, Tempest, out at training and first levels. He did a tremendous job working through some tension and got his best score yet at first level test three with a 66.5!

Montana Zito rode Bobby, Jeff and Sonya Reed’s thoroughbred, in training level. They won every class they entered with a 70.6 and a 70.8, which earned them Training Level High Point!

Finally, Matt took Nancy McEvoy’s Gypsy Vanner, Puck, out for some more schooling miles, and he was a perfect gentleman!

As always, thank you to Barbara Nagle for being the groom extraordinaire and taking care of everything in the show barn!

Well done, all!

06/12/2024

While we are tucked away in an air-conditioned truck with comfy seats, our horses are bouncing and swaying in the back.

Unlike many may think, horses don't actually sleep or rest in the trailer. Their body is constantly moving and making adjustments to stay upright - Just like we do when we are standing in the bus or train.

Researchers from Massey University in New Zealand sought to measure how much vertical and horizontal movement horses have when in a trailer. With two horses loaded up into a two-horse, they took a 58-minute trip and here is what they found:

📍In total, horse 1 moved over 228 ft and horse 2 moved over 320 ft vertically
📍Horizontally, Horse 1 moved 745 ft and Horse 2 moved 797 ft
📍Both horses swayed over 11 inches

Next time you load up for a show, clinic, lesson, etc., give your horse a break before jumping right on.
___________________

03/24/2024

What a great show weekend for MMD!

Let’s start with the biggest news of the weekend: LORI GOT HER GOLD on Barbara Nagle’s Lusitano, Forcado! She got both GP scores on the first two GP rides with a 64 and a 62!

Matt took Margie Meyer’s PRE, Mimoso, out at I1 for the second time and earned a 67 and a 65!

Carly Wolf took her Westfalen out at third three and finished the “with distinction” addition to her bronze medal and was the third level champion with a 67!

And Jennifer Freeman took her Lusitano, Nomada, out at third three. After some spookiness, Lori took him out and got a 71.8!

Thank you so much to Barbara for holding down the fort in the show barn and Fiona Laing and Jeanne for helping feed at home, to Darlene Wayne and John and Nancy McEvoy for keeping the team fed, and to Jeanne Thomas for taking the beautiful pictures! We also greatly appreciate everyone cheering on the team!

02/28/2024

02/28/2024

Sharing this for Alpha Dressage!