Madella Stables

04/01/2025

Camp sign ups are now live! Don't wait to reserve your spot - space is limited and fills fast.

Charter students: if you have an approved certificate on file, please contact us for a booking code.

Head to our website for more info or to book:

https://www.madellastables.com/horse-camp

03/30/2025

The QUEEN 👑 turns 25 today!

There are not enough words to convey how special this pony is. She is the epitome of a sassy pony - with her ever changing opinions and attitude - but she would walk through fire for her beloved kids. Having Bounce as a partner all these years has been a privilege, and we are beyond blessed to call her ours.

Those who know Bounce know she gets the same birthday present every year - a McDonald’s fry 🍟 and a Rice Krispie treat, her favorite snacks.

Cheers to 25 Bounce 🎉

03/22/2025

We have a brand new addition we can’t wait for you all to meet!

Miss Mavis was run through the same auction as our beloved Fern. Another beautiful, kind soul tossed aside because she was deemed “unsuitable.” Well, we think she is MORE than suitable - in fact, she’s absolutely stunning and the sweetest girl! She also immediately connected with Fern once she arrived, as if the two already knew each other. Mavis will be taking the week to settle in and will GLADLY accept anyone’s cookies 😉

Huge thanks to rubyspurposeanimalrescue for all the TLC to get Mavis rehabbed and ready for her next chapter!

03/19/2025

We are postponing camp sign ups until April 1!

There was a delay in approval for charter certificates, so we have pushed back sign ups to allow ALL students the chance to book. If you would like to utilize charter funding, please request your certificates now to ensure they are approved by April 1.

Sign ups will be live on our website on April 1 at 12pm. We are also looking for camp counselors (ages 13+) for each week of camp - please send us a message if you're interested in volunteering!

Additional camp info (dates, activities, requirements, etc) can be found on our website below:

https://www.madellastables.com/horse-camp

03/19/2025

Wednesday’s lessons have been cancelled, and we are not too optimistic about Thursday/Friday with the current drying speed 🫠

Please check emails the evening before your lesson for any potential changes - we are hoping for a drying miracle so we can ride by end of week!

03/17/2025

In case anyone was wondering what happens at the barn on rainy days - generally it’s a constant cat cuddle sesh 🥰

03/16/2025

Tomorrow’s lessons have been cancelled due to the approaching storm - please see emails for further details!

There is a high chance that the rest of the week will also be affected. We have not had a chance to even begin drying from this past storm, which turned out to be MUCH larger than anticipated. This is the current state of the dressage court - the arena which is notoriously dry within 24 hours of a storm. Every other arena is 2-5 days dry time behind this one, for some perspective on just how much water is in the ground right now 😳 another inch is hitting us tomorrow, so stay tuned!

03/10/2025

Reminder that this Tuesday-Sunday is a flex week - meaning there are NO regular lessons, only prescheduled makeups. We will be back to normal schedule on March 17.

03/06/2025

🎶Rain, rain, go away......

We're about halfway through this storm, and already exceptionally flooded. Lessons have been cancelled tomorrow - there is a high chance Friday will be affected as well. We will notify all Friday students by tomorrow evening if lessons are cancelled.

We are crossing ALL fingers, toes, and hooves that there are some dry days ahead!

03/05/2025

In difficulty there is opportunity -

When the horse is evading, upset, or frustrated, it's natural to resist their movement. We might stop riding, pull, get tight, or try to resist what is.

I try to teach all my riders to focus on what they do want, instead of what they are intent on stopping.
Where do you want the horse to go? How do you want them to feel? Don't get sucked into the chaos- give the horse your focus, your balance, your calm. Show them where to be and how, and let them find the peace you offer, instead of meeting them at a fight.

Often, if the rider can be tactful with their hands and seat, you can take resistance or movement you didn't want, and use it to improve your horse's overall balance. That to me, is where horsemanship transcends technique and becomes art.

-Amy Skinner Horsemanship

03/05/2025

We have another series of storms hitting us over the next 10 days - with the first one beginning tomorrow morning. We have already cancelled all lessons tomorrow (please see emails). There is a good chance this will also affect Thursday/Friday lessons due to flooding, as the foothills are projected to receive more than an inch of rain in 24 hours. Please keep an eye on your emails - we hope to have an answer on Thursday's lessons by Wednesday evening, and Friday's lessons will be assessed Thursday evening.

03/03/2025

We have a BIRTHDAY at the barn!!

The ever fabulous Liberty is turning 26 today. Make sure to drop a peppermint in her bucket if you’ll be at the barn!

02/25/2025

The long awaited spring availability is here! Please send us a message to book - reminder that charter students must have an approved certificate to book.

For those looking for evening space - this is only available intermittently, often last minute due to cancellations. We will continue to reach out to our waitlist should anything suitable arise.

Stay tuned for summer (June-August) booking news very soon.

02/24/2025

Reminder that this amazing educational opportunity is this Saturday!

02/17/2025

All of this! We are so happy to have youth passionate about dressage, and beyond grateful for our horses to teach them.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬?

I’ve been following a lot of passionate social media discussions surrounding recent Eurodressage articles. Many important topics have been brought forward, but the portion of the conversation that grabbed my attention has been centered around the question: Why don’t we see more kids riding dressage in the United States?

Well, I have an opinion (surprise, surprise).

Just give me a second to get my soapbox out here... Okay, ready.

To be very blunt, the recognized youth divisions in U.S. dressage are structured terribly, and that is definitively why we cannot get more kids in dressage.

Let me paint you a picture:

You are a non-horse parent with a 6-year-old kid that loves horses. You type "horseback riding lessons near me" into a search engine and start investigating. 90% of the programs that show up offer instruction in "hunt seat equitation." Must be popular! You see that the highest rated barn offers a summer camp and you decide to send your child. She loves it and starts making friends with the kids who ride at the barn. She begs for weekly riding lessons. She takes lessons one to two days a week until her trainer mentions that she is really getting quite good! She should start to compete.

She does the leadline division and gets exposed to an environment like the Devon Horse Show. Dreams ablaze in her heart she asks if she can have a pony of her own, but your family isn't ready for that type of commitment. "No worries," says the trainer. "You can lease our small pony." Then she ages out and you lease the medium pony...or the large pony... or the Junior Hunter.

But at some point your kid is getting quite good and the trainer helps you buy a competitive A-circuit equitation horse. Your daughter goes on to place well at several big championships, catching the attention of a noted trainer who offers to take her on as a rider. She goes on to become an assistant trainer, or to cruise happily around the amateur divisions. The End.

Everything curated. Everything clear. Their goal is to not overwhelm parents because there is real money in developing youth riders in hunter/jumper land and real milestones to attain from the time the kids are little. When that's true, the trainers are happy and structure their programs to make parents and children happy.

NOW, let's say your first call was to a dressage barn. Nine times out of ten, that conversation is going to go like this: "Hello! I am inquiring about riding lessons for my 6-year-old daughter." ...."Hi! Does she have her own horse?" ..."No, we don't.".... "Sorry, can't help you."

But maybe by the grace of god you happen to call one of the 10% of dressage barns that can accommodate beginner children. Your kid takes riding lessons there for two years. In her third year she might do some dressage schooling shows at Introductory Level, your trainer may even take her to some unrated hunter/jumper shows because the format is easier, cheaper and she can get more ring time. Next year your kid begs to show recognized at Training Level. At only ~10 years old she really does quite well on the barn's lesson pony! She qualifies for Regional Championships.

When you arrive in the warmup for your first class, you see your child's eyes widen to saucers. She rides over to her trainer and asks in hushed tones, "Is SHE in my class?" Yes, my dear, SHE is. Your eyes slide over to the 21-year-old rising professional riding her client's young horse, who appears to be the second coming of Glamourdale.

The class commences. Your kid rides her heart out on her lesson pony (you had tried to find something nice for her to lease for this year, but no luck finding a quality seasoned dressage pony for lease). Still, even with her best test of the year, she places third to last with a 62%. The young pro wins with a 74%. Not because your kid isn't great and skilled for her age, but because there is a CHASM in terms of experience and physical ability between a 10-year-old and a 21-year-old!

This is what it is going to look like for the next few years until you buck up and buy a pony for her to do FEI Children's or Ponies on (probably from Europe because that's the only place to reliably find a competitive pony that's actually been shown and proven by a kid). Sure, you could aim at Dressage Seat Equitation Medal Finals, which has a 13 and under division... if you have one of the few 10-year-olds who can ride First Level inside out and backwards, and you can find a size-appropriate mount for her to do it on.

In general, we do NOT provide the Disney experience to families like the hunter/jumper community does. We do not structure our divisions to give kids appropriate milestones (Like, HELLO - why not have an equitation class that is just Walk/Trot like they do in hunter/jumper land? Why can't we get out of our own way and reward correct basics without making the kids do leg yield zig-zags and counter canter and three changes of lead through trot on the diagonal?).

Because the way our youth divisions are structured is so challenging, no trainer really wants to structure their business around it. It's a bad gamble that will almost assuredly result in a ticked off parent and a disappointed kid. Much easier to help adult amateurs who already know they dislike hunter/jumper land pursue their medals.

So here are my counter-questions: We want to see more kids riding dressage. We want to see better horsemanship and depth at every level of the sport. Then where is the space for younger riders to compete, learn and connect with their peers? Where are the milestones for them to aim towards?

Until we have an outlet for these young kids to showcase their skill and test their ability in classes that are structured fairly, I think we are going to continue scratching our heads and wondering, "Where are the dressage kids?"

Read more musings at https://www.thedressageacademy.com/blog/

📸 Priceless Equine Productions

02/17/2025

Reminder that this week is a flex week - there are no regular lessons, only prescheduled makeups. Our tuition schedule will resume on February 24.

02/14/2025

We know it's still cold and dreary - but summer is right around the corner, and it's almost time for our 2025 camps!

Registration will open on Thursday March 20th at 9am on our website. Charter students must have an approved certificate on file - please contact us for booking information once this is complete. Last year, camps were fully booked shortly after opening - so mark your calendars!

Dates are TBD and will be announced prior to registration opening - stay tuned!

02/13/2025

Only 12 hours in and it’s already flooding 😳

While we move the animals to areas with shelter during storms, most people are surprised to hear that a vast majority of horses will choose to stand out in the rain. Their coat is made to withstand MUCH worse than this, and is actually water repellant - thanks to tiny air pockets in between each hair follicle.