Robele Farms Dressage

11/22/2022

01/11/2022

TRY FREE FOR 10 DAYS

07/20/2017

Groucho left us today. A lot of great memories, a great horse. Goodbye Mr Cho.

05/17/2017

I LOVE Walter Zettl!!

I was talking to my students that every horse and rider are unique, but the one thing that is consistent throughout every lesson is that learning cannot occur without relaxation. Without relaxation, there is no point in attempting to train. Horses are prey animals and are programmed to be concerned about their own safety. A tense horse is worried they are not safe. We have to understand this. The horse may be afraid of his surroundings, or separation from their herd, or maybe they are in pain and it isn’t obvious to their rider yet. Anything that makes the horse uncomfortable will make them concerned about their safety, and no learning can pe*****te that fear. A relaxed mind can learn. A tense one cannot.
In my book "Dressage in Harmony", on page 12, I write that muscles are found in extensor-flexor pairs. A tense horse tends to contract both extensor and flexor muscles at the same time, thereby tightening and stiffening the joints through the action of the opposing forces. A truly relaxed horse will have every muscle relaxed from the poll to the tail, moving in regular rhythm and responding easily to all the aids, and the hoofprints are light. The rider can take up the reins or give the reins, and the horse will maintain his rhythm without running away. This must be true of all three gaits. A relaxed horse is not stiff, nor tight or frightened. Only when relaxed will the horse show brilliance in the movement.
If a horse is tense, you may have to dedicate the entire ride to achieve a relaxation. Some horses are more prone to tension than others. If your horse has an extremely high sense of self preservation, it takes enormous patience by the rider. Horses are programmed to be concerned about their own safety, and are hoping you will show them the way to a more secure state of mind. With repetition, the horse begins to believe in their rider. They begin to learn there is a better feeling out there that the rider will help them get to. The time it takes to get to a relaxed state becomes shorter over time.
When the horse is spooking, do not get too close to the scary thing and "give" to help unwind the tension. This can take great courage on the rider's part, but holding a tense horse tight creates even more tension. The "give" helps the horse's neck to soften and lengthen, and relaxation eventually start to migrate through the horse’s body. The horse recognizes the rider will not "trap" him and will not force scary things upon him. That builds trust, and trust creates relaxation.

02/02/2017

Fun and learning at Courtship Ranch with 4 Star Parelli Instructor, Margit Deerman

09/11/2016

05/19/2016

May Clinic with Margit Deerman at Courtship Ranch.

01/20/2016

Clinic with Parelli instructor Margit Deerman.

04/18/2015

Gunner in the mirror

03/30/2015

Sunday April 12th. 9- noonish, at beautiful Courtship Ranch.
Fabulous new obstacles!!
$45 for playday.
$15 arena fee for non-boarded horses
Horses available for playday $40.
Non-refundable deposit of $20 to secure a spot. Space limited to 10

03/25/2015

Cutter (Jay 's Kooky Cutter) earned a year end DASC championship award in Training Level for 2014! Great job.

02/11/2015

I am moving Robele Farms to another amazing barn in Lake View Terrace, Courtship Ranch. They were looking for a Natural horsemanship trainer, and so there it is... Besides the great views and larger spaces for the horses, there's a covered arena !! We are very excited to make the move, and will be fully operational at Courtship on February 15. We will truly miss Hansen Dam and our friends there.
Sometime in the next few months we will be having an open house, look for the date!!

11/14/2014

Come and cheer Michele & Cutter this weekend at HDEC! Their riding times are Saturday 10:13 am and 10:55 am. Sunday 11:28 am and 1:35 pm.

09/13/2014

Cutter and I had our best scores(so far) at the Hansen Dam Dressage Show August 16th and 17th. Highest score was in Training 3, 67.9%. There were actually a few 8’s too! Got to work on the walk, then we’ll be sailing!! Next show for us is November 15-16 at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center. Might even try First Level!

08/17/2014

New Ride times for Cutter and Michele: Sunday 1:15 and 2:45

08/15/2014

Come see Michele and Cutter's rides at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center. Saturday 10:15 am and 11:05 am, Sunday 2:15 pm and 3:52 pm

07/30/2014

Students and horses having fun playing games

07/26/2014

Congratulations Michele and Cutter for passing Parelli Level 3+ Online. Video of their audition can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUaSRfOl1O0

07/08/2014

Andra & Warlock, Cindy and Nifty June 29th Schooling Show

07/08/2014

Terry and Tenaya getting ready for a morning lesson

07/08/2014

Olivia Uribe and Tangy the barn cat + Tenaya
Student
Equine Science
Colorado State University