Tristan Dressage

11/11/2024

Thank you to all who served. Proud to be an American 🇺🇸

11/08/2024

Always be prepared

🔥 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 🔥

I've just spent two very scary days evacuating horses from the Mountain Fire in Somis, CA. The fire started Wednesday morning, during the Santa Ana winds right behind my barn. I got to the barn just as the police were closing the roads and there was already heavy smoke. I pulled up the trailer and started loading horses. By the time I had loaded the first horses, flames were on both sides of the road and I literally dove my truck and trailer through a tunnel of flames and into smoke so thick that I could not see the lines on the road. It was one of the most terrifying days of my life.

I made several trips back and forth through the fire and luckily got most all the horses out and the ones that stayed behind are also safe. The fire continued to spread, so once my horses were safe, I continued on to help others in need. I wanted to share some of the lessons I learned from this experience with you. It is so important to be prepared in case of an emergency, and that you are able to load your horse into the trailer, even in the worst of conditions.

🐴 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲. Practice loading at a time when you are not in a hurry. Rushing and forcing will only make your horse not want to go in.

🐴 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬, 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬. The first thing I did when I got to the barn, was I put on my tall boots (because they were the only ones I had) and my helmet. I got stepped on by several horses and hit in the head by a swinging trailer door.

🐴 𝐀 𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝. With the rope halter, you can be much more effective and the flag can be used to drive your horse into the trailer.

🐴 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩. Otherwise your horse may panic and pull back. I always have someone at the front holding the horse until I can get the divider locked.

🐴 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 so that if your horse gets caught or pulls back the leather halter will break.

🐴 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫. Remember to release the pressure and reward them by pausing for a moment any time they look at or sniff the trailer. Most people put MORE pressure on the horse when the horse nears or steps on the trailer. This makes the trailer a "bad" place in the horse's mind.

🐴 𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐩. If the trailer ramp is black and rubber, it may look like a big hole to your horse. I was helping load 2 year olds yesterday into a brand new trailer. I covered the ramp in dirt so the horse could see it was safe and this really helped give him confidence to load.

🐴 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. We have an incredible community of horse lovers here in Somis. Everyone reaches out and helps one another. It is so special and I am grateful for everyone who came and helped me get horses out or offered up a place to stay.

I hope these tips help you to stay safe with your horse. We love these animals so much and I can't imagine a life without them. Losing an animal in a fire is my worst nightmare. As horse owners, it is our responsibility that our horses will load into the trailer so that we can take them to safety if needed, or drive them to a vet clinic if they are sick. In an emergency situation, when you don't have time, the horses that won't load in the trailer get left behind. Ironically, my Groundwork Essentials course is open for enrollment through this Sunday. In the program, you will learn exactly, step-by-step, how to teach your horse to load in the trailer so that you are ready before there is an emergency (and a lot of other cool things too). 👇 Link to join in the comments.

The fire burned all around the barn - including the back fence. We still have a lot of horses evacuated to different locations, but for now everyone is ok.

11/02/2024

Copper Light Farm

10/16/2024

THESE BOOTS ....ARE MADE FOR RIDING !
It’s time to make your dreams come true! Whether you are new to riding, wish to return to the saddle or want to fine tune your skills- Put those boots on and make those dreams happen! Located in Vero Beach Fla and the Treasure Coast.
Message us or visit our website for more information
www.tristandressage.com

10/05/2024

10/05/2024

10/04/2024

10/01/2024

Tryon International continues to house emergency personnel on property, and power has been restored to property and to some of our neighbors as of 6:30pm Monday evening. We have plenty of places to charge phones and to connect to free Guest Wifi for our local neighbors who need to recharge or connec

10/01/2024

A Letter from Tryon Equestrian Partners President, Sharon Decker Dear Friends and Neighbors in Western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina: Tryon International has become an emergency command center for response to the devastation that has happened all around us.  We are tha

09/30/2024

After a deep conversation with my son Kal-El, who btw will be turning 9 this coming Sunday..
He has decided to take any money that was going towards his birthday celebration & donating it & his birthday weekend to the people most impacted by the storm..
So this Saturday he & I will be loading up the frontier & heading north to help as much as possible with monetary donations, water, dry & canned goods, blankets, bug spray, candles etc..
So if you'd like to help the cause we will be accepting all donations this coming week..
If you're donating money please make it cash..
We are giving everything directly to individuals, no middle man..
From Kal-El's hand directly to the families most in need..
We can only carry what will fit in the truck..
That's why we are also accepting monetary donations...
A lot of our fellow patriots have Zero..
✌🏼❤️🌳
Pete & Kal-El

09/21/2024

Suppenkasper that Steffen Peters rode to historic silver medals on USA teams at Tokyo Olympics, 2018 Tryon World Games, retired after KWPN gelding's second Olympics in Paris seven weeks ago; with Mopsie's retirement, 60-year-old Steffen will focus on training clinics.

09/11/2024

Today is September 11 and we want to take a moment to pause and reflect on the profound impact of that day 23 years ago. On the solemn anniversary, we remember the innocent lives that were lost, the families forever changed, and the profound sense of vulnerability that shook our country to its core. Yet, even amidst the darkness, we also recall the remarkable unity, resilience, and compassion that emerged in the aftermath. So today we pray for all affected, we thank God for our first responders, and we take comfort in the Lord.