Welcome Oscar!
It’s always a pleasure to welcome back old friends. A slightly different 4 legged friend than we usually have but Oscar the barn cat has been a well loved addition. He was the resident barn cat during our time are Cheryl Ash’s Hillside equestrian center. When he needed a new home it was a no brainer for us. Thanks Cheryl for letting us have him in our barn ❤️
Dressage is for every horse.
We hear this statement all the time, and I believe it is 💯 true! When done correctly dressage training will elasticize the horses body throughout, strengthening the core muscles decreasing the horses impact with the ground thus saving the joints from the constant concussion if not ridden forward and over the back.
As a breeder I do believe it is our goal to help creat an overall althetic horse who goes more naturally in this way. However as a trainer I have seen extremely well bred horses with excellent conformation, who, due to bad training, do not go in a manner that will prolong their careers or hep keep them supple, athletic creatures. On the other hand I have seen many “off breed” horses that excel, with proper dressage training, after all sorts of different careers or who have over come massive conformational deficits to be very good moving, elastic movers capable of climbing the levels of dressage!
While I wholeheartedly believe, if competitive dressage is your goal, you should buy the best horse you can afford for the job, I none the less still get so much enjoyment out of watching non-warmbloods change and excel as dressage horses!
Here is Ryleigh doing a lovely job on Ari, an Appaloosa mare rescued from the kill pen by Jan Downs. Ari began her dressage journey the end of the summer and had come a very long way. She had no clue how to go with her neck down and back up. Even though it is not perfect this horse has become much more comfortable and sound as she has gotten stronger working through her back and body. Great job Ryleigh! 👏🏻🤩
