Heather Salden Training

09/05/2024

08/26/2024

Join us for our super fun schooling show!

Opening Date: August 26th Closing Date: Sept 20th Show Manager: Heather Salden Kurtz, [email protected], 612-360-0848 Location: Orchard View Stables 2830 Rose Ave Watertown MN 55388 Show will be held in regulation size outdoor arena unless weather forces indoors. Indoor arena is regulation size. Hor...

08/05/2024

Hey y’all! I’m super late on this show update, but here it is!

Last last weekend we attended the final Otter Creek dressage show of the season, and braved the heat and humidity with much success.

Mary and Benny had their show debut together, and they totally rocked it! They got scores consistently in the 70s, and came home with lots of blues!

I rode Ouzo around the showgrounds on many trail rides over the weekend, and he’s getting more comfortable out and about! We even were able to enter a group equitation class and stayed in the ring with minimal leaping! Baby steps!

Laura and Diego made their first level 3 debut and had some great rides! It is a grueling test, like a marathon! But they rocked it and had fun doing it!

Erin and Dill also made their 1.3 debut and ran the marathon as well. They came home with lots of ribbons and some of their highest scores yet! What a fun little baby horse!

Belle and Becci’s Chovie danced their way to freestyle champions of the weekend. They had a fun freestyle to Erins Mama Mia music and are now easily qualified for regionals! Can’t wait to see them dance again!

Nicole and Goose also danced their way to excellent scores with their fun Wonder Woman music. They had great showings at training and first level as well! They’re all qualified for regionals too! What a fun partnership!

Tessa and Wally had solid rides at fourth level, gaining confidence with each ride and improving on their scores throughout the weekend!

Karlene and Wranger made their fourth level debut, a dream Karlene has had for many years. They didn’t disappoint!! They got scores up to 66%, and even had fun!!! Way to go team!

Rebecca and Maestro had wonderful rides at first level, this was their first time out this year and they rocked it! Maestro was a bit boisterous the first day, but Rebecca hung in there and improved throughout the weekend. Kjirsten even showed him in their second level debut!

We had a small group at Alpine this past weekend as well, that update will be in a later post!
-H

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07/22/2024

We had a wonderful time up north at NWDA dressage show! The weather cooperated beautifully and so did the horses!

Kjirsten and Frankie danced their way to reserve champions in their freestyle and also got some amazing scores at second level! They finished Open reserve champions on Sunday as well!

July brought baby Eddy to her first ever show and she was a good little show horse! She stayed in the ring and did all the things and her scores got progressively better as the weekend went on! She’s going to be a fun one!!

Julia and Vinny were AA champions with their well scoring second level ride on Saturday. Vinny also made his third level debut with me, earning scores in the upper 60s and proving he’s ready for the move up!

I also rode Mary’s Benny in his first ever show, and he didn’t disappoint! Benny thinks it’s very fun to go on field trips and have people tell him how pretty he is. Benny won all four of his classes, and also was high score champion both days with scores up to 72%! Mary’s turn to show him off next weekend!!

Stina and Joey joined our group, winning all their classes and even earned AA champions on Sunday!

My niece Hazel piloted Wilder around the intro ring and earned intro champion on Saturday and reserve champions on Sunday! They came home with lots of ribbons and improved their scores throughout the weekend.

I rode Sletten’s baby Tenny in his first show and he was a little rockstar! He was quite talkative, but didn’t put a foot wrong and won his moms two first place ribbons and glasses! He is going to be a wonderful show horse!

Amy rode Titan at first and second level, earning very consistent scores and improving throughout the weekend. They even came home with some blue ribbons and beer glasses!!

All in all, a great weekend with friends and family! Now we gear up for Otter Creek coming up this weekend!! Come visit if you’ve got nothing else going on!!
H

07/03/2024

We do this for the love of the sport! ❤️

This is a hard post to write. I thought about sharing this news in a purely positive way. But I think I’d rather be 100% honest. And I’m happy if this leads to a discussion on how our industry can change for the better?

I’ve decided to stop leasing the gorgeous farm where I’ve been for the past few years. I’m no longer going to have horses in full training (which for those who know me, you know that is my absolute love) and just be a freelance instructor teaching a couple days a week in the area.

I sat down and did the math on what my finances would be like if I just taught two days a week and had no expenses outside insurance, my car, memberships, etc. I would make MORE working that little than I do right now. And I run a pretty great program - my barn is always full with a wait list, about half super nice young horses and half FEI horses. My students and I compete a lot, very successfully. But the cost of running a program like this is so high, that even though I am “successful”, I barely make a living wage. I pay my wonderful assistant trainers more than I make (because they 100% deserve that salary and more!) And of course I could raise prices even more, but I think I charge an awful lot, and at the end of the day, I just feel awful about expecting people to pay SO much for a luxurious hobby.

Of course, people don’t go into this business with a dream of making a big profit each year. And that is a legitimate argument - you do this for the love of horses and riding. But when the costs and the stress of running a big barn start piling up, that argument gets pretty tired pretty quickly.

By far the biggest struggle I’ve had over the last few years is keeping good employees. And I know all my fellow barn owners and trainers are struggling as much as I am. I have a few AMAZING employees (endless thanks to Kate Tackett & Nicole Wilbur) and right now my best workers are 15, 16, and 22. So the argument that “kids these days are awful” is not true. But the instances of employees quitting with no notice, being offended at having to physically work hard, having incredibly low standards for the work they do, and outright lying have been more and more and more lately. It’s exhausting, and the fact that I’m paying $20/hour, run a great program, and am STILL getting these kind of workers makes me feel no optimism for the future. 😞

In the past I didn’t pay hardly anyone. I just had working students who worked off their housing, board and training. And that worked much better. But that seems to be a thing of the past? People now expect all that AND $600+ a week. And if my business made so much money that I could do that, I would love to. But the math just flat out doesn’t work.

My social media feeds are FILLED with barns begging for good help. I don’t know what the answer is. But I know I’m at the point where I would like to have the time to look at what else life has to offer. I’ve done this professionally for 20 years (and for fun since I could walk.) It’s a huge deal for me to imagine that I won’t be riding every day here on out. But it’s also incredibly exciting to imagine my life without these stresses. What if I didn’t have to get up at 5:30 and feed and muck because the weekend worker quit at 10pm the night before? Maybe I’ll start a hobby. 🤪 Or maybe I’ll just hang out with my wonderful husband and beautiful kids and have a coffee at the table instead of racing down the road in my car…

06/27/2024

We had a fun, if soggy, weekend up north at Cooler by the Lake! It really was cooler, with highs in the 70s. Saturday ranged from showers to mist with a few dry patches in between, and on Sunday we battled the Loch A monster…. At least that’s what our horses thought!

Frankie exceeded expectations and didn’t score below 70% at 2nd level! We got our personal best freestyle score of 75%, earning freestyle champion for the weekend. Big thanks to Erin for our fun Lindsey Sterling arrangement! We even splashed through ALL the puddles with no drama, which some might remember was not always the case…..

Julia and Vinny put in solid rides at second level, scoring up to 69%, and in their first level freestyle, also with music by Erin, dancing their way to reserve freestyle champion for the weekend! Vinny was pretty sure the Loch A monster was going to erupt at any moment on Sunday, and Julia used some creative riding to get it done. Julia’s awesome mom also came along to spend her birthday weekend with us. Happy birthday Susan!

Nancy and Joey entered the sand box looking striking, as per usual. Unfortunately Joey was not feeling 100% in the conditions so, on Sunday, Nancy decided to save him for another day. Joey thought the snacks and hanging out with his friends was a pretty awesome way to spend the weekend. He even made a new dragonfly friend.

The NWDA shows are near and dear to my heart, having grown up showing there. If you haven’t been, I encourage you to go up there at least once. The people are kind and supportive, the atmosphere is peaceful (or as peaceful as a horse show can be), and they have fun prizes and snacks!

Our next show is back up north in July, followed closely by Otter Creek dressage!

Cheers,
K

06/24/2024

A little late on the update, but we had a wonderful time at Maffitt Lake in Des Moines!

Heather rode Kristi's Jag in the Intermediate 2 and Developing Grand Prix. He got his best scores yet, with a 66% in both tests! He gives his all and I love him for it.

Julia and Vinny had great success at Second level and freestyle. They came home with scores up to 74% and many blue ribbons! It's always fun to hang out with Julia's family as well, and Will is slowly getting trained in as horse show groom!

Nicole rode Goose in first level and they also debuted their new (old) freestyle to Roz's music. They didn't disappoint with scores up to 70.8% in first level and 73% in the freestyle! They are such a fun pair to watch! Also, big Thanks Radam for being horse show husband of the year!

Tessa and Wally had a very good weekend at Third and fourth level. They came home with lots of blues and scores up to 65%! Wally keeps improving with each ride, and proved he is ready for the big move up to fourth level test 3 at the next show!

Laura and Diego made the big move up to first level, and rocked it! They got lots of blue ribbons, and awesome scores up to 65% at the new level! It has been such a pleasure to watch their partnership grow over the past 6? years!!!

Morgie and Tater made their showing debut together!!! After his first time off the property, Tater remains undefeated at intro and training level! He was such a good boy for his first time out, and the judges had wonderful comments about him. They are going to be a pair to watch for sure!!

We had a couple "out of barn" friends join Salden Training for the show this weekend:
Kjirsten's student Stina with her horse Joey had wonderful tests at training level, winning all their classes and earning American Warmblood high point!

Piper and Reinder rode in the FEI Children's test as well as their "Barbie" themed freestyle done by our very own Erin Boltik!! They had wonderful rides and it was great to have them as part of our team this weekend!

06/21/2024

For every individual that wants to be an equine professional out there... Grab a broom. Understanding that both not every need of you is always being on top of a horse, and learning that there is no job beneath you, are crucial if you want to make it in this business.

For every kid that loves horses and is blessed to ride or take lessons, push a broom. It shows you are learning humility in this sport, and that you see past just taking a selfie with your horse or just posting your latest riding video on TikTok. Care for every aspect of the sport and needs around the barn shows more traits of a horsewoman than social media likes. Plus, it is a great way to build more muscle and be a better rider for your horse.

Showing love and pride in your sport, your horse, your facility, and your barn family looks like pushing a broom.

06/21/2024

Hi all! Here's your friendly reminder to sign up for CSDEA year end awards! Remember, scores only count AFTER you've nominated yourself and your horse for awards.

We've got a handful of new awards for both Eventing and Dressage this year, so be sure to check out the information page on our website to see what you may qualify for!

However, the following awards are currently NOT meeting the minimum required number of entrants!!! If you know anyone who may qualify for one the the following awards, please let them know that they should sign up, or these special awards are in danger of being cut this year!
- IRISH DRESSAGE HORSE
- ANDALUSION/LUSITANO DRESSAGE HORSE
- FRIESIAN DRESSAGE HORSE
- LIPPIZAN DRESSAGE HORSE
- QUARTER HORSE DRESSAGE
- 55+ EVENTER AWARD
- PONY EVENTER AWARD

Dressage Award link:
https://www.csdea.org/content.aspx?page_id=1707&club_id=659362&item_id=163

Eventing Award link:
https://www.csdea.org/content.aspx?page_id=1707&club_id=659362&item_id=164

Feel free to contact me with any questions! :)
Heather Salden Kurtz
612-360-0848
[email protected]

06/10/2024

06/04/2024

What a whirlwind weekend we had at beautiful Otter Creek farm in WI! Lots of highs, and a few lows- as is the case with many shows!!

Kjirsten rode sale horse Snappy, belonging to Judy, in her very first recognized dressage show! Snappy was well behaved, and came home with some blue ribbons! Judy was a fun addition to have at the show, and couldn't believe dressage riders could have so much fun.

Wally came out of a showing hiatus, and didn't disappoint! He and Tessa showed Third and Fourth level, winning many of their classes with scores up to 66%! They even handily got their qualifying scores for regionals.

Julia and Vinny made their Second level debut. They won all their classes with scores up to 72%! And then they ROCKED their freestyle made by our very own Erin Boltik, to a whopping score of 77%!!

Belle rode Becci's Chovie (Luna) at first level, and they debuted their new Mama Mia themed freestyle. They also got some amazing scores and blue ribbons at first level with scores up to 69%! Great job ladies, so proud of you!

I rode Ann's Eli pony at Third and fourth level, and Eli got his best score yet at fourth level with a 66%! He also got his best score at third level with a 72%, and his highest freestyle score at this level also with a 72%! Thanks Erin for the awesome music that always makes everyone smile.

Erin rode Dill in their first show of the season, and they significantly upped their scores from last year! They won many of their training level classes with scores up to 69%, their highest yet. Dill was a grown up and they have many ribbons and pictures to prove it!

I rode Kristi's Jag in the I2 and Developing Grand Prix. Whilst we didn't have the best rides that I know we are capable of, I am still proud of this little guy for always trying hard and giving his all. He truly is a little prince and we will get it together next time! Thanks to Kristi for all her support in developing him throughout the years!

Karlene rode Erin's Wranger at third level, and proved they belong there! They got some of their best scores ever up to 65%, and even looked like they were having fun!! They also qualified to do the freestyle, can't wait to see it!

Amy and Titan made their second level debut, and rocked i!! They also showed at first level, qualifying for regionals and proving they are ready for the next level!

That about wraps it up! As always, thankful for all my barn family.
Cheers,
H

05/14/2024

Here's our first show update of the season!

We travelled to Otter Creek in beautiful Menomonie WI this weekend with 10 horses. The weather cooperated wonderfully, and a great time was had by all.

Kjirsten rode her Frankie in her second level debut, easily earning her two qualifying scores for regionals. They also rode their fun first level freestyle to Eminem, winning their class with a 71%! They also got their first qualifying score at second level freestyle!

Nicole rode Goose in his very first show ever and he was a perfect gentleman. They easily got their qualifying scores at training level with scores up to 76%!!

Karlene and Wranger rocked their first show together, winning all of their third level classes with scores all in the 60s! They are a great team and it's so fun to watch them grow together.

Laura and Diego rocked it at training and first level. All scores in the 60s, and a plethora of ribbons to boot!

Tara and Genie put in solid second level tests, winning both of their classes with scores up to 67%! Then they danced their way to victory in their new second level freestyle, made by our very own Erin Boltik, winning with scores up to 69%!

I rode Ann's Eli at third and fourth level. The little pony came home with 5 out of 5 blue ribbons! He got wonderful comments from the judges, and kept up with the big boys, getting his highest score at third level with a 70.5%! He even got a 10 on his halt!! Then he easily got his qualifying scores at freestyle, winning both his freestyle classes and leaving everyone smiling at his adorable music.

I also rode Kristi's Jag in his I2 and Grand Prix debut! It was such a wonderful moment for me to take a young perfect 3 year old down the centerline from green to GP, and of course he was a perfect prince as usual. Encouraging comments from the judges, and we ended with a 66% in the I2 and a 64% in the developing Grand Prix! Not bad for a 10 year old!

Kjirsten's student Stina, from Upland, joined us for her first ever dressage show. She and Joey rocked it at training level, winning many of their classes with scores up to 70%! They are a fun pair and hope to see them around more!

Isabelle rode Becci's Luna in their first show together at training and first level. They had wonderful rides, scoring up to 69% and coming home with lots of ribbons! Excited to see the future for this pair!!

All in all, a fabulous weekend with amazing company. We even got up at midnight to witness the awesome Northern Lights together! As always, so thankful for our barn family and those who come to cheer us on and support.
Till next time
xoxoxoxoxo
H

05/09/2024

Let’s go horse show! Big thanks to Donny and the crew at Big Don's Carthedral for making sure our trailers are in tip top shape!

04/25/2024

04/24/2024

Sign up for year end awards before show season or your scores won’t count!!!

2024 Year-End Awards Registration - Reminder

IMPORTANT!
You must be:
1) a current CSDEA member in good standing
AND
2) registered for awards *before you show* in order to earn points towards year-end awards.

Show season is around the corner, so don't get left out by forgetting to renew your membership or forgetting to register for awards!

To renew, go to https://csdea.org/content.aspx?page_id=9&club_id=659362

To register for awards, go to https://csdea.org/content.aspx?page_id=1701&club_id=659362.

Please refer to the CSDEA Year-End Awards Rules for details on this year's rules, and information about new special awards.

If you have any questions about awards, please contact Heather Salden Kurtz, chair of the Awards Committee, at [email protected].

Whatever your plans, we wish you a fun and successful 2024 season!

04/16/2024

In search of dressage horse for client!
3-4 year old, warmblood or warmblood cross preferred but open to other breeds if quality gaits. Between 16-17 hands. started under saddle, must be amateur friendly!
Send me some info and videos of what you have!

04/08/2024

Tomorrow, April 9, is Opening Day for Mayflower I & II Dressage show!

Enter online at horseshowoffice.com

Prize list and more information can be found on our website, http://ottercreekfarm.com/dressage.htm



PC: Morgan Chapman Media

04/03/2024

Opening Date: April 1 Closing Date: April 20 Show Manager: Heather Salden Kurtz, [email protected], 612-360-0848 Location: Orchard View Stables 2830 Rose Ave Watertown MN 55388 Show will be held in regulation size outdoor arena unless weather forces indoors. Indoor arena is regulation size. Horses a...

03/29/2024

Today we mourn the loss of beloved barn dog, Hurricane. He was a kind and gentle soul. His many passions included, food, food, and most importantly, food. 
Our hearts go out to Kjirsten and her family for the loss of their special friend. 

03/17/2024

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from our favorite Irish unicorn! We feel lucky 🍀 to have some great lesson horses, including Wilder 🦄

03/17/2024

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The leprechauns are out and about 🌈🍀