Lindsey Sanford- Dressage for Horse and Rider

04/01/2025

I love this 😊

Every time you step into the arena, remember this: you are mastering one of the most beautiful and complex forms of art and sport. Dressage is not just about perfection; it's about connection, grace, and growth.

You have chosen to communicate with a powerful, majestic animal through harmony and trust. That alone is extraordinary. Progress in dressage is not measured by a judge’s score but by the partnership you build with your horse, stride by stride.

Mistakes are not failures; they are stepping stones. Each challenge teaches you something new, sharpens your skills, and makes you stronger. Great riders weren’t born perfect—they grew through persistence, passion, and resilience, just like you are doing now.

Believe in yourself, trust your horse, and honor the journey. You belong in the saddle. You are capable of greatness. Ride boldly, with heart and confidence, because every ride is a victory in itself.

You've got this.

01/01/2025

31/12/2024

Christmas week at the barn was peaceful, fun, and full of appreciation for each other and the wonderful horses in our lives. 🥰🎄❤️🐴

24/12/2024

24/12/2024

On these shortest days of the year that also bring blustery stormy weather I love our indoor arena! We had some great rides this week. 🥰🎄🐴

23/12/2024

Thank you Delaney and Ruby for the horseshoe ornaments and homemade horse cookies!! ❤️ The horses loooved the yummy cookies, and the ornaments are super fun with their flowing ribbons, colorful horseshoes, and personalized name beads. 🥰 One was made for each of the horses that they have taken lessons on. 😊 The photo of Mia’s didn’t turn out, but it is lovely too. 😊

22/12/2024

Congratulations to Stephanie V on completing HorseSense Learning Levels Rainbow Level!! You have worked really hard for this. :)

15/12/2024

I love this :)

11/12/2024

It was a fun in the sun week. 😊☀️ except for the afternoon lessons who were hit by the short winter days 🌙

10/12/2024

So very true 😊

The other morning I stepped into the stall of the first training horse on my list, halter draped over my arm, position and approach objectively appropriate, and my thoughts about a hundred miles away. It's been a long week already, I still have a long to-do list tucked in the back of my mind, and a schedule that spills out of the confines of a calendar.
As I made my way toward this sweet mare, she grew more tense with each step I took. Subtle but clear. It seems my thoughts didn’t blend well with hers.
A moment of awareness like this is special, because it gives an opportunity to change before it’s too late. The realization of her growing tension brought me back to present and I allowed my plans to dissolve for that moment. I no longer needed to put that halter on, meet with my dad, get to the vet, or work horses before my lessons. In that moment I only needed to release tension, to bring about some softness.
It’s simple, really. I’ve made it a goal that, no matter the plans I have in place for a given interaction with a horse, the first touch creates softness. I might look for the lowering of the head, the blink of an eye, a deep breath, or tissue melting to my touch.
When I am mindful enough to focus on this, it almost always shapes the session that the greeting precedes. Sometimes we need to step in and interrupt our endless patterns of doing. It means the world to the horses. I hope this is something you can carry with you into your weekend.

~ Justin

📸 Erin Gilmore // Erin Gilmore Photography

09/12/2024

Horse care topic- how to keep a tail clean when it’s cold outside. See pictures of Kattagat and Snowday’s clean tails in the comments- even amidst their slightly muddy paddocks 😊

07/12/2024

A few pictures of the happenings around the barn from last week 🥰🐴

05/12/2024

The holiday horsey cookie stockings are up 🥰 with a slight change from normal. Instead of hanging outside the stalls they are inside the lockers this year to protect them from doggy thieves. 😂

28/11/2024

26/11/2024

Beautiful London has returned home. We are so thankful for being able to share in her life for a time. She taught my students so many wonderful skills, and we really enjoyed having her. Happy trails to London on her next life adventures. We will miss her!

26/11/2024

It was a wildly windy stormy week and the horses were fabulous!! My students are wonderfully dedicated and had some great rides. 🥰

22/11/2024

The power was out at the barn all day yesterday because of crazy high winds. My evening students wanted to ride anyway so I pulled our rechargeable magnetic lights from the lockers and put them on the arena walls. It was a little dark, but we had enough light for our lesson…and it was fun! I have some very dedicated riders. 🥰