This past winter, Tamie Smith, winner of the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*, focused heavily on dressage with winning mount Mai Baum, competing him at the Prix St. George level."I feel like it helped him with his...
There are places in every dressage test where even the humblest mount can score just as well as—or better than—the fanciest horse. They are the “non-brilliant movements,” of dressage so called because the gaits play little to no role...
You trot down center line, ride the pattern of your dressage test, and soon receive your score. Your placing in the class depends on how that score stacks up against those of your competitors, but there’s a lot more...
The type of saddle you first sat in does not need to be your last. Changing riding disciplines can help you renew your interests and find new joy with the horses you love.“Everyone goes through a process,” says dressage...
Last month I discussed how the leg-yield is a useful suppling and training tool for both horse and rider, how the movement is ridden, and some of the common mistakes from the rider’s point of view. Of course, the...
A useful training tool for both horse and rider, the leg-yield while horse riding supples the horse through his hips, croup, lower back, and shoulders. Leg-yielding teaches the horse how to move away from the inside leg to create...
Have you ever tried to braid your horse's mane for a show and gotten so frustrated that you begged a friend for help or ended up paying someone to do it for you?Braiding a horse's mane is not...
Sitting squarely in her black dressage saddle, para-equestrian Holly Bergay picks up her reins and prepares to train a young horse at Ambition Equestrian Center in Sedalia, Colo. Holding the soft leather with the fingers of her right hand,...
A horse show inside one of the most densely populated urban landscapes in the country doesn’t happen often. But the Central Park Horse Show brought elite horses to the city—for four years in a row.That streak ended in 2017...
Riders transitioning to the double bridle for dressage or saddle seat classes can find it intimidating at first to handle two reins and two bits and to understand the reins’ actions on both the snaffle and curb.In this article,...
