This morning the ground was wet, so I looked at the TV weather and it looked like there would be a tiny gap with no rain, so I decided I would ride anyway. Shannon thought her ring would stand up to it as we are mainly riding at a walk now. I got to the stable, it had stopped raining, so we tacked up.



Mars was a little happier today, I changed to my dressage saddle, and Shannon said he…

Hi Julie,

I am writing from Pretoria South Africa. My daughter recently attended her first show jumping event. Her horse boxed (trailered) without major problems and also traveled well. At the event this well-behaved, sweet horse, turned into a very nervous rearing animal. We could not control her and needless to say my daughter could not compete. According to her riding instructor, from whom we purchased the horse, she came off the track two years ago after being pushed very hard.…

Each year, you eagerly await horse show season so you can ride and compete your dressage horse. But when the time times, the fear gremlins creep in and you end up feeling paralyzed by "stage fright".



In my own personal quest, I've discovered practical techniques that have given me a performance edge at dressage shows. I'll share some of them with you here.



"DRESSING UP" YOUR PRACTICE SESSIONS"



I can't emphasize enough the importance of…

The Horse and Hound is the most prestigious equestrian magazine in the UK, the equivalent of the Chronicle of the Horse in the USA. I was writing an article on horse breeding for them, including details of the ‘Holstein’ stallion Cavalier Royale, the Irish based stallion that has produced so many top class event horses, including World Silver medallist and winner of Rolex Ben Along Time and Mary King’s wonderful international pair, Call Again Cavalier and Imperial Cavalier. Their breeding…