Red Scarf Equestrian presents a behind-the-scenes Q&A with Olympian Ashley Holzer





1. How do they organize all the athletes before they march into the stadium? What is everyone doing?



Unfortunately we were not able to attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing as our events were held a plane ride away in Hong Kong. I was very sad to have not participated in them. I was worried about…

Some horses are breathtakingly beautiful. This Friesan stallion, Mintse, is one of them. I first saw him at the World Friesian Extravaganza near Dayton, Ohio, in 2007. And I sort of followed him around for during the event. You should see him competing in Dressage! And you should see him in the Liberty class! And you should see him just walking from the barn to the arena surrounded by a crowd of fans!



When I decided to travel to Michigan…

Hi Guys,



Your horse's weaker hind leg is the leg on his soft side. There's nothing wrong with your horse! Almost every horse has a weaker hind leg because few horses are ambidextrous. The weaker leg is the one on your horse's "soft" or hollow side. The stronger one is on his stiff side.



The weak hind leg doesn't step directly underneath your horse's body. Your horse displaces it slightly to the side to avoid carrying weight with it. On the other hand, the hind leg on…

My favorite horse :-) This is Podge aka Provence, my baby Hanoverian in his 7th week under saddle (he managed to get a couple of weeks on the subs bench with silly knocks in the field).



He is so much fun to ride & I'm not looking forwards to Monday when it's back to work & no more weekday day times spent cantering around on the stubble fields :-(



I'm consoled slightly by the big buying fairs coming up in Feb.…

Hi Guys,



Regardless of which discipline you ride, it's very important to sit straight and square in the saddle. Can you tell if you're collapsing at your waist and sitting crookedly?



Ask a ground person to stand behind you.

1. Are your shoulders level (i.e. the same height)?

2. Is your seat in the center of the saddle so that each seatbone is the same distance from the middle of the saddle?



If your shoulders aren't level which means that one…

Hi Guys,



Do you saw left and right on your dressage horse's mouth or wiggle the bit with both hands to get him "on the bit".



If you "saw" on your dressage horse's mouth by alternating squeezing and releasing with your hands, you're riding your horse from front to back. He might look like he's "on the bit" because his head is down and his nose is on the vertical, but you don't have an honest connection from back to front.



The only part of your horse's…

Latest News



Toni Thompson presents Andrea Bresee with the Toni Thompson 'Spirit of Dressage' Award



Andrea Bresee receives the 2008 Toni Thompson "Spirit of Dressage" Award at the Toronto CADORA Annual General Meeting, November 1

Perhaps no one was more surprised than Andrea Bresee when her name was announced, in front of a group of 50 attendees at Toronto CADORA's Annual General Meeting, as the the recipient of the 2008 Toni Thompson "Spirit of Dressage" Award. "I…

Hi Guys,



When you train your horse, you're speaking to him in a foreign language. Think about how it feels to have someone speak to you in a language you don't understand. If you don't know the language, you can't understand them. If they speak slower, you still won't have a clue what they're saying. If they shout at you, you still won't understand.

That's how it is for your horse. When you train, you're developing a non-verbal language with him.…

Hi Guys,



Your horse should be able to flex laterally at his poll to the left and right. If you're not sure if he's locked at the poll, ask yourself some questions:



Will he easily flex to the left or right with one quick turn of your wrist or does he stiffen against the action of the rein?

Does he tip his head on small circles or lateral work with a bend like shoulder-in?

Are his ears level when you ride either to the left or to the right?



If he…

Hi Guys,



Lots of riders are confused about how to smoothly switch their long dressage whip from one hand to the other. Many of you tell me you feel awkward while doing this, and you're concerned about making your horse uncomfortable and disturbing the contact because you're twisting the bit in your his mouth.

Here's a step-by-step method to switch your…

Hi Guys,



So many riders are confused about how to warm-up their horses so they can have a productive schooling session. So here are 9 tips to help you with your warm-ups.



As a rider and trainer, your goal in the warm-up is to take the restrictions away from your dressage horse's body. So depending on the day, your warm-up could be as short as 10 minutes, or it could end up making up your entire ride.…

Next week, I'm going to Brazil to visit Interagro Farm, the largest breeder of Lusitanos in the world. There are about 600 horses being raised there - 30 are being brought to Florida for an auction in February. I'm getting a preview. The photos on the web site, lusitanocollection are gorgeous. I know they are champion dressage horses as the entire Brazil dressage team were comprised of Lusitanos. Now I've learned that a Lusitano won the Beginner Novice division in Eventing last year. As a…

In celebration of the launch of his new DVD Prepare to Win Vol 1, internationally acclaimed coach Conrad Schumacher was kind enough to do an exclusive Q&A for Barnmice. Enjoy!





1. In what ways has working with such a wide range of riders and horses in

Europe and North America affected or expanded your classical approach to

training and teaching? Can you give a specific example?



In Germany everybody who starts to ride gets a…

Hi Guys,



Here are some great tips for breaking that cycle of fear...



The simplest, quickest, way to relax is to BREATHE.



Now, I know you're breathing or you wouldn't be reading this! ;-) But are you breathing in a way that promotes relaxation?



1. Let's find out. First, let's dissect what you do when you inhale.



Stand up. Take in a really deep breath. Did your shoulders go up? If they did, you're just breathing in your upper…

News for yesterday's results:



Toronto, ON – Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze brought his Gold-medal horse Hickstead across the ocean to compete in just one class at The Royal Horse Show this week, and it couldn’t have gone any better than it did tonight. Hickstead once again demonstrated he is in a class all to himself, exploding over the jumps with power and stamina unmatched in the arena this evening, if at all.



Of the 23 competitors to begin the $100,000 CN FEITM World…

Hi Guys,



In order for your lateral work such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half passes to be effective as collecting exercises, your horse must BEND.



Think of the following equation. Bend+Sideways=Engagement. (Engagement means the bending of joints. As your horse bends his hind legs, his croup lowers, and his forehand goes up--kinda like a seesaw or an airplane taking off.)…

THE 2009 LUSITANO COLLECTION GALLOPS INTO FLORIDA THIS WINTER





MIAMI, (September 11, 2008) – During the weekend of February 19-20, 2009, members of the equestrian community and South Florida social scene will gather at the 111-acre Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, for the second annual Lusitano Collection Auction. The prestigious event will indulge guests with lavish cocktails and a gala dinner, courtesy of The Lusitano Collection. A portion of the…

October 23, 2008
US Olympic dressage stalwart Rober Dover says he is retiring from riding and teaching, and from the running of Romance Farm in Florida. He will dedicate his time to writing and working for the non-profit organisations the Equestrian Aid Foundation and Well Wish International. The five-time Olympian is to be inducted into the US Dressage Federation's Hall of Fame in December.

Had to post this news because you couldn't meet a lovelier, more down to earth person....Go Bee!!



Ottawa, ON—Canadian Olympian Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, won all three small tour FEI classes at the New England Dressage Association Fall Festival Of Dressage, CDI-W Saugerties, held in Saugerties, NY, September 10–14, 2008.



Riding the eight-year-old German-bred gelding Anton (Antaeus x Melit) owned by Robyn Eames, Trussell started the competition off by handily…