I have to admit it. I am a dressage geek!

I do have to admit it. I am a dressage geek. I simply love trotting about in circles, working on lightness in every step and then there are all the wonderful accoutrements. The soft buttery bridles with padded polls and nosebands, the bling on boots, the white polo wraps accentuating every stride. Oh. The fun of it all.

There are the mystical theorists, who claim to reinvent the wheel of dressage. The Germans, The Portuguese, The French, The British. It's all actually been done before. Explained before. Ridden before. Judged before. The grand old Masters and the new ones, the sport and the classicists. All of them bringing true essence to the world of dressage and oiling the wheel of dressage commerce.

But where are the $$ in competition? Why is this missing in this ancient discipline? Why for goodness sake is everyone still scratching their heads and wondering where are the sponsors.

I'll tell you where they are ~ home and not alone. In my experience working with many different companies who have gone into the arena giving prizes of all descriptions for a variety of events, the return on investment (ROI), simply is not there. It is not quantifiable at the very least. 

I can attest to many, many gift certificates that have been donated to events for prizes that are simply never, ever cashed out? It is like pulling teeth to have the dressage community get involved or show any loyalty whatsoever to a brand or sponsor. And I mean an old, infected tooth in an old horse's mouth that breaks off while you are trying to pull it. Riders sometimes win saddle pads and other gifts and quickly turn them around and sell them on Ebay. Not a problem. They won them after all. But there is no appreciation. No photos sent to sponsors. No thank-you notes. Event organizers sometimes have drawers full of unused gifts and certificates that they suddenly remember and give away randomly. 
Dressage needs to take a good hard look at events like HITS Saugerties who treat their sponsors as VIPs, sell their logo and brand at every opportunity.

The show is supposed to name sponsors. They will mention the sponsors over the tannoy they say. Doesn't happen. Not even when they know a representative of the sponsor is present on the show grounds. I've been to shows that promise a show program and been told at the gate they are all out and watch competitors sharing! What!!! Well worth the cost of that advertisement. NOT!

Eventing in Kentucky recently lost Rolex. Humm. Wonder what happened there?
Big sponsors and small have all had enough. There seems to be zero appreciation for the donations and the PR return is dismal. As a business it seems apparent you are far better off putting the funds into SEO and data collection, split tests and funneling. 

So big pat on the back for those that stick to it. As a competitor or event organizer realize this is going to become a bigger issue not a smaller one. Do the math. Can you hold that show without the sponsors?? 

The Delights of Cross Breeding in Dressage Horses

For over 26 years my husband Paul and I were involved in the breeding and importation of Hanoverian and Oldenburg horses and everything produced was branded, registered and papered. All the i's were dotted and t's were crossed. We produced horses in the U.S.A. and the U.K..

I spent much time in Germany watching, riding and learning as much as I could about the bloodlines and figuring out which ones showed good genetic soundness, both mentally and physically. The Verden Verband vet Dr. Gerd Brunken, would simply open the filing cabinet for the Xrays and vet reports and invite me to go ahead. He knew me so well and knew I was very particular about soundness. I confess the incidence of OCD in the horses was of great concern. It was not dietary after arriving in the U.S.A. because Dr. Brunken explained to me that 65% of the one and two year olds the Verband reviewed for acceptance to the Elite Auctions and Studbook showed OCD. The ability to remove those defects (the ones seen on X-rays anyway) via arthroscopic surgery was all the rage. My U.K. vet, also a German by birth, told me to look keenly now for X-rays that were too clean.

Some time around 2000 my travels took me again to Spain and Portugal and well before the Iberian horses had been properly marketed in the U.S. dressage market I was fortunate to have made a super friend in Jerez who welcomed us into his large and loud family and introduced me to the Andalusian and Lusitano breeds. His wife is from Portugal otherwise I don't think the proud Spaniard would have entertained keeping both breeds in his rather lovely stables. It gave me a great opportunity to see the differences and similarities in these breeds. Needless to say, I was smitten.

Our friends gave us the opportunity to purchase mares and to breed to the stallions of our choice from either their own or from their wealth of friends who had stallions available. Generously they offered their advice on well thought out matches and before long we had foals arriving in Spain. Of the several we bred I imported just one, the others being quickly snapped up by Spanish and Portuguese breeders and competitors.

In our home breeding program it was inevitable that we would switch from the 100% warmbloods and start to incorporate some other breeds. I wanted well moving 'mutt' ~ horses that had good movement and minds but that would begin and stay sound. Our market to international level riders was now saturated and the trend had moved to shall we say, horses with lots of high knee action and very refined bodies with longer necks. It was not a trend I liked or horses that I found pleasurable to ride so we sold off our Foundation mares and breeding stock and set about working with cross bred horses.

There are an amazing number of breeds that can and do work well in dressage circles when you look at it. The leading Grand Prix amateur horse in the U.S.A. Fynn, ridden and trained by my long time friend Candace Platz D.V.M., is an example. Belgian blood and a PMU rescue, he found himself with Michelle Gibson before Candace purchased him and took him to the top level.

Our home stables in Stamford, NY ( a lovely area of the Catskills by the way), was now full of mostly cross breds. One Hanoverian gelding was the lone ranger of the old days. The others were mixed Andalusian/Percherons/Dutch Warmbloods/Thoroughbreds/Belgians/Lusitanos.

The breeding market was soft for many years and after a three round filly foaling seasons in 2010/11 we decided to pause from the breeding for a bit until the market picked up. The lack of a decent AI vet in the area also factored in at that time.

Then last year, 2016 we were talking with our friend in Jerez and he suggested we breed one of his private stallions, a lovely cross bred Andalusian/Lusitano from the Brio lines, Bailerin Bruiso that I had ridden in Sanlucar years before to one or more of our mares and do a complete outbreeding. As he had exchanged frozen semen from this stallion in part payment for the last foal we had bred on his farm (that he kept), I thought long and hard about it.

The fillies we had were a good age for first breeding, 5 and 6 years old. I confess that we had not done much with them training for dressage wise. One of the three had been started in longe work. We had always planned to breed them as part of the program and had not foreseen how long the market would stay soft. They are all sired by the world class and Canadian Team horse Gambol. A super black beauty that competed successfully under Ashley Holzer on the Big Tour. His conformation was immaculate. I do not say that lightly. His head was sometimes in the clouds but he was a lovely sort.

Two of the fillies dam lines were the same, a sweet Belgian mare that was a love bug, Amore WVH. She is a tough horse, well put together and a delight to be around. As the two mares were full sisters we elected to breed the youngest one, who showed slightly better balance in the trot and canter and has the wildest dark brown chocolate coat with cream mare and tail. The other mare was out of a high class NY bred Thoroughbred, Ms. Montana aka Versailles WVH. This dam has a huge floaty trot and lots of buzz and also had good conformation. Her daughter is a beautiful dark bay, who has darkened just in the last year to be even darker and continues to grow into her father's phenotype.

I am glad we waited so long to breed them. The mares are all still growing taller and they are all continually changing color. Every season they seem to shed closer to black. Weirdly, even the chestnut one.

So with the aid of a good friend and a retired breeding expert vet, we bred the mares with frozen and crossed our fingers, toes and eyes. We did not anticipate they would take on first try though my Spanish friend had warned me the semen quality stats were not just impressive to read, which I could see for myself, but that they translated into good pregnancy numbers. Naturally, they took on first try so the first baby was here before the snow had left!

So as we speak we have one beautiful colt, Extravagancia WVH, who I believe will go gray. He has an Olympic medal winning line in his topline and Gambol on his grand-sire side. Needless to say we are totally smitten and as my husband Paul's Grand Prix horse Lafite is 22 years old this year, this colt will be his replacement ride and so is not for sale.

 

It is incredible to be able to see the Iberian influence in this colt's every move. He has the canter that collects easily and an amazing balance. He is not so keen to trot. Another indication of his Iberian nature and heritage. He has good leg length and is nice and straight and has inherited the size from his 16.3hh dam. I believe he will be tall.

There is nothing quite like knowing the granddam, having bred the mare and now seeing the 3rd generation in front of your eyes. Carefully constructed by your input from choice of mates to handling and upbringing of the mare. You see the mare's nature and level of trust clearly imparted positively to the every day moments in life that the colt collects as he grows.

The other mare we are waiting on! Day 347 as we speak and little signs of making her maiden delivery debut except for some mild bagging and ventral swelling.

While these horses can be registered AWS we are in no need of paperwork to tell us how lovely they are and how worthwhile this cross breeding has been. Our two Grand Prix horses aged 17 -22 are still going strong with not a day of unsoundness or issue. The new baby we wait to see of course - you never know how things develop.

After years in the horse sales business from our programs it is no longer important to me to have paperwork from breeding registries ( which is expensive to garner ) even if the horses are for resale. The horse will clearly demonstrate his own talents and nature and the owners we cater to are serious amateur riders who want a good sound horse that can excel through the national levels and FEI, but that is not likely to make the Olympic team ( although never say never), and the price point reflects this.

I have I suppose come full circle in my dressage world.

Here's looking forward to the next foal and seeing what life holds in store for Extravagancia WVH and the gals!

Horse Marketing 101: 30 years of experience taught me....

So here you are with a dream that ends in a nightmare viz buying a horse or even worse horses with a plan to 'flip' them with your supreme and unsurpassed training skills. A dream and a nightmare it will become.

Very occasionally you may just get lucky enough to take something pretty awful and 'done' and make it into something useful and financially beneficial to you. However, ( as the saying goes)," You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." Let's just face it. You can work really hard, throw all the meds and supplements you wish at this 'investment' and work really, sincerely hard trying to train this horse to be someone. Yeah. Occasionally you can get lucky and it can work. But be realistic.

You may not count your time as worth $$ or even fritter it away but I am certain your family values your time and attention even if you have no measure of it. A horse that comes to you cheap or free is never either. Not unless you truly know the seller/breeder/contact and have an established positive relationship.

Why fight reality. Just as soon as that horse that you bought cheap from a kill-pen or just on the cheap ( very noble but know you have a very Mt. Everest battle and better be prepared to spend some $$)., the chances are that unless this is a horse for your kid, friend, self with no strenuous demands to be made of it, you will have a real deal issue selling it on or 'flipping' it. Horses are not houses. They are living beings with mental fragility and physical limits.

So, if you are truly interested in taking the talents you have as a trainer ( of which I am sure there are many) and bringing a horse along to sell him/her on then start, at the very least, with a sound one.

This means the expense of a full veterinary pre-purchase work up and Grade A ( as we say in the U.K.) X-Rays and ultrasounds. Buyers will accept nothing less regardless of what you think. They will hum and haw, they will waste your time. You will put every effort forth to be thwarted by the science.

So. Although it is hard not to buy the horse you identify with/can help/rescue or otherwise be realistic. If you truly are bringing the horse to your barn to put on some good training and resell and help your bottom line find a sound, well bred youngster and go from there. The work you do is the same. The $$ you receive at the end of the 'flip' will otherwise be completely disappointing. And when that happens. As it will. Remember. You are not a gold miner you are a horse trainer. Start with something good and make it exceptional. And please. Listen to the vet report. They know what they are talking about!!

Always buy the best quality you can afford with a full vet report.

On the Road Etiquette for the Horse Owner

When you take your horse to an event or to another barn for a clinic/trail ride or board it at livery etc. it would seem obvious that if your horse damages property belonging to another person that you, the horse owner, would offer to pay for the repair.

It seems increasingly apparent that many riders/owners don't seem to regard this as necessary at all. Some claiming such nonsense as, " Horses do damage, you should expect that."

Well it is true horses do damage fences/buildings/stall walls/gates/buckets etc. in the course of their misbehavior and exuberant moments. But if you place your horse in a stall, or use cross ties or equipment at the event or location and your horse breaks something you should not expect to walk away without making restitution.

Not only is paying up the right thing to do, but you will find news travels fast in the horse world and your reputation will be badly blighted. Perhaps even to the point of you being denied access to some future event or barn altogether.

It is no fair to the barn owners or event management to do anything less. Think about how you would feel if it was your barn. It is hard enough to make a living working with horses without the additional burden of poor horsemanship which walking away without making restitution most certainly is.

As the barn owner or event manager I would not hesitate to send an invoice for damages if they go unpaid on the day. Or even better, don't redeem the deposit. Though a deposit does not always cover the costs of the repairs.

What goes on behind closed doors?

There is a worrying trend in fake news and fake claims and the equestrian world is not immune from the same issues. I recently saw photos that were clear exhibits of the dreaded rollkur training posted on social media and no, they were not of Dutch or German riders but of that most heralded school, the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

To say I was shocked would be a massive understatement. Further research on my part yielded photos taken in 'off public' warm up spaces at Essen taken two years ago. However once I started researching the photos didn't stop. They even included photos of the morning sessions at the hallowed reitschule hall in Vienna. Of 20 or so horses 19 were in some variance of the rollkur position.

While the breeding practices in Europe have in some instances seem to have erred toward producing untrue gaits and unruly chaotic trots and dropped backs, this turn in events in Vienna causes me to wonder just how far does the mighty Euro - which is much needed to fund the ongoing establishment of the SRS need to be diverted and who is at the helm of this unsteady ship?

Even SRS Oberreiters have come out in public to decry the overuse of the horses at the SRS in the daily schedule and the use of this all too familiar awfulness that is rollkur.

In my early years in dressage I was very much schooled in the classics handed down from Alois Podhasky who must be turning in his grave at all the goings-on. Since then, like any competitor/trainer I have taken lessons and clinics with a myriad of trainers. French, German, Swiss, Austrian, Hungarian, Cuban, Spanish and Portuguese, British of course, Finnish and more. That journey of more than thirty years has brought me back to the classical training more than once. I did once work with Dr. Shulten-Baumer and Isabell Werth for example, and they did propose overbending in training. I attended Lendon Gray doing similar actions behind closed doors with a Dutch stallion. It was the 'new way' of the day. But I do believe that many of us did our own math and quickly discarded the new fangled methodology which actually isn't that new if you look to the history books on dressage. I also worked with the renowned Herbert Rehbein, a man of few words but with an uncanny ability to convey the rightness of a given moment in training or the wrongness in no uncertain expression and worked with followers of true classical ethic of both huge name and of more minor fame.

It appears to me that today many students that attend our clinics are being brought along by trainers whose sole purpose is to show off the piaffe steps too early for the horse to know which leg is even on the floor never mind when, the respect for the gymnastic ability of the horse at any given time being overlooked.

Work your horse with kindness and a give him a solid education

I urge all dressage trainers to be vigilant and honest in their training for our students are the next generation and need to properly understand the vagaries of extreme training and the resultant unkind actions this produces on our friend, the horse. A famous trainer and US Olympian once stated he blows through six horses to find the seventh that will make the Grand Prix. Shame on him.

The horse and his well-being must always come first.

Elbow jabbing, body blocking. What we put up with to get the story..

Unbelievable. What are we doing in 2016? Well, not me, but others.

On a recent expedition to cover the HITS $1 million Grand Prix event you would think we were vying for a presidential interview, nod or comment.

An old ( and def. old) lady reporter who I guess now writes as freelance writer actually back pumped me while I was taking a photo. When I stumbled and stepped back to regain my balance she acted as though it was my fault. 'Ouch!' she exclaimed although I had not touched her feet or any part of her. The group of A list showjumpers signing autographs for a group of kids looked up with concern.

What????

At the press conference in a tiny room that was professionally handled by the HITS PR folk we were totally blocked from taking a photo by a long legged praying mantis of a chap. I am not sure why he would worry over us having access as an all volunteer publication but I guess he doesn't ask first. He pushed me out the way nearly landing me on the couch. I stood my ground more by luck than judgement because I may have weighed more than him.

What?

On the plus side and I will name names. Beth Raisin of The Chronicle of the Horse was there too. Professional. Her dog came to my chair row behind to hang out with me while she was asking questions of the panel. I didn't mind. I love dogs. It totally amused Jessica Springsteen, Brandi, Catherine etc. if not Tom Struzzieri who was perhaps oblivious and the German course designer who was an absolute sweetheart, bowing to me when I interviewed him later. Though we know he had a very rough week.

Well I used to play hockey, netball and soccer and can elbow and push with the best of them. I suppose I could commandeer a level of bitchiness if I needed to do though that kind of activity was only ever vaguely on my skill set, I am sure I can muster some sort of protective nonsense out of my motherhood experiences. I'd just like to say, maybe don't 'poke the bear.,' as my kids might say today. There truly is room for manners, etiquette. We are not covering O.J.Simpsom on courtroom steps after all. Get a grip folks and a perspective. Seriously. Looking back it was all quite amusing. But it was totally unexpected.

Clinic Versus Lessons

There is a deal of difference between participating in a clinic as opposed to taking a lesson. As a Grand Prix dressage trainer offering both I am often asked by regular students whether they should bother participating in one of our clinics if they already take regular lessons. The answer is yes.

While we (myself and my fellow Brit husband) offer coaching at showgrounds to both regular students and clinic students, the latter we may see only a few times per year so our influence over their progress will be minimal. In a clinic we meet many new faces as well as returning ones, so we have very little time to address all the training issues we may see and have to focus on the key ingredients for improvement taking the most major faults first. Once these have been successfully addressed we can make sincere progress with the horse and rider. At a regular lesson, we can clearly see the result of what homework has or hasn't been done by the student. Our influence is obviously significantly increased as we are able to work together on a regular basis.

However at a clinic, our regular students will have a chance to work in front of an audience and at a different location. The number of auditors at a clinic varies considerably as some hosting barns highly encourage and solicit auditors and others do little to bring in new faces. This is an opportunity as a hosting barn to showcase your facility and bring in new boarders and students, so it is a shame if you don't take it up. At a clinic the regular lesson students will have a chance to showcase their work and improvement and while they may receive a similar lesson to one we would give them at home, they will be duly challenged just as the other clinic participants will be. They will have the opportunity to share their learning with the auditors, and will see how they handle riding in a higher pressure environment. This is a great outing for both horse and rider. Whether or not you intend to show, trailering your horse off the farm to a new environment is refreshing and a great test of your partnership. If the clinic is at your regular barn where you board, you have the chance to meet new horse people that come in to ride and to audit.

Paul Alvin-Smith training Kate & Patch at Northfield Farm, Otego, NY

As a clinic participant you also have the opportunity to audit lessons of eight or ten others on the same day. This will give you a chance to see how the clinician progresses riders and their horses past your own level as well as reminds you of how far you have come and helps you retain the knowledge you have already obtained and consolidate your understanding of the gifts in your riding toolbox.

A clinic is not a symposium and many riders get this mixed up. At a symposium the clinician will address the auditors and explain in detail what they see and showcase how they resolve issues and improve the rider and horse. There may be a question and answer session between rides. The riders have often already been taught by the clinician the previous day and the clinician is not training riders they have not seen go before. The text and content of the symposium has often been discussed beforehand between clinician and riders and the ride road-mapped.

At a clinic the rider will receive a lesson based around their individual needs. The auditors will benefit from listening to a wide variety of training issues and advice. As an added bonus you might also receive sponsor prizes or gifts as a thank-you for participating in the event.

Clinicians at a clinic will usually make themselves available over lunch to chat with all attendees. However, at a symposium they may disappear with the host of the event to eat and relax.

As a regular lesson student attending a clinic you will have the chance to meet other riders and network in others in the horse world over lunch. You may receive feedback and lots of support from other auditors attending who have enjoyed seeing you ride. It is a wonderful opportunity and one you should not miss.