East Coast Classical Dressage

06/08/2026

The trail home from the Cross Country field is beautiful but steep!

06/06/2026

Who wants to come play?

05/31/2026

Last day to enter our fun show! Classes will take place in our indoor arena and the outdoor will be available for warming up. Plenty of trailer parking available. A great opportunity to show at a quiet, stress free venue to kick off the season 😊

More entries are needed to be able to go ahead with the fun show, June 20th. See our website for details

05/26/2026

We are having a show prep workshop day on June 6th. Strategies for riding an accurate test, controlling pre-show jitters, and calling a test for another rider in the most helpful way are some of the things we will cover. A great opportunity to “rehearse “ for the upcoming show season. See our website for details www.eastcoastclassicaldressage.com

05/23/2026

When your baby horse steps up to give a lesson 🥰. Proud Mom moment!

05/22/2026

More entries are needed to be able to go ahead with the fun show, June 20th. See our website for details

05/19/2026

We had beautiful weather for our three days of riding with Patty John. She was a pleasure to host 😊

05/16/2026

All set up! Going to be a great weekend 😁

05/15/2026

Patty is here! The ride times are as follows
9am. - Tara
10am - Nicole/Gal
11am -Nicole/Sabira
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Matt
2pm -Michelle
3pm -Ashley
Looks like a great weekend weather wise as well. See you all tomorrow 😁

05/13/2026

Love this! It is so true 😊

Don’t poo poo the gateway drug.

Here’s a phenomenon I’ve noticed since “getting into” classical dressage:

People who identify as training classically LOVE to poo poo one another 💩 😂.

And honestly, I get it. I can see how deep that rabbit hole of learning goes, how nuanced it becomes and how passionate people are about the approach they’ve developed over decades.

But I’m also still close enough to the time when I hadn’t yet poked my head down that rabbit hole to remember how off-putting all the arguing over details can be.

I’m one of those people who won’t even start a TV series if there are already too many seasons because it feels overwhelming. Grey’s Anatomy has 23 seasons. What sort of sadist starts episode one knowing what level of commitment lies ahead? Not me.

I think classical training can feel a bit like that for a lot of riders. Too big. Too complicated. Too much.

So when someone shares a simplified explanation of a classical concept, or a version that isn’t perfectly aligned with your own approach, and the comments instantly fill with corrections, contradictions and debates over terminology - I guarantee there are people quietly reading who just switch right off and back away from the rabbit hole entirely.

Classical training is a journey none of us will finish in a lifetime.

But maybe we don’t need to tell people that in lesson one.

So next time you see someone sharing ideas that broadly align with your values, even if they’re simplified or imperfect, maybe think twice before poo poo-ing the gateway drug.

Because that little glimpse into a different way of training might have been the thing that eventually led someone much deeper into learning.