Elite Equine CO Training Team

03/20/2026

Congratulations to Renée McBride on making “Greenpoint” her new best friend! We can’t wait to see what you do together with Inside Track Training, LLC!

02/12/2026

Elite Equine CO is there to help as well.

In an ongoing effort to support equine welfare, US Equestrian is unveiling a new, free feature for recorded horses called Lifetime Care Contacts.

01/20/2026

The U.S. Equestrian Federation recently announced the launch of its new Lifetime Care Contact feature, a service which could help provide horses recorded with the federation a wider safety net should they ever require assistance. Through the voluntary program, people associated with a particular horse can sign up to be notified should that horse ever be in immediate need of financial or physical assistance.

Read more about the program at the link in comments.

📸 iStock Photo

01/10/2026

12/21/2025

11/15/2025

THIS! This is fundamental belief and procedures at Elite Equine CO Equestrian Retraining Team and Elite Equine Rehab - EER! Jumping should be flatwork with jumps in between!

When trainer Geoff Case watches riders flatting their horses, he sees a lot of the same thing: people lapping the ring, zoning out, and missing a huge opportunity. “It’s one of my biggest pet peeves,” Case said. “People just go around the outside, staring off into space. That’s not riding. That’s exercise.”

In Case’s eyes, flatwork isn’t just something to do when you’re not jumping—it’s where you actually become a better rider.

To Case, a good flat session should feel like a jumping round. “You should be riding lines, bending, adjusting your rhythm,” he said. “Every step is a chance to make something better.”

He encourages riders to ride patterns and turns with purpose. “Don’t just stay on the rail,” he said. “Use the whole ring. Make a circle, ride across the diagonal, do transitions in different places. Ride like you’re setting up for a jump.”

That kind of thinking builds skills that directly transfer to the show ring. “When you ride with that much attention, the horse gets sharper, you get straighter, and suddenly your distances show up easier,” he said.

The flat, he added, is where you learn timing, balance, and control without the distraction of fences. “If you can’t organize yourself between the jumps, you won’t do it over them either.”

For Case, good riding starts with details: straightness, rhythm, transitions, and connection. The riders who stand out to him in the warm-up ring are the ones who treat flatwork like an art form, not an afterthought.

“You can tell the difference between someone who’s just getting around and someone who’s actually training,” he said. “It’s in the way they ride their corners, how they prepare for a transition, how the horse looks in the bridle.”

That difference shows up in competition. “When you’re in the ring, it’s too late to be figuring those things out,” he said. “If you’ve already practiced being precise on the flat, it’s automatic when you’re showing.”

Case also pointed out that judges can spot the riders who do their homework. “Even in a jumping round, you can tell who spends time on the flat,” he said. “Their horses are balanced and adjustable. It’s obvious.”

Many riders, especially less experienced ones, rely on the rail for security or spacing. Case urges them to break that habit. “The rail becomes a crutch,” he said. “You stop steering, you stop thinking. You let the wall do the work for you.”

Instead, he suggests riding off the track, staying a few feet inside the rail to keep both you and your horse accountable. “When you come off the wall, suddenly you have to ride,” he said. “You’ve got to keep your line straight, keep the horse between your leg and hand, and make the turns yourself.”

At first, this can feel uncomfortable, but that’s exactly the point. “It’s supposed to feel different,” Case explained. “That’s how you know you’re actually doing something.”

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/11/15/get-off-the-rail-creativity-and-focus-in-flatwork/
📸 © The Plaid Horse

11/15/2025

✨ Reduced to move and open space for additional incoming horses. $🥕,🥕🥕🥕

Proudly offered with a current and clean PPE already done in November for marketing purposes! You don’t want to miss out on this cool OTTB!

10/30/2025

You won’t want to miss Gina’s presentation! She will have a booth as well so be sure to stop by. Thank you CHJA for giving Elite Equine Rehab - EER this opportunity!

10/08/2025

🌟Spotlight: “Where are they now?”

Congratulations to Anne and “Birdie” on their first show together and taking home ribbons on top of it! “Twistforme” (Birdie) graduated from our retraining program last year, and is loving her home with Anne in Arizona at DMK Performance Horses! Keep having fun you two! Great job, Denise!

09/16/2025

The rehab side of our organization is amazing and has some incredible new services!

09/07/2025

We’re so proud of Gina and thankful for the knowledge she has to help our horses!