E.A. Dressage

04/28/2021

Do we have a toxic debt culture in the dressage world?
Does it sometimes get in the way of the horsemanship?

Here’s some of my thoughts, what do you think?

Your horse doesn’t owe you anything, he never has.

He never owed you in the first place. A horse is incapable of owing us anything.

He never asked for this life, these expectations were placed upon him.

It is not up to you to decide that he now doesn’t owe you anything because you feel good about achieving something together, because a dressage judge made you feel validated.

The burden of debt in this relationship is heavy in the other direction.

It doesn’t matter how much you paid for him, how many matchy-matchy sets you bought him, how much you’ve forked out in vets bills or even how many tears you have shed over him.

A horse is a horse, he came into this world to be a half-ton bunny rabbit. He doesn’t care whether he has designer parents or a fancy price tag. He cares about feeling safe and comfortable with his needs met. By some miracle, most of them also seek to cooperate with us once they trust our intentions.

He very graciously and generously goes along with our silly games and crazy ideas of ‘fun’ that serve him very little purpose, when in all honesty he would probably rather be in the field with his horsey friends eating grass.

Everyday I strive to make my debt to the horse right and be grateful for their cooperation (and understanding of their sometimes lack of cooperation).

And how can we do this?

*Seek knowledge – learn the theory,
*Try to be the best rider you can be – develop yourself and your independent seat,
*Ask reasonable questions of your horse – be clear and patient,
*Reward often, end the exercise, a rub, a soft word, doesn’t always have to be a cookie,
*Step away from the part of our ego that feels frustrated and angry, work on developing emotional control.

Take a step back, ask yourself how can I make this horse’s life better for him.

Some people are happy to keep their horses in a herd, never riding or training while some people have high sporting ambitions. A happy horse is never a ‘wasted’ horse. I have no judgement about the entire horse keeping spectrum as long as the horses’ physical/ emotional needs are met AND we remember that,

The horse owes us nothing, we owe him everything.

PC Beth Barkway Photography

05/23/2020

03/24/2020

Blingy browbands coming soon! We will be setting up an Etsy page so you can customize your own or buy one that we made. These are the three we made for my wonderful redheads

03/07/2020

Another very successful show in the books...I know I’ve said it before but I’m sooooooo proud of these ladies and these horses. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe they really are my horses and students. Love them sooo much and am so honored to call myself their coach!!!! Alex McMillen, Toni Thomas McMillen, Lori Seaberg Mingus😍😍😍😍

03/03/2020

When your head is just too heavy to hold up on your own in the middle of your massage you need a Cathy to hold it for you.

02/25/2020

"To the rider who wears cheap riding pants or leggings and rubber boots – good for you. You know that your horse couldn’t care less what you are wearing and you know how important it is to be comfortable when riding.

To the ‘all the gear and no idea’ rider – wow! You look incredible, your horse has everything it could ever wish for and you are keeping equestrian merchants in business. You don’t have to be a grand prix rider to wear matchy-matchy. Go, you!

To the rider who rides once a week (if they’re lucky) – brilliant! It is so difficult to fit horses in around the rest of our lives. It’s great that you make the time to do the most that you can with your horse.

To the rider who never rides their horse – no problem. I doubt your horse cares whether it is ridden or not. How lovely for your horse to spend its life being fed, groomed and grazing in the fields, not having to do any work.

To the rider who rides everyday – go for it! Your dedication is admirable and your horse is benefiting from a great fitness and training regime. Well done.

To the barefoot fanatic – I admire your passion. Barefoot is the best option for many horses. It is wonderful that you are trying to improve your horse’s comfort and foot health.

To the owner of the traditionally shod horse – fantastic! Shoes are the best option for many horses. It’s great to know that your horse’s feet are protected from the surfaces that we ask them to work on.

To the rider who trains with every professional and expert going – brilliant. What a wealth of knowledge and expertise you have access to.

To the self-taught rider – you must be so proud. What an achievement to have made all those discoveries yourself.

To the high-achieving rider – you inspire me. Your results and rosettes are impressive. They are not won without hard work, commitment and sacrifice.

To the rider who has never won anything – who cares?! Ribbons are not the be-all and end-all. As long as you enjoy riding, that is what matters the most.

If you are trying to win and have not had any luck – keep going. You will get there eventually. The hardest won successes are the sweetest.

To the owner who keeps their horse spotlessly clean, neatly trimmed and pulled – marvellous! I applaud your attention to detail. Your horse looks beautiful.

To the owner whose horse is caked in mud and has the odd dread lock here and there – I laugh with you! You know that horses love to roll and if you were to bath your horse today, you would find them in exactly the same mucky state again tomorrow. You know that your horse doesn’t care what they look like at all.

As long as your horse is happy and healthy, what you do with your horse is nobody else’s business. The only time anybody should interfere is if there is a genuine equine welfare issue, an issue regarding your safety or if you have specifically asked for advice or help. Otherwise, please let’s not judge others. ‘Each to their own,’ and ‘good for you!’ are great mottos to live by"

We all fail sometimes, things happen that test us, it's the wrong moment or mood and we say or do things that may cause unintentional affence to another - just apologise, learn and grow as a better person

Share the ❤ as at the end of the day we love and enjoy our horses the best way we can 🐴