Sara McGowan Dressage & Eventing

10/08/2026

✨ Please join us in congratulating Janet Olsen on the purchase of Princessa J, aka Birdie! ✨

Birdie joined our team earlier this year, and she has been an absolute joy to work with so far. Janet and Birdie have spent the summer taking their time to establish a strong relationship, build confidence, and get to know one another.

We’re so excited to see where this partnership takes them! Birdie is such a special mare, and we couldn’t be happier that she has found such a wonderful partner in Janet. ❤️

Here’s to a very exciting future for Janet & Birdie! 🥂🐴

09/30/2026

✨ Regionals Recap ✨

Very late to the recap, but we had an absolutely wonderful time at Regionals despite the monsoon rain! 🌧️

Daily Hit had some lovely, educational rides throughout the weekend. He competed in the 4th Level Championship, PSG Open, and PSG Championship, and continued to get better with every ride. Huge shoutout to JJ Tate for sneaking in a FaceTime lesson to help us tune everything up!

We ended our Regionals in pouring rain, placing 8th and in the ribbons in our PSG Championship class. I’m truly proud of the way this horse has developed and grown throughout the season. As always, we have plenty of work to do to become our very best, and there is so much education on the horizon. I can’t wait to see what he conquers in 2027 after some winter training. ❤️

Megan & Tiger also had some lovely rides and ended their season on a hugely positive note. This team has come so far this year, proving just how competitive a racehorse can be in the dressage ring. I’m incredibly proud of how hard they’ve worked and continue to work. I can’t wait to see what next season brings for them and for Megan’s up and coming young horse to start dancing! ✨

A huge thank you to Janet for the constant support, and to Katie and Franklin for making the trip down to watch, hang out, and cheer us on. It truly takes a village, and I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such great people. 🤍

On to next year! 🥂

08/30/2026

✨ Lamplight Recap ✨

Our team had a fantastic week at Lamplight, filled with lots of laughs, great rides, plenty of memories, and some fantastic drunk shopping!

Hannah and Brooke took a timeout from eventing and came over to Dressage Land for the weekend! They grew with every test they rode, walked away better than they came, and were so much fun to have as part of the group. We loved having you both!

Megan Waelti Tretow and Tiger put together increasingly confident and lovely tests throughout the weekend, setting themselves up to be very competitive at Regionals and adding another 70.0% to their season scores! 👏🏼

Although Katherine Schmidt and Falcon may be new to showing dressage, you never would have guessed it by watching them this weekend. Katie proved to herself that she absolutely belongs in the ring, while Falcon showed just how much he has grown, putting down consistent mid 60% scores all weekend.

Katie graciously handed the reins to Bailey Albertson for Day 3. Bailey has been out of the show coat for a few years, but you never would have known it! She gave Falcon some new experiences at a higher level and came away with one of the higher scores of the weekend: 71.1%! A huge cheer and welcome back to the ring from all of us! 🥳

Dash continues to gain experience and develop at the PSG level. Sara and Dash will keep working hard in their training as they navigate the ups and downs that come with this sport. They’re smoothing out the wrinkles and working toward becoming the pair they know they can be. A huge thank you to Janet for your never ending support and patience during this growing period. We truly couldn’t do this without you. ❤️

And as we all know… you don’t get a ribbon for winning the warm up, although they really should start doing that! 😂

A huge thank you to Taylor Spaude for being our photographer, reader, supporter, and teammate while sitting this one out. We appreciate you more than you know!

And a shoutout from afar to Jessica Franklin at the American Eventing Championships in Kentucky! You make us so proud. Good luck today in your show jumping round, we’ll be cheering you on from afar! 🏆🇺🇸

Another weekend in the books with an amazing group of people and horses. Onwards to Regionals in a few weeks! 🥂🐴

08/04/2026

Come join the team! ✨💙

✨Winterhaven Stables will have a main stall available coming September 1st! ✨

If you're looking for a wonderful place to board & train with Sara McGowan Dressage & Eventing look no further! Message me or the farm page for more information 😊

www.winterhavenstables.com

Pic of our Winterhaven mascot, Tilly, out on our beautiful cross country course!

08/03/2026

✨ Otter Creek Farm Dressage Fest Recap ✨

What a successful weekend for our team!

Dash continued to impress this weekend, gaining more confidence with every trip down centerline, and each test just keeps getting better. I’m incredibly proud of how he handled the atmosphere like a seasoned professional. He’s truly growing into this level with every outing, and feeling his confidence and consistency develop has been so rewarding.

Megan & Tiger put together beautiful tests all weekend, highlighted by a personal best 72.5% in First Level! This was such a well-deserved result and a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase all the hard work they’ve been putting in at home.

Taylor & Ziggy were absolute rockstars, earning a personal best 65.4% at Training Level! Taylor has been working her tail off, and this weekend she truly got to shine. I’m so proud of the partnership these two have built. Watching Taylor blossom into such a lovely dressage rider and Ziggy into a confident dressage horse has been incredibly rewarding.

A huge thank you to Janet Olsen for your unwavering support. Although you couldn’t be with us this weekend, you were only a text away the entire time. None of this would be possible without you. And a thank you to Bailey for making Dash sparkle!

And a special shoutout to Susanne at Ride or Die Equestrian Shop for my gorgeous new helmet! I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever ridden in a helmet this comfortable. It fits perfectly, looks beautiful, and I’m absolutely in love with it. Thank you for helping me find the perfect one!

We’re leaving Otter Creek with so much to celebrate and plenty of motivation as we set our sights on Festival of Champions at the end of August.

Morgan Chapman Media

Onward! 💙

07/25/2026

Meet the Team Behind the Scenes:

Sara is a professional dressage rider and trainer based out of Willow Run Stables and Winterhaven Stables in southeastern Wisconsin. She works with both dressage and eventing students across both facilities, as well as riders from neighboring barns, coaching and developing horse and rider partnerships every day.

She is currently campaigning Daily Hit (“Dash”) at the Prix St. Georges level. Dash is owned by Janet Olsen, a longtime student, owner, and dedicated supporter of Sara’s program. Thanks to Janet’s unwavering support and belief in the team, Sara and Dash have the opportunity to pursue their goals together.

Behind the scenes, Bailey Albertson serves as Sara’s groom, assistant, and social media manager helping keep the horses, clients, and day to day operations running smoothly while sharing the journey every step of the way.

Together, our goal is to create a positive, educational, and supportive environment where both horses and riders can thrive. Whether we’re at home, at a clinic, or in the show ring, we’re excited to bring you along for the ride.

We’re so glad you’re here and can’t wait to share our team, training, successes, and everyday adventures with you. Thank you for following along! 🐴✨

07/24/2026

Day one @ Otter Creek Farm Dressage Fest! 💙

07/14/2026

So excited to show off the new merch!!

Very thankful for Riders Boutique at Lamplight and Silk Screening Specialists in Grafton, for making the vision come to life! 💓

06/25/2026

✨ Congratulations to my student, Sue Strait, on the purchase of Beholden (“Martha”)!

Martha is a truly special young horse, and I couldn’t be more excited to see this partnership come together. I look forward to watching Sue and Martha grow together and all they will accomplish in the future. Wishing them the very best as they embark on this exciting journey. ✨