Forward Thinking Dressage

10/04/2026

We are off and running on day two at Bridle Brook!
This is Elizabeth Caron and Ronkal KP.

10/03/2026

We're off to an excellent start today at the clinic at Bridle Brook in Connecticut!

09/18/2026

👀 DON’T JUST WATCH THE RIDE. LEARN TO SEE THE TRAINING.

Tomorrow, The Educated Eye begins.

And if you’re auditing, we don’t want you sitting ringside wondering, “Okay…but what exactly am I supposed to be looking for?”

So we made you something. ❤️

Every auditor will receive The Educated Eye clinic workbook—a 16-page field guide designed to help you follow the training happening in front of you.

Inside, we’ll help you learn to watch for:

🟢 Balance, rhythm, straightness, contact and suppleness
🟢 What Gwyneth notices—and whether you noticed it too
🟢 The tool or exercise she chooses to address it
🟢 What actually changes in the horse afterward
🟢 How those same training principles translate to jumpers, hunters and western horses

There are ride-by-ride observation pages, arena diagrams for sketching exercises, a place to park your questions, and a take-home training toolbox so the learning doesn’t disappear when the clinic ends.

Because the goal this weekend isn’t to turn everyone into a dressage rider.

It’s to make us better horsemen with a more educated eye.

The Educated Eye
A Dressage Clinic with Gwyneth McPherson
📅 September 19–20, 2026
📍 Outback Equestrian LLC • DeLand, FL
👀 Audit the entire weekend •

Dressage • Hunters • Jumpers • Western • Eventers

Tomorrow we stop talking about it—and start training our eyes.


Forward Thinking Dressage
Morgane Schmidt
Angela LaVe-mayer

09/02/2026

That trendy, expensive, “majikal” bit might promise a softer, more responsive horse — but what if it’s actually hindering your training?

A bit cannot create suppleness, collection or correct contact. It can only allow the rider to develop those qualities through thoughtful, educated training. And sometimes, the simplest tool in the tack room is still the most effective.

In this installment of Training in the Right Way, Gwyneth McPherson of Forward Thinking Dressage explains why the loose-ring snaffle remains such a valuable communication tool—and why reaching for a stronger or more specialized bit may cause a horse to brace, evade the contact or stop seeking the rider’s hand altogether.

Before changing bits to solve a training problem, ask yourself: Is the bit helping you communicate—or getting in the way?

Read the full article here: https://loom.ly/eLY78zQ

What bit does your horse go best in?

04/12/2026

Elizabeth Caron doing a super job with Olympia KP, owned by Cynthia Clarke Paolillo.

04/12/2026

The weather is a bit more sun and a little less bluster this morning. 😅

Looking forward to another day of excellent riders and horses!

This is Katie Rodriguez and Eden.

04/11/2026

Off to a super, albeit chilly, start here today in Connecticut! It's great seeing everyone. I'm looking forward to some excellent rides today!

02/25/2026

I’ve been saying that I would put together a reading list for a long time. Here it is. Well, just the beginning…

01/14/2026

Thinking about wintering in The Swamp (Florida)? 😅

This week’s Training in the Right Way breaks down what to prepare for, what not to underestimate, and how to set your horse up for success instead of setbacks if you're hauling south for the winter.

Read the full article:
https://loom.ly/Ogzl4DI

01/14/2026

It’s that time of year again… I don’t miss making that trek! Happy to just live here now!!

It's the time of year when riders participate in a mass exodus from the northern states in favor of riding somewhere that *DOESN'T* make their faces hurt (or their horses attempt to yeet them). Here are some of the things you need to think about if you intend to move horses south for training and...