#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS

Training in the Right Way: Bringing Your Horse Back Into Work

October 7, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #Training in the right wayComments Off

Horses need an incremental approach when returning to physical exertion after some time off. With the weather obliterating our training programs, it’s a solid time to review how to approach bringing your sound horse back into work after an unplanned break. (more…)

Training in the Right Way: Where Language Fails Us in Training

August 26, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #HORSE TRAINING, #horsetraining, #Training in the right wayComments Off

Language is a funny thing, being simultaneously necessary and unavoidably imperfect…
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Training in the Right Way: Limited Knowledge Is Limited Judgement

August 12, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking DressageComments Off

Because although everyone is entitled to their opinion, some opinions are of more objective value.
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The Idea of Order: Things My Horse Could Olympic Medal in…

August 7, 2024Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt, the idea of order#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #THE IDEA OF ORDER, horseshoes, olympic medalComments Off

That I’d rather he not.

Training in the Right Way: Olympic Dressage – Where Do We Go From Here?

July 29, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, DRESSAGE, dressage levels, Dressage4Kids, olympics 2024Comments Off

So much has already been said regarding the recent video of Charlotte Dujardin, some of it has been quite thoughtful, some not so much. Although I wasn’t sure that I wanted to add to the noise, I ultimately felt that I would like to offer a potential path forward.
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The Idea of Order: Telling Lies…

July 24, 2024Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt, the idea of order#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage as OCD, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #THE IDEA OF ORDERComments Off

Mostly to ourselves, which makes it ok. Probably.

The Idea of Order: ‘Sensible’ Vehicles…

July 17, 2024Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt, the idea of order#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #IDEA OF ORDER, sensible vehicleComments Off

Let’s talk semantics…

Training in the Right Way: Why the U.S. Should be Training Our Own Olympic Horses

July 14, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, classical dressage, competition dressage, DRESSAGE, olympics 2024Comments Off

The United States has come to rely on European bred and trained horses in order to field our international dressage teams, and this is problematic. Let’s talk about why.
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The Idea of Order: Waiving Jackets…

July 3, 2024Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt, the idea of order#APHA Dressage, #DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #THE IDEA OF ORDER, #USDF, #USDFRegionalsComments Off

A great idea in theory…

Training in the Right Way: Using the Dressage Arena To Maximize Your Training

July 1, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #dressage letters, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #HORSE TRAINING, #horsetrainer, #Training in the right way, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

Have you ever considered why the standard dressage arena is the very specific size and shape that it is? Spoiler alert: It does serve a purpose.
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Training in the Right Way: Knowing When It’s Time To Stop

June 17, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #HORSE TRAINING, #Training in the right way, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

When training, how do you know when it’s too little, or too much, or enough? It’s important to differentiate between doing too much and doing too little, as well as considering how each end of the spectrum can appear in — and affect the — training.
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Training in the Right Way: What to Look for in a Dressage Horse, Part 4 — Exercises for the Imperfect Horse

May 20, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #NonTraditionalBreedinDressage, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

This final installment of the four-part series on choosing a dressage horse takes a closer look at how specific dressage exercises can be used to improve the ride-ability of a less-than-perfect horse.
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Training in the Right Way: What to Look for in a Dressage Horse, Part 3 — Movement

May 6, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #NonTraditionalBreedinDressage, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

Today’s article takes a closer look at movement. In order to choose a horse for dressage, or evaluate the one you have, you need to understand what the base-line requirements for movement are, be able to visualize them, and understand why they are necessary.
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Training in the Right Way: What to Look for in a Dressage Horse, Part 1

April 8, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#CONFORMATION, #DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #horsetraining, #Training in the right way, #Training Scale, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

This is the first of a three-part series that explores what to look for when selecting a dressage horse. Today’s article focuses on the three parts needed for a successful dressage horse: temperament, conformation, and movement. (more…)

Training in the Right Way: The Components of an Effective Warmup

February 25, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Show, #Dressage Training, #Training in the right way, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

This week’s article discusses the purpose and parts of an effective warmup routine as well as some of the variations necessary for each horse.

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Training in the Right Way: Let’s Talk About Balance

February 12, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #Training in the right way, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

“[C]ollection creates better balance while performing harder tasks, which then also creates greater cooperation from the horse due to having the ability to stay balanced while performing these tasks.”

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The Idea of Order: What Happens in the Trailer…

February 7, 2024Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt, the idea of order#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #THE IDEA OF ORDER, #Training in the right wayComments Off

Absolutely does not stay in the trailer. In fact, it is often shared loudly across the show grounds.

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Training in the Right Way: Road to the Grand Prix — Milestones for Age and Level

January 15, 2024Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Showing, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, dressage levelsComments Off

A student asked for a timeline for the development of the Grand Prix horse. While there are all sorts of variations and time elements that may get in the way, there is a generally accepted, age-based expectation of the horse’s development.

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Training in the Right Way: Habits

December 31, 2023Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson, Uncategorized#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Training, #Forward Thinking Dressage, #Training in the right way, #USDF, #USEFComments Off

Since this is the season of New Year’s resolutions, it seems to be a good time to talk about habits and changing them, since the ability to do so is directly related to your ability to progress as a rider.

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Training in the Right Way: Classical vs Competition Dressage

December 17, 2023Gwyneth McPhersonGwyneth McPherson#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Training, #Training in the right way, #USDF, #USEF, classical dressage, competition dressageComments Off

This week’s article begins to look at the differences, and very important similarities, between classical and competition dressage. As with most things, the important truths tend to lie somewhere in the middle.

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Letter to the Editor: Michael Poulin Weighs in on Recent Gwyneth McPherson Article

September 27, 2023DeAnn SloanLetter to the Editor#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Dressage Training, #FEI, #Training in the right way, #USDF, #USEF, Letter to the EditorComments Off

Olympian and International Dressage Judge Michael Poulin Weighs in on Gwyneth McPherson’s recent article discussing some of the darker issues within the dressage community. (more…)

The Idea of Order: The Newest Equestrian Olympic Event

August 17, 2016Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt, the idea of order#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #rail birding, #Rio 2016, #THE IDEA OF ORDERLeave a comment

You’ll all tune in for this one, I’m sure…

Morgane’s Rio Dressage Recap: The Kur

August 15, 2016Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #FREESTYLE, #Grand Prix Kur, #Rio 2016Leave a comment

With a bottle of wine, a sparkly browband and 5 gallons of Starbucks, we’ve lured our resident rogue dressage queen Morgane Schmidt Gabriel into giving us her take on Olympics dressage, one day at a time. Here are her observations from the Grand Prix Freestyle!

Morgane’s Rio Dressage Recap: Grand Prix Day 2

August 12, 2016Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Rio 2016Leave a comment

With a bottle of wine and a sparkly browband, we’ve lured our resident rogue dressage queen Morgane Schmidt Gabriel into giving us her take on Olympics dressage, one day at a time. Here are Morgane’s observations from Day 2!

Morgane’s Rio Dressage Recap: Grand Prix Day 1

August 11, 2016Morgane SchmidtMorgane Schmidt#DRESSAGE #OLYMPICS, #Rio 2016Leave a comment

With a bottle of wine and a sparkly browband, we’ve lured our resident rogue dressage queen Morgane Schmidt Gabriel into giving us her take on Olympics dressage, one day at a time. Here are Morgane’s observations from Day 1!