The Natural Dressage Forum

Name: Sonya
Loc.:Ga. USA
PNH Level: playing L-2, also, applying NH using Dennis Reis.
Dressage Competition: Just lessons, no competition
Years with Horses: Rode a plow horse on the farm as a 12 year old, but really took lessons at the age of 27. That would be adding 22 years...which makes me 49 next month... Rolling Eyes

:shock:

Dressage: Took 3 day event lessons and did some mock fox hunts for approximately 3 years.
NH: Started in Aug. 2004 with PNH and got L-1 in April 2005, after 2 clinics in Ga. Added the No Dust Club to my life 5-6 months ago. Like it, too.
Information about my horses:
3 TWH and one Arabian. I do Field Trials and Trail Rides. I use to compete in Endurance with the AERC.
Why Dressage? Because it is the basis for everything.
How Introduced to Forum? Member told me about it.
Lesson Learned: Patience is a virtue.
Favorite Horse quote: The outside of a horse in good for the inside of a man.
Favorite Dressage Trainer/Rider: Rider...Karen Rolfe. I can't say on trainer...

Nice to be here. Thanks for the invite.

Sonya

Name: Becky
Location: Illinois
Level: Complete beginner
Yrs in horses: Over 25 years
Yrs in PNH: five years
Horses I play with:

Jazz; 17 year old Polish Arabian mare. I have had Jazz since she was about 8 months old. She is a gorgeous, bold, forward moving mare and is my Levels horse. We are fininshing our Level 2 assessment but doing a lot of Level 3 tasks. She is awesome!

Tango: 8 year old chestnut with flaxen mane and tail. CMK bred Arabian mare through and through. Fabulous in all ways. She is level 2 and playing our way though separation anxiety issues. Can't wait to keep going with her! SHe is my endurance ride prospect for the future.

Marina: She is Tangos younger sister by one year. Also totally CMK in breeding. They are very different horses in spite of being out of the same mare. Marina is very curious, highly volatile and loves to work! She is extremely sensitive and lets me know the second I get out of balance. She also gets her dignity offended at the drop of a hat. She is very challenging and unbelievably fun!

Sissy: My husbands QH mare. I don't play enough with her but she is a blast when I do. A very curious and happy horse with plenty of zip. She loves the games on the ground especially.

How: I have loved dressage all my life but never had the opportunity to pursue it until now. Like many people I thought dressage was only for the rich and the enlightened. I never dreamed I would ever acquire the knowledge to ride dressage movements.
( My first sidepass was going down a gravel road, bareback and in her halter after a trail ride. I thought it was a fluke so I tried it the other direction. The feeling of floating side to side for a half a mile! I wish I had a picture of my face the first time I felt what it was like to "dance" with your horse. I will carry that mental image with me forever.)

How: I have had the priviledge to audit several clinics with Karen Rohlf and she mentions the forum on her newsletters.

Most important: Keep the relationship first and all else will follow

Quote: Live to ride.., ride to live

Trainer: Karen Rohlf

Name: Jennifer
Loc.:TX. USA
PNH Level: Left PNH at L2
Dressage Competition: Just lessons, no competition
Years with Horses: 20 years
Dressage: Not showing - working on training scale:)
NH: Started in Aug. 2004 with PNH - Loved PNH & Linda - Hated the marketing and some other stuff
Information about my horses:
13 year old Thoroughbred - Sweet, gentle, and self-confident
Why Dressage? Because it is the basis for everything.
How Introduced to Forum? From Yahoo days
Lesson Learned: It's not about the *****.
Favorite Horse quote: nicker, nicker, nicker:)
Favorite Dressage Trainer/Rider: I love Walter Zettl's style and manner

I really appreciate the willingness of this group to look at other sources and clinicians - thank you so much for being here.

Name: Lori
Loc.:South Carolina
PNH Level: Just finished L1, working on Leve 2
Dressage Competition: No lessons in about 10 months, focusing on PNH L1
Years with Horses: 15+ on and off
Dressage: Not showing, no lessons presently, my TB has done a few
NH: Started in Dec 2006
Information about my horses: 9 yo OTTB gelding, will share more in a moment
Why Dressage? I love to watch the movements and feel like it's yoga for horses
How Introduced to Forum? Savvy Club website
Lesson Learned: It's not about the *****.
Favorite Horse quote: 1) She flies without wings - - more on that in a moment, 2)There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. ~Winston Churchill
Favorite Dressage Trainer/Rider: No real fav, a friend from my barn takes lessons with Walter Z several times a year, so I guess he would be it

I am a 37 yo Registered Nurse. I live near Charleston, South Carolina. I have been around horses all of my life. I was introduced to dressage formerly by a friend in the late 90's. I was able to go to the Olympic Dressage competition when they were in Atlanta. I fell in love with the beauty of it first and then fell in love with what I feel is the concept of balance and a healthy body for my horse (and of course the challenge for me to be a better rider).

I rescued a TB filly back in 2000 and went through some really tough times to even get her where I could ride her. We were finally starting to get somewhere when I lost her in a freak rearing incident in Jan 2005.

That's where my first favorite saying comes from a book my Mary D. Midkiff entitled "She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul". A MUST read for anyone!!!! I got that book after Bobbie passed away and that is the inscription on her burial marker.

But, through her, I met my present group of friends and Parelli-aholics. So, her life and death have brought so much to my life, I can't have any regrets about our path.

So, then I took a long time to "recover" from her loss and in the summer of 2006, I started looking for a new partner. I knew I still wanted to try dressage and also do PNH. I came across a local eventer who re-trains and places OTTB's. That's where I saw "Wilson" on her website and his almost tragic story!!

Sorry - please indulge me a moment - - I am not sure what he did directly off the track, but his prior owner was using him for 3 day eventing and had a "falling out" with her trainer, took him out on her own and was using draw reins etc. on him. She took him to an event and he was in first place after the dressage portion and then in the stadium jumping he refused a fence and was eliminated. She loaded him up and drove him to the slaughter house. Thank goodness a local rescue in New York saw him there (still with his halter/name plate and shoes) and got him out. Amy was in their network of contacts so she took him. She paid the rescue, transport down to SC, vetting, dentist, chiropractor etc. in July of 2006. She had taken him to 2 events where he had placed 1st out of 12 and 2nd out of 9 in the Dressage.

So, I saw him on the web page, rode him on Wednesday and "adopted" him on Friday!! I did not get him vetted, wasn't worried about that - - I will not be jumping him and we started on our journey. I took 2 months of Dressage lessons on him from October to December of 2006 when I made the decision to just not worry about it and dedicate our training to PNH.

So, we passed our L1 with Carol Coppinger in January and I am letting him just learn to be a horse and gain as much confidence with as many things as we can. I had pretty much "given" up on Dressage, but seeing this group listing in a Savvy Club posting has given me new hope that I can do both. He's so beautiful and has such wonderful carriage that I hate to not try it. I just want it to be fun and comfortable for him.

He's going to turn 10 on the 17th of this month. He is a Deputy Minister baby. He had 28 starts with 14 wins and several other place and shows.

The horse that Linda uses in the LHB trailer loading video reminded me a lot of Wilson. He has this horrible tongueing habit sort of like the teeth grinding that the demo horse was doing. By the end of the video, I was crying right along with Linda. What my sweet boy must have gone through.

He is a 16H, but a BIG 16 h. My vet thought he was a warmblood when he saw him the first time, which is funny because my vet is the main vet for several large TB training centers in this area - so he KNOWS TB's.

Anyway, his racing name was Pardner and when Amy rescued him - they re-named him Castaway (since he was cast away) and his barn name became WILSON (from the Tom Hanks movie CASTAWAY).

Well, that's our story and I'm sticking to it. I promise NOT to be so long winded in the future. I am just so glad and fortunate to have Wilson in my life and can't be thankful enough for PNH and am glad to see that I can keep both dreams alive now.

Thanks guys!!

Sincerely, Lori Reed

Welcome everybody!! Thanks for joining in!! Welcome

*First Name: Yvonne
*Location: Phoenix, Arizona
*Level of Dressage You School and/or Compete at:
-in past, have competed through 2nd level, schooled through 4th level
-last year competed at Training & 1st
*Number of Years In Horses: 21
*Number of Years In Dressage: 20
*Number of Years in PHN or NH: a little side of NH for 7 years, PNH for less than 1. Finished L1 & L2, just purchased L3.
*Info about horses do you ride/play with:
-Belle: 5 yo RPSI Warmblood mare, right brain introvert, I raised her from a yearling, did all of her (dressage) training & she won a USDF all breed award last year. Started to have some problems with her as she began to switch from very calm to explosive, and that's what led me to PNH! I plan to use the mental & emotional balance of PNH to help me train her to upper level dressage. I would like to continue to show, but the training (and keeping her happy) is much more important to me.
-Kendra: 9 yo Palomino Paint mare, left brain extrovert, I raised her from a yearling also. I trained her in dressage and qualified her for a USDF award a couple years ago, but she really didn't suit competitive dressage (my interest at the time). I've been riding her bridleless for several years and I've discovered she is a really great Parelli horse! She also enjoy tricks and fun stuff. She is pictured in my avatar.
*How you were exposed to Dressage and/or NH:
-Attracted to dressage right away, as I wanted a deep partnership with my horses.
-Used NH techniques ala carte for years, but started studying PNH after discovering the horsenality and horse behavior info.
*How you found this forum: through Savvy Club forum
*Most important lesson you have learned so far: The horse needs to have a voice in what we do together, and we need to listen to them!
*Favorite horse-related quote: "Common sense certainly is uncommon, if we are to judge by many of our popular ideas on horse management."--John Richard Young
*Favorite Dressage trainer/rider: Walter Zettl, Luis Lucio, Karen Rohlf
*Favorite picture of you and/or your horse:
thehorseshoof (dot) com/horselovers (dot) html
*Other fun stuff: I've studied classical dressage, competitive dressage, and French dressage. I keeping going full circle back to classical dressage. French was wonderful to practice, though difficult to learn (I took clinics with Jean-Claude Racinet for a couple years) but it did give me tools to help me teach my horse to piaffe and spanish walk. Competitive dressage, as I've witnessed, tends to be way too hard on the horse, though I'm sure there are people who do it a better way. It is very difficult to find good advice and instruction that is truly classical dressage. I've found Walter Zettl's books & DVDs to be the best resource for me right now.
I also give lessons part time to a few students, mostly beginners, and have found the Parelli info to be very helpful when teaching them.

Hi Everyone, my name is Kelli and I have been a rider for almost 30 yrs. now, both competitively and for pleasure. My passion is Dressage and Eventing. My husband and I own a 30 stall barn in N.Y. where we combine the priciples of Classical Riding with Natural Horsemanship. I am the "newbie" with N.H., it has always been a passion of my husbands, but in the past year I have started to incorporate it into my training of my horses and have had amazing results...I am thrilled, where have I been all this time !!!! I am hoping to learn and pick up many tips from all of you to become better partners with all of my own horses as well as those that I train, and to pass off this knowledge to all of my students. We have always been a very "open minded" barn and have worked based on the psychology of our animals, but you never stop learning. I am new to "message boards" so forgive me if I have posted this in the wrong spot or format. Cannot wait to hear from you all.

Kelli
Cedar Hollow Equestrian Center

Welcome guys!!
Kelli, check us out in the 'General Chat' part of the forum, that's where all the 'meaty' conversation goes on! Smile

*First Name: Melissa
*Location: Cadet, Missouri
*Level of Dressage You School and/or Compete at:Training Level with some movements in higher levels already established.
*Number of Years In Horses:My family ( Aunt Virginia) has had horses all her/their lives. My horse bug though until I was 11 or 12 only consisted of watching the neighbor's horse, reading horse books and getting a magizine subscription that my dad bought me and once in awhile getting to ride double. have had horses exclusively though for 10 years!
*Number of Years In Dressage:Just started!
*Number of Years in PHN or NH: About 10 years.
*Info about horses do you ride/play with: Mostly Trail Ride but interested in doing Haute Ecole/Classical Dresssage I also like Reining, Cutting, Barrel Racing, Jumping (Hunter-Jumper) is ok. Hate Steeplechasing, Horse Racing, and love my horse and my self to much to do Eventing!
*How you were exposed to Dressage and/or NH: Well it was my dad that exposed me to Natural Horsemanship. For my (I think) 13th birthday he bought me Pat Parelli's Natural Horsemanship book!
*How you found this forum: Through danee she told me about it. I was formually on AND (Art of Natural Dressage) and after posting something about bits danee wrote me telling me about this forum.
*Most important lesson you have learned so far: When Knowledge Ends Bruitality Begins!
*Favorite horse-related quote: same as above!
*Favorite Dressage trainer/rider: None right now
*Favorite picture of you and/or your horse: Me hugging dakota while he lays on the ground!

*First Name: Chriss
*Location: Seattle WA
*Level of Dressage You School and/or Compete at: Training/First
*Number of Years In Horses: 20
*Number of Years In Dressage:16
*Number of Years in PHN or NH: About 3 yrs
*Info about horses do you ride/play with: I have a little boy (pmu baby) that I have sat on a couple of times and an 18 yr old TB mare that I am working with, I'm hoping to event her by next season Smile

*How you were exposed to Dressage and/or NH: I started riding Dressage when I was a kid eventing, when I went to college my trainer asked me not to ride on the hunt seat team, so I rode on the dressage team instead, and I fell in love! I found natural horsemanship with Terry Church a couple of years ago, I had a mare who needed some help to trust people, I couldn't believe the change this work made with her.
*How you found this forum: I ride with Kate
*Most important lesson you have learned so far: This thing we do is about the relationship between horses and their riders/handlers, you can only get as far as the horse will "submit" to unless you make them your partner
*Favorite horse-related quote: Show me your horse and I'll tell you who you are - English Proverb
*Favorite Dressage trainer/rider: Terry Church
*Favorite picture of you and/or your horse: I don't have any yet Sad

Chriss comes out of lurk-dom! Smile

I love your avatar, and I can fix the no-pic issue next time we have a sunny day!!

Welcome Chriss! Smile

How old is your PMU boy? What farm did you get him from? Where are you at with him and how are things going?

I am an eventer too and my horse is a nearly 3 year old PMU filly from Ravine Ranch in Manitoba. You will find lots of threads in the general chat forum about my 'adventures' with starting her! Smile

I am thinking about moving to Vancouver, WA, so if I do, maybe we can have baby play days (suggested by Kate!)! Smile

Hi Leheath

Quinn will be 3 next month, I actually don't know what farm he came from...it looks like he came from Binscarth Manitoba, but that's all I know (it was on his Coggins). I got him from a farm in Oregon, Parker Sport Horses, and he was halter broke and had very limited exposure to stuff. I've done tons of ground work with him and he ground drives, longes, moves with me/away from me, loads in my trailer and generally has good manners. (I say generally because he still does have his baby moments) It's been an adventure so far...

Let me know when you move, I would love to get together for some play time...lord knows Quinn can use the baby time Smile

*First Name: Michelle

*Location: Twin Cities, MN

*Level of Dressage You School and/or Compete at: Used to compete to Third Level, schooled to PSG. I'm also a USDF "L" graduate and judge local shows.

*PNH Level: Just passed 23 tasks of my Level 3 assessment

*Number of Years In Horses: 22ish

*Number of Years In Dressage: 14

*Number of Years in PHN or NH: 10, but only 'seriously" for 4

*Info about horses you ride/play with: My main man is Connor, 5yr old QH of extreme awesomeness, but I put my mind and hands on many more Smile

*How you were exposed to Dressage and/or NH: I was exposed to both really at the same time through an instructor named Ellie Stine-Masek who is now an "S" judge and L2 grad. I worked for her for three summers and we did bridle-less dressage demos at the big Scottsdale Arabian show for two years in 99' and 00'.

*How you found this forum: SC forum

*Most important lesson you have learned so far: My horse is my mirror and I love him

*Favorite horse-related quote: Not necessarily horse related, but "whether you think you can or think you can not, you are right".......or something to that effect.

That's me in a nutshell!

Welcome Michelle! How exciting to have someone with your experience in both dressage and PNH!! I, and I am sure many others on this forum, look forward to your contribution to our discussion.