Grand Prix international dressage rider Kim Herslow knows that correct position is one of the keys to good riding and her coach of five years, Olympic athlete Debbie McDonald, is a stickler when it comes to position, alignment and balance. “I think a lot of trainers don’t focus enough on the balance of the rider’s Read more
From silky smooth transitions to creative choreography, Kim Herslow knows that using professional freestyle designer Terry Ciotti Gallo of Klassic Kur LLC is the key to getting the best freestyle possible. Terry created the freestyle for Kim and her Hanoverian gelding, Rosmarin (Rosentanz-Wolendtaenzerin, Weltmeyer), whom Kim calls Reno. Kim and her horse have wowed the Read more
Terri and Devon Kane, passionate about their work with Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, are busy preparing for the non-profit’s Annual Dinner and Benefit Auction at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida, Friday night Feb. 2. The mother/daughter team, who own Diamante Farms in Wellington, dig in and help where needed to make Read more
JJ Tate must be one of the hardest working people in dressage. The Grand Prix rider based out of her own farm in Landrum, South Carolina, in the summer and Yellowbird Farm in Wellington, Florida, in the winter is a whirlwind of energy. She has trained 14 horses to the FEI-level, gone down centerline in Read more
Terri Kane took an idea she imported from Europe to spread breast cancer awareness and ended up coloring the US Dressage Finals pink. Several years ago, horse show organizers in Odense, Denmark, chose to highlight breast cancer awareness month by providing pink polo wraps to the horses in the awards ceremonies at the dressage show. Read more
Texans are tough. As Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters receded, the Houston Dressage Society (HDS) knew the show must go on and handily hosted the 2017 Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional 9 Championships at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas, just weeks after the storm left a path of destruction. Competitors passed around stories of survival just Read more
Pulling a horse through colic surgery is difficult enough, but when a 26-year-old gelding with Cushing’s Disease is the patient, it takes a talented surgeon and a dedicated nursing staff to have him back home 10 days later. The patient, Aladdin, and his best buddy, Whiskey, were left in the care of family while Read more
A cheeky 15.2-hand ¾ Connemara gelding and his 5’11” trainer have no time for nay-sayers. Nine-year-old Kynymont Gunsmoke’s Gideon and Grand Prix rider JJ Tate earned a 71.105 percent in the Open Intermediaire II at the Tryon Spring CDI3* and National Show, proving that good things do, indeed, come in small packages. “He was Read more
Lee Burton decided to take the plunge and today she celebrated her first CDI jog at the Adequan® Tryon Spring Dressage 1 CDI3*. Clad in coral, she stood out against the gray skies at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina, as she and her horse trotted out for the official jog. Burton and Read more
John Mason’s crystal-clear focus and rock-solid work ethic belie his 26 years, while his Texas-bred “yes ma’am” showcases his Southern-style manners. Mason, a licensed horse trainer and instructor trained in Germany, is the head dressage trainer at Tex-Over Farms in Conroe, Texas, just outside Houston. He started riding at the age of 4 and, at Read more
