D4K Weekend Equestrian Program Proved Popular Once Again
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Bedford, NY
– Olympians Lendon Gray and Ali Brock headlined the excellent 17
th
Annual Dressage4Kids’ Weekend Equestrian Program on January 26-27
th
at Chase Collegiate School in Waterbury, CT. Almost 40 speakers presented on all topics related to horses and riding, providing a fun-filled and educational weekend for nearly 200 attendees each day. Each presentation had enthusiastic horse lovers who really enjoyed learning from experts in many equine-related fields.
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A key theme of the weekend was doing everything you can to become the best you can be. Founder of Dressage4Kids, Lendon Gray, asked the audience, “What are you doing
other than riding your horse
? What else are you doing to improve your riding and your horsemanship? You owe it to yourself to take responsibility and do your part.” Olympian Ali Brock echoed these sentiments with the quote, “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance”. As she shared the story of her journey from working student to the Olympics, some key takeaways stood out. She emphasized over and over again how important horse care and horsemanship are. As a steward and partner for your horse, it is your responsibility to give your horse the best possible care physically and emotionally, and to know your horse inside and out so you can help make good decisions for him. Part of the job of the rider is also to give the horse the opportunity for positive learning experiences and to build his confidence. The confidence of the rider is also not to be overlooked. Ali said there are so many people out there who will say you can’t [do something] that it’s really important to have someone in your back corner telling you that you really
can
do it. And you have to be open to the possibility!
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Following on this theme, there were presentations on many aspects of horse care and health. Several veterinarians covered important subjects including Gastric Ulcers and Gastroscopy, Equine First Aid, Acupuncture for Performance, the Importance of Vaccinations, and Lameness Evaluations. Some advice from trainers covered the best exercises for each situation and also how important it is to cross-train your horse with cavaletti work, trail riding, and keeping them mentally and physically fit.
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Many presentations emphasized a range of horse care advice from the correct feeding of grain, best hay selection, barn safety and management, and what is involved in designing a barn – to the importance of consistent equine dentistry, saddle fit, and reading the horse’s behavior. The rider was not forgotten as there were several helpful talks on learning styles, planning your warm-up, and how to deal with pressure, plus advice on competing for both parents and new riders.
People enjoyed hands-on Centered Riding exercises, and several speakers explained programs available to young riders and their benefits, including what to expect from your first few lessons. The art classes were popular with the younger attendees, as were the Quiz Games and, of course, the interviews with Lendon Gray, during which young attendees got lots of great advice in answer to their questions! Lendon also gave a popular talk sharing advice on the ins-and-outs of competing from the lowest to the top levels of international competition.
Once again the Weekend Equestrian Program, sponsored by Dressage4Kids, brought top experts to Connecticut to speak on a variety of important equestrian subjects. For information about the
Weekend Equestrian Program
, go to
www.dressage4kids.org
or contact Susan Sieber, Event Coordinator, at
[email protected]
or at (203) 223-4261.
To view some of the pictures from the weekend,
click here
.
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Dressage4Kids, Inc
. is a non-profit organization incorporated for the express purpose of providing educational and competitive opportunities for youth riders and the adults who support them. To learn about Dressage4Kids and the programs it provides, view the website at
www.dressage4kids.org
.
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