Melodye Sweetin Dressage Alternative

About time.

FEI Announces Special Meeting To Tackle ‘Critical Juncture’ For Sport - The Chronicle of the Horse Charlotte Dujardin. Cesar Parra. Andreas Helgstrand. Blue tongues and hyperflexion. The dressage world has been hit by a series of controversies and scandals that have caused concern far beyond the confines of the horse community, leading riders and the general public alike to question just how high...

This.

Working with young horses is tough.

And not just in the "hold on and hope you stay in the saddle" kind of way.

No one warns you how challenging it truly is. How often you'll doubt yourself, wondering: Am I doing this right? Am I moving too fast? Too slow? Is this too much? Not enough? You'll constantly be questioning your approach, trying to figure out the best way forward while tuning out the opinions of the trainer down the road or the livery next door, who throws judgmental glances every time you do groundwork.

No one tells you how, on some days, you'll feel like you're failing. You'll question if this horse would be better off with someone else, convincing yourself you're either wasting their potential or outright ruining them. After all, there are four-year-olds excelling in young horse classes while yours is still struggling to trot in a straight line.

No one tells you how attached you'll become. This horse is your baby, maybe one you helped bring into the world. Every setback feels personal, like a wound to your heart. You care so deeply about their well-being that it physically hurts when things go wrong. You’ll also become fiercely protective—God help anyone who dares to criticize your horse.

No one tells you how humbling, even brutal, these horses can be. They'll expose every weakness you have and practically shout it from the rooftops. While they are forgiving, they have a way of knocking you down a peg, reminding you there's always more work to be done.

No one tells you how these horses will change you. They'll force you to look inwards, to question everything you thought you knew. If you thought you had everything figured out, this horse will quickly show you that you don't. But they'll also ignite in you a fierce determination to prove everyone wrong and show them what you saw in this horse from the very beginning.

No one quite tells you how difficult young horses can be, but anyone who's been through it knows...

As tough as they are, they’re absolutely worth it.

This.

The Dujardin scandal has rocked equestrian sport. Does it have a future at the Olympics? — The Athletic In the wake of the whipping scandal involving a three-time gold medallist, some want equestrian sport removed from the Olympic roster

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https://equusmagazine.com/news/be-a-guardian-fei-equestrian-care-initiative
It’s one thing to talk the talk, and another to walk the walk. This steward appears to be unaware 🫣

What a beginning to the Olympics ! You be the judge……

Footage of Charlotte Dujardin whipping horse in training has emerged ► Subscribe to Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSubSky Sports senior reporter Geraint Hughes explains why triple gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin ...

100% 🙃🙃🙃 Would you?

This.

The International Olympic Committee reports the Paris Olympics will achieve gender parity on the field of play for the first time. What the IOC labels a “monumental achievement” comes 72 years after an Olympic equestrian event first included both men and woman competing head-to-head!

Equestrian sports have been a unique arena in Olympic history for equal gender representation. Unlike many other sports, equestrian competitions allow men and women - as well as male horses and mares!- to compete against each other on equal terms. This feature has set equestrian events apart as a model of gender inclusivity since their inclusion in the Olympics in 1952, where women were finally allowed to compete in dressage and Danish rider Lis Hartel won silver! By 1964, they could participate in all three equestrian disciplines: dressage, show jumping, and eventing.

Success in equestrian events depends heavily on the harmonious partnership between rider and horse, rather than on sheer physical strength, where men typically have an advantage. This dynamic levels the playing field.

The visibility of women competing successfully alongside men at the highest level has provided powerful imagery that promotes the idea that sports can be a domain of true equality. Isabel Werth, for example,is the most successful Olympic equestrian in history with seven gold and five silver medals!

What about horses? Although they compete and succeed at the same levels, there are interesting differences between male and female horses. “That’s not to say either is superior at all – I’ve had successes with both. With mares, it’s about asking and suggesting and being patient to get the best out of them. In my experience, with geldings you get the best results if you tell them” says gold medallist Natasha Baker.
Does that resonate with your experience?

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Greed and self interests are a powerful force in our society. We glow with a pride of the victory of the individual. As long as we put ourselves first, dressage will be wrong. Self aggrandizement can have no place in a horseman's life The horse must always be first and greed, grasping at fame and all the glamour and illusions are distractions from the riding. The first dressage is the training of the rider's mind and this means a certain austerity and a restoration of sanity. Out of this comes the training of the horse which almost always starts with the restoration of the horse's sanity. (the result of human mishandling) There really is not way for such a precious art to live in the modern horse culture.
This saddens me and I have found that very few care about this. Modern dressage is about "ME, ME, ME" the art is about sacrifice of ME for another... the horse.
Craig Stevens

GORGEOUS VENUE 🤩 Hopefully the competition is without controversy.

Excitement is in the air!

An iconic venue, the Château de Versailles will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Originally a simple hunting lodge, the Château de Versailles welcomed the court of Louis XIV in 1682, becoming the epicenter of French royalty. It the first French site to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1979.

Temporary installations will allow the Paris 2024 events to be held in this exceptional setting. An arena with several stands will be installed at the Étoile Royale, an esplanade west of the Grand Canal. The eventing cross-country test will take place around the Grand Canal itself. Two bridges flying across the water have been built for this purpose.

Behind every equine athlete is a dedicated team of veterinarians, ensuring they are prepared and in peak condition. On site, a record number of vets (twice as many vets as doctors) will ensure the safety of our horses.

A full-fledged clinic, equipped with all the necessary technology has been built purportedly, including a laboratory and pharmacy.

Vets have undergone special training for the event, including joint drills with emergency teams to prepare for all kinds of incidents, including the extremely unlikely fall of a horse in the canal!

Strict biosecurity rules will be enforced prior to allowing the horses on site. Once cleared, horses will be housed in tents equipped with a natural air cooling system. They will be able to exercise and graze at leisure in the park.

As the area is protected, only natural products will be allowed to keep insects at bay and all waste will be collected during the event.

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📸: paris2024

Ummmmm…….

Tis the season……

Can you relate? 💥💥💥

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Truth.

Who knew?