MSEDA News

The 2024 AECs concluded this past weekend at the Kentucky Horse Park. Congrats to all our members who competed and thank you to those who volunteered! 

By MSEDA member and Strides for Equality Equestrians board member Julia Bursten. This article originally ran in the Strides for Equality August newsletter. Photograph by Lukasz Kowalski/Reuters.

Snoop Dogg’s enthusiastic commentary on the sporting events he loves was pop culture’s favorite part of the Olympics this year. We are hardly the first to celebrate the rapper’s unusual new place in America’s heart as the country’s favorite fan-fam, showing up in selfies with Simone Biles and members of the U.S. basketball team. But we are thrilled with how lovingly and deeply he embraced Olympic equestrian events at the 2024 Paris Games. In case you missed it, the biggest photo op of Snoop’s equestrian Olympics occurred when Snoop donned a shadbelly and breeches, complete with half chaps and a Samshield helmet, and wents to the paddocks with Martha Stewart to feed carrots to Steffen Peters’ Suppenkasper and Endel Ots’ Zen Elite’s Bohemian. The iconic videos, available on the @usadressage Instagram and, well, all over the internet, have been celebrated, reposted, shared, and recreated by equestrians worldwide. Snoop tentatively offers Bohemian carrots and compliments the Westphalian gelding’s braids, and he dances with Suppenkasper, the KWPN gelding who became famous during Snoop’s Tokyo Olympics commentary. Further videos–you know, the ones that blew up your texts and DMs last month–show Snoop and Stewart (herself an avid equestrian) watching the dressage finals and generally wandering around with top human and equine athletes expressing the joy and awe that all us horse lovers feel watching world champion horses completing peak performance. What makes this moment in Olympic and equestrian history so special? To us, it’s not just the sheer joy of Snoop and Martha’s field trip to the paddocks–though don’t get us wrong, we loved it for its own sake! But beyond that, it is Snoop showing up as someone who is new to the world of horses and unafraid to admit the complex range of emotions that horses evoke in him. He has said on the record that he loves horses but is afraid of them. The videos show him seeking help from Stewart and members of the U.S. Olympic team to learn how to encounter and connect with the geldings. He famously became invested in dressage after seeing Suppenkasper’s Tokyo performance. And the investment came because he saw elements of his own experience in the ring: he likened freestyle movements to his own dance moves. In these moments, as in his 2024 dance with “Mopsie” in the paddocks and his inquiries about Bohemian’s braids, Snoop showed the equestrian world what it looks like for one particular Black man to connect with horses. As he brought his perspective to bear on grand prix dressage, his commentary invited equestrians the world over to take a step back and envision how our sport appears to the wider culture. But it also showed what happens when someone who doesn’t come from a horsey background gets interested and finds ways to have that new interest supported. Snoop in the paddocks in Paris is a moment of visibility not just for the world to watch an incredibly successful Black rapper play with horses, but for the world to watch the complicated ways interest in horses often begins, the networks of support required to sustain it, and the courage needed to get closer. With these videos, Snoop showed countless potential horse enthusiasts what it looks like to take the first steps toward getting in the saddle, that you don’t have to be white to take those steps, and how you don’t have to — and shouldn’t — stop being your full and authentic self as you hand over your first carrots. And while we don’t think most new horse lovers should start with shadbellies and Samshields, we do love the example Snoop set here of how to get into the world of horses. We hope lots of others follow in his footsteps in the years ahead!

On June 18-19, MSEDA hosted Tim Bourke for a two day clinic at the beautiful Valley View Farm. Everyone had a wonderful, educational time. We heard from two clinic participants on their takeaways and thoughts! 

 " I had the best time riding with Tim at the gorgeous Valley View Farm. It was two super educational days focusing on three main components and how they translate over show jumping and cross country. Tim was incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging while also pushing us to and outside our comfort zone." - Jett Jenkins

"Tim Bourke had a great way of explaining his training exercises, making it easy to understand how to do them, and more importantly why. His teaching method is clear and concise and continually builds up the riders confidence. My biggest takeaway from the clinic was his explanations of the canter and how to ride for the type and quality of canter needed approaching a fence, after, and in between.  I would definitely attend another clinic with him and Valley View farm was so awesome to let us use their amazing facility!" - Zara Bewley

MSEDA Dressage at the Park had a wonderful turn-out with our new dates, June 29-30, at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park. Along with our new dates, we moved the competition to the Stonelea and Clairborne arenas, which have synthetic footing and are very close to the barns. Competitors loved these changes--the show boasted three rings each day, with 90 entries and 250 rides. 

As in past years, MSEDA hosted a team competition. Teams signed up to compete against each other. The MSEDA team composed of Susan Posner, Karen Winn, Kara Hertz, and Anabelle Friend won the competition! The second place team was Last Chance to Enter , followed by Hidden Gem Equine in third. Congratulations riders! 

A huge thank you to our sponsors: Bimeda, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, and Kentucky Performance Products. These companies helped make competition in the new space possible. We are so thankful for the organizers, officials, and volunteers who made this an incredibly successful event for our competitors. 

A non-professional and informal guide on how to prepare and ride an Introductory Level Dressage Test. Complied by Adult Amateur Jenny Hardy

You CAN absolutely do this! Download the guide here: Stall to Center Line .pdf

Most of us have spent time finding the right trainer. We check their show records, their students show records, we scrutinize their horsemanship and check their reputations. We then spend our money and time so we can progress, but do we practice being good students? A good student sets realistic goals, actively listens, does their homework, works to find positivity in the negative and is honest with themselves and their trainer.

Setting realistic goals varies from person to person and horse to horse. Lets be honest, these goals can change from day to day. Openly discuss these goals with your trainer and come up with a plan to achieve them. Planning lessons are just as valuable as under saddle. Take the time to sit down and have an open conversation with your trainer. It will better help them to get you where you want to be.

Once you have your goals set you can begin working with your trainer to achieve them. In your planning lesson make a list of steps to achieve your goal. At your next under saddle lesson you should be actively listening. Don’t just assume they said “add more leg.” Don’t feel dumb asking how, or why, or saying can you repeat that. Our trainers want us to succeed and progress. If we don’t say we don’t understand or ask questions we are not providing our trainers with feedback to help them help us.

Do your homework. Trainers don’t give us exercises to entertain themselves! After your lesson you can write down a quick recap and what you and your horse need to work on. We spend a lot of time working on making our horses better, don’t skimp on your own mental and physical fitness.

Don’t forget to check in. Be proactive and honest. Where are you in your journey? Where are you doing well? Where are you struggling? What can you do to continue to make your weaknesses better? If something isn’t going right, say something. You may need to go back and retrain, or fill in knowledge that wasn’t solidified.

No one is perfect. As horse people we have our fair share of setbacks. Learn from them! Mistakes, injuries and other setbacks are wonderful opportunities to still learn. 

Discuss your errors with your trainer. What will you do differently next time? How will it look in the future? How will you take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again? Injury and rehab are great opportunities to audit lessons, read rules, volunteer, work on your mental game. It takes a positive attitude to find an opportunity within a setback, but it will help you achieve your end goal faster.

Practice these steps and you will not only help your trainer help you, but you will make yourself more self-sufficient and achieve your goals more efficiently. Don’t forget that success isn’t linear. It’s helpful to look back on where you were a month, 6 months or even a year ago and see your progress.

Amongst many achievements, including two time Equestrian of the Year, David O’Connor is an Olympic gold medalist, with the best score in Olympic history won at the Sydney Olympic Games. David was also the former USEF President, and now serves as USEF Chief of Sport. O’Connor led his discussion at the MSEDA Annual Meeting with a presentation on Social Licensing and then wrapped up his conversation with his thoughts on developing the Young Event horse. 

Social Licensing

David began his presentation on giving background on Social Licensing in equestrian sports. David stated that social license is essentially the public’s overall acceptance of the sport. O’Connor emphasizes that in today’s world, technology is everywhere, meaning you could be filmed and that video could be posted anywhere, in and out of context. Social Licensing is important for the future of our sport, since the public’s perception of a sport can quickly change the acceptance of said sport. David coined the phrase “If you can’t do it in Central Park with thousands of people watching, then you should not do it.” 

Young Event Horse Development

O’Connor’s second segment focused on the development of the young event horse. David started by telling the audience about his newly minted 5* horse, Phelps, that is ridden by Mia Farley. Phelps, an 11 year old thoroughbred, was bought for just one dollar. David stated that he never though Phelps would make it to the 5* level, and Farley had doubts of him even going past the Preliminary level. Through David’s consistent training and coaching, Farley and Phelps finished as the only riders within time at the Maryland 5 Star event and finished in 5th. 

O’Connor’s main goal when developing a horse is considering the horse’s longevity in the sport, and not rushing them while they are young. David then relayed how a horse’s growth pattern should affect their training program. Horses' bones reach full development at age 6, and that should coincide when trainers start to worry about the horse’s correctness in their form. Meaning, a 4, 5, or 6 year old’s frame should be more relaxed than vertical. David stated when he is working with young horses he “is always waiting for them to turn 7”. 

A unique way David starts his young horse, is teaching them in a rope halter before introducing a bridle. This way he can correctly teach the horse pressure and the reward of the release of pressure. O’Connor stated that “The give (or release of pressure) is always the most powerful tool to the horse”. David then shared videos of his round pen work with Mia Farley riding a young horse for the first time. He always has riders back the horse for the first time under his eye in a round pen, using a rope halter and a string around their neck to give more control of the shoulders. 

O’Connor went on to share videos of Mia schooling a horse cross country. The horse went over jumps, banks, and ditches. David stated that watching a horse’s eye is extremely important during their first days cross country schooling. Watching where they look can lead to how the horse jumps. He also went on to explain the importance of up banks, and how they teach the horses to learn to raise their front legs and use their body correctly to find good jumping form.

David ended the session with sharing one of his favorite exercises, lovingly named “the circle of death”. This is a simple 4 poles, cavelltis, or jumps set up in each quadrant of a circle. The rider then adjusts their horse's stride in between these obstacles on the circle, changing the amount of strides in each quadrant. He uses the exercise for all his riders and horses to teach control of the rider’s seat, speed, tempo, and proper use of the outside aids. 

MSEDA thanks David O’Connor for taking the time to educate our members on these interesting topics and further encourage our riders during the Awards Banquet. 

Dr. Samson is a professor at the University of Kentucky who specializes in Sports Psychology. As an amateur equestrian herself, she shared some tips on how equestrians can utilize her tools in their everyday rides and at competitions. Samson shared that under stressful moments there are two angled approaches you can look at the situation, the “Zoom Out” or the “ Zoom In” methods

The “Zoom Out” approach suggests that you change your perspective on the task at hand and look at the bigger picture. Samson suggests thinking of all the progress you made to prepare yourself for that moment in time. It is easier to be more confident in the small steps you have made, rather than looking at one large goal. She broke this down into the acronym MEI2. 

• Mindfulness

• Expectation Management

• I2: Intentionality and Infusion

The “Zoom In” approach encourages athletes to pay attention to the finer details. Samson brings up 5 exercises athletes can utilize: 

• Set Daily Goals

• Create and follow preparation plans 

• Regulate emotions/arousal 

• More productive thoughts

• Regular self-evaluations of performance

Dr. Samson then discussed how each of these exercises can be used in your daily life. She mentioned that goal-setting is an important routine for yourself as an equestrian, and recommended that you begin each ride with a purpose or a task that you would like to complete within that ride. She also mentioned how important pre-performance routines are, and stated, “consistent preparation leads to consistent performance”. 

Samson also gave tips on how to breathe through stressful moments. She suggested using “the box method” which teaches athletes to visualize a box while they are breathing. You breathe in while visualizing a line going up, hold your breath while you visualize a line forming on top, breathe out while the line goes down, and then hold while a line completes the box. Samson wrapped up her presentation by stressing the importance of positive self-talk, and suggested instead of asking yourself “How do I feel about this?” think “ What do I do about this?”. Attendees at Dr. Samson’s session gleaned many important skills to help them succeed mentally in both daily rides and at competitions. She encouraged attendees to reach out to her for further support in their riding journeys.

Saturday morning Mseda members, Laura Muller and Karen Winn joined us to share their experiences and also educate a little on Western Dressage.  As a competitor in WD myself, I was overjoyed to hear what these two ladies had to share.

Karen started us out with a little bit of an overview of the diversity in this growing sport.  Last year at the World Championships alone there were 54 breeds represented including gaited horses.  “Judges are looking for balance within the horse's own conformation, not the typical warmblood,” Karen shared with us.  “You can take a not so great moving horse and be successful unlike traditional dressage.  Judges are really looking for a harmonious relationship above all.”  

This fast growing sport has a lot of online showing options as well.  Opening it up to a vast number of people who may otherwise not be able to get to a show with these classes.  As you work through the levels (Intro - 5th offered) gaits should progress with more uphill balance and collection.  There tends to be more emphasis on halts and reinbacks and contact should get to be more steady as you work up through the levels.  2nd Level and above requires pivots but a rider can turn on the haunches or the pivot at lower levels.  Both Karen and Laura shared video examples of their own tests and walked us through what was expected.  A handy tip, you can find tests without things your horse may be weak at!  

“Green horse?” Laura asked.  “You have more leather around you for spooks and new experiences!”  She graciously took the audience through all the needed tack and equipment including some excellent examples of what is seen in the show ring.  A simple collared shirt, jeans and boots get many started!

What I continually love when hearing from other folks in this sport, is to see where they come from and why they gave it a try.  Laura found WD because of a need to ride bitless with her gelding and fell in love.  Karen, a known judge in our area, shared the successes her gelding has had at the National level (including fun trophy prizes and jackets).  Success she would not have found with her willing but average mover in the traditional arena.    

Interested in giving it a try?  Check out the shows offered locally by MSEDA and KDA with Western Dressage classes or check out the Western Dressage Association of America’s site at https://www.westerndressageassociation.org/.   There you can find the tests, rules (did you know you can talk during your test?), equipment and more! 

-Nikki Wahl Seto

At our Organizer’s Meeting, we announced several new initiatives that we hope will help support our competition organizers. We will award three deserving competitions with a $500 competition grant to help purchase needed supplies. You can view the grant application here. 

The current president of the ground jury rule has been modified to allow show jump judges to serve as president of the ground jury in the case that an eventing and dressage judge is not hired for dressage. They will fulfill all normal duties of the president of the ground jury and must remain on-site for the duration of the competition. 

Finally, Shelley Ryan introduced our new Safety Coordinator program. Starting in 2024, dressage schooling shows only may hire an MSEDA approved Safety Coordinator in lieu of a Technical Delegate. The role of the safety coordinator is to help management ensure horse and rider safety throughout the duration of the competition. If you are interested in becoming an approved Safety Coordinator, please contact MSEDA. You can view more information here.

Erin Woodall wrapped up this meeting with an interesting inside view into what an MSEDA Technical Delegate does to prepare for a show, and what they do on grounds. She shared her box of supplies, which included many materials that help her easily locate common rules she has to reference, tools that help her do her job efficiently, and items that keep the day running smoothly. Erin’s biggest reminder to potential new officials is that serving as a Technical Delegate is not as overwhelming as it seems, and that you will always have support from other officials if you start the journey. MSEDA is looking for officials, and we encourage you to join! 

MSEDA hopes these efforts help our competitions run well in 2024.