Rockin’ Mental Tools in Riding and Competition

By George Williams “It’s all because your mama don’t dance and your daddy don’t rock and roll!” The Loggins & Messina lyric is definitely catchy. I’m not sure why it popped into my head when it did. However, it immediately became my mantra to help me maintain a calm and focused mind when the young
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North American Youth Championships and the Importance of Friendly Rivalry

By George Williams Every year as the days get longer and summer is almost here, I start looking forward to what has become an institution: one of the most instrumental dressage competitions we have in North America, the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC). While it’s gone by different names over the years, it has
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Tillie Jones: Cheering at College and Down Centerline

By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller Tillie Jones has a lot on her plate, but she juggles her many endeavors with grace. The Nebraska Wesleyan University sophomore has been able to enjoy the traditional college experience as a proud member of her school cheerleading squad, a sister in the Delta Zeta sorority and a
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Christian Simonson: Riding High and Flying the Skies

By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller When Christian Simonson puts his mind to something, he’s sure to achieve it. An exceptional student, avid mountain biker and young pilot, Christian succeeds in many areas, but his biggest passion is the sport of dressage. As the son of his Dutch equestrian mother, the multitalented 18-year-old and
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The Trainer in Each of Us

By George Williams So, here’s the question: If you’re a professional, do you consider yourself a trainer? Or are you a coach, or an instructor? Or both? Or all three? These three terms have a tendency to be treated as all the same thing. In my opinion, they are not the same. The USEF has
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Jennifer Williams: Gratitude, Passion and Dreams on the Horizon 

By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller For Jennifer Williams, it’s all about positive thinking. Instead of measuring her success by wins or losses, Jennifer focuses on one thing only — gratitude. The international dressage rider has earned championship titles, trained multiple horses from the ground to Grand Prix and built a business around her
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February 2021 – Table of Contents

Subscribe for just $9.95 or Order Individual Issues Here! CONTENTS 22 Hannah Famulak Juggling Three Rings With Time Management Skills   28 Dressage The Trainer in Each of Us   32 Daniel and Cathy Geitner Building a Business and a Family   36 Andrew Welles Getting a Start in the Hunter-Jumper World   38 Marie
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Nick Alexander Phillips: Pony Fever to Boutique Breeder

By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Lori Ovanessian From pony rides in the park to piaffing on Andalusians, Nick Alexander Phillips has spent his life loving all creatures great and small. Today, along with his partner, Brian, Nick lives his best equestrian life at home on his ranch in Los Angeles County, California. “We have a
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A Traditionalist’s View on the FEI Helmet Rule

By George Williams Rules in general tend to be boring, even to dressage people. However, they’re important because they affect how we play the game. Rules help to establish a level playing field, they help protect the safety of our riders as well as the welfare of our horses, and they frequently determine how our
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Rebecca Waite: Worth the Wait to Make it to the Top

By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller Rebecca Waite’s passion for horses is in her DNA. The daughter of a horse-loving mother, Rebecca has followed her heart from her family’s vegetable farm in Houlton, Maine, across the country to international dressage competitions in Wellington, Florida. After working her way up from stall cleaner to head
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