Fun Times at the 2024 Youth Team Challenge Show Results Western Dressage Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel Clinic HorseTreats Amateur Dilemma President’s Message
It’s almost autumn, and I’m so ready! I much prefer the lovely weather of fall and spring to the sweltering heat and humidity (and bugs) of summer or the freezing cold ice and snow of winter. The latter of which is why I spend winters in Aiken SC! I haven’t figured out how to avoid the summer heat yet, but I’m working on it.
Upcoming ESDCTA Events:
• ESDCTA NJ Horse Trials (USEA Recognized) – September 28-29, Horse Park of NJ
• Championships & Open Schooling Show – October 26, USET
• Turkey Trot – November 17, Horse Park of NJ
I’ve had my 7 yo (green) thoroughbred mare for 4 months now, and we’re still making progress, although we’re at a bit of a pause in forward momentum at the moment. I expected nothing less, considering the strides we’ve made in such a short amount of time. I try to vary her schedule by getting out of the ring every couple of days for a quiet hack or a light, relaxing ride in the grass field. I have to keep patience in the front of my mind at all times, knowing we’ll start to improve again soon.
I hope you enjoy all aspects of your interaction with horses, whether they be riding, showing, grooming, manure shoveling, just gazing at these beautiful animals out in the field, or all of the above, by keeping in mind the amazing relationship we humans have been able to establish with horses.
If you’re reading this, you are probably a member of ESDCTA, but I’m sure you know of someone who rides dressage or events who is not a member. You know all about the wonderful things offered like educational programs, clinics with big name trainers, horse shows, year-end awards, and not least, that sense of being part of a community of likeminded people. The more members ESDCTA has, the better the programs we can offer. Our membership numbers are also important considerations when state and local governments decide on legislature that affects us (like open space), and we advocate for our sports (We helped get better footing at the HPNJ). Please reach out to your equestrian buddies and tell them about all of the benefits of membership and have them sign up. The more the merrier!
WHAT’S YOUR TALENT??
Let us know what you would like to help us with in 2024. All skills and interests wanted. Have an idea? We want to hear about it. Remember, this club is what YOU make it. Contact president@esdcta.org if you are interested.
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
Have a great article that you would like to share? Please send article to: Meredith Rogers: newsletter@esdcta.org All submissions are due by the 15th of the month. Due to space considerations, the editor reserves the right to edit submitted articles. If necessary, articles will be edited and returned for your review. AND YOU GET VOLUNTEER HOUR FOR EACH STORY!
Milestone
Please Contact this newsletter if you know any ESDCTA members who have achieved any Milestones. Success at a show, regional/national/international award, new horse, or anything else you want to celebrate.
e-mail: newsletter@esdcta.org
MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS
For membership questions including updating physical or e-mail addresses please contact: Heidi Lemack membership@esdcta.org
2024 ADVERTISING RATES
Deadline: 15th of prior month Email: newsletter@esdcta.org
Please have electronic ads in Adobe PDF or .jpg format You will receive an invoice for ad via email.
Send Payment to: Betty Adduci
102 Patricia Ct, Middle Grove NY 12850
Email: treasurer@esdcta.org
Amateur Dilemma
By Meredith Rogers
I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Dressage Queen” (“DQ” for short). I don’t know where it came from or who started it, but it’s usually delivered in a derogatory way by nondressage riders. I have to say that compared to my former life on the AQHA circuit, the dressage community has been the most welcoming I’ve ever experienced. To be fair, I haven’t shown QH since the 1990s, but when I won, there were always the naysayers who whispered behind my back that I didn’t deserve it. No one was friendly to anyone outside their barn. No one offered to help load a horse if you were having problems or allowed you to borrow a piece of equipment if something you had broke minutes before your class. They barely looked at you unless it was to snicker. I really hope it’s changed since then.
In contrast, at my very first dressage schooling show on my very-nondressage QH, people I didn’t know smiled at me as I entered the warm-up, wished me good luck before I trotted up centerline, and helped (not sneered) when it was obvious I was clueless in regards to dressage etiquette. When I ventured into recognized dressage showing, nothing changed. I’m generally an introverted person who finds social situations unnatural. Going to horse shows not knowing anyone scares me more than performing in front of the judge, but, everyone is so supportive. When I encounter someone not “nice” it’s usually because they’re intently focused on their own task at hand. Nothing wrong with that.
I was acutely reminded of our welcoming dressage community at this last show. First, the show was almost canceled because the organizer didn’t feel she could do it herself after many years of running a great event. However, after making the announcement, someone stepped up to help (I’m sure they were getting paid but it was still not on this person’s original crowded calendar of events for the year). Someone I had met a couple of years ago at another show was there, and I was reminded about how we met.
We were both doing sound checks for our freestyles. It was one of the first times for me doing this and she helped walk me through the process. She was so encouraging that day, and also at this present show. Her trainer, who is good friends with my trainer, stopped on her way back from the ring to chat despite having a time crunch with other horses to ride. As my barnmate and I were getting ready to leave, we had uncharacteristic trouble loading Leo, and the stranger parked next to us offered to help, just like that. And this is just what I experienced at one show.
I mainly go to shows without my trainer and often totally by myself. It’s comforting knowing that if I need help, I can walk up to the nearest person and if they can, they will. And, in case it’s not obvious, if you see me at a show and need something, don’t hesitate to come over. “Good luck to all and have a good ride!”
News from Outside the Ring
Olympic Fever Is Not Over
The Paris Olympics are in our rearview mirror, which means it’s now time to think about the Los Angeles games in 2028. This will be the third time Los Angeles has hosted the Olympics, the other years being 1932 and 1984. There’s been talk about removing equestrian sport from Olympic competition and unfortunately, that’s still on the table. Although the FEI and IOC have said that equestrian events will happen, it’s contingent on finding a facility that can support all three disciplines. Currently, Galway Downs, Temecula, CA, is the listed venue. It’s a 242-acre working racehorse training facility that is about an hour south of Los Angeles and hosts a variety of equestrian events throughout the year, including up to CCI4*-L eventing. One obstacle is that the site needs a larger stadium, which is estimated to cost $26 million. Also, the format for eventing is still up in the air. Although tickets aren’t on sale yet, you can sign up for email updates here: https://la28.org/en/signup.html
In the Eye of the Beholder
Dressage is so wonderful because it combines art with pure athleticism, which makes being totally objective about a given ride difficult. Judges are only human. However, a new study has assessed how dressage judges focus their attention when assessing competitors. Dr. Inga Wolframm of Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands, collaborated with Tobii Eye Tracking Technology to record the eye movements of 20 judges of varying levels of experience as they scored grand prix dressage tests on video. The amount of time and how many times the judges “fixated” on different aspects of the ride were measured. Results showed that in general, judges focused more on the front end of the horse versus the back end, feet, or the rider. For movements in trot and canter, higher-level judges focused more on the horses’ feet, compared with lower-level judges who focused more on the rider. Although these were some of the trends, overall there was a lot of individual variation. Also, these were recorded rides, so outcomes may be different at live competitions. Nevertheless, these results suggest that an immediate tweak to judge education is needed to make sure there’s not a discrepancy between old and new judges, and maybe an overhaul of the entire judging system should be investigated. These results are intriguing but this study is only a first step in creating more transparent and fair judging practices.
Fun Times at the 2024 Youth Team Challenge
By Bridget Steidle
I competed on my mom’s OTTB, A Year In Time (aka Buddy), at the USDF Region 1 Youth Team Challenge on June 21-22, 2024, and I’m sharing the wonderful experience I had. I entered the large and competitive Training Level division (Training Level Tests 2 and 3) and we did really well! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in such a big show, especially with the support of ESDCTA, which provided financial assistance to make it all happen. It was my first time competing at this show, and I want to go back in the future, hopefully with some teammates to represent ESDCTA with me. This time, as the sole ESDCTA rider, I was able to join another team and make some new friends to ride and hang out with.
On Friday, June 21, we completed the five-hour drive from Pennsylvania to Virginia. Buddy travels really well, so it was an easy trip. Once we arrived, he settled in right away. We did a schooling ride that evening, and he felt good and ready to start showing the next morning.
On Saturday, I rode Training Level Test 2 twice. I first did a practice test and earned a 64.483%, which originally placed me 4th, but after the classes were split, I placed 2nd. For the team test, I got a 66.552% and originally placed 5th out of 24 riders, but after the class was split, I placed 2nd again. My last ride on Saturday was Dressage Seat Equitation. I tied for 4th overall with a 76% out of 24 riders, and then after the classes were split, I was in 2nd place, which qualified me for the Dressage Seat Equitation Championship the next day!
On Sunday, I rode Training Level Test 3 twice along with the Dressage Seat Equitation Championship class. The Championship was my first class of the day, and I placed 5th. Then, my Training Level Test 3 practice test was a bit challenging, but we got it together for my team test and earned a
67.400%. That test placed me 3rd out of 23, but after the classes were divided, we earned 1st place!
I want to thank everyone who helped put this show together and made sure it ran smoothly, especially the volunteers and judges. I also want to thank ESDCTA for supporting me as their ESDCTA youth rider this year! A huge thank you to my parents for making this opportunity possible for me, and of course to my mom for being my trainer and letting me and Buddy have these amazing experiences. I also want to thank my teammates and barn mates at the show for making this an even more fun experience. Thank you for welcoming me onto your team.
I’m already looking forward to next time, will you join me?
If you would like to join an ESDCTA Youth Team (dressage or eventing), please check out: Dressage Youth Teams - ESDCTA or Youth Eventing Team Challenge - ESDCTA https://www.esdcta.org/dressage-youth-team/ https://www.esdcta.org/youth/youth-eventing-team-challenge/
Forward Progress
Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel Clinic
By Paige Zimmerman
On August 17th and 18th, Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel came to NJ for yet another great clinic. It was very nice to continue improving our fundamental work, which is always a building block to the harder stuff that we’ve been chipping away at all summer. I always enjoy these clinics, as it’s a great check-in to see how we are doing, and this clinic also gave me a lot to think about as Regional Championships approach! I always appreciate having more tools to use in the show ring and as we prepare.
We worked on getting Ducati to push more from behind, with more power to travel from back to front. I felt that we were able to achieve this to a greater degree than we have before, and he got very in front of my leg without becoming too high and tight in the neck. He is a big boy with a long body and neck, and sometimes he can get quite wiggly. His neck is very high-set too, and so if he feels anxious, he tends to suck back and avoid the rein contact. It makes him extremely light in the hand, but it’s fake lightness– in true connection and true lightness there is still contact in the reins. It’s not supposed to be super heavy, but it is supposed to be as if the horse is simply draping their neck into the contact and “drawing you forward”. Felicitas told me that horses can find stability one of two ways— either they bring their neck higher and become tight to find false stability, or they push and power into the contact to find true stability with correct contact. We worked on encouraging the latter in Ducati! By the end he was really powering forward and I felt as though he had the desire to stretch his neck and shoulders forward, it was a great feeling of him reaching forward while maintaining engagement behind. It was really fun to find that confidence and stability in a bigger, but truly collected trot and canter. Because the collection isn’t slow and tight, it is more engaged behind and powerful!
We also worked a bit in hand, with Felicitas helping me from the ground. As we walked, she walked with us and held the bamboo stick in front of Ducati, while I worked on collecting him using my seat and not shortening the neck. Felicitas simply held the stick in front of him and had me shorten the stride but lengthen the neck, and allow him to look at the stick in front of him as he walked. He reached forward
and touched it with his nose a few times, which Felicitas said was what she wanted to see: reaching forward while collecting the body, as if he was “looking over the edge of a cliff”. This exercise was especially helpful once we began doing some walk-trot transitions, getting the motor going and the power from behind on, while also thinking about what we’d worked on in the walk. All of these mindful, simple (but not easy!) exercises are super helpful for laying a good foundation, and I am happy to always have them in my back pocket. Olivia and I have worked on some half-steps with Ducati, so doing the building blocks from the ground with Felicitas and using the bamboo stick has helped a lot to improve the clarity of our aids and to help Ducati understand what we are asking his body to do.
It’s always a fun weekend learning from Felicitas and finding more tools to help us in our journey up the levels. It’s never easy, but it is so rewarding when things come together! As always, thank you to Olivia Steidle for organizing the clinic and for snapping some great photos. Your support is always appreciated!! And of course, thank you to Brenda Curnin for sharing Ducati with me, and to the team at Sara Schmitt Dressage for being a great host. Thank you to Felicitas for all your help, advice, and tools. I am looking forward to next time.
Horse Treats
The top 10 reasons to buy a horse:
By Meredith Rogers
10. They are a dime a dozen – check out all of the “free to good home” ads online; so what that they’re old, a little bruised, or unruly; you can fix all that, right?
9. Meet new people – you know, that woman who curls her horse’s tail with a curling iron, yeah, that one
8. They can take you places – so what if it’s faster than you expected or in a different direction than planned; go with the flow, or the spooking horse; whatever
7. Pay less taxes – wait, a horse isn’t counted as a dependent? But you must feed, house, and clothe it; scratch this one
6. The kids asked for a dog – and if you gave in to that one, who knows what they would ask for next
5. Learn geography – so that’s where Oldenburg and Chincoteague are
4. Keep in touch with old friends – at least your friend the ER nurse
3. It’s an excuse to buy new clothes – breeches are so trendy
2. You always liked meteorology – rain in the morning means turnout sheet; sunny and humid in the afternoon, time to run to the barn to take it off
And the number 1 reason to buy a horse:
1. They’re pretty, smell nice, and have big eyes that look into your soul
WESTERN DRESSAGE
The WDAA International Online Challenge Results
By Joann Sarni
Hello Friends!
The WDAA puts on two very large events each year: the Online International Challenge in the spring and the in‐person World Championship Show at the Lazy E in Guthrie, OK, in the fall. The Online International Challenge (IOC) is one of the largest Western Dressage shows to compete in because it’s online and it’s open to riders from all around the world. New Jersey had eleven riders this year!
This year’s IOC had 1,256 rides and 453 entries. Class divisions for Intro Levels to Level 5 and Freestyle are Open, Amateur, Junior, Open Gated, Amateur Gated, Junior Gated, PC (Physically Challenged), and Therapeutic Riding. Because of the size and magnitude of this show, jackets were awarded instead of ribbons to riders who placed in the top 10 of their classes. The jackets are customized with the horse’s name and the list of classes that they had placed in on the back of the jacket. I’m happy to report that there were several jackets that were won by our New Jersey riders! Division champions received a belt buckle and overall champions received a nice saddle pad. All participants received a 2024 WDAA IOC patch. I have several which I sew onto my horse’s show cooler each year.
In addition to the Test and rail competition, there was a team competition, as well. The Jersey Girls (Jenna Komor, Lindsay Medio, Megan Offerman, and myself) placed 3rd in the Mixed Riders Division (Junior, Amateur, Open riders) with a score of 66.989%. Paula Zimmerli‐Angulot Georgia Peaches teams placed 4th in the Mixed Pairs division and 8th in the Mixed Riders division.
As I had mentioned in the previous article, participating in the IOC or any online show can be a bit challenging because you will need ring space to set up your ring if you don’t have a dressage ring available. Book time for the ring to record your tests. Recruit friends and family to record for you and if something goes wrong (for example, pets running into the ring while your recording or your horse runs away during the bit check, etc.), you will need to rerecord the entire test and equipment check again! Is it worth it? You bet! We had a lot of fun participating in this event, especially the team competition. We hope to do it again next year and possibly get more riders from our area to participate.
If you would like to see the results of the entire IOC show, please click here: Results Spotlight Horse Shows
https://www.spotlighthorseshows.com/results
And, here for the IOC Team Competition Results: 2024 OI Team Comp results.pdf (memberclicks.net)
https://wdaa.memberclicks.net/assets/Online-International/2024/2024 OI Team Comp results.pdf
Congratulations to the riders who participated in the 2024 IOC.
*Izabella Stasiak and Hollywood Scandal (Candy) *jacket winners
Want to learn more about NJ Western Dressage? Follow us on Western Dressage Enthusiast of NJ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1178940859511996
Western Dressage Association of America: https://www.westerndressageassociation.org/
*Youth Rider Jenna Komor and Nova Megan Offerman and her Mustang, Sailors Warning (Brody)
Cheri Caprio and Dotzy Playgirl *Paula Zimmerli‐Angulot and Just The One (Bally)
*Lindsey Medio and Blue Suede Irons (Elvis) *Joann Sarni (me) and Smoken Red Badger (Whiskey)
Marcie Hagar and A One
*Erin Taffin and Sly San Lina (Sly)
*Tracey Brown and Flojo
Patty Keeler and Talkin About Smart
Show Results
Bit O Woods Farm Dressage Schooling Show
8/3/24
Four Farthing Farm Schooling Dressage Show
8/25/24
Hearts Journey Stables Schooling Show II 2024
8/3/24
5.
Hearts Journey Stables Schooling Show II 2024
Hearts Journey Stables Schooling Show II 2024
Leadline Youth
USDF Intro Test A Youth Rider
Lehigh Valley Dressage Association Schooling Show IV:
Decades of Dressage
7/28/24
USDF
USDF Intro Test B Youth Rider
USDF
Test B Adult AA
USDF Intro Test C Youth
USDF
C
Training Level Test 1 Youth Rider
Training
Test 1 Adult Rider
Training Level Test 3 Youth
Training Level Test 3 Adult
Second Level Test 1 Adult
Second Level Test 3 Adult
Third Level Test 2 Youth
Fourth Level Test 2 Adult
Angelisanti
Strydesky
Nichole Phillips Federico SFI (Rocky)
Aileen Williams Primorosa de Brio
Decades of Dressage Champions
Lehigh Valley Dressage Association Schooling Show V : Rhythm and Blues 8/11/24
