Florabama Chapter Announces Dressage Clinic with SRS Bereiteranwärter Marius Schreinter
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

MALBIS, AL - The Florabama Chapter of the DSDCTA and Southern Cross Farm announced today it will sponsor a dressage clinic with Bereiteranwärter Marius Schreiner from the world renowned Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria.

Marius has been at the Spanish Riding School for 12 years (since 1996). Pluto Blanketta is the stallion he has trained to the Grand Prix Level. He participates in the school performances with Blanketta and other SRS stallions. He also teaches private students outside of the Spanish Riding School.

The clinic will be held July 23-24, 2008 at Southern Cross Farm in Malbis, AL. A few rider spots are avalable at $250 per session or auditing is $50 per day.

Contact Teresa Simmons, President DSDCTA - Florabama Chapter for reservations.

Sterling Graburn Driving Clinic
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

COTTONDALE, FL - Sterling Graburn, the 2008 USEF Advanced Single Horse National Champion, will conduct a one-day driving clinic on June 1, 2008 at Willow Bend South in Cottondale, Florida. Sterling teaches horses and their people to ride and drive at Kingsford Hall Training Center in Bonifay, Florida.

Cost will be $175.00 per driver with your own horse and $250.00 with rental horse from Willow Bend South which includes stall for Friday night and Saturday. Audit Fee for the day is $25.00. Participants will be limited to nine drivers. Contact Mary Jane Benson via email or call 850.638.8352 for more information.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn from a FEI North American World Class Driver.

Sterling Graburn Takes 2008 National Single Horse Championship
Monday, March 31, 2008

LIVE OAK, FL - The Live Oak CDE was the venue for the 2008 National Single Horse Championship. Congratulations to Champion Sterling Graburn and Reserve Champion Wendy Ying! Both are members of the Northwest Florida Chapter of the DSDCTA.

The cones proved influential in the hotly contested singel horse division of the USEF Nation Championships, which also served as a selection for the 2008 World Driving Championships to be held in Jarantow, Poland, from August 28-31.

Marathon winner Sterling Graburn put in a dynamite double-clear round in the cones with Dante which put the pressure on his girlfriend, Wendy Ying, who was the two-day leader. Ying also drove an awesome round with her horse, but had a mistake at the last set of cones to bring her final score to 134.54, just over a point behind Graburn. “I was really happy with my cones,” said Graburn who finished on 132.82.

Graburn's and Ying's horses are ¾ brothers by a Welsh Cob stallion out of mares that are half sisters. The matching “sport cobs,” as Ying has dubbed them, put on impressive displays all weekend. “It's fun because Wendy and I are a couple, the horses are brothers, and we have champion and reserve champions in the same house and the same barn,” said Graburn of his first national championship title.

Members Earn Qualifying Scores
Monday, March 31, 2008

FOLSOM, LA - DSDCTA members distinguished themselves at Dressage Across the Lake I, March 29 and 30 in Folsom, Louisiana.

Katie Marcoux and Mission Kontrol earned qualifying scores at First and Second Levels, completing her qualifying scores for the USDF Region 3 Dressage Championships at First Level. Casey Armistead and Fine Design earned a qualifying score at Third Level.

Katie and Casey are members of the Emerald Coast and Florabama Chapters, respectively, of the DSDCTA.

Congratulations, Katie and Casey!

A Better Day
Sunday, March 23, 2008

WELLINGTON, FL - After a disappointing performance on Thursday in the FEI CDI 3 class, Jodie and Manhattan came back with a strong performance and a fourth place finish in Saturday's FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 3 class.

Jodie and Manhattan finally had their first official bad day at the Grand Prix on Thursday. Ten minutes before their scheduled ride time, the two were cruising around the warm up ring when a large storm rolled in threatening to dump a little liquid Florida sunshine on their parade.

Just before the rider ahead of Jodie went in, show management put a twenty minute hold on the dressage to allow the storm to pass. The three other riders in the warm up ring at the time jammed their horses under a little pavillion that was next to the warm up ring. "Manhattan doesn't jam anywhere under those circumstances, so we hoofed it back to the barn," recounted Jodie.

The CDI horses were competing in the main stadium and was a short ten minute walk to get back to the secured stabling housing the CDI horses. Jodie decided it would be better for she and Manhattan, and for the other competitors, if they went back to the barn instead of chancing putting Manhattan in such a confined area.

The pair made it back to the barn just in time for the bottom to fall out. Ten minutes after Jodie took Manhattan's bridle off they announced they were ready to restart the competition. Jodie threw Manhattan's bridle back on and hoofed it back to the ring. The walk is 3/4 on asphalt and gravel, so you truly have to walk on it. "We made our way back to the warm up, trotted one circle, did one passage, and then it was time to go in. Manhattan was just sucked back and totally behind my leg. You are not allowed to carry a whip in a CDI, so I was just sunk. I knew it going into my test and there was nothing I could do," said Jodie. "I sacrificed a few corners to give him a boot, but it didn't do any good," stated Jodie. "We ended up with a well deserved 58 (58.958%) and as scary as it is we still finished somewhere near the middle of the pack."

"He was amazing after my test, I got after him with my whip a bit and sharpened him up and had some beautiful work. In the past, if I got him too jazzed in the warm up, then he was too tense in the ring. I think he has outgrown that and I can jazz him a little more in the warm up," noted Jodie.

So Jodie's plan going into Saturday's Grand Prix Special test was to get after Manhattan a little bit before her ride. After the ride Jodie recalled, "On my way to the warm up on the long walk, he was walking, not being reluctant, but just making his way there, with very little enthusiasm or expression. I was thinking, oh boy, here we go again. I started my warm up and again, he did his thing, but there was no excitement. He needed some inspiration and it was up to me to inspire him. I started talking to him, telling him how proud I was of him this season and that I know he has been working hard, but I really needed him to rally for this ONE ride. And after that I promised he could have some well deserved R&R."

Jodie continued, "All of this conversation happening while I'm warming up and low and behold his power started to build. I felt his excitement growing and before I knew it, he was power housing around the warm up and had spooked at something and bucked a little; all good signs. And not once did I use my whip. He was inspired! I'm not sure if it was the pep talk for him, or if I started riding differently by hearing the pep talk myself, but I had a fantastic warm up and knew we were ready."

The pep talk worked for both Jodie and Manhattan. The judges awarded them with a score of 62.880%. "It it was as good as he is right now," Jodie proudly stated. "He tried his heart out. The Grand Prix Special is such a physically demanding test, he gets tired in it and I have to jazz him up a few times during it. Each time, he jazzed right up, unlike the other day. It was a great way to end the season."

As for Wencenza, Jodie's 5-year old mount in the Young Horse Division, she was once again fantastic. Jodie said, "I saw the video of our last ride tonight and can't believe how much she has changed over the season. Unfortunately, she was finally beat. They combined the 5 and 6 year olds and one 5 year old and one 6 year old beat her, so she was 3rd."

Just like in previous tests, the judges comments were all very positive and awarded her a 7.32% (73.20%). That placed her third behind the winner, Ilse Schwarz aboard Sauvignon with a score of 7.480%, and Silva Martin aboard FS Tiger Lily in second with a score of 7.460%.

"She was really good and I am thrilled with her progress. I rode in the young horse training sessions with Scott (Hassler) earlier in the week and he was really, really happy with her," Jodie recalled. "So, to me, that's almost more meaningful than the scores. He thinks she is going to be a fantastic FEI horse and will have a really great piaffe and passage. Let's hope he's right!"

KWPN-NA Annual Meeting Features Scott Hassler and Riding Demonstrations by Jodie Stevens Kelly
Saturday, March 8, 2008

WELLINGTON, FL - The Dutch Warmblood Studbook of North America (KWPN-NA) held its 20th Annual Meeting in Wellington, Florida, March 6-8. Members from across the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands gathered in Southern Florida for meetings, informative and educational lectures, tours, demonstrations, and social events.

The three-day event featured speakers from several equestrian sports, including John Madden, Geoff Teall and Scott Hassler. Saturday's events kicked off with U.S. Young Horse Dressage Coach, Scott Hassler. He conducted training sessions with a group of horses ranging from four to eight years in age.

Coach Hassler offered advice on which performance track was appropriate for different types of horses - the national test track of the FEI Young Horse or the Developing Horse track. The goal for this day was to help breeders, riders and trainers evaluate the potential of their young dressage horses.

Stevens Kelly was asked to bring Wencenza (Contango x Piacenza/Juventus) and Uniek Orame x Moraliene/) out as dressage demonstration horses for Scott Hassler.

Wencenza is a five-year-old, 17.1-hand Dutch mare owned by Beth and Roy Godwin of Jolly Bay Farm in Freeport, Florida. Jodie is training and competing Wencenza in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program. Her goal is to qualify Wencenza for the 2008 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage Championships in Lexington, Kentucky, this summer.

Uniek is a six-year-old, 16.2-hand Dutch gelding owned by Caroline Adams. Caroline is the daughter of Ben and Dawn Adams of Lafayette, Louisiana. Caroline is currently training with Jodie in Loxahatachee while keeping up with her normal school workload. Jodie accompanied Caroline and her family on a trip to Holland this past September where she had arranged for Caroline and her parents to look at several horses through Toine Hoefs. Together they decided that Uniek was the horse for Caroline.

GRABURN AND WEBER WIN FIRST TWO USEF SELECTION TRIALS FOR 2008 DRIVING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday, March 6, 2008

OCALA, FL - Sterling Graburn of Bonifay, Florida won the first USEF Selection Trial for the 2008 World Singles Driving Championships held at the Sunshine State CDE (CAI-B Ocala) in Ocala, FL February 28-March 2. The World Championships will be held in Jarantow, Poland August 28-31.

Besting a field of 11, Graburn and Dante an 8-year-old Sport Cob owned by Graburn and Wendy Ying, narrowly beat Donna Crookston of Saltsburg, PA. Prior to Sunday's cones competition Graburn's score of 121.28 gave him a narrow lead over Crookston. Crookston and RG Cowboy's Black Magic, a 12-year-old Morgan, had a two-day score of 122.07. Both drivers picked up nine penalties in the cones, leaving Graburn with the lead in the first USEF Selection Trial.


The Sunshine State CDE also hosted the first USEF Selection Trial for the 2008 World Four-In-Hand Championships to be held in Beesdt, Holland September 4-7. Chester Weber of Ocala, Florida won the competition with an overall score of 134.42. Jim Fairclough of Newton, NJ was second on a score of 174.

The next USEF Selection Trial will be held during CAI-A Ocala, which is known as the Live Oak Plantation Combined Driving Event. The competition runs March 27-30th and also plays host to the USEF National Singles and Four-in-Hand Championships.

For more information please contact Wendy Wares, USEF Director of Driving Programs.

DRESSAGE INSTRUCTORS TO ADVANCE THEIR SKILLS IN UNIQUE SPORT THIS WEEKEND
Tuesday, March 4, 2008

LINCOLN, NE - Members of the Northwest Florida Chapter of Deep South Dressage & Combined Training Association will attend a weekend educational seminar for dressage instructors to help advance their teaching skills in the unique sport of dressage, thanks to a significant grant provided by The Dressage Foundation.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from Vicki Hammers-O’Neil, a USDF certified instructor, at the equestrian facility located in Cottondale, Florida. Here, local dressage instructors will be introduced to theories and demonstrations about how to teach the sport of dressage, the basics of lungeing and how to train and ride a horse correctly.

“Teaching any horse basic dressage will improve the horse and make him a better athlete. Dressage helps improve the horse’s response to and his relationship with the rider,” said Hammers-O’Neil.

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Group Member Organization (GMO) led by president Mary Jane Benson, arranged the weekend seminar and applied for the grant provided by The Dressage Foundation. The Dressage Foundation, a non-profit, donor-driven organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska provided a $1,000 grant to help make this Instructor Continuing Education Program possible.

"We are glad to be able to provide financial support for this program, as riders are always in need of great instructors in order to continue advancing their individual skills and the sport of dressage, "said John Boomer, President and CEO of The Dressage Foundation.

Dressage is the training of horses, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to Olympic. Dressage is a major component of equestrian sport in the United States, as well as internationally.

For more information about the program or The Dressage Foundation, please contact John Boomer at (402) 434-8585 or visit www.dressagefoundation.org.

The Dressage Foundation

The Dressage Foundation is a national non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to supporting and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations and awards grants and scholarships to dressage riders of all ages and levels. For more information, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.

Country Supply to Donate 5% of Sales to Region 3 JR/YR Team
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

FT WALTON BEACH, FL - All you do is shop at CountrySupply.com and Country Supply will donate will donate up to 5% of your purchases to Region 3's JR/YR team. Applies for all products on any web order where your group code (jr/Yrregion3) is entered. Except for dewormers and shipping & handling.

The teams need at least $10,000/each to defer expenses. This year’s competition is in Colorado so shipping will be a challenge. We need all the dollars we can get!

Thank you.
Ellen Witterstaeter, Region 3 Youth Coordinator

Mini Clinic with Johannes Beck-Broichsitter
Friday, February 1, 2008

JACKSONVILE, FL - Johannes Beck-Broichsitte, an upper level eventer from Germany, will be in Jacksonville for a 2 day mini clinic on March 4th and 5th 2008 to teach both jumping and dressage lessons at Needmore Land and Cattle Ranch in Jacksonville, Florida. Johannes is classically trained and currently works with Philippe Karl of the Ecole de Legerete and Johann Riegler of the Spanish Riding school, however he has multiple talents and is also an excellent show jumping competitor and instructor.

Johannes now runs the training facility founded by his father, renowned horseman and author of several books, Helmut Beck-Broichsitter. Johannes is very humorous and encouraging in his teachings and he is looking forward to the opportunity of instructing in Florida after giving a full clinic in San Diego at the end of February.

Although the website www.johannenhof.de is in German you can view pictures under: Bildergalerie. Google will do an adequate job of translating the website to English if you prefer (See Related Links below).

Lessons will be $85. Contact Sandy Mooney via email or call 904.463.2908 for more information.

Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to learn from a modern master.

Emerald Coast Chapter Announces Karen Rohlf-Dressage Naturally Clinic
Monday, January 28, 2008

BAKER, FL - Great news!! Emerald Coast Chapter of DSDCTA will be hosting the Karen Rohlf/Dressage Clinic March 21-23, 2008 in Baker, FL. It is highly unusual for her to hold clinics in Florida since she lives in Reddick, so consider us lucky!! There are only 12 spaces available, so hurry and get your application in ASAP.

Karen trained over 20 years in dressage with Anne Gribbons ('O' dressage judge, International Grand Prix trainer and competitor) and studied Parelli Natural Horsemanship directly with Pat and Linda Parelli. Karen has trained horses and students to the upper levels of dressage, represented the United States 4 times on the Young Riders team, passed her USDF 'L' judge test with distinction and was accepted into the USEF 'r' judge program. She now divides her time between traveling the world giving clinics and training at home at her Temenos Fields in Ocala, Florida.

The format will be a 3 day clinic of 10-12 rider/horse teams around 6-7 hours per day. Riders participate all 3 days, full days. Sometimes Karen uses the format of breaking riders in to 3 groups and over the 3 days. There will be some class room type discussion, time playing on line and each horse/team will get individual time. It will be a fun filled weekend playing with your horse!!!.

Contact Linda Johnson for more information.

Florabama Chapter Announces Weekend With Allison Faso
Monday, January 28, 2008

ROBERTSDALE, AL - You’re invited to Florabama’s Weekend Clinic with Allison Faso! February 23-24, 2008. 8 Horse and Rider combinations will have the opportunity to ride with Allison Faso in a clinic that will take place at the Robertsdale, Alabama covered arena. Go to www.Dressageconnections.net for a wonderful description of her seat symposiums.

In addition, auditors will have the opportunity to participate in exercises to improve the rider’s seat and balance. A limited number of spaces are available. Rides will be $50 per day for Florabama members or $100/day for non members. Auditing for members will be free, $35/day for non members. Reserve your space today. Money will be due Feb. 15, after that your space may not be available.

Contact Teresa Simmons, President DSDCTA - Florabama Chapter for reservations.

Do You Remember Your First...
Monday, November 12, 2007

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FL - Do you remember your first childhood crush? Your first Christmas memory? Your first pony ride? We all experience many 'firsts' in our lives. When Jodie Kelly entered the ring Saturday afternoon to perform a Grand Prix test will certainly be one of those 'firsts' that she will treasure forever.

Jodie has dreamt of her first Grand Prix since the day she bought Manhattan. It was that day that Toine Hoefs told her, "He is going to be a Grand Prix horse." Of course, it was also the same day that Manhattan had bucked Jodie off and eluded her for ten minutes in an indoor.

Jodie recalls "I knew it would be a long road, but I vowed then and there that I was going to make him that Grand Prix horse." There have been a few possibilities over the years that might have resulted in Jodie having a trained Grand Prix horse. And as tempting as it was at times, she knew that she wanted Manhattan to be her first. "I wanted my first to be on a horse I had trained myself, so, I waited a few years longer maybe. But some things are worth waiting for.. and it TOTALLY was!"

Jodie and Manhattan earned judge's marks of 67.708% on the opening day of the show in their first Grand Prix test. The performance was certainly an event to be celebrated. On day two, the pair followed up with even better marks of 68.750%. "Overall, it all went as perfect as I had hoped, my rides certainly had some mistakes that need working on, but they were both solid rides."

The rest of the show was also good with Jodie Kelly Dressage claiming several high point awards. Cindy Carpenter captured the Dutch High Point award with a 73.929% score aboard Utrillo. The judge's marks of 73.684% for Jodie and Wencenza gave the pair the highest score at First level. The Second level High Point award went to Lora Kay Witterstaeter on Preference with a 70.000% mark. Jodie and Manhattan won the FEI High Point award followed closely by Lora Kay and Weltkaar with a 67.750%.

It is safe to say that this was the start of a lot of good memories for Jodie Kelly Dressage.