Riding Right : Archive

This page lists some of the older news and events at Riding Right. Current news is here.

	Hollie Speaking at Equine Affaire - Nov. 11 & 12 in Springfield, MA Hollie has been invited to speak at Equine Affaire in West Springifeld, MA. She'll be giving four separate presentations, two on Friday and two on Saturday. Riding Fundamentals: Understanding New Images of the Horse & Rider Partnership - Friday, Nov. 11 at 10am. The Path Through the Jungle: A Systematic Approach to Riding Basics - Friday, Nov. 11 at 1pm. Basics for All Riders: How the Fundamentals Matter at Any Level - Saturday, Nov. 12 at 2pm. Dressage Concepts & Riding Basics: Eliminating the Boundaries between Disciplines & Concentrating on Classical Horsemanship - Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6pm. For more information on attending the event, go to the Equine Affaire website.
	Ride Times for the Halloween Horse Show - November 61 The Annual Halloween Horse Show is happening this weekend! Delayed a week by the snow, the ride times are on our show information page.
	Halloween Show Delayed We have snow on the ground here, and more is forecast for Saturday Night, so we are taking unprecedented action: postponing the show by a week. While we hate to do this to our riders, in the end we decided that riders and horses will have the best experience if we dont try to fight Mother Nature on this one. So we're going to move the show by a week to Sunday, November 6th. We will be posting show times by next Friday - sooner if we can. If you're unable to make it, please let us know. We will, of course, refund money for anybody who can't make the new date. Just let us know. While we are sincerely sorry to reschedule (this is the first show EVER where we have done that), we think it is the best choice for horse and rider alike.
	The Halloween Horse Show is Coming - October 30, 2011 The Annual Halloween Horse Show is coming soon. Our fun end-of-year show is alsoways lots of fun, with dressage, jumping, and a costume class, too. The entry form is on our show information page. One minor word of caution: our last show was over-filled, and this one might be too, so make sure youre entries are in on-time, please. We hate to turn people away.
	Summer Riding Camp - First Session for Young Riders We just wrapped up our first Riding Camp Week of the Summer - and it was a great, fun group. Lots of very good riders and very good rides, with everything from dressage to jumping to lunging to trail work. We have lots of great pictures on-line, too.
	Results and Photos from the Emma Durrant Show Congrats to all the winners and great riders in our annual Emma Durrant Show. We have photos and full results on-line now.
	Ride Times Posted: Riding Right Dressage, Jumping, & Combined Training Show - September 11, 2011 Our dressage show and combined training event is coming this weekend, and the ride times have been posted. They're on-line on our show information page.
	Riding Right Dressage, Jumping, & Combined Training Show - September 11, 2011 Our dressage show and combined training event is coming fast! The show is a great opportunity for all riders, no matter what their interest, since it allows you to ride in just the elements you want, with divisons and classes for everyone, including dressage-only, jumping-only, and combined training divisions. The prize list and entry form are on-line. Becuase of the traditional popularity of our Fall shows, you may want to get your entry in early.
	Spring Dressage Show - Results and Pictures It was a perfect day for the Spring Dressage Schooling Show. A glorious spring sun and bright blue skies held on for most of the day as riders got back into the competition arena. We had nearly 50 rides for the day. Our High Point award went to Dianne Wojtkun and Kanan, with an impressive score of 70.63%. Reserve High Point award went to Kiersten Conroy and her pony Grendel, with 68.75%. Congratulations to all participating dressage riders and their horses for a job well done. We have posted the results and lots (LOTS!) of pictures. The next schooling show here at the farm is on June 19th.
	Hollie McNeil: 40 Fundamentals at Northshire Books Sunday, July 24 - 6pm at Northshire Books in Machester, VT. Hollie is headed to one of our favorite bookstores - Northshire Books - for a Sunday Evening discussion: "How to Be a Better Rider." She'll be using video fromt he 40 Fundamentals DVD to explain how better fundamentals are an essential building block for great riding.
	Summer Camp - Second Session is Under Way! The second session of our Summer Camp - for more advanced riders - is under way! Riders will be working on everything from horsemanship to horse care to equine careers to jumping. Plus, as always, some fun surprises!
	Lendon Gray - Dressage4Kids Countdown! Most of the young riders here at Riding Right are counting down the days until our dressage team heads to the HITS showgrounds for the annual Lendon Gray Youth Dressage Festival. As you can see from the video (left) its three great days of horsemanship, dressage, education, and fun!
	New Pictures of Devon! We've posted some new pictures of Devon on the photos page.
	Live Pictures of Devon! Just for fun, we've set up a camera so you can see live pictures of Devon (the new foal) and Kiwi when they're in the stall. Take a look by clicking!
	Dr Jenny Susser at Riding Right One of our goals here at Riding Right is to give our riders a chance to look at their riding from as many different perspectives as possible - and this weekend it was sports psychology at the top of the list, with Dr. Jenny Susser. Working on riding with Jenny gave our riders a wonderful chance to work on fears, anxieties, and goals in their riding. We had lots of good feedback on the clinic with Jenny.
	Ride Times Posted for the Emma Durrant Dressage, Jumping, and Two-Phase Show - June 19 Ride Times are now up for the Emma Show - they're on our show information page.
	Emma Durrant Dressage, Jumping, and Two-Phase Show - June 19 - Entries Open Now The next show of our season, the Emma Durrant Show, is coming up on June 19th, with a new format offering something for both dressage riders and jumpers. For dressage riders, we're offering our traditonal dressage classses; for jumpers, we're offering a good selection of jumping classes; and for the rider who loves them bothg, we're offering a two-phase competition, too. The entry form is on-line now.
	May Dressage Show - Entries Open Entries are open for our first show of the year - the May 8, 2011 Spring Dressage Schooling Show. Dust off yours boots - this is always a fun way to get back into the show ring for the year. The entry form is on-line - deadline is May 4.
	2011 Interscholastic: Games Night, Winners & Pictures The cheers and clapping were nearly deafening in our indoor arena as another thrilling Interscholastic Riding Competition night was underway. Our final night of competition featured "games" night and what a fun night it was. Riders had to figure out how to behead with a sword from on horseback, how to grab flags and run and how to work as a team while a relay race was underway. We have pictures, of course. When the night was over, Burr and Burton Academy of Manchester took home the grand prize as winners for the season, but by a mere 1.1 points ahead of Greenwich. All and all the season covered dressage, jumping and games. Each night the competitors were asked to bring good horsemanship and good sportsmanship to a new level and these students from area school rose to the occasion. A hearty congratulations to Burr and Burton for their big win.
	40 Fundamentals of English Riding Book Launch Exciting news at the barn: the official book lanuch for 40 Fundamentals of English Riding (Hollie's book published by Storey Publishing) has been scheduled. It's happening on May 6 at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge, and all friends of the farm (and Hollie) are invited, but an RSVP is required. Information about the book launch is on our events page, including how to sign-up.
	Fresh Pictures of the New Baby - and a Name! There's a new foal at the farm - named Devon - born at 9pm on April 4th, and we've just posted new pictures.
	Interscholastic: Jumping Night 22 riders had a great time at our second Interscholastic competition Friday night. All riders competed in a jump course ranging from beginner cross-rails through 2', as well as a jumping equitation class where the form and function of the riders position was scored. In the overall standings, Burr and Burton has pulled ahead with 186.3 points , followed by the Scramble team with 158.4 points, Greenwich with 157.2 points and team Determined with 60.6 points. Our next competition will be Mounted Fun and Games night on April 1st, and you can count on lots of fun surprises. We've posted scores and info on the final night (mounted games) on our 'entries' page.
	Nancy Baker Clinic at Riding Right Riding Right hosted one of our favorite clinicians, Nancy Baker. Riders worked on a variety of issues, including getting your horse straight, controlling the shoulders, and working through the back.
	2010 at Riding Right It's become a minor tradition to post a video with highlights of the previous year - and 2010 was just amazing. As we started to put this video together, we realized just how much fun, exciting riding we'd enjoyed with the riders at the farm. The list includes dressage, jumping, cross country riding, showing, Balimo, Lendon Gray, bandaging, lungeing, and even an indoor campout! Take a look, either to the left (small version) or on our videos page - and thanks for sharing such a great year with us!
	New Foal at Riding Right There's a new foal at the farm - born at 9pm on Monday night. We have images of her first few hours on the photo page!
	Unmounted Clinic - Conformation Lots of riders and others came out for our Conformation Clinic, part of our annual series of Winter education unmounted clinics. We had fun learning to feel what parts should be where with some of our very tolerant horses as Beth Beukema, Director of the Center for Equine Studies at Johnson & Wales University, taught us what to look for from head to croup in a Sports Horse.
	Winter Jumping Clinic with Don Bourque at Riding Right Jumping clinician Don Bourque held another great seesion at Riding Right over the holiday weekend, with lots of work on correcting riding to a jump. We've put up a few pictures on the photos page.
	2011 Interscholastic: Dressage Night at Riding Right Farm The first night of Interscholastic was lots of fun. In this year's three-night format, the first night was dressage-based, and the 19 competitors had a great evening. Scores and info on the next night, jumping, are on our entries page, plus we've posted some photos, too.
	Two Clinics Coming Up: Nancy Baker and Balimo from Hollie McNeil Two exciting clinics to look forward to this March at Riding Right: First, Nancy Baker will return March 5-6th for two days of dressage work. And on March 27th Hollie will help riders get their bodies ready for Spring and the upcoming show season with a Balimo Clinic. Details for both are on our event information page.
	Interscholastic - First Night - Dressage The new-format, always-fun Interscholastic Competition is just around the corner - and the deadline to sign up is Friday, February 25th. Let us know by email, phone or in person if you want to participate! Teams will be announced the week of Feb. 27th, and our first competition night is March 4th, Dressage Night. Competition details are available on our event information page.
	Unmounted Clinincs & Interscholastic Posted We've posted the information on our upcoming unmounted clinics, on lungeing and conformation - both in February. Plus we've put the information sheet for this year's more-fun-than-ever Intescholastic Competition - set for March and April. The information pages are on our event information page.
	Unmounted Clinic - Conformation - Feb. 27 We are continuing our Winter Unmounted Series on Sunday, February 27th with a guest-lecturer on Equine Conformation. Come learn the good the bad and the ugly of how horses are put together, and how you can ride better by understanding your horse's strengths and weaknesses. More information is on our event information page.
	Nancy Baker Clinic Video Nancy Baker's riding clinic was a great success. She's a wonderful riding instructor, absolutely great at spotting and correcting the rider's need-to-fix points.
	Riding Right at the Steffen Peters Symposium A group of our riders went to the Steffen Peters sympostium held at UMass, Amherst, giving the chance to see and hear some great riding advice from a great dressage rider. It featured WEG Bronze Medalist Steffen Peters and his wife Shannon Peters. It was quite awe inspiring to watch as these two brilliant clinicians give the demo riders ideas, tips, insights, and other useful information to help them build better partnerships with their horses.
	The 2010 Halloween Horse Show & Year End Winners. It was an extremely close competition for the top spot but Chelsea Baird of East Greenbush and her horse Her Classy Little Dude pulled ahead and walked away with our 2010 Season Championship. Reserve Champion went to Madison Keys of Shushan, who competed on Willow. Both competitors received trophies and a dozen red roses from show sponsor North Country Flowers of Greenwich. We've got results and photos from the horse show! Results are on the entries/info page and photos are - you guessed - on the photos page.
	Riding Right 2010 Fall Dressage Horse Show - Results, Photos, and More The Fall Dressage Schooling Show was a great success, with lots of riders turning in some very good results. One of the most amazing parts was the number of ties - a four-way tie in one class, and a two-way tie (resolved by audience vote) in the quadrille competition. We have lots of photos on-line, with some more to come, plus results on the entries page and we'll be posting some video, too.
	2010 Knick Show - Results and Photos A perfect day for the 2010 Knickerbocker Mansion Show! Ideal weather, great rides, and a wonderful experience riding for everyone. We've posted both results (on our show info page) and lots of photos (on our photos page) of all the riders at the show.
	Jumping Clinic with Don Bourque - January 16 Popular clinician Don Bourque will be back to work on jumping at Riding Right on January 16. Trailer-ins are welcome. School horses are available on a VERY limited basis. Dont delay in signing up if you're interested - contact us or sign-up in the barn.
	Horseback Jumping Clinic with Don Bourque at Riding Right Jumping was the focus for our Thanksgiving-weekend clinic here at Riding Right. Don Bourque worked with riders on everything from cross-rails to 3'6” oxers. He spent a lot of time working on bending lines, combinations, related distances and good turning, all essential elements of a successful jumper. We have a small set of jumping photos on our photo page, too.
	Lendon Gray Video We're all back from Lendon Gray - and we have the video to prove it. To see a fun four minutes in full size showing all the fun of riding at the Lendon Gray Youth Dressage Festival, take a look on our videos page. Or just watch the small version to the left.
	Nancy Baker Clinic - Nov. 12 to 14 We want to let everyone know that superb clinician Nancy Baker is coming to Riding Right for three days in November. She'll be here teaching on Friday, Nov. 12 through Sunday, Nov. 14. This clinic is open to riders of all ages and levels. Rides will cost between $80 and $115 dollars, depending on how many rides you do and whether private or semi-private. For more information, please go to the entries page.
	Riding Right 2010 Halloween Horse Show - Results and Photos We've got results and photos from the horse show! Results are on the entries/info page and photos are - you guessed - on the photos page.
	Riding Right 2010 Halloween Horse Show Get working on your costumes! The annual Halloween Horse Show is coming up on October 24th. The entry form is on-line now.
	Summer Camp Session II - a Hit! Our Summer Camp Session II - for riders 13 and over - was a hit, especially due to the wide range of riding experiences for our riders. We did eveything from cross country jumping to stadium jumping to lungeing, Balimo, and even polo. As we often do, we've posted some pictures on-line to get a sense of the all riding fun.
	Dressage Team - Results and Photos Some early results: two teams placed, one with a third and one with a sixth place. Individually, we had lots of winners, too: Hannah took 2nd in her division; Kayla, Sarah C., Victoria, Nicole, and Anna W. each placed 4th in their respective divisions; Zoe took a 5th place ribbon; Sarah B. earned a 6th place; Jenny took 7th; Stephanie earned 8th; and Amelia earned 10th. On the written horsemanship test, two of our riders took first: Amelia and Kayla. We have the photos up on our photos page, plus detailed results coming shortly
	2010 Fall Dressage Show - Ride Times Ride times are up for our Fall Dressage Schooling Show, with classes from USDF Intro Test A up to Second Level tests. To see the ride times, please go to our entries page.
	2010 Fall Dressage Show - Entries Now Open Entries are open for our Fall Dressage Schooling Show, with classes from USDF Intro Test A up to Second Level tests. For more information, please see entries page.
	Times Posted for the Spring Dressage Show - May 9, 2010 Riding Right's Spring Dressage Show is coming on May 9, and ride times have been posted. They're on-line on our entries and show info page. The judge will be Claudia Tarlov, and the dressage classes include UDSF Intro Test A up through USEF test of choice, and classes will be divided into junior and senior divisions. This schooling show always provides a positive, welcoming environment, and is a great way to get your dressage show season started!
	Spring Dressage Show - May 9, 2010 Riding Right's Spring Dressage Show is coming on May 9, and entries are now open. The judge will be Claudia Tarlov, and the dressage classes include UDSF Intro Test A up through USEF test of choice, and classes will be divided into junior and senior divisions. This schooling show always provides a positive, welcoming environment, and is a great way to get your dressage show season started!
	Lungeing Clinic Our Winter Lungeing Clinic was a chance for a great group of riders to learn more about this very important skill.
	Balimo Clinic - Saturday Night/Sunday March 27 - 28 We'll have a clinic to focus on rider imbalances using the German 'Balimo' (Balance in Motion) methods. Balimo was developed by German physiologist and riding consultant Eckart Meyners, and our Hollie McNeil is a certified Balimo instuctor. Saturday night will be a theory session (followed by dinner), talking about rider physiology, integration of the horse and rider's psychology, cross-corrdination, and similar topics. Sunday morning will start with an exercise program (unmounted), followed by rides throughout the day. For more information, please take a look at the information sheet. or contact us
	Interscholastic - First Night Riding Right's Interscholastic series - featuring mini-shows for young riders in dressage and jumping - had it's first night. Scores, and a couple of pictures, are on-line.
	Friday Night Interscholastic Fun - Deadline! Right Right's Interscholastic riding competition is just around the corner. Teams are forming now, and anyone interested who's in grades 6 through 12 is invited to participate - we'll make sure there's a team for you. (A clip from last year is to the left.) Competitors will be using school horses - you don't need your own horse to join. The first night of competition is March 5. The fun mini-horse show series runs every Friday night through the end of March. Please contact the farm if you're interested!
	Warm Winter Sun No great story here - just a beautiful shot of horses and riders enjoying the warm winter sun at Riding Right Farm.
	Bourque Jumping Clinic On January 18, we had great fun - as always - with jumping clinician Don Bourque.
	Interscholastic - Coming Soon! Keep your eye out here for news about our popular Spring Interscholastic Competition. It's a fun, relaxed competition run on Friday nights in the late winter and early spring. Add some new teams, and it will be a very fun compeition this year! A few highlights from last year on on YouTube.
	Joy Congdon Dressage Clinic The Dressage Clinic on Sunday, November 22 with Joy Congdon was great day for education and insightful riding. Lots of great rides, and many good changes for both riders and mounts, plus lots of enthusiastic observers, too.
	2009 Halloween Show - And The Winners Are... Standing water and mud couldn't keep away the crowds from our annual Halloween Horse Show. More than 70 riders turned out for this year's show, with a record number of participants in the Halloween Costume class. Lots of photos from the show are on-line. The show marks the culmination of our show season. The show season Champion award went to Jennifer Tracey and the Reserve Champion to Amelia Vinsel. Congratulations to both riders for a job well done.
	Dressage Team - Medals and Ribbons Galore from Lendon Gray Riding Right's Youth Dressage Team had a very successful three days at the 11th Annual Lendon Gray Youth Dressage Festival. Complete results for the Dressage Team and lots of photos are now on-line!
	Don Bourque Jumping Clinic Our Veteran's Day Jumping Clinic with Don Bourque proved to be a fun and educational day. The weather was nice enough that the clinic could still be outside. It started with two green five year olds and ended with more experienced jumpers who worked on good rhythm to the fences, timing and flying changes. Everyone's asking for Don to return soon!
	Joy Congdon Dressage Clinic - Nov. 22 Joy Congdon will be here for a Dressage Clinic on Sunday, November 22. She's a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist who enjoys working with riders at all levels. Clnic sessions will be available as both private and semi-private sessions.
	Don Bourque Jumping Clinic - Nov. 11 Popular clinician Don Bourque will be at Riding Right on Wenesday, November 11th. Don is great at helping you sharpen your jumping skills. (For a preview of Don working with a student, to a look at this brief clip.) Trailer-ins are welcome.
	Fall Dressage Show - Results Despite overcasts skies and the occasional sprinkle, we had some very strong rides and good scores at the Fall Dressage Show. The results (PDF) are on-line. The high-point winner of the day was Faye Gilbar riding Lilly. Reserve high-point went to Sarah Bateman on Okie.
	Knick Show Beats the Forecast On August 2, our annual Knickerbocker Mansion Show managed to beat the rainly forecast. Despite some very light rain in the afternoon, we managed to have a very successful show, with lots of enjoyable competition at all levels. Thanks again tp all who joined us!
	2009 Halloween Show - October 25th - Entries Open Entries are now open for the ever-popular Halloween Show (complete with a costume class, just for fun!) The class list and entry form is on our entries page. This show will also determine our year-end championships for the Riding Right show series for 2009. As of the moment, the top contenders are Jennifer Tracey/Docs Classy Noah, Amelia Vinsel/Jippy Long Stockings, McKenzie Krawczyk/Juliet's Alibi, Courtney Baird/Thunder Moon, and Chelsea Baird/Her Classy Little Dude.
	Camp Week - Video "I wish camp week could be ALL summer!" For some of our younger riders, Riding Right's annual camp week is always a highlight. This was another great year, culminating with a wonderful riding demonstration. Take a look at the video to the left or on our YouTube Channel!
	Emma Durrant Show - Video The 2009 Emma Durrant show was a great day. Contrary to a forecast for a few showers, it was near-perfect, and we've got the pictures to prove it. You can see the video on our YouTube Channel or just click on the image the left.
	Fall Dressage Show - Ride Times Posted Ride times for Riding Right's Fall Dressage Show are up! The list (PDF) is on-line.
	Fall Dressage Show - Open for Entries Riding Right's Fall Dressage Show happens on September 27 this year. It's a great way to have some wonderful rides at a friendly, inviting show, under a beautiful autumn sky! The show entry form is on-line.
	Nancy Baker Clinic One of our favorite clinicians - Nancy Baker - followed up on the dressage schooling show with two days of clinics, helping riders focus on the problems areas from their show rides.
	Dressage Team Going to Lendon Gray Festival Riding Right's Youth Dressage Team is getting ready to head off to the 11th Annual Lendon Gray Youth Dressage Festival. This year an amazing 18 of our riders qualified to compete at the competition that's organized by two-time Olympic Champion, Lendon Gray.
	August 2 - Knick Show Entries Open Entries for the 2009 Knickerbocker Mansion Show are now open. The form is available on our entries page. This is always a popular Summer show, with classes from everyone from beginners to advanced riders, so please join us!
	Spring Schooling Show - Results Posted We had a great Spring Schooling Show, with lots of riders and some very impressive scores. Results for the schooling show have been posted.
	Interscholastic - We Have a Winner The competition is over and the Cambridge team took it! Although the scores were remarkably close coming into the last round, Cambridge's riders used a great night to take the championship. Updated scores, a video clip (small version to left), and the chamionship picture are on-line.
	Balimo Clinic at Riding Right Hollie taught another very successful clinic at Riding Right, focusing on body-aware riding, balance, and other Balimo elements. You can learn more on our Balimo clinics page.
	Emma Durrant Show - June 14 The always-popular Emma Durrant Show is coming to Riding Right in June, and entries are now open. This show is always fun for a broad range of riders, from "walk-trot" beginners to jumping experts!
	Pony Club Clinic at Riding Right Riding Right hosted a Balimo clinic for our local pony club at the farm - lost of fun and improvement for all! There's a quick video clip to the left (and a full sized version on the video page).
	2008 at Riding Right A fun video showing some of the highlights from the past year! For a bigger view, see it on our videos page.
	Spring Schooling Show - Ride Times are Up Ride times for the Spring Dressage Show are on-line now on our entries page.
	Spring Schooling Show Entries Open Mud season is here - and so it's time to think about show season. Entries are now open for our annual Spring Dressage Schooling Show, to be held this year on May 10. As ususal, the entry form is on-line at our entries page.
	Interscholastic - Coming Down to the Wire! The competition is down to it's last week, and it's still wide open. Last round Cambridge did very well, and they're now ahead, but it's still anybody's guess as to who the winner will be at the end of the competition. Updated scores are on-line.
	Boston Clinic Hollie recently conducted a well-received clinic at Wadsworth Farm, outside Boston, MA. At left, a photo of Hollie applying her watchful eye to a rider.
	Interscholastic Week 4: It's a Tie for First! Week Four of the Interscholasric Series pitted Hoosick Falls against the Scramble team - and the standings are remarkably close. As of now, Cambridge and the Scramble team are tied (by number of points per meet), and all four teams are in easy reach of winning, depending on how things go in the final two weeks. We've posted updated scores.
	Jumping Clinic at Riding Right Don Bourque was at Riding Right for a jumping clinic (see video to the left, or click for a larger view.) for our younger riders. Don gave lots of good information about jumping, with a strong emphasis on setting up correctly for the jumps.
	Jumping Under the Lights The interscholastic series of informal, fun, "minishows" is under way on Friday nights. The image to the left shows an easy jumping round under the lights last meet. The full schedule and scores are on-line.
	Balimo Exercise Class at Dressage4Kids Hollie McNeil has just returned from a fun and educational weekend at the 7th Annual Dressage For Kids Weekend Education Program in southern CT organized by Lendon Gray. Hollie and fellow Balimo Instructor Dawn Jensen lead a Balimo exercise class to attendees giving both children and adult riders an opportunity to experience some of the basic exercises developed by sports physiologist and Balimo founder Eckert Meyners.
	Instructor Training Video Debuts at Lendon Gray Instructor Seminar The "Task vs. Command" teaching video produced by Hollie McNeil and Riding Right debuted at Lendon Gray's Seventh Annual Weekend Educational Program. An audience of approximately 60 riding instructors watched the 17 minute video, which focuses on difference between traditional "command" and innovative "task" teaching methods. (And the response was wonderful...) This methodology developed through the Balimo program is the key to teaching students how to learn to "feel" their horses rather than just listen to a riding instructor command their actions.
	Interscholastic Series is Under Way! Our popular evening "mini-show" series, a great warm-up for the Summer show season, in under way on Fridays (indoors and under the lights) at Riding Right. The full schedule and scores are on-line.
	Body Awareness Balimo Clinic - March 29 Learn why Olympic gold medalist Heike Kemmer endorses Balimo. Get your body in balance and see what it does for your riding. Riding Right is offering an open Balimo balance-in-motion clinic on March 29, 2009. This was very popular last year, so we're anticipating a full group.Contact us for more information.
	Interscholastic Competition - Getting Ready Once again we're having our immensely popular interscholastic competition for 6th through 12th grade riders, organized into teams of five to seven riders. This series of indoor, informal mini-shows will run on Friday evenings in March and April. Competition is in dressage and jumping. Some teams are going to be school-sponsered, while others are informal, rider organized. Please contact us as soon as possible if you're interested, so we can include you and your team in the schedule.
	German Trainer's License for Hollie McNeil Congratulations to Head Instructor Hollie McNeil - she has earned her trainer's license from the German National Riding Federation. She's pictured receiving her certification from school director Martin Plewa. (Plewa has served as the Chief of the Olympic Ground Jury in Beijing, judge at the World Eventing Championships, etc.) To earn the license, Hollie had to take extensive coursework at the Westfalen Riding School in Munster, Germany, ending with three days of intensive testing on cross country jumping, stadium jumping, dressage, lungeing, riding theory, stable management, and sport education. Due to its intensity and the perennial success of German riders at FEI and Olympic competition, the German certification is considered the best in the world and recognized by the FEI and 22 countries.
	Instructor Training by Hollie McNeil at Dressage4Kids - January 31 Hollie has been invited to give a presentation on teaching riding for instructors at Lendon Gray's Seventh Annual Weekend Educational Program. Hollie will be debuting the Balimo instruction video in which she is featured (see still image) to help educate instructors about the difference between "task" and "command" teaching methods. For more information about the Lendon Gray weekend, go to the Dressage for Kids website. For more about the video, check back here - we'll be posting clips online at a later date.
	Warmer Than You Think.... Despite the cold outside, it's warmer than you think at Riding Right. The passive solar nature of our indoor arena means that we're usually ten to fifteen degrees warmer inside than out. And of course, there's never any wind chill! Plus there's the heated viewing room now, too.
	Ice Storm Disrupts Farm - But Not Horses December brought a massive ice storm to upstate New York - and Riding Right was without power for six days! But with a combination of very hard work and several generators, none of the horses missed a meal or was otherwise disrupted.
	Don Bourque Jumping Clinic Another great clinic at Riding Right from Don Bourque. As always, riders benefitted from Don's, insightful, positive teaching. For a quick glimpse of his teaching style, take a look at the video clip (for Windows Media and Quicktime/Apple).
	FEI-recognized 'Passport' Congratulations again to Hollie McNeil, this time for earning her Equestrian Passport from the International Group for Equestrian Qualifications, an FEI-recognized 'passport' certifying her to teach internationally, including in Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and many other countries. (Note, too, the lovely, flattering passport photo.)
	Halloween Horse Show A stunning fall day for our Annual Halloween Horse Show! A great turn-out and good weather (after a hard rain the night before) made our last show of the year a big success. Pictures are on-line, now, too. As always, the show benefits a charity - this time it's Heifer Inetrnational.
	Don Bourque Jumping Clinic We had another successful, fun clinic at Riding Right: jumping with instructor Don Bourque. Photos from the day are here, too.
	Sept. Dressage Schooling Show - Pictures On-Line Pictures are now on-line for the Dressage Schooling Show. As ususal, prints are available.
	Congrats to Kathleen Hayden Congratulations to Riding Right Dressage Team member (and long-time rider) Kathleen Hayden! She's been selected for the dressage team at Mount Holyoke Collge. (Kathleen is pictured at left at the Lendon Gray's Dressage for Kids Festival, earlier this year.) Mt. Holyoke is one the the top collegiate dressage teams in the nation. In fact, they're the 2008 Intercollegiate Champions.
	Knickerbocker Show - Photos Now On-Line The Knickerbocker Show was a big success; even the weather behaved, giving us a beautiful, sunny day. Photographer Phil McNeil has a huge number of great looking pictures
	Nancy Baker Clinic Clinician Nancy Baker was once again at Riding Right, giving another superb dressage clinic, with both riders and observers enjoying the beautiful (and productive) session. Some photos from the two-day session are on our web album.
	Dressage Team Success at Lendon Gray Sixteen youth riders from Riding Right Farm spent a hot, but incredibly rewarding weekend at the tenth annual Lendon Gray Youth Dressage Festival in Saugerties, NY. Among the many highlights: Our top team placed fifth out of thirty five teams. More details and pictures are on the 2008 D4K page.
	German Performance Medals Congratulations to Instructor Hollie McNeil for earning her German Small Bronze and Large Bronze Performance Medals at the Westfalen Riding School in Munster, Germany. To earn the prestigious medals, riders must demonstrate excellence in Dressage, Jumping, and Riding Theory.
	Dressage Schooling Show - Sept. 7 The Fall Dressage Schooling show was a great success, with the clouds clearing into a beautiful day. As ususal, we have lots of pictures and they're coming soon.
	Emma Durrant Memorial Show - Photos Are On-Line! We have a approximately 300 photos from the show, and they're now available on-line at photographer Phil McNeil's website. The photos are beautiful - and you can get prints, too. (They're available for three dollars on up.)
	Dressage Team Headed to Lendon Gray The biggest-ever dressage team from Riding Right is headed to Lendon Gray's Dressage for Kids' festival in Saugerties, NY. Wish them good luck!
	Dressage for Kids Show is Getting Close The Riding Right contingent to Dressage for Kids is getting ready for the big show! We're a big group this year, and it promises to be an extremely fun few days in Saugerties. (At left is the group, meeting to discuss organizational details before an evening ride.)
	Dannavirke Foal Update By popular request, we're keeping up with the demand for baby horse pictures. New shots!
	Knickerbocker Show Date Set Update your calendars! The date for the Knickerbokcer Show at the farm has been set: August 3, 2008. Show lists will be up on the web soon, and announced by email, too. (If you're not on our email list, just send us an email asking to have your name added.)
	Youth Dressage Team: Record Qualifiers A record number of Riding Right's young riders have qualified for Lendon Gray's Youth Dressage Festival; we're bringing sixteen riders in four teams to Saugerties for the reknowned competition this July.
	Teaching Balimo in Germany On her recent trip to Germany, instructor Hollie McNeil was honored by being asked to give a guest lecture/seminar on Balimo riding principles at the Westfalen Riding School in Munster. (See photo.)
	Emma Durrant Memorial Show - A Great Day! The Emma Durrant Memorial Show - held Sunday, June 15 - was a huge success. Everything from the weather to the riders was about as good as it gets! We have a huge number of photos from the show, and we're working on getting many of them up on the web, plus a way to make prints and copies available, in the coming week. (Since we were fortunate to have photographer Phil McNeil shooting pictures, the collection is huge - more than two thousand shots - and amazing, too.)
	Dannevirke - New Foal Pictures Danna is a star! Brand new pictures are here.
	Emma Durrant Show This Weekend Our riders are getting ready for the Emma Durrant Memoraila Show, coming on Sunday, June 15. From the pre-entires (and the weather forecast, too) it looks to be a great show. The entry form is here.
	Emma Durrant Memorial Show - June 15 Entries are now open for our much-loved Emma Durrant Memorial Show. The show list and entry form is on the bottom of the 'Shows and Clinics' page.
	Nancy Baker clinic: On May 5, clinician Nancy Baker was at Riding Right for a clinic and review of the dressage schooling show. Nancy has trained students and horses to Grand Prix and has won many national and regional awards. She has her Bronze, Silver and Gold medals, is an L judge with distinction, and was 1997 Vintage Grand Prix Champion with her beloved horse Lowenprinz.
	German Performance Medal Course Instructor Hollie McNeil will be in the famous Westfalischen Reit und Fahrschule (link for English translation by Google: Westfalen Riding School) in Munster, Germany through June 6th, taking the German Performance Medal Course, including advanced work in dressage and stadium and cross country jumping.
	Dannevirke - Our Newest Horse! The new foal is here - a beautiful black filly named Dannevirke. More pictures and even a movie clip are here, as well as a live feed of her (if she's in her stall).
	Interscholastic riders: we have a winner! On May 9th - the last night of our very popular 2008 Interscholastic series - we celebrated a fun season with a pizza party after the last ride and presentation of awards. Congrats to Hoosick Falls and team members Kathleen Hayden, Mary Donohue, Alexius Gardner, Jenny Adrion, and Katie Bakatis. We've posted final team scores, too.
	Dressage Spring Schooling Show: Final Scores Posted On May 4, Riding Right had its annual Spring Schooling Show, with Judge Nancy Baker judging approximately 60 dressage rides. Thanks to everyone for contributing to a very successful show.
	Baby Foxes: OK, so it's not completely relevant to horses, but we're happy to report that a litter of foxes has taken up residence on the farm. Several of our riders have seen them out along the edge of our fields.
	Dressage clinic: We held a two-day dressage clinic for young riders, especially those who are interested in joining the Riding Right teams headed to Lendon Gray's Youth Dressage Festival coming up in late July.
	Betsy Tyler clinic: Clinician Betsy Tyler was at Riding Right for an intensive dressage seminar and clinic.
	Balimo clinic: Our recent Balimo clinic at the farm was a huge hit. A dozen riders and a large group of auditors discovered the huge positive effect Balimo can have on their riding.