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.

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.

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.