Dressage Today Podcast

It’s November, the month to be thankful.  Aviva and Stephany open the podcast with the things that they are thankful for in their worlds.  

In the Ask the L segment, Aviva talks about the 2x coefficient on the tests, where it shows up, why it shows up and what it should tell you!  

In this month’s episode, Aviva and Stephany speak with Jenny and Sara from The Dressage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization, whose mission is to cultivate and provide financial support for the advancement of dressage in the United States. Jenny and Sara tell us how they each started with TDF, and the background of TDF as an organization.  We learn about all sorts of fascinating programs available to riders of all ages and levels, and how passionate TDF is about helping the sport of Dressage continue to bloom and flourish.  Jenny and Sara tell us how to go about looking at the various grants, applying for them and how the grants have made many people’s horse dreams come true!  We also get information on how to give back to TDF, with the various ways to donate.  It was a terrific interview with Jenny  and Sara, and their enthusiasm for helping Dressage riders of all levels was contagious! Take a listen, you might find yourself applying for a grant!

As a side note – we did not get to share the big news about TDF’s upcoming online Auction, which starts November 23rd and runs through December 7th.  There are over 170 items for auction, from custom riding boots, clothing, lessons with various people, clinics, horse goods, books and more!  To give you an extra little boost to check it out, both Aviva and Stephany donated services to support TDF – go check it out and put a bid on something today!  

In this month’s episode, Aviva and Stephany catch up with each other, talking about their latest wins, losses and learns.  Stephany shares her experience at Regional Championships and Aviva shares some very exciting news about going to Israel!  In addition to these big moments, Stephany talks about her 2 latest articles that came out, one on DressageToday.com and one in print In Practical Horseman.  As the year is speeding by, they both thought it would be a good thing to simply stop and appreciate the time together, sharing with our listeners!  

We didn’t forget your Ask the L Question, though! Stephany asked Aviva her thoughts on how to best use the time around the outside of the arena, both before and after the bell has rung. Aviva gave us great tips on what is ok, what should be avoided, and what to do if the horse has a “moment” as you are about to enter the arena!  

All in all, it is a great smaller episode, and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Dressage Today S6 E11 Show Notes:

In this episode, Aviva and Stephany catch up about what they have been doing, including some interesting conversation about Stephany’s Fourth Level Freestyle with Dante. Aviva tackles a difficult Ask the L question from Cass about horses being behind the bridle in the show arena, and gives us some different things to think about in relation to that! In our interview, both of the ladies got to chat with Kathy, and it was more of the magic that makes her Kathy Connelly! We get a little more insight into some of the many hats Kathy wears around the Dressage world. Kathy also gives her take on what makes great students and horsemen, and helps us to remember why we started doing this in the first place! It is another magical time with Kathy, and we can’t wait for you to take a listen!

As always, we are grateful to our sponsors. Remember, if you like what you hear, hit the Like button AND the Subscribe button, so you don’t miss an episode!

Dressage Today S6 E10 Show Notes:

Intro and Ask the L – Aviva and Stephany catch up and talk about the heat and how they are each dealing with it. In the Ask the L segment, Aviva answers a question from Sarah about what to do if your horse does a flying change in a 2nd level test instead of the proscribed movement.

Interview with Dr. Wendy Rice – Aviva and Stephany get to know Dr. Wendy, how she got to be a psychologist and how she decided to blend her career with her love of horses and riding. They cover a wide variety of reasons why and how imposter syndrome can come into someone’s life, where it originated from and who it can affect. Dr. Wendy gives some great tips for how to help yourself with this sometimes crippling thought process, and how to be your own best friend when it comes to success, both in and out the barn and the arena!

Dressage Today S6 E9 Show Notes:

In this month’s episode, Aviva reflects on the weight of social media on our riding, how easy it is to criticize in the name of “critiquing” and how we can never know the full story just from a picture of a video. She and Stephany share their thoughts on how we can all be kinder, and as riders we can always work to be better, but that most people are out their doing their best every ride. Stephany shares her latest win with Dante and getting qualified for Regionals.

In the Ask the L segment, Aviva talks about posting versus sitting in Training and First Levels. She discusses the various reasons behind what judges are looking for and how you can best help your horse with either choice.

We have a word from our sponsor, EquestrianPlus, and then Stephany meets back up with Beth for round two of the bit discussion.

This month, we dive deeper into some of the things Beth talked about last month, including metals, bit sizes and weight. They go on with the discussion to talk about double bridles - what the purpose is, when to try it, and how different curb bits work in the mouth. It was another fascinating dive into the world of bit fitting, and we are so happy that Beth could join us for a second chat!

Again, If you have questions for Beth, please forward them to her directly, or send them to us so we can share them with everyone on a future episode! As always, if you like what we are doing, please like and share our podcast!

Dressage Today S6 E8 Show Notes: