Alt Dressage

09/25/2025

What a week at Championships — full of great rides, even better company, and so many moments to be proud of! 🌟
🏅Elliot wrapped up the week with a 6th place finish in both the DSE Medal Semi-Final (scoring a 70%) and the CDS JR/YR Training Level Championship. A fantastic showing in two very competitive classes!
🏅Kyla and Francisco also made a strong debut in their first championship together, holding their own in a large and tough open division. So much promise ahead for this new pair!

Now it’s time for some well-deserved rest and recovery for our equine athletes before we gear up for a busy few months of lessons, clinics, and lots of learning. Thank you California Dressage Society and United States Dressage Federation Official Page for a great show!

09/11/2025

Sorry for the radio silence—it’s been a busy stretch at the barn! Between hosting clinics, preparing for championships, and helping our junior riders settle into the school year, time has flown.

Here’s a moment from one of Kyla’s rides during our clinic with Tanya Vik a few weeks ago. We’re so fortunate not only to learn from incredible riders and clinicians, but to have routine access that allows for continuity from clinic to clinic and steady progress over time!

Stay tuned as we head out to CDS Annual Championships next week!📺

09/11/2025

09/11/2025

Great day for some of the AD ponies! Lots of great feedback on their bodies, and some really cool releases to watch during and after their sessions. Thank you Sarah, we can’t wait to have you back💜

08/28/2025

So much of riding is really just learning to do all the little things well, like taking the time to pay attention to details when grooming and double-checking the fit our equipment... it’s all part of good horsemanship🦄

08/26/2025

The best part of barn life? (Besides the horses!) The people you share it with. Couldn’t ask for a better crew to ride, learn, and laugh alongside💜

08/19/2025

We kicked off August with Dressage @ DKF III, hosted just down the road by our wonderful neighbors at Dancing Kings Farm.

☀️McKenna and Kat both rode Danielle Polak’s Nika, who gave them a safe and confident show experience. McKenna, a longtime friend and client, is home from college on summer break and dipped her toes back into the show ring! It was also Kat’s first-ever dressage show, and we’re so proud of her debut.
☀️Aileen and Lulu made another pass at Intro B, showing off improved geometry and earning better scores than their last outing—go team!
☀️ Kyla and Francisco continued developing their partnership in the show ring, just shy of their final qualifying score for championships—but showing great progress and connection.

Apologies for the low-quality images of some very high-quality folks—we were too busy showing, coaching, cheering, and soaking up the good vibes to fully capture the day for the ‘gram. 📸❤️

Huge thanks to for offering this fantastic local show series. We’re lucky to have such great opportunities right in our backyard. Stay tuned for our Dressage @ ASH VII recap—coming soon!

07/28/2025

𝐖𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞… 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

Earlier this month, we kicked things off at 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈𝐈, a fantastic local show hosted by our friends and neighbors
⭐️ 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐡 & 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 continued their season at Training Level, and brought home the 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 for the show
⭐️ 𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐚 & 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨 made their 2* Show debut, earning a 67% and securing the first of their needed scores for the CDS Annual Championship

From the show ring straight into the sandbox — we headed right into two full days of learning with 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐞, who joined us at home for a clinic packed with insight, fine-tuning, and progress for horses and riders alike.

𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬) 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐅𝐏 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 — 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.

06/28/2025

As we come to the end of Pride Month, we wanted to recognize one of the quiet strengths of our sport: it brings people together in a way that erases many of the usual barriers. Men and women compete side by side. Gender identity doesn’t determine who gets to enter the ring or who can be great. Skill, connection, and partnership are what matter.

Horses and barn life offer something rare and powerful: a place to just be. A place where you’re not asked to explain or change, but simply show up with kindness and care. Horses don’t care how you identify—only that you show up with softness in your hands, intention in your seat, and love in your heart.
What makes this community so special is its potential to become a chosen family—a place of safety, growth, acceptance, and joy. Alt Dressage will always stand as an open door to anyone who needs that family, a place to feel safe, and most importantly, a place to be with horses.

So during Pride—and always—we celebrate the riders, grooms, trainers, barn kids, and friends who make this sport more vibrant, more open, and more true.

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞?🐴💕🏳️‍🌈

06/23/2025

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲.

Whether you’re picking up dressage (or riding) for the first time at 7 or 57, stepping into anything new takes courage. The journey doesn’t begin until you take that first step—and waiting until you feel “ready” or “qualified enough” will only hold you back. It’s not always graceful or easy—but the wins are always worth it.

This sport has a way of meeting you where you are and offering something valuable in return: discipline, connection, patience, and a skill set that’s built one step at a time.

Age, skill, and experience don’t define your starting line—showing up does.
Wherever you are, whatever your goals, there’s a place for you in the court!

06/22/2025

Put in the work now—your future self will thank you.
Taking the time to get strong in your position, clear in your aids, and thoughtful in the details pays off in the long run. The finesse doesn’t come from shortcuts—it comes from showing up, making corrections, and riding with intention every day. 🎯🐴

06/20/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺-𝘂𝗽 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗙 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳—𝗕𝗼𝗼 (𝗮𝗸𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘀).

Heading to Festival was an unforgettable adventure, and getting to support Julia Lee on such a big stage was nothing short of inspiring. We’re endlessly grateful for the opportunity, the memories, and of course, Boo (and his mom Deanna!)—who carried us all with their incredible hearts and generosity💕

Photo by Jackie Moran