Sublime Sporthorses

04/14/2025

Great ride from Janet and Fancy today! 👏🏼😄

04/14/2025

I’m going to say it louder for the people in the back!!

A horses’ head tells us EVERYTHING we need to know about where their state of balance is at. We cannot accurately judge a horses ability to carry themselves if we are a manually altering the horses’s head position OR ability to adjust their head position. It’s so important to understand that it does not matter where or how the horse is holding their head, if they are not engaged from the base of the neck than they are NOT properly engaged through their body!

When the sternum is lifted, the base of the neck raises allowing the rest of the neck to stretch up, out and over which encourages the horse to open up the throat latch and create a “rainbow” or “macaroni noodle” shaped profile of the head and neck which allows maximum forward swing of the shoulders and helps encourage the horse to push from the hind end.

thought for the day-
Good riding isn’t about bringing the horse’s chin in, head up, or head down-
it’s about bringing the base of the neck up. This is where anything “correct” can develop from. Otherwise we become puppeteers monkeying a horse’s body into a shape, while riding a horse with a braced back.

04/14/2025

I am very excited to have availability to take on some new clients!

I am currently available for
👉🏼 lessons
👉🏼 conditioning
👉🏼 bodywork

What is better than an instructor/trainer that also has over half a decade of experience as a bodyworker AND is currently a student of equine osteopathy at the Vluggen Institute? Not much! The greatest benefit to working with me is knowing that the work I do is backed by a specialized education and years of experience to help increase your horse’s fitness, soundness, and overall wellbeing!

Your horse’s soundness and overall wellbeing is my top priority above all else! Regardless of discipline or breed of choice I can help you and your partner along with whatever your journey may be whether that be performance, pleasure, or rehabilitation. My program stands alone or makes a great supplement to any program you may already be apart of.

Get in touch today and I can see you as soon as next week! All breeds, all disciplines encouraged and welcome 🙌🏼

04/04/2025

If you don’t end your lessons with a big smile on your face than you’re doing it wrong! 😁

I am so proud of all that Janet and Fancy have accomplished so far in the new year; They put in the work and they get the results! 🙌🏼

04/01/2025

03/28/2025

One of my biggest goals as a professional in this field is to help make independent riders/handlers/owners. I very often tell clients that it is my hope that they get to a point where they don’t NEED me- I do not feel satisfied in my work if my clients completely rely on me after so much time working together!

The decline of independent, knowledgeable horsemen in favor of riders who rely entirely on full-service programs is a troubling trend for our industry. Too often, riders simply show up, ride, and leave, trusting others to manage every aspect of their horse’s care. They follow their trainer’s directives without question, missing the opportunity to develop essential horsemanship skills and personal responsibility.

Attending a show without a trainer has become taboo. The idea of independently navigating a warm-up ring, walking a course, or making strategic decisions is foreign to many riders today. Beyond competition, this reliance extends to daily care. While trainers are invaluable resources, true horsemanship demands personal engagement.

Horses thrive on consistency, personalized attention, and knowledgeable management. A rider who understands their horse’s unique needs, how they respond to different training methods, express soreness, or vary in energy levels, can advocate for them in ways that a trainer managing dozens of horses cannot. When owners blindly follow a program without understanding its rationale, it is the horse who suffers.

On that note, there is absolutely no reason for a junior rider to have full-service grooming. Learning to care for a horse is an essential part of becoming a well-rounded equestrian. Grooming, tacking up, aftercare, and basic stable management are not chores: they are an opportunity and a privilege to recognize subtle changes in their horse’s well-being and take responsibility for their animal. If a junior rider has the ability to ride, they have the ability to contribute to their horse’s daily routine. Relying on full-service programs from an early age only fosters detachment and entitlement, rather than the respect and responsibility that true horsemanship demands.

Trainers should serve as mentors, not crutches. Every horse owner has a duty to take an active role in their horse’s well-being. If this trend continues, our industry will lose independent, well-rounded horsemen. We will see a generation of riders who can function only within structured programs, lacking the critical thinking skills necessary for effective horse care. Worse, we are producing professionals who can ride and teach but who lack the basic foundational knowledge to properly develop and maintain equine athletes.

Amateurs, in particular, have a crucial role in reversing this trend. Regardless of skill level, every rider has both the ability and the responsibility to take ownership of their horse’s well-being. This starts with asking questions: why is your horse in a particular training aid? Why is a specific bit, feed, or therapy being used? The more you learn, the better you can advocate for your horse. If your trainer resents your questions or discourages your involvement, vote with your feet and find someone else: because if they won’t listen to you, they certainly aren’t listening to your horse.

Restoring true horsemanship requires a shift in mindset. Riders must take an active role in their horse’s care, trainers should foster independence rather than dependency, and owners must recognize that ultimate responsibility lies with them. If we fail to course-correct, we risk losing not only invaluable knowledge but also the very essence of horsemanship: a loss our horses cannot afford.

03/02/2025

This message is for those who don't want to be normal. If you want to fit in, stay safe, be average, I understand and respect that, it's the normal thing to do. But then this email isn't for you.

Also note: This post is about dressage, but it's also not about dressage.

I was browsing the international rankings of the FEI CDI 1* and noticed that just over 400 riders participated at that level.

There are an estimated 175,000 dressage riders in the world today.

That means only 0.2% of the dressage riding world competes at the lowest level of the CDI ring.

I came to a couple of conclusions.

🔹Dressage is insanely hard. The odds are against you. If you're riding at PSG or above, you should pat yourself on the back, you've made it much further than most people ever will. Don't underestimate that accomplishment. It's huge.

🔹Getting to PSG or above is not the norm, in fact, it's statistically improbable. If you want to ride at that level too, you have to be willing to approach your entire life with a different mindset.

Doing what's normal or average, is doing what everyone else is doing. That makes up the very definition of normal. Normal people get normal results.

But, you can't stand out, achieve more, be more, do more, or succeed more, while doing what everyone else is doing.

You have to approach things differently. It's a fundamental necessity.

This is where things can get challenging. You can't always look to your peers because chances are they are normal too.

You have to be the one to break away, to forge your own path. It takes courage and strength, a vision. You have to believe it's possible or at the very least, worthy of the pursuit.

If you want to stand out, you can't fit in.

Big dreams take big risks, and having the courage to chase them isn't for everyone.

But if you want to push the boundaries of what you're capable of, you have to go all in.

And that....is far from normal.

01/31/2025

Spent the day dissecting horse limbs with the highly respected Dr. Simon Curtis!

Even though this event was geared towards farriers, I found it to be a fabulous educational experience for my osteopath journey. Big thanks to the SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FARRIERS ASSOCIATION for hosting this clinic and very excited for the lecture tomorrow! 🙌🏼😁

11/20/2024

Anyone who has worked with me knows how much I emphasize the importance of properly conditioning and strengthening the front end of your horse! They also know the magic that is a horse with total freedom of their shoulders!

While a horse on its own terms is fine to carry a majority of their body weight on their front end, a performance horse is not because their bodies have not been designed to account for tack, a rider, or the maneuvers we ride so we must account for that when training. A properly conditioned performance horse should be able to carry their weight evenly or in the hind end.

11/18/2024

07/17/2024

Saddle fit is SO important for the comfort and wellbeing of your horse. You can be doing everything right with nutrition and conditioning, but ultimately saddle fit will make or break their condition and comfort levels!