A Lil' Dazzle Sport Ponies

06/17/2025

A horses view…hats off to riding instructors

06/15/2025

Art Grunig Hall of Fame trainer of our wonderful ponies, I learned so much from him ❤️

Art Grunig is honored with an Equus Award for his outstanding achievements training horses in Western disciplines, general horse training, and for his innovative contributions to equine wellness and performance. Art began his career as a trainer in 1966, and learned farriery in 1971 to assist his horses' performance. He became a full-time trainer in 1980, then incorporated innovative bodywork with his training in 1986. Art Grunig has studied bodywork in the United States, France, and Italy. His list of credentials include: massage, cranial sacral, visceral manipulation, lymphatic drainage, sports massage, watsu, and tantsu. Art also has developed a form of bodywork called Reflex Balancing.

Art says fairness is the key in his approach to training. He defines fairness as the horse always having a good opportunity to find a way to be happy, comfortable and healthy. All of his techniques, methods, and procedures are based on this philosophy. He has performed his work from coast to coast in the continental US and Hawaii, as well as Mexico, Italy, Ethiopia and the Virgin Islands. Art has trained horses for reining, cutting, working cow horse, western riding, western pleasure, trail, jumping, dressage, gaited horses, jousting, vaulting, driving, and racing. He and his students have won more than 30 equine championships and reserve championships, at both regional and national levels. One of his unique accomplishments is training two draft horses, ridden by their owner Kelly Bailey, that have won money in the National Reining Horse Association Florida Reining Classic 5 out of the past 7

06/09/2025

I like this

06/09/2025

your weight trumps your leg and hand aids at all times

04/30/2025

04/09/2025

There are times in every serious horse professional’s journey where expertise alone isn’t enough. You know your craft — in fact, you’ve probably spent decades refining it. But running a business that continues to evolve with your talent requires something different. It requires support. The ...

04/09/2025

03/10/2022

No matter whether you’re practicing piaffe and passage or perfecting your 20-meter circle, dressage always comes back to fundamentals. As the 2021 U.S. Equestrian Robert Dover Horsemanship Clinic Week kicked off, Dover took the time to remind pa...

03/08/2022

At some point, you realize that the canter departure doesn’t have to resemble a rocket launch. Here are seven steps for that epic trot-canter transition.

03/08/2022

There is a way to get your horse to stop without pulling on the reins.

11/09/2021

Training Tip Tuesday: "My horse needs to be quiet enough not to draw my attention. You want your horse always aware of you. Be aware of your horse! Fidgeting? Direct that! Think of it as a gift. Do something with that energy; redirect it or it will be negative. Don’t let your horse check-out. A horse wants peace. Trade movement for peace." ~ Buck Brannaman