04/30/2026
One of the things I value most about showing is what it reveals about my daily work.
It has a way of bringing clarity to where things are truly confirmed and where there are still gaps, even when everything has felt fairly solid at home.
That isn’t a problem. It’s actually one of the most useful parts of the experience, because it gives you something very real to work from when you go back to your day-to-day riding.
But in order for that to be helpful, you have to understand what you’re looking at. Not just whether a movement happened or not, but what that result is telling you about the horse’s balance, strength, and understanding.
That’s where education becomes so important.
The more clearly you understand what each level is meant to develop, the easier it becomes to interpret those moments and make decisions that actually move the training forward.
That’s something I spend a lot of time on inside the Academy, especially in the Levels Series, because we so often get caught up in perfecting a test movement instead of really truly developing the qualities necessary to not only succeed in the show ring, but more importantly, to develop our horses in a kind and compassionate way.
Learn more about this special series: https://www.teamtateacademy.com/training-through-the-levels
📷Richard Malmgren
🐴The Fabulous Romeo
