Freestyle Farm

Freestyle Farm For over 30 years, Freestyle Farm, Inc. has been devoted to producing award-winning dressage riders & horses. We offer individual care for horse and rider.

09/03/2026

The art of continually choosing larger bodies of water.

I have no interest in becoming the biggest fish in a small pond.

To be honest, we don’t live in the most incredibly competitive area. There are places with more trainers per square mile, more quality horses per square mile, and a much deeper field of competition.

Regularly, I choose to drive to said places.

To compete. To watch. To learn. To get beaten.

Why?

Because the goal is not just to win because nobody better showed up.

Winning IS fun. I love ribbons as much as the next person, and I’m certainly not going to pretend I’m disappointed when one of my horses walks away with a blue one.

But I never want winning to become more important than finding out where the holes are.

There is an enormous amount of value in putting ourselves in rooms, arenas, clinics, and competitions where you are decidedly average. There is even more value in finding yourself somewhere you are well below average.

Go watch the riders who are better than you. Compete against the horses that are more talented than yours. Ride with the trainer who notices things you haven’t noticed yet. Put yourself in situations where your current standard is not particularly impressive.

It IS uncomfortable.

But it is also incredibly motivating.

Because suddenly the things that felt exceptional at home become the baseline, and you start to see another level of detail or another level of preparation that you didn’t know you were missing.

And then you get to take that information home with you.

There is a certain safety in staying somewhere you already know you’re good. Your confidence remains intact, your results probably look nice, and you rarely have to confront the uncomfortable possibility that there is a whole lot you still don’t know.

But I don’t think that’s where much growth happens.

Every time I start to feel comfortable in one pond, I want to go looking for a bigger one.

Not to prove that I belong there, because I want to find out what it takes to belong there.

There will always be a bigger pond.

I hope I never stop looking for one.

😂
08/26/2026

😂

08/24/2026

There’s a difference between taking a lesson… and having a coach.

A lesson can fix something in the moment.

A coach helps you build something over time.

When you stay in a coaching relationship, your trainer starts to see patterns you can’t see - in you and your horse.

Your habits. Your reactions. Your strengths and your blind spots.

That’s where real progress comes from.

It’s about having someone who can guide you through the ups, the plateaus and the setbacks - without starting over every time.

Partnerships aren’t just built with horses;they’re built between rider and coach, too.

And when that relationship is consistent, honest and committed - that’s where dreams are realized.

🫶🏼 Cara

08/22/2026

When a Dressage Horse Is Behind the Leg — Especially With an Adult Amateur (AA) Rider

One of the most frustrating situations in dressage is a horse who is wonderfully forward and willing for the professional, but becomes behind the leg, pins his ears, bucks, or doesn't want to move forward for his AA rider.

The important thing to understand is that this isn't necessarily a “lazy horse.”

Often, the horse has learned that there are two different systems:

**Trainer:**
Leg → immediate response → release.

**AA:**
Leg → no response → stronger leg → more pressure → horse braces → resistance.

The horse learns that the AA's leg is negotiable.
But what is actually happening in the horse's body?

When the rider is asking the horse to go forward while simultaneously restricting him through the hand, seat, or body, the horse can develop an energy conflict.

The rider says:

“Go forward.”

But the horse simultaneously feels:

“Don't actually go anywhere.”

Instead of energy traveling:

**Hindquarters → back → neck → contact**

the horse can become:

**Restricted → braced → shortened stride → more leg → more resistance.**

The hind legs become less effective at stepping underneath the body and contributing to propulsion. The back can become tense rather than swinging. More weight stays on the forehand, and the horse can become heavy in the rider's hand.

This is why a horse can look “round” while still being completely behind the leg.

Round is not necessarily connected.
A short neck is not necessarily collection.
More leg is not necessarily more impulsion.

If the horse is constantly being squeezed, he can also become desensitized to the leg.

Instead of:

leg → response

the horse learns:

leg → background noise.

The rider then uses more leg, which can create even more tension.

Eventually the horse may anticipate the interaction. Ear pinning, tail swishing, bracing, rushing, kicking, or bucking can become part of the cycle.

That doesn't mean every buck is training-related—pain and discomfort should always be ruled out—but the physical and mental pattern is important to recognize.

So what's the answer?

It isn't to kick harder.

The goal is to make the aid clearer and more meaningful.

The rider should be able to say:

Light leg = GO.

If there is no response, reinforce promptly.

The instant the horse goes forward:

RELEASE.

The horse learns that responding to the first aid is the easiest option.

For these horses, I often like to temporarily take the emphasis away from the perfect dressage picture and go back to:

Forward → Straight → Rhythm → Connection → Engagement → Collection

A horse cannot truly be collected if he isn't genuinely forward.

Let the AA ride the horse in a more open, forward frame. Work on transitions, changes of direction, bigger and smaller steps, and simple forward exercises without constantly worrying about where the horse's head is.

One of my favorite exercises:

GO → COME BACK → GO

At the trot, ask for a few strides of a bigger, more powerful trot. Return to working trot. Then ask again.

The goal isn't to make the horse run.

QUICK TRANSITIONS

TROT → 4 STEPS WALK → TROT
TROT → CANTER → TROT

The goal is to teach:

My rider's leg means bigger steps.

And equally important:

When my rider stops asking, I maintain the gait.

The rider's position matters, too.

When the AA asks the horse to go, are they accidentally:

• Leaning backward?
• Gripping with the knee?
• Bracing through the stirrups?
• Tightening the reins?
• Locking the hip?
• Driving continuously?
• Holding the horse in the front while asking him to move forward?

That creates the classic:

“Go, but don't actually go” feeling.

The horse needs to feel that the rider's leg opens the door rather than pushes him into a closed front end.

The ultimate goal isn't to make the horse “behave” for the amateur.

It's to teach the horse that the AA's aids mean exactly the same thing as the trainer's aids.

When that communication becomes clear, consistent, and predictable, the horse no longer has to spend his energy figuring out how to respond to conflicting signals.

Instead, the energy can go where we actually want it:

Hind legs → swinging back → forward movement → elastic contact → connection.

That's when First Level starts to feel completely different.

Forward isn't created by more leg.
Forward is created by a leg that actually means something.

08/03/2026

For as long as Shannon Peters has been riding dressage, she has focused on her posture and balance. If her horse starts to get a bit heavy or behind her leg, she always goes back to finding her position in the saddle and asks herself how she can sit better to help her horse’s balance.

Click on the link in the Comments below for her exercises to improve your leg position and develop soft, supple contact in order to become an overall more effective rider.

07/30/2026

Fun weekend showing the babies!

This years YHS show held at Rattlewood Farms was a success! Incredible Fortune FF (Fortunato H2O x Isis) handled the atm...
07/30/2026

This years YHS show held at Rattlewood Farms was a success! Incredible Fortune FF
(Fortunato H2O x Isis) handled the atmosphere like a pro and came in second place in the 2 year olds!
Thank you Jessica M. Filiatrault for hosting a lovely show for our youngsters, it’s such a great way to start their show career.

Address

1730 N Oxford Road
Oxford, MI
48371

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 9pm
Saturday 9am - 9pm
Sunday 9am - 9pm

Telephone

+12483265885

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Freestyle Farm posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Freestyle Farm:

Shortcuts

Share