Bethany Wallace Sport Horse Training

07/02/2021

Photos from Dreamtime Sport Horses - Bethany Wallace's post

11/26/2019

A friend and student is looking for a wonderful home for her horse Ruby. Please take a look and get in touch with Maayan Conan Schoeman if you're interested. I can also answer questions about Ruby as I know her well :)

11/20/2019

Hawley Bennett Eventing Clinic, Sonoma County

Hawley Bennett is coming to Hawkwood in December and there are still a few spots left. Please sign up!

We are so excited to bring Canadian Olympian and 5* eventer, Hawley Bennett, to Sonoma County for a two-day jumping clinic at the gorgeous Hawkwood Hill Farms in Petaluma.

01/22/2019

It's going to be a perfect week to enjoy riding out of the arena at beautiful Hawkwood Hill Farms!

01/17/2019

This is a great illustration of the dressage training pyramid!

I think is is a wonderful illustration. The artist specifically asked to NOT be credited. But would like this to be shared. So enjoy!

01/10/2019

Bethany Wallace Sport Horse Training

01/10/2019

Dreamtime Sport Horses and Hawkwood Hill Farms are hosting a dressage clinic with Grand Prix trainer Sandy Burns-Gardner Sunday February 10th. Please join us!

01/10/2019

Planning and Setting Riding Goals for the Year

It's that time of year!

Something I’ve always loved about riding is that, no matter how long you’ve been a rider, you always have room to continue to improve. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m definitely a goal-oriented person, and I love keeping notebooks of rides, cut outs from magazines of training ideas and exerc...

01/03/2019

Xenophon Equus Centre

Why trainers PUSH horses TOO FAST

Klaus Balkenhol explains, "Although breeders have created a better horse, the market has created a demand for a stronger, healthier, more powerful horse. It's easier to sell a horse that looks
like a carefully developed eight-year-old, and not like a three- or four-year-old just beginning his career. If you force it, you can get a three-year-old to physically look like a developed eight-year-old. Too many colts remain stallions which, if approved, promise breeders higher prices as three-year-olds. Now 250 to 300 young stallions are presented each year, when only 40 or 50 will be approved.
Few breeders have the sense to geld the yearling stallions and leave them on the pasture to mature naturally. Instead, yearling stallions are brought into a stall, fed too much grain, and at three, look like six- or seven-year-olds. They have muscle mass, but not enough bone structure to support it. They look mature from the outside but aren't . . . and when started to work, degeneration sets in. Competitions also create pressure to push horses too fast as competitions are now scheduled throughout the year without any breaks."

Common Mistakes In Pushing Too Fast
Tightening the noseband: "A horse resists by sticking out his tongue. Tightening the noseband too much puts pressure on the nose and on the poll. If it is necessary to tighten the noseband very tightly, then something has gone very wrong in the basic training of the horse. The horse cannot be relaxed, the first step on the training scale," warns Klaus.

Specializing too early: "Drilling every day in the indoor arena is too intense for the young horse. It's very important, especially in the first two years of training, not to specialize the young horse. Training should include a variety of activities, including trail riding, which is good for the mind as well as building strength with hill work. It should include jumping, either free or low jumps under saddle, including small natural obstacles on the trail, and cavaletti. A variety of work will allow the horse to stay mentally fresh and to enjoy his work. Only when the horse is happy can dressage become art."

Not checking tack frequently: "Saddle and tack need to be checked constantly for proper fit and adjusted as the horse's body changes with growth, and as his fitness improves with the
training. If the noseband gets too low, for example, and the skin between the noseband and the bit is rubbed and becomes sore, this causes the horse discomfort and loss of relaxation.
Regularly check for sharp edges and bit problems in the horse's mouth and teeth."

Working too long: "The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller.
Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse."

Riding when the horseman is tense: "Horses are particularly sensitive to the rider's mood. A rider shouldn't ride if she is under undue stress or doesn't have the time to ride. If the rider has a bad day, give the horse a rest day or go for a relaxing trail ride; don't work in the arena. The horse mirrors the rider's mood."

Not praising the horse enough: "The horse must perform from joy, not subservience. Praising a horse frequently with voice, a gentle pat, or relaxing the reins is very important to keep the horse interested and willing. If the horse offers piaffe, for instance, because he's excited, praise him for it. You shouldn't stop the lesson at that point nor make a big deal out of it. If you don't want piaffe, quietly urge him forward into trot, but you should NEVER
punish him for offering the piaffe.

11/19/2018

Our team at October's dressage show at Woodbridge - winning blue ribbons and cheering each other on :) It doesn't get much better than that!

08/09/2018

Now accepting clients at beautiful Hawkwood Hill Farm in Petaluma! I am excited to call this my new "home away from home" as one of their 2 resident trainers.

06/29/2018

Touki & me showing 2nd Level at Woodbridge.

05/25/2018

Dressage Hub

Great exercise!

You can do this in the trot and canter! #tbt

04/05/2018

HAWKWOODHILLFARM.COM

Now accepting clients at Hawkwood Hill Farm in Petaluma!

08/03/2017

US Equestrian

What a pair!

Meet the new World #2 dressage combination:🇺🇸 Laura Graves & Verdades. This is the first time in 8 years that a U.S. combination has ranked that high since Steffen Peters and Ravel in 2009. 🎉 #JoinTheJoy

Read more: https://www.usef.org/media/press-releases/laura-graves-verdades-move-to-number-two-in-fei-world-dressage-rankings

09/18/2016

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Partnership in Action at the AECs - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary

Great video! It actually gives the feel of riding the course plus the relationship between rider and horse is super cute.

Coti Hausman, of Waxhaw, NC, and her 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding Quantico became eventing partners in 2014. They moved up to Preliminary this year and picked up two wins in a row before making their way

08/19/2016

Bethany Wallace Sport Horse Training

08/19/2016

Showing Continuum at Yarra Yarra, 2nd level.

06/09/2016

The Lost Quixotes: "The Origins of Dressage"

The Lost Quixotes: "The Origins of Dressage"

Paul Belasik discusses the origins of dressage.

05/05/2016

Build Your Horse’s Confidence in Dressage

Wonderful article! http://dressagetoday.com/article/build-horses-confidence-26649

Learn how to inspire your dressage horse to do his best.

04/21/2016

"Africa" Free to a *very* good home, for experienced riders only or as a companion horse. 2001 Thoroughbred gelding located in San Diego, CA. Please contact me for more info! Bethany at (619) 850-5923 or [email protected].

01/21/2016

USEF Network

Excellent advice!

"Those of you who are nervous about seeing the nice distance, seeing the nice flowing distance, the worst thing you can do is hold and wait, and wait wait wait until I see that distance because it's not going to be there off of that. You've got to open the stride, have the confidence that yes, I'm going to set the pace and it's going to be there for me." - Beezie Madden

Watch the entire clinic: bit.ly/GMHMS16

12/12/2015

Timeline Photos

11/12/2015

A fun ride with friends at beautiful K2 Ranch

11/09/2015

If It Bleeds, It Leads. Or Does It?

"Why does the blood rule for eventing differ than that for dressage?" That's a good question and one well worth discussing.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/if-it-bleeds-it-leads-or-does-it

There’s a saying in the newspaper business that “if it bleeds, it leads,” meaning that if a story has a gruesome or violent subject, it will attract readers. It’s a sad reality of life that the adage rings true.

11/07/2015

Timeline Photos

10/24/2015

"True lightness, the one that encompasses the ensemble of the horse, from his mouth to his back, produces a cadence and a communication which increases the pleasure of riding. It is a sensation which is a true secret conversation between the horse and yourself and from which the spectator only perceives the gracefulness. Nobody can appreciate the rest. Only horse and rider know what is going on." -Nuno Oliveira

10/23/2015

Riding through the vineyards: not only is it beautiful, but it is great hill work for my horses!

10/23/2015

Arrow Equestrian

"The Morality of Riding", a thoughtful article by Erik Herbermann.

Arrow Equestrian offers different approach to teaching and learning and specialises in Classical Dressage lessons combined with complementary techniques.

10/08/2015

Charlotte Dujardin Master's Class - Streaming Archive

Excellent video for those of you training dressage horses out there.

Click below to watch the Charlotte Dujardin Master's Class, presented by The Chronicle of the Horse and Breyer: ...

10/04/2015

October 2015 - Bethany Wallace & Dreamtime Sport Horses

Check out Dreamtime Sport Horses in Riding Magazine! :)
http://www.ridingmagazine.com/index.php/component/content/article/81-feature-focus-eventing/524-october-2015-bethany-wallace-a-dreamtime-sport-horses

09/20/2015

Announcing a clinic at Harmony Hills Ranch in Oakdale for Saturday October 17th, I hope to make it a regular event! I am looking forward to seeing my Oakdale friends there! :) I will be teaching dressage and jumping, as well as horsemanship. Western saddles and beginners are welcome too, my goals for this clinic series are simply to work on harmonious riding and building great relationships between humans and their horses, no matter your style of riding. Cost is $75 per private lesson and includes the facility use fee. Please share if you have friends who are interested!

09/18/2015

Announcing my upcoming clinic at Willowbrook Stables in Petaluma on October 25th. Please contact me to reserve a spot!

08/10/2015

I am pleased to announce that Dreamtime Sport Horses will be moving to Willowbrook Stables in Petaluma in a few short weeks. I can't wait to be in beautiful Sonoma County!

07/23/2015

A student is looking for someone to ride her mare and share costs (half lease/lease) or possible sale: Sweet and elegant 5 year old mare for lease, half lease, or sale, Kallie, Mare, Chestnut, white socks and blaze, Age: 5, 16H, 1000lbs, For half lease at current barn, full lease, or possible sale. Quiet, good mannered, very sensible. Nice hunter type mover, very TB type look. Located in Oakdale. In professional dressage and hunter training. (619) 850-5923 [email protected]