Sand Bar Ranch

12/11/2025

12/11/2025

The Purpose of Dressage

The true purpose of dressage has always been simple:
To develop the horse into a powerful, balanced, supple, happy athlete—
and to develop the rider into a thoughtful, educated partner worthy of that horse.

Classical dressage was never about shortcuts.
It was about cross-training horses so they could perform any job with ease and longevity.
It was about riders putting in the time, the feel, and the discipline to become the very best for their horses—because the horse’s long-term welfare depended on it.

Somewhere along the way, we drifted.
We started looking for faster results, quicker fixes, and “hacks” that skipped over the foundational work. We forgot that true development—of both horse and rider—requires patience, consistency, and correct training.

It’s time to return to the original purpose.
To ride with integrity.
To train with empathy.
To prioritize the long-term soundness and confidence of the horse over the short-term picture.

Let’s get back to training athletes, not ornaments.
Partners, not machines.
Let’s honor the classical principles that keep horses healthy, willing, and proud to work with us.

As fast as today's world moves and changes, the horse is still the same.

Dressage was never meant to be rushed.
It was meant to be right.

11/16/2025

A tense back is never the root problem… it’s the symptom of a weak core.

Your horse’s posture is the result of how it carries itself from the inside out. Without a strong, engaged core, the back muscles have no choice but to brace and protect.
🧠 That means hollow frames, tight movement, poor transitions, and resistance to your cues aren’t behavioural, they’re biomechanical.

🎧 Start with our free Wellness Audio Warm-Up — the perfect way to activate the horse’s core while walking.

📺 Then join us LIVE on Facebook as Simon Cocozza explains exactly how to build a healthier back through intelligent postural training.

Let’s talk about what your horse’s tension is really trying to tell you.

👉 Visit www.coreconditioningforhorses.com to access the audio warm-up & save your seat.

11/11/2025

“Svef” aka River I guess this young guy deserves his own album in our page. Owned by Cara Miller . SVEf is one to watch out for on the circuit next year !

11/04/2025

CLARIFICATION: We apologize for the confusion caused by this post. To clarify, the changes to GR310 do not impact USHJA/USEF shows or members—they were designed to address specific breeds and disciplines outside of USHJA/USEF competition.

🔗 See our full guide to upcoming rule changes at ushja.org/knowbeforeyoushow.

10/23/2025

💡 Different outlines isolate component sections of your horse’s back.

Here’s how to school with strategy:

Forward Down & Out: The stretch that resets posture, aligns the spine & releases tension in the Longissimus and Spinalis.

Long & Low: Build your horse’s core into a relaxed back, activating Abdominals and Multifidus.

Competition Outline: Engagement and connection to assemble the now activated sections of the body, strengthening the Psoas, Abdominals and Epaxial/Hypaxial sets.

🎯 Want to learn when (and how) to use these for rehab, posture and peak performance?

The Core Conditioning Ridden Audio Warm-Ups walk you through this step by step while you ride.
📲 Listen, ride, and retrain your horse’s body the smart way.

Explore the series at coreconditioningforhorses.com