Longmeadow Farm / Rita Brown Dressage

06/13/2024

Cross training the boys! Hill work for the hind end. 😁

06/12/2024

Can you even imagine ???

06/06/2024

Scituate Riding School at Longmeadow Farm has stalls available for boarding. Training for all levels of dressage available.
Please contact Cherise Madrid or Rita Brown for more information.
School horses and leases also avilable. 😁 please share

05/08/2024

This is awesome ! What a partnership 🦄

05/01/2024

04/25/2024

04/25/2024

So beautiful

04/24/2024

To lift the back, the horse must be able to reach forward and stretch downward with his head and neck …

Imagine that your horse’s shoulder blades form a slot through which his neck must fall in a downward direction. In order to reach and stretch, his neck must come straight out of his shoulders. If his neck isn’t aligned with the slot, the horse is unable to lower it.—Beth Baumert

🎨: Sandy Rabinowitz

03/21/2024

Living his best life.

02/29/2024

To help maintain a long leg that is grounded to the earth ...

Imagine there are magnets on the soles of your boots that are attracted to the earth. The strength of this vertical line of positive tension gives the horse a place from which to balance.—Beth Baumert

🎨: Sandy Rabinowitz

01/18/2024

Hubertus Schmidt, German Medal winning rider, tells us:
“In high collection you must be able to stretch them so they follow the bit and they are not stuck up there. In every situation you must be able to stretch them – even in a piaffe or a pirouette, even then, I must be able to do it. Okay if I do it for a longer period of time, they will lose the self carriage and come more on the front legs, but I must be able to do it because 90% of the horses are too short in the high collection, they are not really using the back.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/03/top-tip-from-hubertus-schmidt-2/

01/18/2024

Truths about contact with Coby van Baalen and Jo Hinnemann:“The rider should never force contact with the hands. “Everyone has pulled on the reins to get a horse’s head and neck in the right position,” van Baalen says, “but to no avail. It’s always detrimental to the horse’s schooling. It may look nice – such a proud, round neck – and the horse may even come up a bit. However, if the shape of the neck is not the outcome of the driving aids and a good contact with the seat and legs, then it’s meaningless, because the hindquarters aren’t active and the back isn’t swinging, allowing the movement to flow through the body.”https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2019/07/jo-hinnemann-on-contact/

12/20/2023

❤️😍❤️😍❤️

12/20/2023

12/06/2023

“THE DREAM THAT MANY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND:
My horses are my personal dream.
One day when I am very old and when I can not walk anymore, it will be in my heart as a trophy of my memories.
I met people who taught me something and have the same spirit and I met others that I'm glad I forgot.
I got wet,
I felt cold,
And I felt warm;
I was afraid,
I fell,
And I stood up.
I even hurt myself, I have been broken,
But also, I laughed out loud inside.
I spoke a thousand times with myself.
I sang and shouted with joy like a madman,
And yes ... sometimes I cried.
I have seen wonderful places and lived unforgettable experiences.
I climbed on horses that made me feel brave and excited...and then there were ones that terrified me......
I stopped a thousand times to see a landscape.
I spoke with perfect strangers, and I forgot people I see every day.
I went out with my demons inside and returned home with a feeling of absolute peace in my heart.
I always thought how dangerous it is, knowing that the meaning of courage is to advance even feeling fear.
Every time I go out to my horses I think about how wonderful they are.
I stopped talking about it to those who do not understand, and I learned to communicate with other riders.
I have met some amazing people I now call friends because of my horses.
I spent money that I did not have, giving up many things, but all these things are not worth even one special moment with my horse.
They are not a means of transport or a piece of iron with wheels, they are the lost part of my soul and my spirit.
And when someone says to me: "You have to sell the horses and you have to be more sensible", ... I do not answer. I just swing my head and smile.
A horse..... only the person who loves them understands it.
May God bless my friends and all their horses...
And the adventure continues...”
Author unknown

11/14/2023

To develop the horse symmetrically in body and limbs you can use gymnastic exercises.

*** CORNERSTONES ***

The core of the gymnastic exercises consists of the circle, shoulder-in and haunches-in. All the other exercises are derived from these cornerstones.

🐴 The circle is used to develop the Lateral bending of the body and spine, the Forward down tendency of the head and neck and the Stepping under the center of mass of the inside hind leg (LFS).

🐴 Once the inside hind leg can step under, this hind leg can also start to take weight. To do so we use the shoulder-in and counter-shoulder-in. These exercises are designed to school the hind leg in function of the inside hind leg. As a result of taking the weight, the horse will bend the inside hind leg more and free the outside shoulder.

🐴 Once the horse can bend the hind leg as an inside hind leg, we can also start to school the hind leg as an outside hind leg. To do so we use first the haunches-in (travers) and later on the renvers. In the renvers the horse can lean less against the wall/fence with his shoulder, so it's a bit more difficult than the travers, but as a result he really supports himself with his hind legs.

*** ALL EXERCISES ARE RELATED ***

All exercises relate to one another and differ slightly:

🐎 The only difference between shoulder-in and counter-shoulder in is the position of the fence/wall. The same applies to the haunches-in (travers) and the renvers, also there the only difference is the position of the wall.

🐎 The difference between shoulder-in and renvers is the bending in the spine, which is the opposite. In these exercises the same hind leg has the opposite function ('inside' in shoulder-in, 'outside' in renvers). The same applies to counter shoulder-in and the haunches in.

🐎 The half pass is 'just' a haunches-in over the diagonal, and the pirouette is 'just' a haunches-in on a small circle. Both half-pass and pirouette require support of both the inside as the outside hind leg. Therefore in both exercises the shoulders must lead to be able to keep the center of mass in front of the direction of the hind legs, only then both hind legs can support the weight. So both the half pass and pirouette also relate to the shoulder-in.

*** NUMBER OF TRACKS AND DEGREE OF BENDING ***

Now all exercises can be done on 3 or 4 tracks, or 2,5 tracks or 3,75 or 3,99 ;) and your horse can have more or less bend in his spine. Now there is no 'perfect' number and the exact degree doesn't matter. What matters in ST is that you choose the number of tracks and degree of bending where your horse can support his body and center of mass best with both hind legs. And that depends on the conformation of your horse: if he has a long back or a shorter one, if he has long legs, or shorter ones, if he has a long neck or a short one. So choose the degree of bending and number of tracks where your horse can move in optimal balance and with most quality.

*** HOW TO DEVELOP THESE EXERCISES? ***

First start the circle, then after a few training sessions add the shoulder-in, and the moment the the horse can do this exercise for 66,6% of quality, add the haunches-in. From there you can start practising the variations.

**** HOW TO DEVELOP THE HORSE EQUALLY? ***

To develop a horse equally in body and limbs all exercises need to be done to the right and to the left (or as they say in English: on the right rein and on the left rein).

When doing these exercises there will always be an 'easy' side and a difficult side. To develop the horse equally, do the 'difficult' side a bit more often and it's also an idea to start with the 'difficult' side and to end with the 'difficult side'.

The moment the horse starts to feel more equal, switch to train the exercises 50-50.

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Click here for more information:

Circle:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/circle

Shoulder-in:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/shoulder-in

Haunches-in:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/haunches-in

Renvers:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/renvers

Half pass:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/half-pass

Pirouette:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/pirouette

Lateral movements:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/lateral-movements

Ladder of exercises:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/a-logical-system-of-ever-increasing-exercises

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11/12/2023

I DID NOT KNOW... by Alissa Kelly

I did not know a horse could bring people into your life that end up meaning the most to you.
I did not know a horse could make the hardest days of your life bearable.
I did not know a horse could teach you to put others first.
I did not know a horse could remind you time and time again that your gut is always right.
I did not know a horse could break your heart.
I did not know a horse could pick you up when you have fallen apart.
I did not know a horse could teach you to dream again, after you thought it was not possible.
I did not know a horse could make you believe in yourself.
I did not know a horse could teach responsibility, work ethic, and dedication.
I did not know a horse could make you believe in something when no one else does.
I did not know a horse could make you learn to forgive and forget.
I did not know a horse could humble you faster than you can say humble.
I did not know a horse could make you a winner.
I did not know a horse could also teach you how to lose gracefully.
I did not know a horse could instill patience in you.
I did not know a horse could make you listen better.
I did not know a horse could give you their heart.
I did not know a horse could change your life.
I did not know a horse could do all these things...
but now I know. ❤️❤️

Image - Charlie Mackesy

11/10/2023

Judges forum !🙌

11/10/2023

Dressage training and riding …

10/28/2023

Wow! Kirby Hill October Dressage show. Fabulous weather and facility.

10/28/2023

🙌

“As long as they are ready to stretch after an exercise, it means they are good, there is no tension, nothing wrong."
Read more horse-friendly philosophy of trainer, Jean Bemelmans:
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2018/02/jean-bemelmans-modern-master-part-2/