Traditions Farm Classical Dressage

Traditions Farm Classical Dressage An advocate of classical horsemanship and offers instruction and clinics. Owned and operated by Tressa Boulden since 1993.

She is an advocate of Classical horsemanship and holds regular clinics with her mentor Melissa Simms former head rider of the Egon Von Neindorff Reit Institute.

10/13/2025

Today I felt a wave of reflection… about the horses who lived through my learning curve.

They didn’t stay with me because they had the choice.
There were ropes, bridles, halters and fences—expectations.
There were times I led them without asking, touched them without listening,
and taught them what I had been taught.

They didn’t get to walk away when I did harmful things.
And that’s what humbles me the most.

I used to believe I was being kind.
And in many ways, I was doing my best.
But now I see how often doing my best still meant asking too much…
still meant silencing what they were trying to show me.

Most stood through it.
They bore it quietly.
They adapted—not because it was easy, but because it was safer to comply.

And still, they gave moments of softness.
A look. A breath. A leaning in.
Moments that taught me more than any lesson I ever tried to teach them.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
But now that I do… everything has changed.

I listen more now.
I question more.
And I honor every horse I meet as a being with their own life—not an extension of mine.

So this is for those horses, past and present.
You endured more than I saw at the time.
You lived through my becoming.

I owe you everything.

And I hope that now, in this quieter chapter,
I am someone worthy of standing beside you—without asking you to carry me.

With reverence,
🌿 Stormy

I'll be heading up to Washington for the next classical horsemanship clinic held by trainer Ashley Jantzer. I'm looking ...
09/24/2025

I'll be heading up to Washington for the next classical horsemanship clinic held by trainer Ashley Jantzer. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!

09/19/2025

Know your learning style, but take some initiative in your learning -

It’s really helpful to know how you learn best. Understanding how your mind processes information can be very valuable in accelerating learning, or for many of us, making it possible at all.

But quite often, we pigeon hole ourselves and limit our thinking with labels. Especially now, as pop psychology and self diagnosing becomes increasingly popular, we run the risk of limiting ourselves deeply by labeling how we learn, think and process the world. And quite often, we have our labels all wrong anyway!

So when you find great information and a great teacher, remember there are many elements to learning -

- the teacher has to have good information and knowledge . That’s just one part

Then,
-they have to be able to communicate this to you and break it down

And then lastly, if you’re very very lucky,
-they can communicate it to you in your specific learning style

And if you hit the jackpot,
-this will be at a price you can afford or line, with a frequency you can manage; or like

It’s pretty rare you get all of those points.

Many of my lessons of learning classical riding included very vague phrases such as “that’s not rhythm! Get rhythm!” Assuming I even knew what that was or how to get it -
My teacher was brilliant. But it was not my learning style.

It would be a sin and a waste to throw away such an opportunity because the teaching was not how I’d like it to be- and so I made a conscious decision to throw some personal elbow grease into the deal and study, watch her, read texts, watch her teachers ride or read their books, and so on. Some personal responsibility is required to learn no matter how you slice it

So know how your mind works, but don’t throw away or limit a good opportunity because it doesn’t come wrapped in a bow with a cherry on top -

Quite often what looks like “luck” to us from the outside is a whole lot of hustle we don’t see.

09/13/2025

🙌 We are slow to believe that which if believed, might hurt our feelings 🙌

Why is it so hard for hoof care professionals and owners to entertain new information, even if it has the potential to solve their horses hoof related worries?

If you are emotionally and mentally attached to a belief system, if your business is invested in a particular method or theory, all of this creates a real, visceral, physical response when faced with evidence which contradicts the original belief.

The images below show improvements to welfare parameters over time… before trim - a much longer toe, and longer lever arm and under run heel, both evidence of misalignment in the phalanges, or loss of equilibrium around the coffin joint.

This increases the incidence and risk of injury, pathology and lameness, not only in the digit, but the limb and body too.

This has been my observation, it is recognised in modern podiatry and farriery science, and it is hotly disputed by this who would have you believe this concept is madness. Those who hotly disputed this make personal attacks on others who quietly present externally verifiable objective evidence.

I feel they are hurting. I have empathy for them, but I have empathy for the victims too - horses and owners.

For evidence based educational material and resources to help horses feel sound and safe from the hoof, up, check out the comments below 👇🏻

Www.holisticequine.co.uk - supporting and promoting compassionate equestrianism for the benefit of all 💚🙏🐴

Address

Sonoma County
Sebastopol, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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