Adamo Equestrian

05/17/2026

Pippa Callanan returns to River Wind Farm- Oxford NC from June 22nd - June 24th for a French Classical Dressage Clinic. There are only two rider spots remaining, but plenty of room for auditors. Each includes three private lessons, one each day, to cover work in hand and riding, all levels and disciplines welcome, from unstarted to haute ecole/Grand Prix.

Prior clinics have included rescue horses, ponies, unstarted youngstock, working ranch horses, working equitation horses, and dressage horses competing through the FEI levels. Come see how French Classical Principles and kind, ethical, common sense horsemanship can help further your partnership with your horse. Pippa was a long time student of Bettina Drummond, and one of only two Americans to have trained with Philippe Karl as his working student for two years. Pippa develops horses at her home in France, using a combination of contemporary science, natural horsemanship, and her depth of french classical equitation. Pippa is a kind, patient and effective instructor, who has a special gift for meeting horse and rider pairs exactly where they are.

PM me to reserve your spot today. Full riding spots are $725 to be paid in advance, this does not include stabling, which is $50 per night to be paid at the time of the clinic. Spots are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. I accept paypal, zelle, or checks. This purchase is non refundable, but is transferable to another rider until 48 hours before the start of the clinic. Auditing is $35 per day, or $85 for the full 3 days, and includes light refreshments. Bring your own chair. Lunch delivery is available at additional cost.

We hope you can join us for this supportive, informative and unique clinic.

05/06/2026

Reading and Theory:
I just want to share a real world experience to advocate, once again, for studying outside your saddle time. I have a novice student who only a few weeks ago was in the early planting stages of understanding the in-hand flexions. She had practiced them in lessons and of course she had been told what to look and feel for. She took a vacation and brought along with her "Baucher and the Ordinary Horseman" by Tom Widdicombe. This is a book that Pippa Callanan introduced me to several visits ago. This week we began her lesson with in-hand flexions, mainly demi arret and lateral flexions. Suddenly it all came together! The timing, the lightness, the use of corrections of balance, the yields and softness in both hand and jaw. The best feeling as a teacher is when you have nothing to critique or add. She didn't get it from more practice, she just came to really understand the concept by good old fashion reading. If you feel like the concepts your instructor offers you are muddy or unclear, try cracking open a book! What is the worst that could happen?

04/22/2026

Serious question for those who use hyperflexion. Have you ever tried to run while staring at your own knees?

04/14/2026

The right way can be boring, but oh well 🤷‍♀️

"We let students trot on the first lesson because it makes it more fun!".....I’m gonna say this a little more plainly…this is gonna be long. Bear with me.

We saw the comments…I get it. Fun sells. To a non horse person, trotting is the definition of "fun" and "progress". As a professional, it is our job to change that mindset, not cater to it.

Rushing kids to trot right away just to keep them excited or make parents feel like they’re “doing something” is exactly what I was talking about in my last post.

That’s not good horsemanship. And it’s not putting the kid or horse first.
These are 1,000 lb animals. Not a ride at the fair. They have a mind of their own. Rushing progress isnt creating fun- it's creating risk.

Sometimes our kids walk.
Sometimes they walk for a while.

And yeah… sometimes they get a little bored. Boohoo.

That doesn’t bother me. Because what they’re actually learning in that phase is what keeps them safe later.

You don’t skip basics in anything else, but for some reason people expect to skip them with horses. Kids in gymnastics don’t walk in and go straight to the beam.
They condition. They stretch. They do drills over and over. Football players don’t just show up and start running plays. They practice footwork. Timing. Repetition.
Basketball? You’re not scrimmaging day one. You’re dribbling. Passing. Shooting form.

Walking might not feel exciting to a new kid.
But that’s where they learn balance. Feel. Control.

And honestly…It’s good for kids to not get instant gratification. It’s good for them to be a little bored sometimes. To have to work for something. Build patience.

We’re not here to entertain kids for 30 minutes. We’re here to teach them how to ride.

Even our “just for fun” riders with no competitive desire learn how to do things the right way.

If you want quick fun, go somewhere else. Fall off there. If you want your kid to be confident, capable, and safe around horses- that’s what we do.

04/13/2026

We have a rare opening in our lesson program. One of our cherished students is leaving for college, and has left a twice per week spot available on our lesson calendar. Please contact me if you are interested. Most details can be found on our website:

Adamo Equestrian offers horse riding lessons and horse training in the Tucson Arizona Area.