Submitted photo I’m not a trainer, or an FEI rider, or close to being any kind of expert in horses and horse welfare. But I am a life-long horse lover and a horse owner who once upon a time served the equestrian community as a provincial president and member of the Equestrian Canada board of directors (then Canadian Equestrian Federation - CEF). And way back then in the dark ages, welfare was one of the CEF’s mandates. Dedicated experts spent years developing the Equine Code of Practice, which details how horses should be housed, handled and cared for. The national federation sent represent ..read more

Esther and Hernando at the 2022 Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Photo by Susan J. Stickle When Esther Mortimer enters her next CDI, there will be a maple leaf on her saddle pad. That doesn't seem surprising for a rider who was born in Canada and who runs M2 Dressage alongside her husband Harper Mackenzie in Millgrove, Ontario. However, Esther has represented Guatemala since she was a teenager. Switching her sport nationality with the FEI from Guatemala to Canada was a major decision, and a bittersweet one as well. Why the change? Check out my article in Horse Sport Magazine to learn more ..read more

​I haven’t posted much about my own training or progress lately. To be frank, there hasn’t been much progress to post about! Life got in the way a lot in 2021 & 2022. A busy work schedule, several serious family emergencies, injuries, illness, parenting teenagers, plus the ever-present Covid factor…something had to give. And most of the time, that something was riding. It feels like whenever I was just starting to get back in the swing of things, something else would knock me back down. And that’s ok. We can’t do it all. All we can do is keep trying, keep moving forward. Riding in a cli ..read more

Ariana and Fiderflame earned a win in their last competition of the 2022 season. Photo by Q2 Photography Canada’s Olympic dressage riders and national team members are household names among followers of the sport. But there’s a new crop of up-and-coming riders poised to enter the limelight that fans should be watching. Among them is 31-year-old Ariana Chia of Winnipeg. ​To learn more about Ariana's inspiring journey, check out my article in Horse Sport magazine ..read more

Hi. My name is Alison and I'm a tackaholic. To some people, that phrase may imply that I have too many saddles, bridles, bridle pieces, halters, girths and more. I prefer to believe that I don't have enough horses. Either way, the end result is that a lot of my leather goods go unused for months at a time.  They are stored in Rubbermaid bins, in my tack locker, in my garage, and possibly the trunk of my car. I do clean and condition them all periodically, but probably not often enough. So I reached out to saddler and leather care expert Christian Lowe, to find out the best way to  ..read more

Just keep showing up. Today wasn’t the first time I’ve heard these words of wisdom, but I was reminded why they are perhaps the most valuable words of advice for riders of every level in any discipline. When things get too busy, too stressful, too cold, or just too hard, it’s tempting to put riding on the back burner and take a little break. Don’t. Just keep showing up. When every ride feels like two steps backwards, keep showing up. When your mind is spinning from stress at home or at work, keep showing up. When winter sucks away every ounce of your motivation, keep showing up. When you’r ..read more

Jill Irving and Degas 12 Did you make any New Year's resolutions for 2021? If you want to focus on fitness to improve your riding, you're not alone. Even Canada's Olympic hopefuls are hitting the gym and consulting with fitness experts to develop off-horse programs that enhance their performance in the saddle.  Fitness is something my own coach has asked all her students to focus on this year - ALL of us.  We come in all ages, shapes and sizes, and with varying degrees of injury and obstacles to overcome, but we can all improve our stamina, core strength, and hip flexibility - essen ..read more

Sue Thompson works on creating uphill balance in her horse Captain by visualizing riding down a steep hill. The rider keeps her weight slightly back, encouraging the horse to lift through his shoulder, wither and poll, and to open his throatlatch. In any clinic with two-time Olympian Jacqueline Brooks, two things are guaranteed: there will be lots of laughter, and there will be lots of analogies and images used. From asking riders to picture themselves as the pole in the centre of a carousel horse to imagining they’re riding a roller coaster heading up a steep incline, Jacqueline uses a crea ..read more

FEI 4* judge Brenda Minor Do you ever wonder what the judge is thinking as you're making your best effort to get through your dressage test without a mistake? Spoiler alert: No, they don't hate your horse, and yes, they can hear you cluck.  Canadian FEI 4* judge Brenda Minor recently shared some inside knowledge with me for a Horse Sport article titled 10 Things Dressage Judges Really (Really!) Want Riders to Know.  What's at the top of her list? Brenda really wants riders to know that judges are on our side. They want us to have a great ride and they love being able to reward gr ..read more

​I haven’t posted much about my own training or progress lately. To be frank, there hasn’t been much progress to post about! Life got in the way a lot in 2021 & 2022. A busy work schedule, several serious family emergencies, injuries, illness, parenting teenagers, plus the ever-present Covid factor…something had to give. And most of the time, that something was riding. It feels like whenever I was just starting to get back in the swing of things, something else would knock me back down. And that’s ok. We can’t do it all. All we can do is keep trying, keep moving forward. Riding in a cli ..read more