Happy November! Another show season has, for the most part, come to an end. We have so much to be thankful for: our horses, our families, our friends and all the people who encompass the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association.
It has been a great show season, now it’s time for clinic season!
November 8, we have a FREE Youth Clinic with Nicole DelGiorno, presented by the Dressage Academy.
November 21, we have the Mechanical Horse Clinic with Kendra Clarke.
For fun, we have the Annual Turkey Trot at the Horse Park of New Jersey on November 16. It’s a great way to get ready for the upcoming holiday season.
All of these events can be registered for on our website esdcta.org
grants@esdcta.org horselover8968@gmail com newsletter@esdcta.org nominations@esdcta.org nominations@esdcta.org
Ashley Mucha Results@esdcta.org
Volunteer Coordinator Jen Koch youthdressgeshows@gmail.com
CROSS COUNTRY...
News Across Our Region
COMMUNITY NEWS
If you’re reading this, you are probably a member of ESDCTA, but I’m sure you know of someone who rides dressage or events who is not a member. You know all about the wonderful things offered like educational programs, clinics with big name trainers, horse shows, year-end awards, and not least, that sense of being part of a community of likeminded people. The more members ESDCTA has, the better the programs we can offer. Our membership numbers are also important considerations when state and local governments decide on legislature that affects us (like open space), and we advocate for our sports (We helped get better footing at the HPNJ). Please reach out to your equestrian buddies and tell them about all of the benefits of membership and have them sign up. The more the merrier!
WHAT’S YOUR TALENT??
Let us know what you would like to help us with in 2025. All skills and interests wanted. Have an idea? We want to hear about it. Remember, this club is what YOU make it. Contact president@esdcta.org if you are interested.
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
Have a great article that you would like to share?
Please send article to: Meredith Rogers: newsletter@esdcta.org All submissions are due by the 15th of the month. Due to space considerations, the editor reserves the right to edit submitted articles. If necessary, articles will be edited and returned for your review. AND YOU GET VOLUNTEER HOUR FOR EACH STORY!
Milestone
Please Contact this newsletter if you know any ESDCTA members who have achieved any Milestones. Success at a show, regional/national/international award, new horse, or anything else you want to celebrate.
e-mail: newsletter@esdcta.org
MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS
For membership questions including updating physical or e-mail addresses please contact: Heidi Lemack membership@esdcta.org
Deadline: 15th of prior month Email: newsletter@esdcta.org
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Email: treasurer@esdcta.org
Amateur Dilemma
By Meredith Rogers
Someone once told me if you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way. Yes…but…there is a big but, and it involves sacrifice. You can be a world class rider but you may need to leave your home and dog and move to Florida to become a working student. When I was younger I thought I wanted to be a world class rider, and stressed myself out a lot about not being able to do the things needed to make it happen. The bottom line was that I didn’t want to be a world class rider bad enough to do it. And that’s okay! Once I realized that I wasn’t willing to give up my family and my life to be a world class rider I was much happier with the choices I did make.
It’s not talked about a lot but one of the most difficult things in life, in general and not just with horses, is figuring out what we want. It starts out when we’re little with “What do you want to be when you grow up?” There’s a lot of things we think we want or we are told we should want, and differentiating those things from our true desires is difficult. It’s also okay to change our minds once we realize what’s needed to make what we think we want into reality. We should not feel guilty about it. We don’t owe an explanation to anyone except ourselves. However, sometimes we are forced to change what we want, especially when dealing with horses. They go lame or just decide moving up the levels or jumping the bigger jumps isn’t for them. Then we need to reassess what we want and make hard decisions.
On the flip side, we should not give up on something we really want because of outside influences. Don’t let anyone tell you that you should not want to be/do/have because of whatever reason they make up.
No question about it. All of this is easier said than done, especially as we get older. It seems like our options shrink because our responsibilities grow. But, we can all still go after our dreams; it’s just that our dreams now may be different than they were when we were younger or even what they were last year.
My dream giving me the side eye!
News from Outside the Ring
Rising Force to be Reckoned With?
Cambodia does not come to mind when thinking about the powerhouses of eventing, but that may be changing. Her Royal Highness Princess of Cambodia, Nanda-Devi Norodom has a love of horses and wants to give something back to her country that had gone through years of war and genocide and was coming out the other side a stronger, more peaceful nation. She’s providing her support to the Cambodian Federation, which last year put out a Facebook Ad looking for a coach to conduct a 10-day clinic for their eventing and show jumping teams. This caught the interest of Mexican equestrian Daniela Moguel, who was the first rider from Mexico to compete at the CCI5* level. Ms. Moguel and her husband, Zully Castrejon, a champion show jumper and 2* eventer, traveled to Cambodia to give the clinic and then decided to stay when an offer was extended to be the team’s official coaches. Their first big event will be the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, December 9-20. They may be the underdogs, with few resources and lack of access, but they have a lot of drive. Go Team Cambodia!
Calling All Eventing Grooms
The USEA has created a new honor for those important people behind the scenes. This October they launched the 2025 USEA Freelance Groom Award. This prize will recognize a freelance groom who has “gone above and beyond to help their rider achieve competitive success.” Unfortunately for this year, nominations for the 2025 USEA Freelance Groom Award closed Monday, November 3, but keep in mind that special person for next year! The winner will be selected by the USEA Grooms Committee, and will receive $3000 and an engraved memorial trophy.
Seeking Future Veterinarians
Rowan University Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine officially opened this year with the inaugural class of students starting this September. It is the first and only veterinary school in New Jersey, and Rowan is one of only two universities in the country to offer three medical degrees: DVM, DO, and MD. This aligns with the “One Health” movement, which is a global effort to promote the concept that animals, humans, plants, and their shared environments are interconnected. Rowan is also offering an accelerated DVM/MBA degree and an MS/PhD degree in veterinary biomedical science. Students will immediately have hands-on experience through partnerships with 70 organizations ranging from wildlife refuges, farms, zoos, and animal shelters. Faculty started providing outreach to the local community even before the school officially opened, with its Large Animal Field Service and Shelter Medicine & Community Engagement Mobile Unit. There is also a teaching hospital on site that will be open for emergency and specialty services soon. Welcome to the neighborhood!
Horse Treats
By Meredith Rogers
There is no doubt that horses have shaped history, but did you know they also were at times involved in government affairs? Well, sort of. Read below to see how our favorite animal and politics have been intertwined in some strange ways.
You probably heard the term “horse-trading” in relation to politics. The term is thought to have originated in India where different factions were fighting and the side with the best horses won. At the time, the best horses came from Arabia, which tightly controlled the horse trade. Chieftains would try to increase their Arabian horse count by buying out the opposition. With the end of horses in warfare, the term morphed to mean a form of backroom negotiating where political players of one party barter with member of the other party for votes, favors, or critical support for a project or the passage of a law. It involves compromises and trading of concessions.
Another equine-related political term is a “dark horse candidate”. It came about in the 19th century to mean a candidate nominated after multiple ballots at a given political party’s nominating convention and now just means a candidate who originally is not taken seriously. The first dark horse candidate in American politics was James K. Polk who was nominated after 9 tries. The term is derived from horse racing where trainers would hide their fastest horse from public view. By training it “in the dark” so-to-speak, they could enter it in a race and place bets at more favorable odds. The term came into the spotlight when Benjamin Disraeli used the term in relation to horse racing in his novel, The Young Duke, published in 1831, with Polk elected in 1844.
In 1832, horse racing and United States politics comingled. That was the year that there was a dispute over tariffs that the federal government had passed. Cotton growers in the south wanted these tariffs nullified so they could sell their product worldwide while President Andrew Jackson supported the tariffs. In 1832 at a racetrack in Richmond, Virginia, two horses were pitted against each other, one named Andrew Jackson and the other named Nullifier, representing both sides of the most important political debate of the time. On the racetrack, Andrew Jackson won and Nullifier lost. In politics, a compromise tariff was negotiated in 1833 that resulted in the tariffs being gradually lowered over a 10-year period.
Caligula has been called the mad emperor of Rome, ruling from 37-41 CE, for a reason. One of them was because he tried to make his favorite horse, Incitatus, a Consul of the Roman Senate. Incitatus means “swift” or “at full gallop” in Latin and
was a prized racehorse. Caligula had already made him a priest and would have appointed him Consul if he hadn’t been assassinated. Consuls were the highest elected Roman public officials, and they had many roles as President of the Senate, including extensive administrative, legislative, and judicial powers both in peacetime and in war. It is said that Caligula loved his horse more than most people and would have Incitatus over for dinner, with servants tending to him and feeding him oats mixed with gold flakes. Incitatus lived is a stall of pure marble with an ivory manger and had a collar adorned with precious gemstones.
Drawing by Jean Victor Adam (1801-1866)
Let Your Horse Do the Thinking
By Earlen Haven
Okay guys, some more educational tidbits for those willing to be objective, open minded riders, searching for ways to have our horses enjoy their jumping more...
This is a photo of me eventing my gelding, Country Rogue, in the cross-country phase, showing “riding out of hand” which is where you have a straight line from your elbow to the bit and follow the horse’s reach with his neck over the fence, being careful not to increase the contact. It allows the horse total freedom to complete the bascule over the fence. You can even have no contact.
I’m balancing myself with a secured leg position, not balancing on the reins, inhibiting the horse’s jumping ability. This way the horse develops confidence in their jumping ability and cruises around the course with a steady pace.
To do this correctly, you do need to develop successful half-halts by closing your legs on the horse’s sides and using a light outside ring finger, (almost an invisible movement of the ring finger), so if the horse asks to ramp up the speed, you can quietly ask him to remain the same pace with JUST your ring finger’s small invisible movement, with absolutely NO PULL on the reins.
No need for any type of martingales, draw reins, tight nosebands of various designs, strong bits, etc.
Just a snaffle bit and consciousness LIGHT control with your ring finger, both on the flat and over fences.
If you’re not ready to try “riding out of hand” yet, don’t hesitate to do the crest release. It keeps our horses jumping happily while we’re learning, which seems like a pretty good idea to me. All my students were taught this.
Hope you’ll all try one or the other, but the most important thing is to allow your horse to be able to do the job you are asking of him! Do not even try to do the “out of hand” until you balance totally independent of your reins. Let’s not blame him for our errors of restriction. PLEASE watch videos and be an objective rider willing to search for any interference that we are subjecting them to.
They have great insight as to how to accomplish their jumping successfully. If you don’t believe it, watch horses that are jumping without riders‒they rarely make mistakes. That should tell us something, shouldn’t it? Be brave. Try letting your horse make the decisions.
Years ago, I taught an 8-week unmounted winter series, every winter, where we analyzed lots of videos. At the end one year, 2 students presented me with a plaque that still hangs in my office. “When in doubt, let your horse do the thinking.”
Not a bad idea!
Any questions, contact Earlen Haven by phone 856-769-1916 or by email: earlenhaven@gmail.com. and I’ll try to answer your questions.
A Year in Review and What a Year It’s Been!
By Paige Zimmerman
It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of yet another show season. It’s been a very educational year, and I feel proud of the season we’ve all had. It’s been a pivotal year in more ways than one.
Ducati has really grown into the work and begun to flourish even more than we expected, showing that he’s happy to show FEI and willing to keep learning. Each day he gives us glimpses of the possibility of trying an I-1 next year, and our confidence is growing. It’s hard to believe that the end of last year was the first time I was able to get our tempi changes in the ring, and now he’s starting to do some two-tempis ‒on purpose! More importantly, he’s comfortable in the work and putting in real effort to try new, harder things (that neither of us have had experience with before) while of course, always focusing on the basics and getting him more straight, through, and forward. I’ve learned a lot this year about riding the FEI, and I still feel like there’s so much to learn: But isn’t that true for all levels of dressage, even up through the Olympic level? Although our scores haven’t been record-breaking, they’re certainly
very consistent and above 60%, which clearly shows that we’re on the right track.
We even went on a semi last-minute outing to the BCHP for their Schooling Team Challenge, earning a 62%+ in the PSG with room for improvement (as always). Plus, he was on the 4th-place-winning ESDCTA team! These team events are super fun, especially being on a team with other ESDCTA riders. Our very last outing of the year was the ESDCTA Championship show, where we rode our 4th Level Freestyle and earned a solid 66%+. Everything is feeling easier and more confident than even four months ago. I’m really excited about how he’s doing and can’t wait to keep moving forward this winter. I hope that next year we’ll come out stronger than ever! As for Marky, he went on lots of outings this year, gaining confidence every time! He’s such a fun horse to ride, and really tries very hard to trust and do the right thing even when he’s feeling anxious. He also went along to the BCHP Schooling Team Challenge, earning solid scores in the upper 60s to help his team earn Reserve Champion. During the canter work of our second test was the first time I felt him completely relax in the show ring. It was a high note to end his show season on.
As I said, the team show was a great event, and the camaraderie was excellent. This was the last team event of the year for ESDCTA, but I encourage our ESDCTA youth riders to start planning early for next year to be on a team. I highly recommend it! ESDCTA plans to send and sponsor youth teams for the Region 1 Youth Dressage Team Challenge in VA, Lendon Gray’s Youth Dressage Festival in NJ, and the BCHP Schooling Dressage Team Challenge in PA. These are excellent opportunities to get out, gain experience, and have fun with an ESDCTA team at a reduced cost. Mark your calendars for next year!
Going back to our end-of-year recap, this August/ September also marked one year of owning my young horse, Tiara. She will be three in the spring, so it’s time to think about starting her. I’m super excited and can hardly wait to see what she’s like under saddle… If she’s anything like her half-brother, Fynchie (owned by Olivia), she’ll be a blast! I had the opportunity
this year to assist Olivia in starting Fynchie under saddle, and it was my first time participating in the process from the ground up. I’m very grateful to Olivia for including me in Fynchie’s under-saddle journey! The whole process was extremely educational and the perfect setup for me to be ready to work with Tiara next year. For now, she’ll continue to hang out in her field for the winter.
There’s a lot to look forward to and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!
Rider Fitness: Enter @ A
By Meredith Rogers
Thanks to receiving the generous Lazelle Knocke’s Dom Perignon Memorial Grant from ESDCTA, I will be embarking on a fitness journey for the next 3 months. A requirement of the grant is writing an article for this newsletter (which I would have done anyway), but I think it may be more useful if I chronicled what the program I’m joining entails throughout the course. This first installment will give you an idea of where I’m coming from and why I’m doing this.
I believe that everyone can become fit but that not everyone will look fit according to societal expectations. On the flip side, people can look fit according to societal expectations without actually being fit. That’s where I fell for a good part of my life. Like a lot of suburban kids, I played soccer throughout elementary school. Then I found horses and the only athletics I did besides riding in a lesson once a week was gym class. I dabbled in weight lifting during college but dropped it after graduation. In my 20s I bought a horse and decided it was time to get back into exercise to be able to ride him. I started with Curves for Women (anyone remember them?). This workout had you moving around a circle of low-impact, hydraulic resistance machines over 30 minutes. After a year I felt ready enough to go to the gym where I’m still a member. I currently work out with a personal trainer once a week and take 2 bootcamp classes a week. Don’t let the term “bootcamp” scare you; it’s really what you make of it. You can do the same exercises with 5lb as the gym rats do with 15lb or at half the speed and still belong. I like the balance between strength training and cardio.
You’ve probably heard that riding doesn’t take strength. I don’t believe that, but it’s not body builder strength. Instead, it’s the strength to hold yourself up and move your body effectively. Despite being stronger now than when I was 20, I feel I still have 2 major issues I need to overcome to reach my riding goals. The first is that I am not secure enough in the saddle to sit a big spook or buck. Leo spooks; I need to stay on. The second is that I often get tight when I have to escalate my aids. For example, I get tense in my left side when I need to use more right leg to get him to move over.
Scrolling through Facebook (FB) I found videos by Jack LaTorre, grand prix dressage rider (and ex-actor) demonstrating different exercises specifically for riders. I found them helpful but a video here or there wasn’t something I had the discipline to regularly do. I think because I “follow” him on FB I saw the ad for his program called Equibody Fitness. I looked at their website (https://www.equibodyfitness.com/programs) and it said they address the exact issues
I am having. I was intrigued enough to book a consultation with one of their team members who outlined what the program was all about. He did not sugarcoat what was required from me, which was a commitment to doing the work and a substantial financial investment, but he (almost) guaranteed that this program could help. The cost seemed prohibitive but this was something I thought was critical for me to progress as a rider, so I thought outside the box and applied for the grant from ESDCTA.
The program involves doing 3 workouts a week, which I video and upload to a site where the coach I’ve been assigned reviews my form and provides feedback (eg, keep your shoulders back more). She also provides motivation and is available to answer questions. By the time you’re reading this, I will have completed about 2 weeks of the program. Next month, I’ll update my progress and provide some exercises you can do if you’re experiencing the same issues as I am.
My home gym
8:40
2025
B ella R osa Dressag e Sch oolin g Sh ow October 19th ,
North Wind Dressage Show 9/14/25
Five Roses Farm Fall Dressage Schooling Show
Level Up Equestrian Dressage Schooling Show June 15th, 2025
SADDLEBROOK
RIDGE EQUESTRIAN CENTER DRESSAGE & WESTERN DRESSAGE SCHOOLING SHOW 10/11/25
