Hi,

I'm Liz, an OB/GYN by day and amateur dressage rider by night. I moved from Vermont to Massachusetts this summer with the hope of having more access to training.

I have 2 horses: Caddymaster, an 11 yo gelding by Master with Indus on the mare line (same mare sire as Minna Telde's Don Charly). I've had Caddy since he was 3 and have earned my bronze and silver medal on him. I hope to do my first CDI with him this spring. Gesstenia "Tia" is a 9 yo Oldenburg mare by De Niro with Classiker on the mare side. I bought her when she was 5 turning 6. She is a fantastic dressage horse. She was not really in work when I bought her and it took a few seasons to get her comfortable with things. I showed her 3rd last year and expect she will be ready for PSG this spring.

At work, I generally have the COTH forum ( I'm Caddym) and the UDBB forum ( I'm Dimeika, after my silly dog - woof ) windows open and surf when I get a free second. I've really been put off by a lot of the reactionary, closed minded "discussions" - especially re. epona TV's sensationalized blue tongue video. I am thrilled to find this site.

Liz
Elizabeth Call, MD

Hello. My name is Gigi Nutter owner of Touchngo farm. That is why the screen name. I am a W.H.O.A (worn-out horseman of America). I was born into the horse business. Originally I was from Pa. but for the last 15 years I am in Georgia. I have competed all my life first in the H/J world and for the last 30 years in dressage. I am currently showing a Dutch horse named Vincere. I also have a daughter Cassidy, 14, who is following in moms footsteps (at least for the time being)

You are always welcome to visit our website at www.touchngofarm.com

Thank you Theo for building such a lovely forum. I hope I can meet a lot of people here and exchange thoughts. I also can't wait to watch all the wonderful videos that you have. Merry Christmas and looking forward to a wonderful new year.

Welcome GiGi,

Please feel home here. I know who you are from our direct contacts and the positive words of Belinda
when she is here in Holland chasing horses for herself and ISF. Please feel free to spread your knowledge on this board without
any hesitation. Don't expect 1000 of postings a day because people on this board ride horses. And since I tease
them with more than hundred hours of dressagevideo's per month they don't have much time to ride their
keyboards. But as Isabell Werth allways stated I learned riding by watching the big masters.

Theo

Hello and Merry Christmas !

I will get brave and come out of the shadows of lurking both here and on the COTH and UDBB. It is so nice to have this forum available where comments are made with respect, knowledge and a pragmatism based in reality.

I have been a horse lover since I was a small child growing up in NYC where I rode in Central Park. I learned to ride hunt seat in upstate NY in Old Chatham and was eventually let loose on a ranch in the Jackson Hole, Wyoming area for my teenage years where I roped and branded cattle - a bit of a wild child. During college I hunted in central / southwest Virginia in the early 60s but soon accepted that horses were not going to be my life when I returned to New York mid 60s - so I graduated from college with a major in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Modern Dance - Graham Technique. When I returned to NY I eventually became Ms Graham's Assistant having the good fortune to be with her when she worked with Isamu Noguchi, Margot Fonteyn and Nureyev until the mid 70s when I met my husband and we moved to Colorado.

So for a NYC girl and a husband from Brooklyn ( NYC having been settled by the Dutch, English and Germans amongst many others, Brooklyn eventually a lot of Russian emigres) we had 2 children who became accomplished skiers in the mountains (Aspen) of western Colorado (my daughter made the US Ski Team and was a 2 time Olympian, my son a ski coach and crazy downhill mountain biker with an MBA ) and rounding it all off I started breeding Dutch Warmbloods with advise from Liz Searle and Jeff Moore who bought me my first Dutch mare in 82 - farm name - Flat Bush Farm (a Brooklyn area). I hunted with the Roaring Fork Hounds as a Whipper - In, evented up to Training Level, US Pony Club Co-Dc and then focused on Dressage. I have worked mostly with Liz Searle and Major Lindgren when they came to our valley in the 80s. Now mainly auditing with Gary Rockwell in Utah and Hilda Gurney when in Ca.

Life has its twists and turns and now I am in the mountains of Utah, home to the US Ski Team, and have a horsey grand daughter out of my first mare (Sabatini xx/ Miro ), a Taxateur / Consul girl who started her Grand Prix career this past year - training (past 8yrs ) in Colorado and California (late winter, early spring) with Hilda Gurney, Katleen Raine, and others; being trained and shown by a friend who took over her ride when my husband became ill.

So, this merry widow is thinking of breeding my horsey grand daughter this spring, may be ET, maybe not, life goes on - it's all a gambol, so might as well make it an adventure and have fun in the process!!

Happy New Year

Hi all! I'm Winfred from far down under southern Australia. I'm a huge fan of dressage, but pretty small potatoes amongst some of you guys! I'm a returning adult rider, had horses when I was younger and came back to riding a few years ago, so there's a lot for me to learn and relearn

I have 3 horses, none of which could be described as dressage horses - two ex-racers (a TB and a Standardbred) both geldings and a big black Clydesdale mare. A modest and motley assortment all upgraded from less than impressive homes, now they're my family.

Obviously in Australia we're fairly limited in getting to see top level competition, so it's a real treat for me to be able to access so many amazing videos featuring Grand Prix at it's highest peak. Thanks so much for having me!

Im Jo Telfer and Im from New Zealand. I work in IT - and much to my mothers frustration I have no idea how to fix her dodgey computer - I dont think shes ever listening to me when I repeat 'but I'm a Business Analyst, mom..." In my early riding I was totally hooked on eventing however a ride on an elderly but very generous Grand Prix horse in a job interview during a working holiday, was a bit of revelation and he totally changed my perspective forever - Bless Him

I'm not gifted with oddles of dressage talents and have only ever been at the lower levels. Am currently working at 3rdL on Bradley who isnt breed for and certainly doesnt look like a dressage horse. However Ive ridden him since he was first backed and I have loads of fun with him.
I have a 3yrold Caprimond granddaughter who hopefully will be my horse of the future.

Love these videos & the smilies
Thanks Theo, fab site!

Hi, I am Elizabeth. I ride a SWB in dressage. I live in the Napa Valley and work in the wine industry both pouring and writing about wine. I have a blog about my horse and me (http://www.teddyatcenterline.com). Nothing too threatening that I write about. I am just working my way around this forum. I am interested in the international videos. Thank you!

Wow Elizabeth, I envy you to live in such a wonderfull (wine) area. It toke a while before the Nappy Valley wine made it to the Old World, but the wine is getting better every year and is more and more accepted over here.

Please feel at home at this forum, we have a lovely bunch of people who have been around the block.

And.......if you want to talk about wine, please feel free to do. My wife used to be a sommelier at one of the top restaurants in Holland.

Theo

Hi my name is Kim, and I am from the south coast of the England.

I am new to the sport of dressage and started last year riding my sisters cob pony with the aim of improving her general way of going/schooling and found out I have a competitive streak . I now have my own 5yr old WB (bit of a change) and am getting ready to start going out competing. Taking things slowly and making ther most of being a restricted rider and enjoying every step of the way.

Just to add that I LOVE the resources on this website, it has added so much to my dressage education.

Hello,

My name is Jennifer and I am a M.S. and Ph.D. scientist (a Developmental Cardiovascular Physiologist) currently working at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I go by J-Lu on the various boards.

I have mostly made my way riding other peoples' horses (usually problem horses) and got my first formal training and ring experience as a Junior Jumper riding nutty horses. I later dabbled/showed some in eventing and then pretty much gravitated exclusively to dressage early in graduate school. I trained and showed several horses for different people in dressage (read: the ones other people didn't want to ride) and acquired an Anglo-Trak mare in my travels whom I carted around the country. She's currently pregnant...because I needed a foal.

While I have a strong interest in dressage training, riding, etc., I have an equally strong interest in seeing that when scientific concepts are invoked in the name of dressage, they are invoked correctly. Usually they are not, and that drives me nuts!


Thanks for creating this resource, Theo!
Jennifer Lucitti