Concordia Dressage

Team Concordia attended the Bluebonnet Classic Horse Show and we brought a big group and our team had fantastic results!

Christy Rettger brought her darling mare, Sophie, and did a great job handling Sophie's show nerves to give her confidence as the weekend went on culminating in training level scores to 66% on Sunday and a reserve champion ribbon in the open division!

Natalia Katalenas Lord brought two horses to this show. She competed her gelding, Colby, at Intro and also in the Equitation classes. The pair scored up to 69% at Intro and ended up high point champion for the amateur division at that level. Natalie also competed her mare, Marquesa, at 2nd level. The pair scored up to 63.357 at 2nd level test 1 and were the high point champion in the amateur division both days!

Speaking of 2nd level, Teresa Hurley competed her mare Rita at 2nd level test 1 and scored up to 63.357% incredibly tying with Natalie to 3 decimals both days! I've never seen that happen back to back days! Additionally, Teresa was reserve champion for the amateur division at 2nd level both days and she got her two 2nd level scores towards her bronze medal!!

Dana Pantaze brought her sweet gelding, Kai, and competed in 1st level test 1 and training level test 3. They worked their way through some tension Saturday, to have a very respectable training level test on Sunday scoring into the 60s. Dana is already qualified for championships at training level, so this show was just about gaining experience.

Megan Theriot competed on her gelding, Blaze, at training level. This pair had a very nice weekend scoring up to 64.2% at training level test 3 and earning both of their qualifying scores for championships!

Dianne Phillips Young brought her gelding, Sig, out to a recognized show and had a fantastic weekend. The pair competed at training and 1st level. They crushed it in Training level test 3 scoring up to 71% and winning their large class both days and earning the high point championship ribbon both days for the amateur division at training level. They are also now qualified for championships. Additionally, they did 1st level test 2 both days putting in solid tests scoring up to 66%! It was a great debut show for these two!

For the grand finale of this recap, Laura Akin Whitfield danced with her gelding, Percy, as they debuted their 1st level freestyle. Laura did a great job handling some nerves that Percy had Saturday to score a 71% and then Sunday, Percy settled and the pair earned a whopping 75%! Jenna Stern-Arnold created a great freestyle and Laura did a fantastic job executing it! I can't wait to see this pair continue to put this freestyle out there and see how high they can go!

All in all, I couldn't be more proud of our riders. They rode beautifully in a way that Charles de Kunffy would be proud of and that is always the most important barometer for me regardless of scores.

A huge thank you to Jenna Arnold for helping with coaching on Saturday when I couldn't be there and also, thank you to the volunteers and CTDS for putting on a great show!

Martin

Dressage is all about balance. To put it simply, our job as dressage riders to to balance the horse beneath the foreign weight of the rider. We use dressage movements as training tools to strengthen and supple the horse. We work to connect our horses in a way that they carry the rider with their back and core. This decreases impact on the joints of the horse and allow him to move in harmony with the rider.

We work on ourselves - our posture, our own core strength and balance so we can better influence the horse. We approach dressage with a growth mindset and leave ego at the door- not just asking what can I teach the horse today but what can the horse teach me?

The journey of dressage often mirrors that of life - we experience joy and excitement but also frustration and discouragement. It’s how we face these challenges that determines what type of rider we are.

I am deeply familiar with the dressage journey and what it takes to develop a horse from a just started youngster to a Grand Prix show horse. My training is rooted in the classical tradition - For over a decade I have been a student of Charles de Kunffy, Jeremy Steinberg and JJ Tate.

I am excited to announce that I had some availability open up to teach clinics! I am a USDF Diamond Award Recipient and have earned all of my medals on self trained horses. I have developed several horses to the FEI level including four from foal to Grand Prix.

If you are interested in deepening the connection with your horse while helping them to move with fluidity and balance, I would be honored to help you on your journey.

Please PM me for info on clinics or haul in lessons that I offer at Capital Equestrian Center just outside Austin, TX.

Well done Team Concordia at the CTDS Mini Show today!! Proud of you all! Post your pics!!

Martin Arnold has a few openings for haul in lessons this Saturday, March 9 at Capital Equestrian Center in Coupland, TX. Please PM me to get on the schedule!

Half lease coming available March 1!

Do you know the sound of white noise? It’s a constant static sound that is often used for people to fall asleep to because it drowns out all other noises that could jar us awake.

Now, my question to you, dear rider…are you white noise for your horse? Are you constantly moving your legs and hands to the point that your horse tunes you out when you actually use an aid intentionally? How can we expect a horse to differentiate between whether the aid is intentional or not?

As riders we must work to integrate our bodies into the bodies of our horses. We must ride the wave of our horses backs with a seat that is adhesive and a leg and hand that is quiet.

Can you imagine if someone is playing loud music in your ear and then gives you instructions while that music continues to play? You might try to focus but it would be challenging to tune out that background noise.

Horses are sensitive animals. For an animal that can feel a fly land on their flank, they can become incredibly dull if the riders aids are constantly giving the horse information. They will begin to tune out everything.

Check in with your posture -
- Are you sitting tall, within the wave of the horses back? The shoulders back and down, the rib cage lifted and the chin up. You should have a proud posture so your horse can as well.
- Are your hands still? This one can be challenging for many riders. The hands should remain low. If the hands begin to climb, the center of gravity of the rider changes and the seat no longer can sit as deeply into the horse.
- Are your legs quiet? Especially if you ride a more unmotivated type horse, it can be easy to get into the habit of nagging the horse with the leg. Remember, your horse must be responsible for his own forward energy. Let him make a mistake and then make a correction- expect a forward response and sit quiet. Disciplined, diligent work on reactivity is important so you have a horse that is willing to work in front of you.

If you have the ability to take lunge lessons, I highly recommend them! Every rider, no matter how advanced can benefit from working on the lunge line with the sole focus on rider position. Find a trainer that can help you build balance, suppleness and flexibility in your own body so that you can impact the horses own balance and suppleness.

Ride without stirrups! Let your leg hang down. Rotate your femur out of your hip to give you the closest contact to the horse. Work to keep your low back soft and following (not to be confused with loose mid section). The core must be activated - tone without tension!

If your hands are the issue- a strap on the pommel of the saddle may be helpful while you learn the balance and muscle memory to ride with independent hands. In the Spanish Riding School, riders are on the lunge line 18 months before they ever pick up the reins to ensure they are well integrated and can ride with an independent hand. Try holding the strap with the outside hand and placing the inside hand on the thigh. Those of you that have seen Charles de Kunffy teach have most likely seen this approach as the rider learns to integrate. In my experience, the better the rider’s seat, the quieter the hands are.

Horses are our mirrors- they often match our rigidity or our looseness. They feel our fear, our excitement and our appreciation. We must aim to make our horses sensitive to the aids. Only a sensitive horse that reacts to the aids can be expressive, balanced and through. We must eliminate the white noise to the horse can better understand our aids.

Ride forward and enjoy the ride!
Jenna

Jypsy Rose
2009 15.2h Belgian WB Mare

Sound, fit and ready to help you earn your USDF medals! Jypsy is a small package but has a big heart. She is sweet, safe and forward thinking but sensible.

Scores to the 60s at GP and up to 74 in GP Freestyle. Scores to upper 60s at I-1 and mid 70s at I-1 freestyle.

She helped a young rider earn their USDF silver medal in 2023. We have taught lessons on her and she is ready to find someone special for her forever home.

X-rays on file

Considering all reasonable offers. Located outside Austin, TX

PM for more info

Dressage is a discipline that benefits every horse! What breed of horse do you ride?

It was another great Region 9 championship show for Team Concordia this past weekend!

We brought 7 horses to the show and each one had their highlights! Angie Korczak Krylo brought her gelding, Channing, to compete in the GAIG and SWDC 4th level adult amateur freestyle championship classes as well as the GAIG Prix St. Georges adult amateur class. The pair placed in each class. They were champions of the SWDC 4th level freestyle class and finished 5th in the Prix St. Georges championship class as well as 3rd place in the SWDC 4th level freestyle class. It was a wonderful finish to a great show year for this pair!

Laura Akin Whitfield’s gelding, Charon WT (Percy), was ridden by trainer Martin Arnold in the GAIG and SWDC open 2nd level championship classes. Percy put in two really solid tests to place in both classes finishing 8th and 6th respectfully. It’s been a great year for this big, young horse!

Jenna Stern-Arnold brought her gelding, Gran Tango, to compete in the GAIG and SWDC Prix St. Georges open championship classes. The pair put in two lovely tests to finish 5th and 4th in two very large, competitive classes. Additionally, Tango made his Intermediare 1 debut in the open show scoring up to 64%. Tango is showing great promise as he makes his way up the FEI ladder!

Teresa Hurley brought her mare, Morita AAA (Rita), to show in the SWDC 1st level freestyle and 1st level adult amateur championship classes. Teresa and Rita continue to improve on their 1st level work putting in two nice championship rides. Additionally, Teresa and Rita did their freestyle in the open show and earned their highest score yet in the freestyle scoring a 63.153% and winning that class! It’s been a year of big improvement for this pair!

Martin Arnold brought his gelding, Freestern (Darcy), and the pair competed in the GAIG and SWDC 3rd level and 3rd level freestyle open championship classes. The highlights for this pair were an 8th place finish in the GAIG freestyle and a 4th place finish in the SWDC freestyle as well as putting in two solid tests in the 3rd level championship classes. The future is bright for Darcy as he makes his way towards the FEI!

Dana Pantaze brought her gelding, Kiss My Brass (Kai), to compete in the GAIG and SWDC Training Level adult amateur championship classes. The pair had two lovely championship rides scoring as high as 65.8%. In their first full year of showing, this pair showed improvement throughout the year and they have a very bright future together!

Megan Theriot brought her gelding, Little Peppy Cattin (Blaze), to compete in the GAIG and SWDC training and 1st level adult amateur classes. This pair had several lovely rides throughout the show finishing in the top half of all of their very large championship classes. Megan and Blaze had a great year in their first year showing with Team Concordia!

It was another wonderfully run show by Susan Pape Peacock and we thank all of the volunteers that did a great job and helped the show run so smoothly! We also thank our sponsor Indy Equestrian for keeping us looking sharp in the show ring in our Kingsley riding boots!

It was a wonderful way for Team Concordia to wrap up our 2023 show season!

Are you ready to take your riding to the next level? USDF Gold Medalist, Martin Arnold, can help you reach your goals! If you are on the journey towards your USDF medals or just want to be able to teach your horse how to move in better balance while deepening your connection to your horse, Martin can help.

We are currently working with clients to set up a Northwest Austin lesson day so if you are in NW Austin and would like Martin to come work with you, let me know and I can add you to the list! He has stops in Burnet, Marble Falls, and Liberty Hill currently. He can come to your barn or you can trailer over to one of the barns he currently teaches at.

If you are interested in setting up a clinic or lesson day at your barn, please contact us for more information and pricing. He is a popular clinician and is available for lessons days within 2-3 hours of Austin, Texas and available to teach clinics throughout the US.

Martin is a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist on self trained horses. He is the recipient of the 2017 Region 9 Teaching Excellance Award and is a long time student of classical master and USDF Hall of Fame Equestrian, Charles de Kunffy. Martin has won many regional championships and has competed at the US Dressage Finals several times. He is also very experienced with Andalusians and has many IAHLA national champion titles and is currently the head dressage trainer for Rancho del Lago.

We would love to answer any questions you may have about lesson days or clinics. He does virtual lessons as well! Please email [email protected] for more info :)

We are looking for a live in working student at our farm in Coupland. Housing, lessons and board for one horse.

HDS Summer Show 2023

Concordia had six horse and rider combinations show at the sweltering HDS Summer Show this year. Our summer, which had been mild so far decided that this would be the weekend the heat would turn up!

Angie Krylo and Channing had a fabulous 4th level freestyle ride on Saturday for a personal best score of 70.9%! Sunday she scored a 68% and they are now qualified for regionals at 4th freestyle (and PSG from a previous show!) She was also Amateur Freestyle Champion both days!

Teresa Hurley and Azteca mare Rita had one of their best yet to score over 61%!

Helena Greebe had her show debut aboard her new mare, Reveille, to score a 64% and 62% , which qualifies her for regionals!

Dana Pantaze and Kai had two fabulous T-3 tests to score up to 66% their first time riding this test.

Megan Theriot and her QH Blaze had a wonderful recognized show debut to score consistently in the mid 60s up to 66% at T1 and T3! They are now qualified for regionals!

And our tireless trainer, Martin, debuted his Hanoverian gelding, Darcy, at 3rd level freestyle to score a 70.6% and and impressive 74.4% to qualify for regionals and win Freestyle Open Champion each day!

Martin also showed Dana’s horse Kai to two 67%’s in their first ever 1st level tests!

Thanks to our supporters - Kingsley Boots and Hulsebos Saddles!!

It was another great show for Team Concordia at the San Antonio Spring Show!

We brought 3 horses this time! Laura Whitfield’s Percy, ridden by Martin, put in another good 5 year old test bringing in a solid score of 7.5. Can’t wait to ride him in the 5 year old test again in a few weeks and pull that score up a notch! Percy also had a very solid second level debut scoring 69% at 2nd-3 and winning the second level high point award for the open division for the weekend!

Dana Pantaze’s Kai had another great show! He scored up to 70.4% at training 3, with Martin riding, winning the training level high point award for the open division for the weekend! Dana also rode Kai at training level and the pair continued to grow in their confidence together in the show ring. He’s a young horse and is handling the different show environments beautifully!

Teresa Hurley rode her wonderful mare, Rita, at 1st level test 3 and first level freestyle. This pair continues to get more solid at first level with some of their most energetic tests yet! Teresa and Rita had a great time dancing to their freestyle with scores up to almost 63%!

All in all it was another great weekend of showing. Thanks to Alamo Dressage Association for putting on a great show and to all of the volunteers for helping make it happen.

We’d also like to thank our sponsors, Kingsley Boots and Hulsebos Saddlery. We’ll see you at the Spring Show in Katy in a few weeks!

We really enjoyed having our friends from Soutbern Hills Riding Academy in Oklahoma join us for the Cowtown Classic! Martin rode Hailey Brinson’s Irish Sporthorse, Wyn In Dublin, in all 3 training level tests and scored up to 71.379%. On Saturday, this pair was the open high point champion for the day!

Kim Dyer rode her lovely Dutch gelding, Deauville Beekhoeve, at Prix St Georges, putting together two solid tests as she continues her quest towards her silver medal.

Ruby Vandiver rode her adorable quarter horse, Two By Two, at second level and put in very respectable tests all weekend, earning a bronze medal score on Sunday.

It was great to show with our friends from Oklahoma and we hope to have the chance to do it again!

Dana Pantaze’s young horse, Kai, had a stellar weekend at the Cowtown Classic Show! Dana, piloted him to two solid Training 1 tests scoring 63+% in both, and Martin Arnold rode him in two Training Level test 3 classes winning both and scoring up to 70.8%! The best part is, Kai’s behavior was immaculate which is so impressive for a young horse! Great things ahead for this young guy!

Martin Arnold had two lovely rides on Laura Akin Whitfield’s Percy this weekend. They won both classes with a 77.0% in Materiale & 76.8% in the FEI 5 year old test.

Another fantastic weekend for this ultra talented young horse!

Congratulations Helena Greebe and Jypsy Rose on their fabulous 4th level debut scoring a 65 & 66% to win the class each day! Halfway to Silver!

Good luck to Concordia horses and riders competing in Glen Rose this weekend!!!!!!! Hope everybody has an amazing show!

Please please please! If you are going to offer a warm mash to your horse(s) during the cold weather, just add warm (not hot!) water and a tablespoon of salt to your existing feed. Please do not introduce a mash without a transition period, as you would with ANY other feed.

Same goes with hay. For example, if your horse doesn’t eat alfalfa daily, just increase your existing hay for warmth, rather than throwing in a random flake of alfalfa. Consistency is still key.

Stay warm my friends!

Bring the wisdom of Wednesday Wisdom to your barn!

If you enjoy the wisdom of Concordia Dressage at Split Mesquite Farm’s Wednesday Wisdom, there’s great news!

The authors of Wednesday Wisdom, Martin Arnold and Jenna Arnold, have select weekend dates open in the winter and into the 2023 calendar year to come and teach at your barn!

Jenna has earned the prestigious USDF Diamond award (all 3 USDF medals + all 3 USDF Freestyle Bars) and Martin Arnold is a USDF Gold medalist and was the recipient of the 2017 Region 9 Teaching Excellence Award! Additionally, Martin and Jenna are popular clinicians and have helped several students earn their USDF medals!

Additionally, both Jenna and Martin are available for virtual lessons!

If you are interested in bringing either of these fantastic instructors to your facility or setting up virtual lessons, please message us directly to start the conversation! We’d love to hear from you!

Happy Riding!

Our 2022 US Dressage Finals horses & riders!!

Angie Krylo & Channing- 4th AA & 4th Freestyle AA
Bobby Covington & Carlson - 2nd AA, 2nd Freestyle AA, 3rd AA, 3rd Freestyle AA
Martin Arnold & Freestern - 2nd Open, 2nd Freestyle Open
Jenna Stern Arnold & Jyspy Rose - Grand Prix Freestyle