New Releases for April
 Shanon Peters- USA
Shannon has been an active FEI trainer and competitor for 25 years. She has had great influences throughout her career from "S" judge Debbie Riel-Rodriguez, Nancy Baker and for the past 10 years Obereiter Karl Mikolka of the Spanish Riding School. She has the incredible help everyday now of her husband of five years Steffen Peters, US Olympian.
Shannon loves to both train and teach and finds great joy in bringing her horses from training level to GP, and helping her students do the same. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband Steffen. Some highlights of her competitive career are: - 2005 Reserve National Champion Intermediare 1 riding Luxor
- 2006 USDF Horse of the Year Intermediare 1 riding Luxor
- 2008 Reserve National Champion FEI 6 year Old riding Weltino's Magic
- 2009 4th place US National Intermediare Championships riding Flor de Selva
- Currently competing Odyssey at GP for his first season, Odyssey is owned by Akiko Yamasaki, purchased from Anky Van Grunsven's barn in Holland
(video shown at reduced size)
New Video- Shannon Peters- Rider Position, Half Steps, Counter Canter
This is a great tutorial for those working with a sensitive, forward upper level horse. Ms. Peters works on straightness, half steps, the counter canter, and the effect of the riders' position on the movement of the horse. There are useful tips in getting your horse to contain the energy created in the half steps when transitioning back to the trot.
(video shown at reduced size)
New Video- Shannon Peters- Bend and Flexibility
This talented rider and combination provide a clear demonstration of the benefit of increasing the bend and flexibility in an upper level horse. Ms. Peters uses effective exercises to improve the quality of the gates and transitions and the quality of the I1 movements.
_____________________________________________________________
Previously Released April Videos
Mary Wanless - UK
Mary Wanless is an internationally renowned coach, and is the author of the 'Ride With Your Mind' books, which have been translated into many languages. She has also authored 8 DVDs. She coaches riders at all levels, from relative novices to two of the top twelve US dressage riders, and some of the Canadian eventing squad. She has B.Sc. degrees in both Physics and Applied Sports Coaching, and holds the BHSI certificate. 30 years ago, when Mary was frustrated with her limited progress as a pupil, she set out to discover how talented riders do what they do. Her guiding question was 'What is presupposed by a trainer when she makes a specific statement to a pupil?' So when a rider is told, for instance, to 'Get the horse on the bit?' , what is the trainer presupposing? That the rider already has these skills (but somehow forgot, or just didn't bother to impliment them?!) Or that she ought to be able to do it because it's easy? Any co-ordination that is easy (and therefore a 'bite size chunk') for the trainer is not necessarily a 'bite size chunk' for the pupil. When the trainer says 'Do X' she is assuming that he pupil can do 'A,B,C,D,' etc. just as she can! But that may not be the case. The reality is that most trainers teach the pupil as if they were teaching themselves. The skill of coaching lies in the coach's/trainer's ability to cross that skill-gap, and show the pupil her own personallised next steps, that will move her on from her current starting point. Mary's knowledge has evolved from the early years of this project, which were spent 'unpacking' the skills that are really needed to 'get the horse on the bit'. The intervening years have been the most phenominal learning journey, spent developing her own riding skills, learning from some of the world's best riders, and honing her coaching skills by learning about learning. She has also invested many hours in writing books, doing lecture-demonstrations, and training other coaches. Science has now proved what Mary instinctively knew all those years ago - that the world's best riders may have implicit knowledge or 'know-how', but they cannot put this knowledge into words. This is because physical skills and verbal descriptions come from different parts of the brain. The resulting dislocation between expertise and explanation makes it hard for skilled riders to 'clone' themselves - indeed, what they do and what they say they do can be poles apart. But Mary has discovered that their skills have an underlying structure, and knowing this explicitly enables her to communicate it to others. She clarifies the 'how' of riding, making its biomechanics explicit and learnable whilst avoiding the 'oughts' and 'shoulds' that stifle learning. The result is a phenomenally effective way of helping riders develop both feel and influence. Talent really can be taught! A Free Sample Mini-Clip of Full Featured Video (video shown at reduced size) Chrissa Frith-Hoffman- USA Chrissa Frith-Hoffmann is a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist, rider and trainer through Grand Prix. In the last 5 years she has trained 6 horses to FEI and three to Grand Prix, and is currently working towards her fourth, all of these horses she trained. Chrissa's biggest accomplishment thus far is taking her own horse from age 4 to 15 from training level to training Grand Prix, and another horse that had competed up to Intermediar 1, and training him to Grand Prix. She has studied with many top Internationl trainers in America and Europe. Chrissa is a trainer of all breeds, ranging from Warmbloods, saddlebreds, Morgans, and Tb's. Well known for training American Saddlebred, "Harry Callahan" who is the only American saddlebred in the world competing and winning at Grand Prix, with scores up to 68%. Chrissa started Harry at age 5 and has won countless awards. Because of "Harry's success, Chrissa and Harry have become recognized in various magaizines, including the USDF Connection, Horse Illustrated and The Yankee Pedlar.
Chrissa own and operates, Glenfield Farm~ CFH Dressage in Ocala, FL where she currently has 10 horses in training. A Free Sample Mini-Clip of Full Featured Vide (video shown at reduced size) New Video - Chrissa Hoffman Warm Up, Lateral Work, Canter Work With a Young Horse
_____________________________________________________________
 Alizée Froment-FRA
Alizee Froment is the French pony Chef d'Equipe and a Grand Prix rider who competes at CDI level. Alizée was educated as a rider at the French National Equestrian Centre in Saumur, France. Since Alizée was two years old she has enjoyed working always with ponies, going for big canters on the fields, cross-country, shows, pony-games, voltige, doing all just for the love of staying "free" with the horses.
Riding dressage horses is her profession. Alizee: "No sooner dismounted from one horse than I am up on the next. It is the daily routine of all professional riders". Sometimes it is essential to break that routine, says Alizee. "It is the reason why one day, when my Grand Prix horse Mistral was saddled and waiting for me, I decided to leave the bridle aside and just puts his head-collar on. I needed to check that Mistral and I were still one. From the first tentative steps, I once more felt pleasure with blood running through my veins, found a taste of freedom and the immense confidence I had in him. More than anything, what came out was an optimal concentration between us, each on the other. In my eyes, dressage is the way toward perfect understanding and absolute harmony and working in the head-collar is a further step along this path. This is why I decided to work all my horses regularly in this way from my 5-year olds to my two Grand Prix horses ".
(video shown at reduced size) New Video- Alizee Froment Rides Mistral du Coussoul Alizee Froment presents Mistral du Coussoul, a Lusitano stallion, in a demonstration of bitless dressage. She begins by working on his suppleness with a low head carriage to free his back, always checking that he is moving off her leg. The shoulder-in, leg yield, and half-pass are performed at the walk and then the trot. The stallion shows excellent stretching without shortening his stride. The four loop serpentine is used to equally use both sides of the horse. In the canter they work the twenty meter circle, closing it in and expanding it out, showing lovely, flowing canter trot transitions. This segment begins with the canter and counter canter with the proper placement of the withers. Alizee explains the advantage of more short walk breaks over a single long walk break. They show a wonderful example of the half-pass at the canter, always giving with the hand. She also explains her use of lateral work. Alizee works on the medium to collected canter transitions, always giving with her hands. This progresses to working canter pirouettes. She gives a great explanation for her plan for the entire work session. When Mistral becomes playful, she uses the small circle and the shoulder in on four tracks to put him back to work. Alizee works again on the four tracks, and then the passage.
 Axel Steiner- USA Axel started riding as a 9 year old in Germany and later attended the well known riding schools of Warendorf and von Neindorff. After moving to the USA in 1961, he competed on his own horses and on horses owned by the US Modern Pentathlon Team until his military duties interfered. He received his first national judges licence in 1968, and was promoted by the FEI to Official status (FEI-O, now FEI Five Star*****) in 1988. Axel has judged in 35 different countries, from Zambia to World Cup Finals, Pan American, and Olympic Games. After retiring from the military in 1988, he has also concentrated on teaching, and is now a much sought after clinician throughout the country. Col (Lt/Col USAF, Ret.) is a long standing member of the USEF Dressage Committee, a judge instructor/examiner, and faculty member of the USDF "L" program. He lives with his wife, Terri Miller, the well known artist and photographer, in the San Diego, CA area.
A Free Sample Mini-Clip of Full Featured Video
(video shown at reduced size)
New Video- Axel Steiner teaches Chrissa Hoffman Mr. Steiner begins the work with DTO's own, Chrissa Hoffman of CFH Dressage, out of Ocala, FL, with the shoulder in and asks for more activity in the hind legs from this young horse. There is an excellent explanation of what walk is appropriate for the level of the horse and why. The pair continues their work in the canter, showing soft half-passes at the canter as well as counter-canter and they develop a better connection through these exercises. They test their connection by riding canter trot canter transitions while asking the horse to keep his carriage. This session shows a great example of the benefits of a turn on the haunches as a training tool. They then continue to the canter, counter-canter and the flying change. After asking for a canter that is more up, Mr. Steiner asks for the trot transition maintaining the elevation requiring the horse to carry himself more.
Previously Released March Videos
 Dr. Ulf Moller-GER
Dr Ulf Moller was born in 1962, he was one of the great auction riders, producing a string of very expensive horses for the famed Hanoverian Verband auction. Ulf was also the sales manager at the Hanoverian Auction stables in Verden and in 1998 he joined the highly successful private barn, the PSI dressage stables where he is currently the manager under the direction of Ulrich Kasselmann. He has taken the PSI auction to new heights and the PSI horse are most sought after as their auction prices reflect where recently a dressage horse sold for two million euros.
Ulf has a string of very impressive riding achievements. Riding the most impressive stallion, Sandro Hit, he won the best equine of the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses 1999. Also add to Ulf's list of accomplishments, five times Bundeschampion (German Young Horses Championship) from 1999 - 2002, World Champion with 5 year old Don Davidoff in 2000 and placed 2nd in the FEI breeding Championship for Young Dressage horses 2001 riding Placido. (video shown at reduced size)
This is an excellent example of what a good foundation of training looks like in a young, talented mare. She shows relaxation and forward thinking, and they progress to working the counter canter. This is a great opportunity to see what to aim for when starting a horse.
2009 and 2007 FEI Young Rider World Cup Rabobank Talent of the Year. The Rabobank Talent Plan, which supports upcoming equestrian athletes in The Netherlands, is in its 11th year and it is the first time that a rider has won the title twice. Holder of 7 gold and silver medals in the European Juniors and Young Riders Championships and 3 Medals at the World Championships Young Riders, Lotje has more medals for her age than any other Dutch rider! Popular trainer and clinician, Lotje is beginning to take the international scene by storm! (video shown at reduced size)
New Video-Lotje riding Equitop Torrecelli, Intermediaire/S Level Lotje starts out emphasizing the importance of tempo control and begins by checking the aids. She moves into the canter, going forward and coming back, getting the relaxation over the back and slowly beginning to work in getting bend and suppleness. Next she works with the counter canter, ensuring she has straightness and utilizing the outside rein to achieve this. When her horse pulls and becomes heavy she asks for bend and relaxation again. Next she works on the flying changes, by preparing with the counter canter, she counter flexes a small amount and move his front end slightly to the outside of the track, this helps his hind pushing leg be a little more inside the track, giving it the space it needs to jump through in the change. Lotje is seen really focusing on the forward and back within the canter, making sure she has that access at all times, which is really important for accomplishing the harder work their about to move into. She stresses the importance of not moving against your horse, but with him for optimal harmony. New Video-Flying Change Set Up Tutorial Lotje takes you through each step of her mental preparation to show how she prepares and sets the horse up for a successful flying change. __________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________
|
