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We have a wonderful pair to feature this month: Kim and her dressage Clydesdale, Gracie! We asked Kim about her super cool ride and here’s what she had to say: “Gracie is a 6 year old registered Clydesdale. I’ve owned her since the spring of 2017, but it feels like much longer! I woke up one day and I decided I needed to buy a Clydesdale. It was like I had draft horse fever. I was in love with their…

Written by: Erin of Dressage Talk Not much is known about the origin of dressage trainer Kimberly Mitchell’s horse, Oso Grande or “Big Bear” as his name is translated in English. Like many treasures on Craigslist, Bear’s history is a mystery. Mitchell has only been able to make assumptions about things like the gelding’s breed and age, explaining, “Our best guess is Percheron/Thoroughbred based on pictures of other Percheron/Thoroughbreds we’ve seen.” Mitchell knows so little about her horse’s start that…

So, as fun and as preferable as jumping is to many people, dressage is and always has been and always will be the foundation of literally anything you do on you horse. It’s something I think about often. I’ve taught many different students who ride at a variety of levels, and the best way I could find to better them as riders and their horses as athletes was through the foundational aspects of dressage. Western riders can still benefit from…